Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.
Posted on

top 10 hikes – Caminito del Rey, Spain

Caminito del Rey

Also known as The King’s Little Path.

Once called the most dangerous pathway in the world  in the world.

AT A GLANCE

  • Caminito del Rey is near Ardales in the province of Málaga, Spain, Andalusia
  • inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII 1921
  • first built 1905, the walkway had fallen into disrepair and was partially closed for nearly 15 years due to deaths
  • re-opened in 2015
  • new pathway still offers a walk of 2.9 km
  • 1 metre (3 ft) wide climbing over 100 metres (330 ft) above the Guadalhorce river
  • the entire trip from the start at the town of Ardales to finish at Álora would be about 8km and might take 3-4 hours
  • originally built to provide access to workers at hydroelectric power plants Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls
  • ticket required ( 10€ in 2019)
  • in 2019 open Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.

For details on how you can be thrilled on these narrow walkways, check our Caminito del Rey information page.

 

Posted on

top 10 hikes – Lake O’Hara, Canadian Rockies

Alpine Circuit, Lake O’Hara 

Super popular, it’s very difficult to get a reservation to camp overnight.

AT A GLANCE

  • Yoho National Park in British Columbia near Banff, Alberta.
  • time zone is Alberta, not B.C.
  • mid-June through the end of September (start and end dates vary)
    • for example, bus operated for hikers and campers from June 19 to October 4, 2018
  • 11.6 km
  • perhaps 9 hours
  • perhaps 900 photos 🙂
  • highest point 2528 m
  • elevation gain 1012 m

Some like O’Hara best late in the season to see the larch change colour. Green to golden.

Details on our Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit information page.

Posted on

top 10 hikes – The Wave, Arizona

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

The Wave

Only 20 hikers / day are allowed access. The BLM is considering an increase to a maximum of 96 per day .

Getting a permit is the BIG problem.

AT A GLANCE

  • on the Utah-Arizona border, halfway between Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah in the Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
  • in 2014 about 50,000 applied for permits. Only 15% were granted.
  • Wire Pass trailhead located in North Coyote Buttes permit area of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
  •  5.2 miles return
  • you can go any month of the year, if you can tolerate the heat

Above and slightