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WEEKEND GETAWAYS

The Pleasures a lot of miles in Denali, either. The


Denali National
of a Night Out Park, Alaska
open tundra and long horizons
can sometimes seem endless, as if
ife is good. You’re a thousand miles from the office, kicking back you’re getting nowhere. But then,
L in a sunny alpine meadow surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks. While Let rivers and ridgelines be your you can always just sit down and
wait for the mountain to show
your coworkers back home chew on the day’s second stale doughnut, you
flip the perfect blueberry pancake, admiring the perfect morning.
compass as you hike in the itself.
Spending nights out on the trail, you begin to relax and forget about the shadow of Alaska’s Mt. McKinley. Expedition Planner
numbing influences of society. You have time to become part of the natu-
ral world, and to study those things around and above you that you can’t By Jeff Rennicke Permits: The park’s backcountry
see back home. t is, quite simply, the most units each have a user quota that
That’s why the editors at BACKPACKER have pulled together some
of their favorite hikes across America. Some you can do easily in 2 or
I spectacular moment in North fills quickly in high season.
Reservations cannot be made in
American hiking. For 3 days, the
3 days—a long weekend, say—while others require more of an invest- world has been locked in a gray advance, so have second and
ment of your time. haze of rain and fog. Mosquitoes third route choices in mind. Bear-
We’ve kept each group organized by state so you can find a great back- buzz incessantly in my rain hood. resistant food containers are re-
packing trail reasonably close to your home ground. Or if you’re on the I trudge along, gazing only at my quired, but are loaned for free
road for vacation or business, you can sneak in a few days away for your- feet. Then I look up, and there it with a backcountry permit pur-
self. You’ll find a description of the spot, plus details on how to get there, is. chase.
getting permits, where to get a good map or guide, and more. The clouds had cleared over the Access: The park entrance is
highest mountain on the continent: 237 miles north of Anchorage and
Mt. McKinley. It appears to be the reachable by car, shuttle, or train
roof of the world. Denali National (Alaska Railroad, 800/544-0552;
Park and Preserve (the mountain www.akrr.com). Private cars are
itself is still officially Mt. McKinley) not allowed beyond the park’s
is classic Alaska—open horizons, entrance. Buses shuttle visitors
grizzlies, wind swirling across the along the narrow Park Road.
tundra, snow-capped peaks. Even Season: Ideal hiking is in July and
without Mt. McKinley, it would August. Early September is prime
be one of the world’s premier berry-picking and bear-viewing
hiking locations. But when the time, but snow starts around Labor
mountain peeks out from behind Day.
the clouds, backpacking here is Guides: Denali National Park
simply sublime. #222 map (Trails Illustrated,
At 6 million acres, the park is 800/962-1643; $9.95). Denali
the size of Massachusetts, but fea- National Park & Preserve, AK:
tures only one maintained back- Backcountry Companion by Jon
packing trail. The best routes are Nierenberg, (Alaska Natural
along rivers and ridgelines, routes History Association, 907/274-8440;
that require good map-reading $8.95).
skills, experience in fording fast, Contact: Denali National Park and
cold streams, and keeping one eye Preserve, 907/683-2294;
open for grizzlies. You won’t make www.nps.gov/dena.

THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 5


Grand Canyon I’m in the desert. But in Wild Nightlife
between, the route scrambles
If you keep your eyes open and your movements quiet, you’ll see all
National Park, up scree slopes 1,000 feet
above the river, detours around kinds of animals. Whereas hawks and vultures move about during the
Arizona serpentine drainages, and slides heat of midday, most animals wait until dusk and dawn. Nighthawks
down slot canyons. You have and bats skim fields and streams for insects. Deer and elk eat dew-
A mile deep, 71,000 footsteps to work hard to touch the laden plants in open fields. Keep watching and carnivores will come
wide, some 278 miles long— treasures of the Grand Canyon,
to feast on the deer. Cover your flashlight with red cellophane for
but the once-in-a-lifetime
the impressive statistics don’t rewards are many. low-impact nighttime spotting.
hit you with the same explo- I stop for lunch at the Unkar Wildlife is most active in spring and fall. In spring, hungry snakes
overlook and peer at rapids and bears are emerging from winter’s sleep and snowmelt-filled
sive force as a hike into the 1,500 feet below me, the water vernal pools harbor mating salamanders and frogs. In fall, hawks and
heart of this otherworldly of Unkar Creek churning as songbirds migrate, while foxes and mink hunt all day to fatten up for
natural wonder. it tumbles in from the North winter.
Rim. Vishnu Temple, The
Go where the animals go. Riparian areas attract critters
By Annette McGivney Tabernacle, and other mam-
moth stone monuments rise galore, especially at twilight; keep a fair distance so that
mere 6 feet tall and 39
A years old, I’m akin to a like islands in a vast ocean of
space. Behind me are the ter-
you don’t discourage the thirsty from drinking. Many
species prefer transition zones, where fields meld into
grain of sand on a seashore in
raced layers of the South Rim. forests and foothills flatten into plains, since they
this ancient, gargantuan land-
I’m so deep in the heart of the provide food and shelter close together.
scape. As I hike 10 miles down
canyon that I can’t see the top, Position yourself on the edge of these
from the canyon’s South Rim to
nor can I fathom enjoying any
the Colorado River via the zones so you can see animals mov-
place more than I am relishing
Tanner Trail, I lose 5,000 feet of
this giant hole in the ground. ing in both areas.
elevation and all sense of scale.
Nowhere else have I felt so
In the Grand Canyon, land-
insignificant, yet so alive.
marks that seem near actually
Route: The Escalante Route is Guides: Grand Canyon
stand 2 or 5 or 20 miles away. Expedition Planner recommended only for sea- National Park #207 map (Trails
Layers of the Earth, not the
Permits: Required for all soned desert travelers. First- Illustrated, 800/962-1643;
hands on my watch, mark the
overnight camping; they may time Grand Canyon hikers may $9.95). USGS 7.5-minute quads
passage of time. Light reflects
be obtained up to 4 months in want to stick to more estab- for the Escalante Route: Desert
off rock, making every color
advance through the mail. You lished trails, like Bright Angel, View, Cape Royal, and
radiate with a neon glow.
can also apply for a same-day South Kaibab, and Hermit. Grandview Point (USGS,
As I thread my way between
permit at the park’s backcoun- Season: Spring and late fall are 888/ASK-USGS; $4 each).
boulders and sheer bluffs, I fol-
try office, but demand often the most pleasant times to hike. Hiking the Grand Canyon by
low a faintly marked path
exceeds availability. See In winter, be prepared for ice John Annerino (Sierra Club
called the Escalante Route.
Contact below for an online and snow at the rim. Do not Books, 415/977-5500; $15).
Each evening, the route leads
permit application and office backpack here from June to Contact: Backcountry
me to another lush riverside
phone number. Fees are $10 early September; temperatures Information Center, Grand
campsite, where soft sand and
per group, plus $5 per person can soar to 115°F at the base of Canyon National Park, 928/638-
abundant water make me forget
per night of camping. the canyon. 7875; www.nps.gov/grca.

6 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 7


and looming granite peaks, has Pear Lake and the Tableland
Sequoia its bragging rights—the tallest area from the Wolverton trail- Myakka River
National Park, peak in the Lower 48 (that’s
Mt. Whitney, 14,496 feet), the
head on the west side of
Sequoia National Park. Keep
State Park,
California largest living thing on the entire going on the High Sierra Trail Florida
planet (a sequoia tree named (pick it up just south of the
There’s a soothing magic to General Sherman), and some Wolverton trailhead at Crescent Hike the Myakka Trail for a
the big trees and high trails of of the most stunning alpine Meadow). glimpse of the Sunshine State’s
wilderness anywhere. Drive Time: Los Angeles:
Sequoia National Park. John Muir penned volumes 4 hours; Fresno: 1 hour wild and grassy past.
about the Sierra, believing it The Way: From Los Angeles,
By Jordan Rane By Johnny Molloy
to be the world’s most life- head up US 5 to CA 99 and
tanding at the Wolverton enhancing spot. The conserva- lose your eyes and imag-
Strailhead in Sequoia tionist even proved it by climb-
Visalia. Take CA 198 east for
36 miles to the Generals Cine backpacking in
National Park, already 7,000 ing a pine tree in a raging light- Highway park entrance. Florida. If your image includes
feet higher than most California ning storm just to get closer to Dayhike: A short trail off slogging down a waterlogged
freeways, my ties to that hazy it all. As I lie wide-eyed under Generals Highway will intro- trail and dodging alligators,
world below are feeling pretty a full moon at 9,000 feet, duce you to General Sherman you’re in for a pleasant sur-
tenuous. They snap altogether encased in an amphitheater of himself. He’s 50 times your prise. I had the good fortune to
somewhere along the park’s looming silver peaks above height and 17,000 times your go backpacking in Myakka
prized Lakes Trail, where a Emerald Lake, I understand weight, and predates Julius River State Park last winter, and
kingdom of yellow pine and Muir’s addiction. Caesar. now my vision of Florida hik-
ponderosa, Douglas fir, and Elevation: Most trails range ing includes a vast dry prairie
incense cedar begs me to leave Expedition Planner from 6,000 to 10,000 feet. and far-reaching views.
it all behind. Route: An ideal weekend fol- Crowd Control: The nicest The 28,875-acre park in cen-
Sequoia, a 604-square-mile lows the 13-mile Lakes Trail to time (weather, bugs, and tral Florida protects one of the
tract of canyons, forests, rivers, crowds) is September and early largest remaining tracts of
October. Florida’s dry grass prairie, an
Guides: Sequoia & Kings ecosystem that once covered
In the Night Canyon National Parks map parts of the state from coast to
(Tom Harrison Maps, 800/265- coast. Add the Wild and Scenic
Sky: Finding 9090; backpacker.com/mapstore; Myakka River, 12 miles of
$8.95). Also recommended is which flow through the park,
the Planets Day Hiking Sequoia by Steve as well as 7,500 acres of wilder-
Five of our solar system’s nine planets are general- Sorensen ($12.95). ness around Lower Myakka
ly visible from Earth with the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Walk Softly: Protect black Lake, and you have the mak-
bears and yourself by removing ings of a great hike.
and Saturn. It’s not true that planets don’t twinkle. Twinkling is caused The 39-mile, hikers-only
trash from your car and storing
by atmospheric turbulence, and enough rocking and rolling in near all food in bear-proof canisters Myakka Trail loops through a
space can send even Venus dancing. One tip for planet-gazing is to on the trail. diverse array of grass/palmetto
look for the reddish tint of Mars and Saturn’s pale yellow light. A star Contact: Sequoia & prairies, dense palm islands,
wheel will help you plot their position, which changes nightly. Kings Canyon National and shady oak hammocks. The
Parks, 559/565-3134; park is home to an odd crew
www.nps.gov/seki. of wildlife, including burrowing

8 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 9


owls, bald eagles, grasshopper Road). Head east on Clark park ranger station (see Contact seeking an oasis far from the
sparrows, ospreys, sandhill Road (FL 72) for 9 miles to below). A Hiking Guide to the maddening crowd find their
cranes, and Eastern box turtles. Myakka River State Park. Trails of Florida by Elizabeth F. way to the Mahoosucs.
There’s also a good chance of Trails: The Myakka Trail makes Carter (Menasha Ridge Press, Guy Waterman, who with
seeing alligators (this is still a 39-mile circuit, with numer- 800/247-9437; www.backpacker. his wife, Laura, wrote the defin-
Florida, after all). Distinctive ous shorter loop options avail- .com/bookstore; $12.95). itive history of hiking in the
local plants include the endan- able. Combine backpacking Walk Softly: Campfires are Northeast, called the Mahoosuc
gered wild pineapple and res- and paddling by canoeing the permitted, but should be avoid- Range “a rambling and rugged
urrection ferns, which become Myakka River between the ed, as the prairie is usually spine of middling-sized peaks.”
brown and shriveled until infre- Lower and Upper Myakka tinder-dry in winter. The Give thanks for such faint
quent winter rains bring them Lakes. A backcountry fee of $3 Myakka River is home to the praise, for it has helped damn
back to life. per night for adults and $2 per endangered wood stork. these mountains to blessed
The day I set out on the trail, night for children under 18 is Admire wildlife from a distance obscurity.
the rich green hues of new required for camping (see and don’t disturb nests. The Mahoosucs ramble from
growth peeked through the Contact below). Contact: Myakka River State the Androscoggin River in
blackened soil of a recent fire. Dayhike: For a good sampling Park, 941/361-6511; northeast New Hampshire to
After crossing a sunny, open of hammock and prairie .
http://www.floridastateparks.org/ the southwest edge of Maine.
flat, the sandy, narrow footpath ecosystems, start at the main The length of the range is
entered a dark palm grove. An trailhead near Upper Myakka traversed by the 31-mile
armadillo skittered through Lake and hike the 6-mile Bee Mahoosuc Trail, a segment of
palm fronds. Willows grew Island Loop around the Mossy Mahoosuc the Appalachian Trail (AT). Its
thick alongside an intermittent
streambed. That night, I
Hammock campsite (return on
Fox High Road, a dirt track
Range, loftiest point is an unimpressive
4,180 feet, but hike the trail
camped at Bee Island, one of closed to vehicles). Maine/New from west to east and you’ll
the park’s six backcountry Elevation: The elevation climb close to 10,000 feet
campsites (well water must be imperceptibly shifts from a high Hampshire (total) over 10 peaks. Despite
treated, and wells sometimes of 40 feet atop the prairie those impressive statistics, only
dry up, so check ahead). As I down to about 25 feet near Mahoosuc Notch is a glacier- one aspect of the Mahoosuc
pitched my tent in a stand of Upper Myakka Lake. carved gash winding through Range has earned it real notori-
longleaf pines overlooking the Can’t Miss: Walking the sharp precipitous granite cliffs. ety, especially among AT thru-
vast prairie, fog rolled across ecological border where the hikers: the mile-long ravine
the landscape and an owl lush Deer Prairie Slough meets By Michele J. Morris known as Mahoosuc Notch. It’s
broke the silence of the cool the dry, open prairie. been dubbed “the hardest mile
very summer, the great
evening. Crowd Control: Winter is
the best time to hike here E wave of northeastern on the AT,” and many thru-hik-
ers anticipate its challenges all
Expedition Planner (November to January); you’ll urbanites fleeing for the hills
the way from Georgia.
share a backcountry campsite flows first over New York’s
Drive Time: Myakka River I hiked the Mahoosucs from
with others only on weekends. Catskills and Adirondacks, then
State Park is 11⁄2 hours east to west on Labor Day
Spring is more crowded; secure through the Berkshires in
(70 miles) south of Tampa weekend, when you’d expect
reservations for backcountry Massachusetts, and finally
and 21⁄2 hours (130 miles) any backcountry destination
campsites at least a week in crashes against White’s in New
from Orlando. within a day’s drive of
advance. Hampshire, frothing up and
The Way: From Tampa, take Washington and Boston to be
Guides: A free, comprehensive over the high peaks of the
I-75 south for 60 miles to completely overrun with urban
trail map is available at the Presidential Range. But those
Sarasota and exit 37 (Clark escapees. Not the Mahoosucs.

10 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 11


The only traffic I encountered Gothic place, hiding pockets of
was a handful of fast-moving snow and ice.
AT thru-hikers and a few week- In the best conditions, the In the Night Sky:
end enthusiasts. route is still so challenging that Finding the Aurora
When I arrived at Speck backpackers consider it a point
Pond on Friday night, the tent of honor to keep their packs Borealis
platforms were nearly full, and on while clambering up or
a persistent drizzle was falling. shimmying under the gargan-
The multicolored arches of light that dance across the night sky in
I pitched my little hoop tent, tuan boulders. Be forewarned: northern regions are caused by solar winds that send electrically
then ambled down to the shel- The Notch is a graveyard of charged particles into Earth’s upper atmosphere, where they collide
ter to see what the thru-hikers Nalgene bottles, trekking poles, with gas atoms. This should be another good year for viewing north-
who’d just tackled The Notch and anything else not securely ern lights. In Alaska and northern Canada, the best time to view aurora
had to say about the so-called stashed inside a pack. Rain cov- is around the equinox, when dark skies and mild weather cooperate.
hardest mile. ers, knuckles, and nerves often
Their answers were as varied emerge a bit more ragged on
as their trail names. “Some the other side. and out of the whiteness, then Guides: The best topo is Map 1
parts were kinda scary,” said The rest of the trail is ample vanished into the thickets, leav- (Grafton Notch to Androscoggin
Three Gaited Mule, “but it’s not reward for the slow delibera- ing me once again alone with Valley) of the official AT maps
the hardest mile.” Diamond tion of The Notch. Even when the silence. for New Hampshire and
Doug added that it was “cool low-flying clouds obscure the Vermont (Appalachian Trail
to be airborne several times, many stunning views, the Expedition Planner Conference, 304/535-6331;
jumping from boulder to boul- alpine zones are miraculous, www.atctrailstore.org; $12.95 for
The Way: The easiest access
der.” But Split P wanted none enveloping you in the NH/VT set). The trail is
from the west is at the
of it. She hated The Notch: “I Christmasy smells of balsam described (with distances and
Centennial/AT trailhead on
can’t wait to get back to the big firs, the granite path carving estimated hiking times) in the
US 2, about 2 miles east of
mileage days when I can just through heath—shrubs and Maine Mountain Guide, 8th
Gorham, New Hampshire. The
walk. It took me 41⁄2 hours to blueberry, low and dense edition by AMC (Appalachian
eastern trailhead is in Grafton
get through there. It was against the wind. Green and Mountain Club, 617/523-0636;
Notch State Park, Maine, where
awful.” orange grasses and auburn and $18.95.
the AT crosses ME 26. Both
The one thing they agreed lime moss light up the bog Contact: Appalachian Trail
locations are about 180 miles
on was Diamond Doug’s sum- walks. Alongside burbling Conference, 304/535-6331;
from Boston.
mation: “I don’t know that it creeks, pale white Indian pipes www.atconf.org. Appalachian
Route: The 31-mile Mahoosuc
was the hardest mile, but it and tiny red mushrooms scatter Mountain Club, 617/523-0636;
Trail travels along the spine of
sure was the slowest.” into a lilliputian glade like a www.outdoors.org.
the range from Gorham to
Mahoosuc Notch is filled fairy trail.
Grafton Notch State Park, with a
halfway with immense blocks Later in the weekend, having
new parallel trail in the works.
of schist cleaved from the walls passed another half-handful of
Numerous side trails allow for
above by countless freeze-and- thru-hikers heading north, I
several excellent weekend loops
thaw cycles. Tree roots snake reached the summit of Goose
of varying difficulty.
through the clefts and crevices. Eye Mountain and found my
Fees: A caretaker at the Speck
Water gurgles somewhere first crowd. There, among the
Pond Campsite from June 1 to
beneath the boulders but is sel- rocks and fog, milled a covey
October 15 collects the $6 per
dom seen. Even on blindingly of spruce grouse. Clucking
night fee.
sunny days, it remains a chilly, nervously, they materialized in

12 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 13


and clear streams. MN 61 north. Continue on MN tance from the island wildlife
Isle Royale My favorite long-weekend 61 to Grand Portage and follow (see “A Respectful Distance,”
National Park, hike is the 30-mile Feldtmann
Lake–Island Mine Loop, which
the signs to the ferry.
Trails: With 165 trail miles to
page 16, and “Too Close for
Comfort,” on page 22). Stay on
Michigan takes in plenty of woods and choose from, Isle Royale offers established trails even if they’re
water in its romp around the trips to fit just about any time muddy.
A trip to this island in Lake southwest corner of the island. frame. The 30-mile Feldtmann Contact: Isle Royale National
Superior is well worth the Best of all, stretches of the Lake–Island Mine Loop makes Park, 906/482-0984; www.nps.
Feldtmann route stick pretty a good trek for strong hikers gov/isro. Grand Portage Isle
price of the ferry. close to the shoreline, making with a long weekend. For a Royale Transportation Lines,
the trail a breezy antidote to shorter option, simply turn 888/746-2305; www.GRAND-
By James Campbell
summer’s heat and humidity. around at Feldtmann Lake. ISLE-ROYALE.com.
ackpackers, as a rule, The loop begins at Windigo
B know that the best ferry stop and cuts southwest
Dayhike: The 6.5-mile Hugin-
nin Cove Loop samples the
things in life require a little ex- for 9 miles to the Feldtmann island’s forests and waters and Mt. Nebo, Utah
tra effort. So don’t be daunted Lake Campground. On day offers opportunities to watch
when it comes to planning a two, the trail makes a beeline the local wildlife. Salt Lake City hikers
trip to Isle Royale National for Feldtmann Ridge and the Elevation: Feldtmann Ridge
Park. Sure, you have to cross
are 2 hours away from
toughest section of the hike. Be and Red Oak Ridge (1,200 feet)
Lake Superior to get there, but sure to climb the observation won’t give you altitude sick- sweeping views atop the
spending the few extra minutes tower for superb views. ness, but they will test your Mt. Nebo ridge.
securing a boat ticket is well A long, lolling descent brings resolve.
worth the effort. you to Siskiwit Bay. A dip in Can’t Miss: A long break on By Eric Hansen
When you get off the ferry, Lake Superior is essential, the Feldtmann Ridge observa- ou’ll gasp when you
you’ll find an island wilderness
little changed since prehistoric
though the icy water will send
you rushing back to your tent.
tion tower, where you get a
bird’s-eye view of Lake
Y step onto Mt. Nebo’s
10,000-foot-high summit ridge,
visitors first traveled here from Once night falls, listen for the Superior’s spectacular southern and it won’t just be due to the
the mainland. Isle Royale’s eerie howling of the island’s shoreline. thin air. The extensive views
charms include miles of shore- resident wolf packs. Crowd Control: Go in late take in much of central Utah,
line and ridgetop trails, moose, After climbing to Red Oak spring or early fall to avoid the and they only get better as you
river otters, raptors, rare Ridge, you’ll head back to summer rush. The park closes go higher. Ahead, the Mt. Nebo
orchids, and the soul-stirring Windigo via the Greenstone from October 31 to April 15. Trail follows the ridge past
presence of the eastern timber Ridge Trail. The last leg is User fee is $15 per person per sculpted snow cornices and a
wolf, offspring of a roaming downhill, leaving you plenty of day. few clumps of krummholz as it
pack that crossed an ice bridge energy for the ferry ride home. Guides: Hiking Michigan by tiptoes up the serrated crest. A
from Canada half a century Mike Modrzynski (Globe
ago. Expedition Planner Pequot–Falcon, 800/582-2665;
mile later, the path skirts a flat
meadow before the final, 500-
Stuck up in Lake Superior’s Drive Time: Duluth: about www.backpacker.com/ foot climb to Nebo’s South
lonely northwest corner, Isle 2 hours (140 miles); St. Paul: bookstore; $12.95). Isle Summit.
Royale was established to con- 5 hours (295 miles). Ferry ride Royale National Park #240 There, views stretch northeast
serve a “prime example of to Windigo: 2 hours. map (Trails Illustrated, to the Uinta Mountains, south
Northwoods Wilderness.” You’ll The Way: From St. Paul, take 800/962-1643; www.backpacker. to the 120-miles-distant Tushar
find an even larger liquid pre- I-35 north for 132 miles to com/mapstore; $9.95). Mountains, and west to Notch
serve of winsome inland lakes Duluth. At Duluth, exit onto Walk Softly: Keep a safe dis- Peak and the Deep Creek

14 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 15


Contact below). Snow returns National Forest #701 map
A Respectful Distance to the high crest in late (backpacker.com/mapstore;
September or in October. $9.95).
Getting close to wildlife may not be the best Beyond the author’s route, Walk Softly: Don’t camp on
idea because you may scare them, causing the Nebo Bench Trail continues the flat meadow below Nebo’s
them to waste precious energy they need to north 7 miles along Mt. Nebo’s South Summit. Leave the flow-
survive. If you move in for a better view, don’t make a beeline for the eastern slopes, traversing high ers for others to enjoy.
animals, but look down and walk slowly in random directions, as if you meadows and fir and aspen Contact: Spanish Fork Ranger
stands to the Monument trail- District, Uinta National Forest,
were looking for lost keys. Freeze whenever the animal looks at you. head. From Nebo’s west side, 435/623-0952, ext. 461;
While we’re on the subject of respecting wildlife, let’s talk about the 3.5-mile-long Willow www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinta.
lures and calls. In some parks, calling tapes and other lures are illegal Canyon Trail offers a short but
because they unnecessarily disturb mating animals. Some people suck steep route to the crest.
on the backs of their hands to attract predators (who think it sounds Drive Time: Salt Lake City: Olympic
like a hurt rabbit) and birds (who think it’s a bird invading their terri- 2 hours
The Way: From Salt Lake City,
National
tory). If you choose to try this, be ready for what may approach you.
take I-15 south 87 miles. Turn Park,
east on UT 132 for 5 miles,
then north 3.3 miles on the Mt. Washington
Range. To the north, much of blue of lupine accent the mead- Nebo Scenic Loop Road. At that
the length of the Wasatch Front ows. point, turn northwest, as the A trip along Washington’s
is visible, but the knife-edge Loop Road turns northeast, Olympic Coast is one whale
ridge connecting Nebo’s three Expedition Planner and drive 1.3 miles, past the
summits steals the show. That Route: About 24 miles of hik- Ponderosa Campground, to the
of a day at the beach.
rugged spine’s steep limestone ing trail are within the wilder- trailhead. A sign and trail regis- By Kristin Hostetter
bedrock runs to Nebo’s 11,928- ness, with another 70 nearby. ter mark a small parking area
here’s something about
foot highpoint, a mile away. A
beautifully symmetrical pyra-
The author’s route followed the
Nebo Bench and Mt. Nebo
on the west side of the road.
Dayhike: From the Monument Tthe sound of waves hit-
mid, Mt. Nebo presides over a Trails for a 13-mile round-trip trailhead, walk the North Peak ting a beach that makes you
landscape of rock, lingering hike, gaining and losing 5,400 Trail 3.25 miles, gaining 2,000 sleep like a baby. But if you
early-summer snow, and green feet of elevation. Swinging feet, to arrive at its namesake’s haven’t camped on a deserted
swaths of sharply angled alpine through four broad switchbacks 11,174-foot highpoint. coastal beach before, you’re
meadows. in its first 2 miles, the Nebo Elevation: The lowest eleva- missing a whole lot more than
Early Mormon pioneers gave Bench Trail reaches a sage- tion in the wilderness is 5,200 just some great shut-eye.
the lofty summit its name, brush flat and views of Mt. feet, near Little Birch Creek. Things like a tidepool filled
meaning “Sentinel of God.” Nebo’s skyline 1,500 feet above The highpoint is Mt. Nebo at with 10-legged starfish and
Today, that high crest is the the trailhead. Several snow gul- 11,928 feet. shimmering sea anemones, and
central feature of a 27,010-acre lies near the intersection of the Crowd Control: You may see mornings with laughing sea-
wilderness area where elk, Nebo Bench and Mt. Nebo a few weekend peak-baggers gulls and the sun dancing on
moose, cougar, black bear, and Trails can be a hazard well into on the Nebo Bench, Willow the waves. You’re missing a
mule deer roam. Red-tailed July. Water can be scarce after Canyon, and Mt. Nebo Trails. climb up a 50-foot cliff to gaze
hawks glide on the thermals; in lingering snow patches melt Guides: Hiking Utah by David into the ocean’s sapphire water
summer, the bright red of off. Check conditions with Hall ($14.95). Trails Illustrated/ and—if you’re lucky—catch a
Indian paintbrush and purple- Spanish Fork rangers (see National Geographic Uinta glimpse of a whale breaking

16 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 17


the surface a few hundred feet more stable weather and more Besides being home to bear
offshore. hikers. Spring and fall can be Salmo-Priest and caribou, Salmo-Priest is a
I’ve hiked countless beaches,
and the Coastal Strip in Wash-
wet, but you may have the
coast to yourself.
Wilderness, residence for cougar, bobcat,
deer, elk, wolverine, badger,
ington’s Olympic National Park Guides: Custom Correct maps Washington lynx, moose, and bighorn
is the place to go. The 60-mile North Olympic Coast and sheep. We kept our eyes peeled
stretch from Shi-Shi Beach to South Olympic Coast You may glimpse one of the from the moment we left the
the Hoh River is the longest (www.olypen.com/lre; last Selkirk grizzlies. trailhead at Pass Creek Pass.
tract of virgin coastline left in $3.25 each) are available at A mere 2 miles from the road,
the Lower 48. You’ll hike a park visitor centers, ranger By Craig Romano Round Top Mountain’s view
section of white-sand beach, stations, or from the Outdoor entices you to stay, but the
iking along Washing-
picking your way over ocean-
slicked cobblestones and mas-
Recreation Information Center,
206/470-4060;www.nps.gov/
H ton’s Shedroof Divide scenery and the solitude only
get better the farther you travel
Trail, I kept one hand on my
sive, algae-covered logs. When ccso/oric.htm. 100 Hikes in along the ridgeline. Before long,
trekking pole and the other on
that section of the beach ends Washington’s South Cascades something large moving on the
my binoculars. I needed the
and a headland juts out into and Olympics: Chinook Pass, trail ahead startled us. Our
pole because this high path
the sea, you’ll claw your way White Pass, Goat Rocks, Mt. St. excitement faded as we saw that
traverses a 5,000-foot-high ridge-
up out of the sun and into the Helens, Mt.Adams by Ira Spring the object of our attention was a
line for 22 miles, offering wide
cool cedar forests above. Then and Harvey Manning (The Salmo-Priest backcountry ranger.
views of the surrounding mead-
it’s back down to the beach, Mountaineers, 800/553-4453; He took a reprieve from trail-
ows, forests, and ridges of
often via handy rope ladders. $14.95). work to chat with us about his
northeastern Washington. The
The wonderful up-and-down Contact: Olympic National first grizzly sighting.
binoculars? The area is known
pattern continues along the Park Wilderness Information With new determination, we
as the last stronghold for griz-
entire coast, creating a hike Center, 360/565-3100; continued up the divide for 10
zlies in the Pacific Northwest,
that’s varied and beautiful. Pay www.nps.gov/olym. more miles. Though we never
and my hiking partner and I
careful attention to the tides, so saw a grizz, fresh scat, tracks,
wanted a glimpse of one.
you don’t get stranded on the and debarked trees were preva-
The grizzly is one of the most
wrong side of a headland. lent and convinced us that just
endangered mammals in the
sharing the stunning wilderness
Expedition Planner In the Lower 48, and here it shares the
with these mountain monarchs
land with another rare mammal,
Permits: Permits are free and Night Sky: the woodland caribou. In 1984,
was excitement enough.
available at ranger stations, visi-
tor centers, and many trail- Finding Congress helped protect both Expedition Planner
animals by designating this north-
heads. Call ahead to check on Due North eastern corner of the state the Drive Time: Spokane: 2 hours
quotas and reservations (see Salmo-Priest Wilderness. At more (100 miles).
Contact below). The last two stars in the Big The Way: From Spokane, take
Dipper’s bowl point to the North than 41,000 acres, the wilderness
Route: Access to Shi-Shi Beach consists of two long north-south US 2 northeast for 35 miles to
is through private property. Star. Now, draw an imaginary line ridges, with 6,828-foot Salmo WA 211. Follow WA 211 north
Contact the Makah Information from the North Star to the hori- Mountain crowning its northern to the town of Usk. At the junc-
Center at 360/645-2201 for zon, and you have end. About 50 miles of trail cross tion of WA 211 and WA 20, take
details. For a shorter hike, start your bearings. the damp old-growth forests, WA 20 north for 30 miles to
at Third Beach and hike south resplendent alpine meadows, and Tiger. Take WA 31 north for
to the Hoh River (18 miles). 7,000-foot peaks. 2 miles. Just before the town of
Season: High summer brings

18 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 19


Wyoming’s smallest wilderness
In the Night Sky:
Encampment area, the 10,400-acre Encamp-

Finding the Milky Way


River Trail, ment River Wilderness.
Amid the small wonders of
The 200 billion stars, planets, and celestial
Wyoming the canyon, from potholes on a
midstream rock to golden eagles
features that share our galaxy are called the When you hike Wyoming’s riding the thermals above, one
Milky Way. Just don’t take the view for grant- underlying theme endures: the
Encampment River Trail, you
ed. As many as two-thirds of the world’s steady change in vegetation as
inhabitants can no longer see the Milky Way, won’t want to go home. the river rolls out of the moun-
due to light pollution. For the best view, tains. The trail, the river’s con-
By Eric Hansen
choose a summer night with a new moon, stant companion for 16 miles,
very time I hike the begins in spruce and fir and
and camp far from urban light sources. EEncampment River Trail, ends among streamside cotton-
my usually brisk pace slows to a woods and sagebrush-covered
crawl. I linger at rushing streams foothills. The healthy popula-
Ione, turn east on Sullivan Lake from about 3,400 feet in the and muse over the source and tions of mule deer and elk
Road (County Road 9345), and Salmo River Valley to 7,309 feet travels of the gurgling flow. I depend on the vegetation.
travel 12 miles to Sullivan Lake at Gypsy Mountain. stop to examine rocks that catch As the trail leaves the last of
Ranger Station. Forest Service Can’t Miss: The view of Priest my eye. In truth, I use any the forest, be on the lookout for
Road 22 begins here, leading to Lake, 1 vertical mile below excuse to dawdle, because it prairie falcons working the open
many of the trailheads. Little Snowy Top. would be a terrible mistake to slopes of the lower canyon.
Trails: About 50 miles of trail Crowd Control: These trails hurry through this remote Also, watch for the remains of
are within the wilderness, with are lightly visited, but the canyon. a mining-era dam, a mile before
another 50 close by. The “Salmo Loop” sees a fair num- The Encampment River begins the trail’s lower end and before
author’s route followed the ber of backpackers from June in the high country of Colo- Miner’s Creek enters from the
22-mile Shedroof Divide Trail until August. rado’s Mt. Zirkel Wilderness. west. High above this site, secure
through the heart of the wilder- Guides: 100 Hikes in the In- From there, it sloshes north for on the opposite cliff face, is the
ness. A scenic 18-mile circuit land Northwest by Rich 10 miles and meets its name- main lambing area of the can-
(the “Salmo Loop”) combines Landers and Ida Dolphin (The sake 16-mile trail in the mead- yon’s resident herd of 50 Rocky
Shedroof Divide Trail with Mountaineers, 800/553-4453; ows of Commissary Park at the Mountain bighorn sheep.
Trails #535 (Salmo Divide Trail) www.backpacker.com/ Wyoming border. After 2 miles
and #506 (Salmo Basin Trail). bookstore; $14.95).The Forest of gentle terrain, the river Expedition Planner
The loop spills into Idaho, with Service publishes a good begins its foaming drop into a Drive Time: Denver: 3 hours
the option of hiking to the fire wilderness map ($3) and offers rugged gorge where rapids and (170 miles); Laramie, WY:
tower at Little Snowy Top a free booklet describing trails towering granite walls alternate 11⁄2 hours (80 miles).
(6,829 feet). (see Contact). with deep pools and shady The Way: From the town of
Dayhike: The 5.3-mile Noisy Walk Softly: This is bear coun- nooks. The trail, as playful as Encampment, take WY 70 west
Creek Trail starts at Noisy try. Hang food and keep a the falling water, dips and rolls 5 miles, turn south and travel
Creek Campground and offers clean camp. by the river, and occasionally 15.5 miles on Forest Service
views of Sullivan Lake and con- Contact: Sullivan Lake District, climbs hundreds of feet above Road 550, then turn southeast
nections to other wilderness Colville National Forest, when sheer cliffs block its roil- and drive 3 miles on Forest
trails. 509/446-7500; www.fs.fed.us/ ing way. Along part of the river Service Road 496 to the
Elevation: The area ranges r6/colville/. gorge, the trail passes through Commissary Park trailhead, just

20 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 21


ESCAPES FOR A WEEK—OR LONGER

before a bridge over the river $15.95). A free Forest Service ness on the Arizona/New
and the Colorado border. map (see Contact) for the Blue Range, Mexico border—hiking from the
Trails: For a 16-mile point-
to-point hike, take the well-
wilderness provides plenty of
detail for those sticking to the
Arizona 9,000-foot-high aspen and fir-
forested peaks soggy with snow-
maintained Encampment River trail. Hike out where the melt down to the oak-covered
Trail north from the Colorado Walk Softly: Always give foothills and cactus-studded
border (Commissary Park) to bighorn sheep a wide berth. wolves still howl. canyon bottoms—I thought I
the Encampment River Camp- Contact: Medicine Bow By Annette McGivney knew these mountains. But
ground 2 miles south of the National Forest, 307/327-5481; I had no idea how much the
town of Encampment. Snow www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr. had a different kind of
melts off the lower portion I campsite in mind for endangered Mexican gray wolf
(reintroduced in 1998) had
of the river’s canyon well tonight, one smack in the mid- reclaimed this land.
before it leaves the higher Too Close dle of a sunny alpine meadow, If Aldo Leopold were here
parts, allowing early-season encircled by golden-leafed today, he’d be pleased to see
in-and-out trips from the for Comfort aspen, bustling with elk in rut how well the 30-plus wolves
north. A stone’s throw south and within earshot of the howl- are doing and how “primitive”
Don’t feed or pet wildlife—getting
of Commissary Park, a net- ing wolves that roam these the Blue Range Primitive Area
too close can be just as dangerous mountains. There are plenty of
work of 150 miles of trail (a wilderness he helped estab-
(including the Continental for you as it is for animals. If an ani- places like that here in lish) remains. In 1908, while
Divide Trail) in the Mt. mal points its ears toward you, gets Arizona’s Blue Range. Instead, patrolling the Blue Range dur-
Zirkel Wilderness begins. visibly nervous, stamps its feet, or I find myself setting down my ing the early years of his Forest
Dayhike: The Hog Park acts aggressively, back off. Scientists pack in a dark, forested bone- Service career, Leopold had a
Creek and Purgatory Gulch have found that animals tend to flee yard at the bottom of Grant wolf encounter that planted the
Trails offer short (2 miles Creek Canyon, the only flat seed for a conservation ethic
when humans get within a certain
each) alternatives at either spot for miles. All manner of that helped inspire our nation’s
distance. Use these numbers as gnawed ungulate body parts
end of the main trail. environmental movement.
Elevation: The Encamp- a guide. from at least half a dozen elk In Leopold’s famous environ-
ment River Trail drops from • Mountain sheep 165 feet or deer are strewn about. Not mental treatise, A Sand County
8,400 feet at Commissary only am I within likely earshot Almanac, he recalls the day
• American kestrel 250 feet of wolves, it appears I am also
Park to 7,200 feet at its when he and his coworkers
northern end. • Great blue heron 330 feet in the middle of their mess hall. were sitting on a canyon bluff
Can’t Miss: The spectacular (I would find out later that the and spotted a pack of wolves.
• Prairie falcon 525 feet boneyard was a “rendezvous
upper gorge with its truck- Exterminating wolves, grizzly,
size midstream boulders. • Mule deer 630 feet site” for the Cienega pack last and other “vermin” was part of
Crowd Control: The spring. The alpha male and their job, so they proceeded to
• Elk 650 feet
Encampment River is a blue- female dragged fresh kills to pull out their rifles and fill the
ribbon trout stream, and the • Rough-legged hawk 690 feet this spot to feed their pups.) pack with lead. Leopold shot
lower portion sees some use • Bald eagle 820 feet Even though most hikers the alpha female.
from dayhiking anglers. head to the picture-postcard- “We reached the old wolf in
Traffic on the trail is light. • Golden eagle 985 feet perfect White Mountains next time to watch a fierce green
Guides: Hiking Wyoming door, I have always been fire dying in her eyes,” he
by Bill Hunger (Falcon Pub- drawn to the Blue Range. After wrote. “I realized then, and
lishing, 800/582-2665; www. nearly a decade of backpacking have known ever since, that
backpacker.com/bookstore; trips in the 174,000-acre wilder- there was something new to

22 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 23


me in those eyes—something “deep, chesty bawl...of wild San Pedro except at times of
known only to her and the defiant sorrow” that Leopold San Pedro River extremely high water, following
mountain. I was young then
and full of trigger-itch; I
heard in the Blue Range. There
is still much I have to learn
Trail, Arizona heavy rainfall. The best hiking
is in winter, with steady water
thought that because fewer from these mountains. As Shady hiking and cool waters levels and comfortable temper-
wolves meant more deer, then Leopold said, “Only the moun- atures, or in spring, with the
no wolves would mean a tain has lived long enough to make the San Pedro River an arrival of hundreds of migratory
hunter’s paradise. But after see- listen objectively to the howl of oasis for desert trekkers. birds.
ing the green fire die, I sensed a wolf.” The area along the river is
that neither the wolf nor the By Paul Bogard one of the last remnants of an
mountain agreed with such a Expedition Planner environment that once existed
f you think that finding
view.” It took decades—and
thousands of deer starved
The Way: The Blue Range
Primitive Area is located on the
I water in the Arizona desert near free-flowing streams
throughout the Southwest.
is rare, you’ll think the San
through overpopulation—for Arizona–New Mexico border, Pedro River is a bona fide mira- Goodding’s willows and
the federal government to approximately 15 miles south cle. What’s miraculous about it? Fremont cottonwoods grow
agree with Leopold’s assertion of Alpine, Arizona, via AZ 191. For starters, the San Pedro is here in green profusion, and
that wolves were essential to Trails: An extensive network of the Southwest’s last remaining more than 350 bird species—I
maintaining the ecology of trails offers a variety of loop free-flowing river, and it serves spied green kingfishers,
wildlands. routes with reliable water up 40-odd miles of lush stream- Mississippi kites, and gray
There have been rumors of throughout much of the wilder- side hiking in the heart of a hawks, to name a few—either
reintroduced wolves killed by ness (uncommon in Arizona). hot, sandy desert. visit or inhabit the conservation
area ranchers, but it would be Wolves are most often heard The San Pedro River starts in area. Local residents like ring-
hard for any animal not to (occasionally seen) at higher northern Mexico and flows tail cats, coatimundis, and
thrive in these mountains. elevations. Starting from the north through Arizona, where javelinas also make regular
There is a force of nature here Hannagan Meadow trailhead it’s protected within the San appearances.
that emanates from the gurgling off AZ 191, you can create a Pedro Riparian National This hike is best undertaken
of every stream, every canyon loop route from 10 to 40 miles Conservation Area (NCA). The without concern for speed or
bottom, every forested peak, long using the Grant Creek, river is perennial, but its flow is distance. My plan was to hike
every pile of bones. As Leopold Upper Grant Creek, and Steeple sometimes only a trickle. 30 miles, through the Narrows,
found when he looked into the Trails. From my first steps along the all the way to the northern end
wolf’s eyes, there’s a wild en- Guides: Exploring Arizona’s River Trail on a quiet winter of the conservation area. But
ergy hereabouts that’s more Wild Areas by Scott Warren morning, I had the trail— after a stop-and-go day watch-
powerful than anything human. (The Mountaineers, 800/553- indeed, it seemed, the whole ing for wildlife and petroglyphs
I feel it as I crouch over my 4453; $14.95). A map of the NCA—to myself. In theory, the (the river region contains more
stove boiling water for dinner. Blue Range Primitive Area can River Trail runs parallel to the than 250 recorded prehistoric
Or is it the presence of wolves be purchased from the national stream as it winds its way along and historic sites), I realized it
that is sending a chill down my forest (see Contact below) the San Pedro Valley floor, takes more than a weekend to
spine? for $7. between the Huachuca see this desert miracle.
A sound unlike any I’ve ever Mountains to the west and the
heard rises from the bluff
Contact: Alpine Ranger Expedition Planner
District, Apache-Sitgreaves Mule Mountains to the east. But
behind me. It’s not the hoot of National Forest, 928/339-4384; in some places, the stream cov- Drive Time: The San Pedro
an owl, but neither does it www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf. ers the trail and you’re bound Riparian National Conservation
sound like a classic wolf howl. to get your feet wet. You can Area is 11⁄2 hours (75 miles)
Then again, perhaps it is the follow the trail in and along the southeast of Tucson.

24 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 25


The Way: From Tucson, take from all over the country. Go mildly intimidating rite of pas- follow, but I had to get out the
I-10 east and then AZ 90 south in fall or winter, or midweek, sage. topos to cross from Cottonwood
to Sierra Vista. From Sierra to avoid the crowds. Also avoid “I’m not sure where [the per- to Marble Canyon via Deadhorse
Vista, take either Charleston the busy trails near the San mits] are,” the ranger at the desk Canyon. Highlights of the jour-
Road or AZ 90 east about Pedro House (a nonprofit visi- confessed. “Uh, there haven’t ney include the narrow slots of
15 miles to trailheads on the tor center on AZ 90). been too many people needing Marble Canyon, the wildflower-
river, or go south on AZ 92 and Guides: The San Pedro River: A them. Most folks here stay pret- and tree-lined springs of
east on Hereford Road to the Discovery Guide by Roseann ty close to their cars.” Cottonwood Creek (where you
Hereford Bridge trailhead. Beggy Hanson (University of But persistence paid off, and I can refill water stores and spot
Trails: The most popular sec- Arizona Press, 800/426-3797; soon learned this truth: Head bighorn sheep), and the sepia-
tion of the River Trail is the www.backpacker.com/ into the park with a reliable tone landscape fading to a silent
8-mile segment between bookstore; $17.95). USGS topo vehicle, good maps, plenty of black under blinding stars.
Charleston Road and Fairbank Fairbank Townsite. water, and lots of respect for the Death Valley’s biggest com-
Townsite. For a longer hike Walk Softly: There are numer- forbidding Mojave Desert and modity remains its immeasura-
with more solitude, start at ous historic and prehistoric you’ll experience a wild land- ble silence and stillness. Just
the Hereford Bridge trailhead archaeological sites in the area. scape most visitors don’t get to knowing there’s a place in the
(8 miles from the Mexican bor- Look, but don’t touch. see. Death Valley includes more world this huge, quiet, and
der) and hike north for up to Contact: San Pedro Project than 3 million acres of lonely uninhabited is a life-affirming
32 miles one way. A $2 back- Office, Bureau of Land mountain ranges, salt flats, sand experience.
country fee is required (see Management, 520/458-3559; dunes, desiccated lakebeds, and
Contact below). www.az.blm.gov. ancient canyons autographed Expedition Planner
Dayhike: For an easy out-and- with the odd petroglyph. It con- Drive Time: Death Valley is
back trip to The Narrows, tains the lowest spot in the in eastern California, about
where the San Pedro squeezes Western Hemisphere, a snowy 5 hours (280 miles) northeast
between two hills, hike down- Furnace Creek, peak topping 11,000 feet, and of Los Angeles and 2 hours
stream from the Charleston
Road trailhead (3 miles round-
Death Valley, boundless desert hiking possibil-
ities—temperature permitting.
(125 miles) west of Las Vegas.
The Way: From Las Vegas, take
trip). Continue through The California A hike to put at the top of US 95 north for 90 miles to
Narrows to extend the route your list is the Cottonwood– Lathrop Wells, and head south
up to 8 miles one way. Time spent in California’s Marble Canyon Loop in the on NV 373/CA 127 for 25 miles
Elevation: At the Mexican Panamint Range, near Stovepipe to the park junction at CA 190.
Death Valley can be a life-
border, the elevation is 4,300 Wells. Don’t go anywhere near In southern California, take
feet. It drops to 4,000 feet at enhancing experience. this 26-mile, three-canyon route US 15 north to Baker and
Fairbank Townsite, and bottoms after April or before October, drive north on CA 127. Proceed
out at 3,600 feet at the northern
By Jordan Rane when temperatures are danger- 80 miles to CA 190 and head
edge of the NCA. ever mind the park’s ously high. But in winter, you’ll
Can’t Miss: Taking off your N name, the desolate sur- have your own vast, temperate
west to the Furnace Creek
Visitor Center. Continue 24 miles
shoes and splashing through roundings, or the fact that it planet. Crumbling brown peaks, on CA 190 to the Stovepipe
the creek on a warm winter holds the record for the conti- jagged chasms, and sheer cliff- Wells ranger station and the 12-
day. nent’s hottest temperature sides spiked with horizontal- mile access road to the Marble
Crowd Control: Spring week- (134°F on June 10, 1913). Just growing cacti accompany you Canyon trailhead (four-wheel-
ends (the end of April and filing a backcountry permit at through this utterly deserted, drive required for access road).
beginning of May) draw the Death Valley’s Furnace Creek natural trail. Trails: The park’s few main-
most crowds, as birders come headquarters can be its own Most of the route is easy to tained trails are mostly designed

26 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 27


for short dayhikes. Longer Contact: Death Valley National
treks, such as the Park, 760/786-2331; www.
Cottonwood–Marble Canyon nps.gov/deva.
Walk Like a Fox
Loop, combine cross-country Ideally, to spot wildlife, plan your hike after a heavy rain so soggy
hiking with unmarked use trails leaves and twigs won’t crackle beneath your feet. Or learn to walk
and four-wheel-drive roads. If
you aren’t confident about your
Trinity Alps like a fox:
1. Lower the outside edge of your foot to the ground. Before
navigational skills, do an out-
and-back hike up Cottonwood
Wilderness, putting weight on it, feel for sticks or stones, and either brush
Canyon (where water is avail- California them aside or step in a clear spot.
able). 2. Weight the edge, then roll onto the ball. Next, slowly
Dayhike: For the best 1-day Wildflower meadows and a weight the entire sole of your foot so you compress sticks
adventure, hike up Marble remote mountain lake await and leaves quietly.
Canyon’s narrow ravine and
hikers off the beaten track in 3. Place your full
turn around at Deadhorse
Canyon (10 miles round-trip). the Trinity Alps. weight on your foot.
Bring your own drinking water. 4. Repeat with your
Elevation: Badwater Basin is By Dennis Lewon other foot.
the lowest point in the park f there’s an afterlife, then
(and Western Hemisphere) at
282 feet below sea level.
I somewhere up above a
miner named Bob is laughing.
Telescope Peak’s 11,049-foot In the 19th century, Bob staked manzanita-choked Bob’s Farm Spring Trail. It’s a steep grind,
summit is the high point. a claim to a small gold mine Trail is one of the most difficult but the path will land you at
Can’t Miss: Stargazing in deep in the backcountry of routes in the Trinity Alps. But the base of that sublime water-
an empty Marble Canyon what’s now the Trinity Alps there’s one very compelling fall in about 7 miles.
amphitheater. Wilderness in northern reason to hike it (besides brag- But it’s the other route that
Crowd Control: Most visitors California. The outpost became ging rights): Bob’s Farm Trail is deserves a week of your time.
don’t stray far from the park known as Bob’s Farm, which the crucial link in a weeklong From Hobo Gulch, the North
roads, leaving miles of expan- surely represents a bit of fron- loop that culminates in Grizzly Fork Trail hugs the North Fork
sive desert backcountry empty. tier humor: Bob had squeezed Lake, quite possibly the crown Trinity River on an 18-mile jour-
Guides: The Explorer’s Guide his cabin into a steep, narrow jewel of this overlooked range. ney that unfolds slowly, like a
to Death Valley by T. Scott ravine completely unsuitable Perched on a glacier-gouged good book you don’t want to
Bryan (University Press of for farming. The rudimentary shelf below the granite ram- end. The first few chapters roll
Colorado, 720/406-8849; www. path carved by the prospector parts of 9,002-foot Thompson along under a shady forest of
backpacker.com/bookstore; became known as Bob’s Farm Peak, with a 100-foot waterfall fir, pine, and incense cedar,
$22.50). USGS topos East of Trail. And that’s why he’s pouring from its sheer outlet dipping over lush streamside
Sand Flat, Cottonwood Canyon, laughing. and dizzying vistas reflected in benches and passing through a
and Harris Hill. The pastoral, gentle-sounding its smooth surface, Grizzly Lake wild and lonely wilderness. The
Walk Softly: The desert is vul- name fooled me the first time is as good as it gets in the first time I hiked the North Fork
nerable and the trails are few. I saw it on a map. If I’d looked mountains. You have two Trail, I nearly walked headlong
Reduce impact by avoiding more closely at the contour choices when it comes to into a mountain lion lounging
fragile soil crusts, vegetation, lines, I would have appreciated reaching Grizzly. The first is a on the path.
and animal burrows. Consider the joke. Though less than sneak route via the China You could easily spend a
traveling only in small groups. 5 miles long, the steep,

28 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 29


week exploring the North Fork Drive Time: San Francisco: 20 stunning miles long, scatter
Trail and Grizzly Lake, but to 51⁄2 hours Trap Hills, view points all along their
hike the longer loop (about
46 miles) and pay your respects
The Way: From Redding on
I-5, drive west 61 miles on
Michigan length, and make the large
parking lots disappear. You’d
to Bob’s Farm, hang a right on CA 299 to the turn-off for Old This charming, craggy also have to remove all the
the Rattlesnake Creek Trail and Helena (a largely abandoned hikers, because I spent 4 days
first visit Papoose Lake. You’ll mining town) and turn right land is so little known that hiking the Traps without seeing
pass a museum’s worth of min- (north) on County Road 421. you won’t find descriptions another’s footprints.
ing relics before topping out in Follow signs to Hobo Gulch Halfway through a 28-mile
a secluded cirque below 8,933- trailhead, 16 miles away on
in guidebooks. traverse of this remote ridge-
foot Mt. Hilton. unpaved Forest Service Road By Eric Hansen line, I paused on a high ledge,
Whichever route you choose, 34N07Y. looked west, and spotted a
magine a ridgeline hike
you’ll end up on the path to
Grizzly Lake. Over the last few
Trails: The author’s loop com-
bines the Rattlesnake Creek I with vistas stretching massive granite face in the dis-
tance—one from which I’d
miles, the trail climbs steeply Trail (13 miles), the Bob’s Farm 50 miles and more, providing watched the sunrise the day
out of the ferny canyon bottom Trail (5 miles), and the North some of the grandest views in before. By this point in the
and abruptly dead-ends in a Fork Trail (18.5 miles), with a the Upper Midwest. Now imag- hike, I was used to broad
series of flower-filled meadows minimum amount of backtrack- ine enjoying such splendor, or views from the parade of rock
where you can put your feet ing. Total distance is about maybe a sunset, from rock bal- outcrops. But this one tran-
up and contemplate the water- 46 miles. conies so quiet and deserted scended the visual, bringing
fall that is pouring from the Elevation: The trailhead is at the moss doesn’t show any together the best moments of
sky. Grizzly Lake is up there, 2,600 feet, while Grizzly Lake is boot scuff marks. the trip into one glorious
out of sight above the basin’s at 7,100 feet. Welcome to the Trap Hills, panorama. Lake Superior, a full
headwall, and to get there all Guides: Hiking California’s one of the hidden gems of eighth of Earth’s fresh water,
you have to do is claw your Trinity Alps Wilderness by Michigan’s Upper Peninsula glistened a perfect blue to the
way up the Grizzly Scramble Dennis Lewon (Falcon Guides, backcountry. Scan the Internet, north, its waters nudging up
(it’s not technical, but the last $18.95). USFS Trinity Alps and clues to this treasure against the broad-shouldered
half mile is so precipitous the Wilderness map ($6.44; see emerge: rare plant surveys, a Porcupine Mountains. Deep-
Forest Service won’t actually Contact). wilderness-preservation group blue skies wisped with thin
call it a trail). Be sure to Contact: Weaverville Ranger championing the Trap Hills, clouds stretched to the south-
explore the upper cirque, District, Shasta-Trinity National and clifftop photos taken by west, past Lake Gogebic to
where a small remnant of the Forest, 530/623-2121; www. members of the local North Wolf Mountain. Golden aspen
Trinity Alps’s last glacier hangs r5.fs.fed.us/shastatrinity. Country Trail chapter. lined the streams on the valley
above the lake. To Upper-Midwest hikers floor below. To the south, the
In the evening, find a seat familiar with the region’s paths endless forests of the Upper
near the lip of the waterfall and and topography, the Trap Hills Peninsula, with their amber
watch the sun go down on a ridge might remind you of the and bronze hardwoods and
wild swath of mountains little- Escarpment Trail in Michigan’s evergreen pines, swept to the
changed since old Bob first set Porcupine Mountains or Min- horizon.
foot here. You might just hear nesota’s Oberg Mountain on Huge views are only part of
his chuckle in the roaring cas- the Superior Hiking Trail. But the Trap Hills story, however.
cade, though by now you’ll to equal the Trap Hills I experi- Grouse, sometimes 20 or more,
realize he’s laughing with you, enced one October, you’d have exploded out of pineries as I
not at you. to make those other ridges passed. Toads the size of my

30 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 31


pinky fingernail hopped along Cascades of Oregon and plants and critters, including
the trail, celebrating a warm Washington?” Great questions Black Creek longleaf pines, lush hardwoods,
afternoon. A bald eagle soared
overhead, riding thermals rising
demand answers, so I’ll have to
return, with binoculars, topos,
National beavers, blue herons, red foxes,
and wood ducks.
from south-facing cliffs. Mag- and lots of time. Recreation The best section of trail is the
nificent stands of mature maple 10-mile segment that snakes
lined the trail on the tall bluffs Expedition Planner Trail, through the 5,000-acre Black
above Cascade Creek. In the
evenings, owls hooted and
The Way: From Bergland,
Michigan, at the north end of
Mississippi Creek Wilderness. From the
segment’s start at MS 29, I
coyotes yelped. Lake Gogebic, drive 10 miles You’ll have a hard time hiked through a sun-dappled
There’s a mystique about the north on M-64, then 4.5 miles canopy of lodgepole pines,
Trap Hills, a whiff of the south on old M-64 to the keeping track of all the critters magnolias, oaks, and dogwoods
unknown and a feeling that Gogebic Ridge Trail. along this wild pathway. (good fall colors and great
exploration reaps rich rewards. Route: The author’s 28-mile spring flowers), then rambled
The open, older forests invite hike started at the Gogebic By Marty Tessmer for several miles across shallow
off-trail rambling and discovery, Ridge Trail on old M-64, turned hen the votes were drainages and modest ridges.
as do the moist nooks and
crannies of the Gleason Creek
a half-mile east to the North
Country Trail (NCT), and fol-
W tallied in Backpacker Good backcountry campsites
abound. Choose between hard-
Reader Ratings, the outcome
and Whiskey Hollow Creek lowed that path east to Old included a happy coincidence. wood stands and piney
gorges. Rock ledges abound, Victoria (a restored historic You picked the Black Creek uplands.
providing sun-splashed perches mining village that features an National Recreation Trail as After crossing Beaverdam
to those willing to climb. I saw Adirondack-style trail shelter). Mississippi’s best hiking desti- Creek via the MS 29 bridge, I
a dozen overlooks I’d gladly Some of the western segments nation, a place I’d just visited. descended into the Black Creek
spend the night on, each a pri- of this section of the NCT are For those who have yet to floodplain. Here, the trail fol-
vate veranda with perfect sun- faint, but navigable thanks to discover this southern gem, lows a Native American travel
rise and sunset views. blue diamond markers. Shuttle take my word for it: The Black corridor used for thousands of
A few years back, I com- rides: Ontran, 906/884-2006; Creek Trail is worth your time. years. Ascending from the
mented on the stunning views check for availability. The 41-mile path can be as floodplain to the top of multi-
to a fire-tower ranger. He swept Guides: The best source wild as a feral hog, yet it’s only colored bluffs, I watched the
his arm across the horizon and around is the Web site of the a stone’s throw from New creek morph from wide placid
replied, “Yep, after this, any- Peter Wolfe Chapter of the Orleans, Biloxi, and Mobile. stream to narrow frenetic chute
thing else will seem like a North Country Trail Association The hikers-only trail follows and back again.
basement apartment.” (www.northcountrytrail.org/ Black Creek, a Wild and Scenic Creekside hiking provides a
I had a similar feeling after pwf/). It features topographical canoeing mecca (best paddled great opportunity to keep an
sleeping on the high ledges in trail maps, elevation profiles, in fall and spring), through the eye out for wildlife, or just to
Trap Hills, finding the space to trail notes, conditions, water coastal plains of DeSoto Na- find a cozy sandbar, close your
ponder broad questions like, sources, and phenology. USGS tional Forest. The low-country eyes, and listen to all the crit-
“Aren’t those bumps on the quads include Bergland NE, hiking won’t tax you with any ters around you.
eastern horizon the (60-mile Matchwood NW, Oak Bluff, and serious ups and downs, but
distant) Huron Mountains?” Or, Rockland ($4.95).
Expedition Planner
there are other challenges. Just
“How did fairy bells (a rare Contact: Ottawa National try to track all the wildlife in Drive Time: The Black Creek
plant) become isolated here in Forest, 906/932-1330; the creek bottoms, piney Wilderness is about 1 hour
the Porkies, in the Black Hills www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa/. uplands, oxbow lakes, and (50 miles) from Hattiesburg,
of South Dakota, and in the swamps. Each zone has unique Mississippi. The trail is less than

32 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 33


3 hours from Jackson, New watching a blue heron wing been losing people for cen-
Orleans, and Mobile. overhead. Anaconda- turies.
The Way: From Hattiesburg,
take US 98 east for 20 miles to
Crowd Control: The trail is
rarely crowded. October
Pintler Two hundred years ago,
even Meriwether Lewis and
New Augusta and turn south through April is cool, sunny, Wilderness, William Clark had difficulty
onto MS 29. Proceed 19 miles and relatively insect-free. Wear crossing the Continental Divide.
to the Black Creek Wilderness blaze orange clothing during Montana They believed the Missouri
trailhead and parking area. deer-hunting season (November River would lead them to the
Trails: The main artery is the to January). This primitive wilderness continent’s spine at a place
Black Creek National Recreation Guides: USGS topos Brooklyn, has changed little since where a mere half-day portage
Trail, with 10 of its 41 miles in Janice, and Bond Pond. A would deposit them in the
Lewis and Clark came
the Black Creek Wilderness. Do Black Creek Trail map is also Columbia River drainage. But
an end-to-end hike with a car available from the DeSoto through 200 years ago. on August 12, 1805, when
shuttle, or a 20-mile out-and- National Forest (see Contact Lewis crested the divide just
back trek through the wilder- below; $5). Hiking Mississippi:
By Michael Lanza south of here, he saw
ness area (go south from the A Guide to Trails and Natural think the trail must be “immence ranges of high
wilderness trailhead). Areas by Helen McGinnis (Uni- “I just up ahead.” My mountains still to the West of
Dayhike: For the best creek- versity Press of Mississippi, wife Penny’s voice flutters past us with their tops partially cov-
side hiking, start at the trail- 800/737-7788; www.backpacker. me like an errant scrap of ered with snow.”
head on MS 29 and trek south- com/bookstore; $15.95). paper. Below me, she and our The land today looks little
east into the wilderness. Go Walk Softly: Be sure to camp friend Kris Karlson clamber different. In 1937, the U.S.
5 miles and turn around, or use at least 200 feet from the over deadfall and through Forest Service declared it
a car shuttle to hike 10 miles stream so you don’t contami- brush up a steep slope toward a primitive area, citing the
one way. nate the water. the saddle where I’m scouring “almost complete absence of
Elevation: The creek bottoms Contact: DeSoto Ranger Dis- our map, which suddenly man’s influence.” In 1964,
out near 100 feet, and the trict, DeSoto National Forest, seems less detailed than I’d Anaconda-Pintler was deemed
upland ridges rise to 270 feet. 601/928-4422; www.fs.fed.us/ like. We’ve spent 30 minutes sufficiently wild to merit inclu-
Can’t Miss: An afternoon siesta r8/miss. bushwhacking through sub- sion in the inaugural class of
on a quiet sandbar, listening to alpine forest trying to relocate 54 federal wilderness areas cre-
the Black Creek slip by and the Continental Divide Trail ated by the Wilderness Act.
(CDT), which we lost amid a Named for the Anaconda
maze of rogue camper foot- Mountains and Charles Ellsworth
paths beside Warren Lake. Pintler, a 19th-century settler in
Penny’s sense of direction the Big Hole Valley, the wilder-
In the Night Sky: proves true as a compass nee- ness comprises 159,086 acres
dle. After a bit of scouting, of the Beaverhead, Bitterroot,
Finding Comets we’re back on the CDT. But and Deerlodge National
These “dirty snowballs” are ice cores falling toward the sun, leaving our diversionary romp begins Forests. Half a dozen peaks
behind a tail of dust particles that can reach 6,000 miles long. A comet to solidify my impression that top 10,000 feet and numerous
visible to the naked eye shows up every 5 years or so; still, comets that the Anaconda-Pintler Wilder- others rise above 9,000, their
astronomers don’t know about can be out there, lurking on the far side of ness remains true to its histori- slopes and valleys home to
cal reputation. The mountains mountain goat and lion, elk,
the sun and ready to streak across the sky. here in southwestern Montana, moose, deer, wolverine, and
near the Idaho border, have black bear.

34 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 35


Not many people find their Divide and encountering virtu- Guides: Both the USFS named by early miners, who
way here. On this Labor Day ally no one. Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness misidentified the area’s reddish
weekend, we find just three Perhaps some higher hiking map (1:50,000 scale; $6) and garnets; but for all the beauty
vehicles at the trailhead. Two power long ago ordained that Hiking the Anaconda-Pintler of those rocks, it’s the glaciated
sunrises into our 4-day loop, this majestic stretch of North Wilderness by Mort Arkava alpine landscape that’s the true
we’ve hiked through cool pine America’s backbone should (self-published, Corvallis, MT; gem here.
forests, strolled beside creeks remain forever anonymous, $14.95) are available from local Jen and I are 3 days into the
coursing with ice water, tra- largely beyond view of paved USFS offices (see Contact Ruby Crest Trail, a 43-mile trek
versed an exposed talus ridge roads, guarded like a valued below). along the gabled ridge of this
overlooking sweeping glacial secret. Maybe this convolution Contact: Phillipsburg Ranger craggy range. We’ve hiked
cirques, and slept beneath a of skyscraping peaks and maze- District, Beaverhead-Deerlodge through meadows smeared pur-
cold sky liberally salted with like valleys in the northern National Forest, 406/859-3211; ple with bluebells and lupine,
stars. Yet we’ve passed only Rockies suffers only the most www.fs.fed.us/r1/bdnf/. seen bighorn sheep and moun-
four backpackers. intrepid explorers. I can’t com- tain goats peer down on us
“It’s easy to see why Lewis pletely explain it. But I can from the heights, jumped across
and Clark had trouble getting enjoy it. Ruby crystal-clear streams, and skirted
over the Bitterroots,” Penny
muses, gazing west at the
Lewis and Clark bemoaned
their tribulations in crossing
Mountains, lakes so blue they seemed like
mirrors into heaven.
daunting wall of mountains. these mountains 200 years ago, Nevada Our trailhead was Lamoille
We’re straddling the divide at but I firmly believe that if they Canyon, the Rubies’ major gate-
an unnamed pass beside an were around today, they’d The Ruby Crest Trail offers way, so we encountered plenty
unnamed 9,800-foot summit. appreciate the fact that a few mountain goats, bighorns, of anglers and horseback riders
Pikas chirp at us from the talus. places like the Anaconda- in the first few miles. Central
Moments earlier, five mule deer Pintler Wilderness remain. bluebells—and cowboys. Nevada is also Sagebrush
bounded away. Rebellion country, a land where
Expedition Planner By Steve Howe
To our right, the ground cowboys rule and backpackers
peels away through cliff bands rom a narrow slot in the are cultural curiosities. We
and meadows of wind-blown
The Way: Drive 90 minutes
south from Missoula or an hour F ridgetop, I can see the caught a few searching looks,
grasses to Rainbow Lake, west from Anaconda. Access emerald oasis of Overland Lake but for the most part, even
where waters spill into Fishtrap trailheads via US 93 from the shimmering in its steep-sided grizzled cowpokes nodded a
Creek to begin a long journey west, MT 43 from the east and bowl far below. To the north, hospitable “howdy” from atop
to the Atlantic Ocean. To our south, and MT 38 and MT 1 shattered ridgelines swoop their quarter horses, with wrin-
left, Martin Lake tumbles into from the north. between polished granite kled eyes that looked right
the Falls Fork of Rock Creek to Trails: The wilderness area cirques. The view is like a cal- through us, and smiles that
begin an impressive trek to the has 280 miles of trail, including endar scene from Switzerland, belied the six-guns on their
Pacific. a 45-mile stretch of the only the arid plains encircling hips.
We stop for lunch beside Continental Divide Trail. The the distant horizon remind me Trail traffic vanished once we
Johnson Lake. A few hikers author’s 4-day loop from the that this is the heart of the crossed 10,450-foot Liberty Pass
pass by, the first in 2 days. Carpp Creek trailhead followed Great Basin Desert. and hiked beyond Liberty Lake.
Lounging on sun-splashed the Carpp Creek and Hiline These are the Ruby Moun- Standing atop Liberty Pass,
rocks, I ponder the anomaly of Trails to the CDT and returned tains, an 11,000-foot range that looking southward at the end-
backpacking over a Labor Day via the Hiline and Carpp Lake juts like a skyscraping mirage less stony overlap of ridge and
weekend amid 10,000-foot Trails. from the sagebrush flats of valley, you know you’re at a
peaks along the Continental Nevada. The Rubies were jumping-off point. When you

36 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 37


step forward, committing to where. We sneak quietly rugged range remains largely Road) and drive 12 miles to
parts rarely traveled, the deci- through the timberline groves, unknown to hikers. Road’s End. To reach Harrison
sion feels like the separation but our quarry has moved on, My thighs throb pleasantly, Pass, go 5 miles east of down-
stage of a rocket. Your excess following the faint game trails reminding me of yesterday’s town Elko, then turn south
payload—the workaday stress that twist through the high out- efforts and whetting my on NV 228, which leads to
that fueled your first miles— crops of King Peak. appetite for the journey ahead. Harrison Pass.
drops away like an empty Now evening, we enjoy an The Ruby Crest Trail will lead Route: The Ruby Crest Trail
booster, and you surge out of early dinner made tastier by the us on a twisting traverse (FT 043) runs from Lamoille
civilization’s orbit, entering the day’s exercise. By 7, my spouse around Tipton Peak, before Canyon to graveled NV 228 at
90,000-acre Ruby Mountain is snoring like a drunken sailor, descending the drier, gentler Harrison Pass. Best campsites
Wilderness. so I wander the shoreline of limestone country of the are at Castle Lake, the north
Aside from wildlife, scenery, Overland Lake as sunset plays Rubies’ southern flanks to fork of Overland Creek,
big solitude, and cowboy cul- on the cliffs above. Beneath Harrison Pass. These mountains Overland Lake, McCutcheon
ture, the Rubies also offer a lot gnarled pines, I discover a are an oasis of wildlife, Creek, and springs 1.5 miles
of wind. These mountains rend granite promontory that tapers scenery, and history, one I’ll south of McCutcheon Creek. In
the sky, cutting into the jet to a flat bench, just above leave regretfully. But soon it dry months, water is unavail-
stream like a stone arrowhead. water level. will be dark, and Nevada’s able for 13 miles between
We tasted the full force of the I lean back and kick my feet Ruby Mountains will again North Furlong Lake and the
wind yesterday, as we climbed up on nature’s own lounge become the kingdom of gran- north fork of Overland Creek.
over Wines Peak on the airy, chair. The drifting clouds above ite, stars, and wind. The southern 6 miles to
waterless stretch to Overland turn slowly from fiery orange to Harrison Pass are also dry.
Lake. All day long, gales thun- leaden gray. The lake water Expedition Planner Echo Canyon provides access
dered in our ears and fluttered sloshes rhythmically at my feet, The Way: Elko lies 230 miles to Ruby Dome, the range’s
our windshirts to a high- letting my imagination wash from Salt Lake City, 295 miles highest peak at 11,387 feet. The
pitched hum, but the payoff likewise to dreams of adventur- from Reno, and 486 miles from Soldier Basin (031) and Soldier-
was spectacular, with views ers who plied these mountains Las Vegas. To reach Lamoille Griswold Trails (032) begin
from California to Utah. before us. Canyon trailhead from Elko, 20 miles north of the town of
The rough-legged hawks In my mind’s eye, I look take NV 227 south to County Lamoille, climbing 5 miles to
loved the bluster. They were down to see Shoshone hunting Road 660 (Lamoille Canyon lakes in Soldier Basin and
everywhere, big as eagles, bighorn, the Donner Party’s ill-
surfing motionless above the fated wagon train struggling
summits and spiraling into across the distant salt flats, min-
talus-brushing dives. Marching ers panning gold in the icy In the Night Sky:
tortoiselike beneath my pack, I streams, and John C. Fremont’s
wished I were a hawk, but was 1844 expedition scouting passes
Finding Meteors
equally glad I wasn’t born a to the north and south. Any particle of dust entering Earth’s atmosphere can cause a meteor,
jackrabbit. Since their early prominence but when Earth passes through the debris
It was a long day of ups and among explorers and pioneers, left by comets, the result is a meteor
downs, so today is for rest and the Rubies have virtually dis- shower. The best viewing is between
wandering unladen. We spotted appeared from the radar screen.
midnight and dawn. Climb a rocky crag,
bighorn sheep here yesterday, Tucked between the waste-
on the ridges above Overland lands of Utah’s Bonneville or plan a trip to the desert or beach to
Lake. Sure enough, their salt flats and the endless val- maximize your peripheral vision.
scraped-out daybeds are every- leys of the Great Basin, this

38 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 39


beyond. Other useful trunk Carolina’s lower Roanoke River, the past 50 years, hydropower bears, white-tailed deer, beaver,
trails ascend North Furlong where I’ve cruised for hours in dams built upstream have and otter. There’s also an
Canyon (045), Long Canyon a sea kayak, the snow-white tamed the river’s floodwaters impressive avian assemblage,
(046), and Overland Canyon plumage of these heavenly but not the wildness of the with more than 200 bird
(047). birds seems to glow with its lower section, which leaves species. Permanent denizens
Guides: A waterproof Ruby own incandescence. I interpret Virginia and fishtails back and include barred owls, osprey,
Mountain Wilderness topo ($7) their presence as an auspicious forth across the northern tier of bald eagles, wild turkeys, and
is available from the Forest sign from the gods of the The Tarheel State before emp- black vultures; the Roanoke is
Service (see Contact below). southern swamp. In the native tying into Albemarle Sound and also home to seven of the most
Hiking Nevada by Bruce tongue of the Tuscarora Native the Atlantic Ocean. productive Great Blue heronries
Grubbs (Falcon Press, 888/249- Americans, after all, Roanoke The Roanoke, in appearance, in the East, with thousands of
7586; $14.95). means “river of death,” an fits the profile of a classic Deep mating pairs. In addition, a
Contact: Humboldt-Toiyabee expression of mortal fear South river, but it’s positioned huge diversity of neotropical
National Forest, 775/738-5171; bestowed on a river that would along the northern limit for flyers pass through on their
www.fs.fed.us/htnf. Ruby swell to bursting during intense warm-weather tree species like migratory flights.
Mountains Ranger District, rainfall, then roar across miles cypress and tupelo. The nearly Horton oversees a river-based
800/764-3359; www.fs.fed.us/ of wooded bottomlands. The impenetrable tangle of half- conservation project for The
htnf/rmwelcome.htm. Order floods swallowed anything submerged forest has kept civi- Nature Conservancy, which
maps and pamphlets in unfortunate enough to be lization at bay, but the maze of has protected more than
advance if arriving on the caught in their path. But this murky tributaries and twisting 60,000 acres of riparian forest.
weekend. land was too fertile to forsake, oxbows, and the surprising He also has been a catalyst in
because the waters also gave bounty of fish and fowl, make helping a grassroots group
life to one of the lushest the swamp a flatwater paddler’s called Roanoke River Partners
Roanoke River ecosystems in North America.
Local canoeists have long
dream.
Our attention is soon drawn
design the paddling trail. This
group’s goal is to establish
Paddling Trail, cherished this dense, wildlife-
rich corridor, but their secret
to a raucous outbreak of hoot- camping platforms along the
ing that helps explain the Roanoke and its tributaries
North Carolina getaway is on the verge of dis- campsite’s name. Sounding from Barred Owl Roost to
covery, thanks to the newly artificial raptor calls into the Albemarle Sound. When their
A new water trail takes established Roanoke River shadowy understory, Horton’s work is finished, an intrepid
paddlers deep into one of Paddling Trail. Modeled after colleague, J. Merrill Lynch, is boater will be able to spend
water trails in Okefenokee communicating with half a weeks on the Roanoke.
the South’s last untouched Swamp and the Everglades, this dozen wild barred owls that On our third night out, we
ecosystems. partially finished 200-mile route call the area home and aren’t glide to Cypress Cathedral plat-
has five elevated camping plat- afraid to let us know it. form after covering a dozen
By Todd Wilkinson forms already in place and sev- No harm done to the curious miles of secondary channels
’m floating through a grove eral more in the works. owls, our primal exchange is that merge with the Roanoke’s
I of giant cypress trees with Tonight, I’m perched with
conservationist Jeff Horton and
just one example of the wildlife
interactions you might expect.
main stem. In almost 40 miles,
we’ve encountered only a few
trunks half a millennium old,
alongside bearded veils of several friends on a remote Alligators occasionally appear bass anglers. As we drift off to
Spanish moss, and watching platform dubbed “Barred Owl in these waters. On shore, past sleep, we revel in the swamp’s
the courtship dance of two Roost,” situated half a day’s the mud beaches and acres of solitude, listening for owls,
Great egrets. As sunset falls on journey downstream from our primordial ooze, red wolves counting stars, and dreaming of
the backwater sloughs of North put-in at Gardner’s Creek. Over prowl the forests, as do black alligators.

40 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 41


More adventurous hikers
Make Yourself
Paria River should consider beginning their
Canyon, trek at the tributary gorge of
Invisible Utah’s Buckskin Gulch, which
Animals use ultrasensitive eyes, ears, and noses to detect hikers
Utah/Arizona stretches the trip to 43 miles.
Traversing the incredible,
bumbling down the trail. Become part of the sights and smells of the Here, adventure and 12-mile narrows of the gulch
wilds, and you’ll see more wild animals. breathtaking views await usually involves swimming or
• Mask human aroma on your hiking gear. Hang it outdoors or near a wading through several cold-
around every narrow bend. water pools and lowering packs
smoky fire, dust it with baking soda, or wipe it with a fragrant plant
By Steve Howe down a 20-foot cliff. The
(spicebush, winterberry, or pine). reward is an otherworldly jour-
ays of sunlight decorate
• Wear muted, patterned, long-sleeved clothes. Birds will notice a
bright red jacket among brown trees, but will be less startled by
R the varnished sandstone ney on the longest, narrowest
slot canyon hike in existence.
cliffs along the deep narrows.
colors that blend in. A pattern similar to the terrain, such as camou- The liquid trills of canyon Expedition Planner
flage clothing in leaf, weed, or rock patterns, will hide you from wrens add melodic accompani-
Permits: Reserve permits up to
animals that see gray tones, such as bobcats and caribou. ment to the sounds of water
7 months in advance. The cost
trickling through hanging gar-
• Move slowly and quietly without sneaking. Body language that dens of fern and monkey
is $5 per day per person (see
resembles a creeping predator—slinking among brush and moving Contact below).
flower. No hiker’s life is com-
in the animal’s direction—frightens wildlife. Route: Start at the Paria Infor-
plete without experiencing
mation Station on UT 89 in
• Avoid eye contact. Staring at animals frightens them. Wear a |such desert wonders, and the
southern Utah, between the
brimmed hat to hide your eyes, or avert your gaze when approach- 38-mile Paria River trek from
towns of Kanab, Utah, and
southern Utah to Lees Ferry in
ing wildlife. Page, Arizona. You’ll need at
Arizona’s Grand Canyon is one
least 4 or 5 days to reach Lees
of the world’s best places to get
Ferry on the Colorado River, but
it all in one gulp.
Drive Time: Raleigh/Durham, Gardner’s Creek. For those who you could easily stay busy for
Most backpackers follow the
NC: 2 hours; Washington, DC: prefer the company of a back- a week or two. If permits aren’t
Paria River for the entire hike,
4 hours country guide and naturalist, available, try the 20-mile hike
descending from sagebrush flats
The Way: Drive I-95 north Rock Rest Adventures provides through the equally spectacular
into the canyon’s winding corri-
from Raleigh/Durham, then 2-day trips for $160 per person upper Paria River canyon.
dors. Slowly, over the course of
take US 64 east to Williamston. 866/418-7677; rockrest.com). Season: Late March through
a few days, the narrow slot of
Trail: The Roanoke River Beware: This is cottonmouth May and late September
sky overhead widens like a
Paddling Trail is ideal for 3- or (as in the venomous, water- through November are the best
parting curtain, and the canyon
4-day paddling adventures. swimming snake), mosquito, times to travel in this hot coun-
takes on its Grand cousin’s fla-
Reservations for the camping and biting fly country. Snakes try. The flash-flood risk is high
vor as the trail climbs to bench-
platforms are required, with bask in tree branches over- from late July through August.
es high above the river for the
costs ranging from $20 to $50 hanging the river, so be watch- Guides: The Paria BLM Hiker’s
last 11 miles. Save time for
per night. ful. Guide ($8, plus $2 postage), a
exploring hidden side canyons,
Guide: Roanoke River Partners Contact: Roanoke River Part- flip-map containing mile-by-
prehistoric art panels, aban-
provides a map that will direct ners; roanokeriverpartners.org. mile descriptions of the canyon,
doned homesteads, lush seep
you along the trail, beginning is available from the Arizona
springs, and soaring arches.
at Roberson’s Marina on Strip Interpretive Association,

42 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 43


435/688-3246; www.az.blm. deep-green forests and mead- Guides: Green Trails Maps are the Pacific Northwest’s
gov/asfo/asia/asia.htm. Hiking ows of the Indian Heaven (206/546-6277) offers detailed unknown range. Ranging in
and Exploring the Paria River, and William O. Douglas Wil- topo maps individually ($3.60 elevation from 1,600 to 6,500
by Michael R. Kelsey (Kelsey dernesses. Then the trail rushes each) or as a Map Pack feet, these mountains rise out
Publishing; $11.95), is available skyward to the lofty peaks of (12 maps for $39) covering of the plains of southeastern
at bookstores. the Mt. Adams, Goat Rocks, Washington PCT North, Washington, their southern
Contact: Arizona Strip Field and Glacier Peak Wildernesses. Washington PCT Central, and edge spilling over into Oregon
Office, Bureau of Land Man- Along the way, you’ll dip your Washington PCT South. Best to form a gentle rampart just
agement, 435/688-3200; toes in the Alpine Lakes of the Pacific Crest Trail: west of Idaho’s Hells Canyon.
http://paria.az.blm.gov. Wilderness, where various sec- Washington: 55 Hikes, by Dan Blanketed by forests of dark-
tions of the trail unroll along A. Nelson (The Mountaineers, green pine and spruce, the
rivers, past vast valley-bottom 800/553-4453; $16.95). Blues boast superb scenery and
lakes, through wildlife-rich Contact: Pacific Northwest empty campsites just 5 hours
Pacific forests, around tiny, ice-rimmed Region, Forest Service, 503/808- from the region’s major metrop-
Crest Trail, alpine tarns, and finally, up the
snowy flanks of sun-splashed
2971; www.fs.fed.us/r6. olises.
Having hiked all the great
Washington mountains. The journey can Northwestern ranges, I’m still
claim two climaxes, because drawn back to these remote
Discover the high life in the glacier-crowned volcanoes Blue Mountains, mountains, primarily because of
Washington’s volcano country. Mt. Adams and Glacier Peak
serve as bookends for this 500-
Washington the abundant wildlife. During
my last trek down the Slick Ear
By Dan A. Nelson mile section of the PCT. Trail, I saw great gaggles of
You don’t have to hike it all
This remote mountain range is
wild turkeys dodging and
magine a wondrous place home to deer, elk, bighorn,
I where you could, in the
at once, but beware: Once you
head up into these hills, you’ll and black bear.
sprinting through the pine
forests. I saw mule deer as big
course of a single day and on a never want to come back as elk, and plenty of elk to
single trail, wander through down. By Dan A. Nelson help me make the comparison.
lush old-growth rainforest, cross After reaching the Wenaha
Expedition Planner n the upper left corner
gin-clear salmon streams, gorge
yourself on plump huckleber-
Permits: Pick up a free, self-
I of the country, the soggy River Trail, which heads down
into Oregon, I watched small
ries in open pine forests, stride Olympic Mountains are famous
issued permit at the trailhead or for their old-growth rainforests. herds of bighorn sheep tiptoe
through flower-stitched alpine across sun-drenched rimrock
boundary of each wilderness The Cascades are celebrated
meadows, and scramble up bluffs high above the river.
area. For trailhead parking, you for their craggy summits and
steep snowfields on the side of In the evening, I pulled
need a Northwest Forest Pass volcanic peaks. The Rockies
an active volcano. plump rainbow and brown
($5 per day or $30 annually; form a famous border between
There’s only one place trout from the gin-clear waters
see Contact). the Northwest and Mountain
I know of that offers such wild of the Wenaha, but released
The Way: Via any of the West. Even the jagged Wallowa
treasures, and that’s Wash- them quickly. Fresh scat and
numerous passes hosting east- Mountains are well known. But
ington’s Cascade Range along tree scrapes suggested black
to-west highways. mention the Blue Mountains to
the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). bears were in the area. Indeed,
Season: Snowmelt is nearly a backpacker from Seattle,
For a lifetime’s worth of I soon spied a cinnamon-col-
complete by late August. For Spokane, or Portland, and
scenery, follow the PCT as it ored bear, its colorful coat
fewer bugs and more ripe you’ll almost certainly get a
rambles through the heart of reminding me that not all black
huckleberries, hike in blank stare, because the Blues
the Cascades. Begin in the bears are black (reddish-brown
September.

44 THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA www.backpacker.com THE BEST TRAILS IN AMERICA 45


is common here). black bears—and you’ll under- around the East Butte Trail Apostle Islands National Lake-
The Blues are a small, young stand why even a solo hiker back to Twin Buttes. Two road shore, a place where you can
range dominated by deep river will never get lonesome in the miles close the loop. disappear as easily as an island
valleys and modest peaks. The isolated Blues. Guides: Pacific Northwest in the mist. I turn my kayak
Umatilla National Forest encom- Hiking: The Complete Guide, by toward the fog and paddle.
passes much of the range, with Expedition Planner Ron C. Judd and Dan A. Nelson The Apostles spangle the
the Wenaha-Tucannon Wil- The Way: From Walla Walla, (Foghorn Press; $20.95), offers waters off Wisconsin’s northern
derness Area protecting the follow US 12 northeast 30 miles numerous route descriptions in tip like stars in a lake-blue sky.
heart of the backcountry. to Dayton, Washington, which the area. The Umatilla On this trip, I’ll string a constel-
Scores of trails bisect the offers easy access to Tucannon National Forest map ($8) lation of islands together—
Wenaha-Tucannon (named for Valley and Wenaha trailheads. is available from Nature of Sand, York, Oak, Hermit, and
the pair of pristine rivers that To get to the Wenaha trails, the Northwest Information Basswood.
flow through the heart of the drive south from Dayton along Center, 503/872-2750; At the northeast tip of Sand
wilderness), but the Wenaha the North Touchet Road for www.naturenw.org. Island, I slide my kayak into
River Trail is my favorite. about 25 miles, passing the Contact: Pomeroy Ranger the shadows of a sandstone
During a recent midsummer Bluewood Ski Area. Stay on the District, Umatilla National cliff where the waves have
visit, I hiked through old- main road (now Forest Service Forest, 509/843-1891; carved deep fluted holes.
growth pine forest along the Road 46) for another 20 miles, www.fs.fed.us/r6/uma/. Inside, water dripping reminds
upper portion of the Grizzly and turn right onto Forest me of a lighthouse keeper who
Bear Trail, listening to the res- Service Road 46-300. Continue claimed that if you spend
onant “whomp, whomp, to the end of this road at Twin enough time alone here, “you’ll
whomp” of nervous spruce Buttes. For access to trails on Apostle Islands be seeing mermaids—hear
grouse. Dropping to the valley them singing on the rocks.”
bottom, I walked through
the northern side of the Tucan-
non Valley, continue on US 12
National On York Island, I walk a
lodgepole and fir forests that
opened into airy ponderosa
from Dayton about 30 miles
to Pomeroy. Turn south onto
Lakeshore, trackless beach watching a
merlin carve the air. On Oak
pine groves littered with broad, Benjamin Gulch Road (Road Wisconsin Island, I step in bear tracks as
open meadows—perfect coun- 128) to a junction with Forest big as my fist.
try for wildlife spotting. Service Road 40. Turn left and A trip to Apostle islands But the solitude sinks deep-
Come late afternoon, I continue to the Diamond trail- traces the line between est on Hermit Island. In the
pitched camp in one of the head at the road end for multi- mid-1800s, a man known only
countless quiet sites lining the ple access trails leading into the solitude and hiding. as “Wilson” lived alone here
Wenaha, and waited for dark- wilderness. with a few chickens, a dog, an
By Jeff Rennicke
ness and the mournful cries of Trails: The wilderness area has old shack, and a copy of The
resident coyotes. In decades of t dawn, Lake Superior
hiking here, I’ve rarely encoun-
more than 200 miles of trail,
including a 45-mile loop from A gleams as red as the Whole Duty of Man.
What would a man alone on
tered more than one or two Twin Buttes described by the coals in last night’s campfire. such a small island for years on
parties of hikers or horsepack- author. To access this route, No humans in sight. No sound end think about?
ers in these camps. The only descend from Twin Buttes but the slow lapping of waves We all need places where we
two-legged beasts I saw during on the Slick Ear Trail to the and the far-off cry of gulls. In can explore our own sense of
my last outing were turkeys, by Wenaha River, hike downstream the distance, islands appear and being alone. But sitting in a
the hundreds. Add the steady to the Sawtooth/Smooth Ridge disappear in the morning mist. clearing, dappled in shadows,
stream of four-legged travel- Trail and then north to Oregon There are 22 islands in all, and I wonder: What do I hold too
ers—deer, elk, bighorn, and Butte. Turn west and hike 21 are part of Wisconsin’s dear to throw off for a solitary

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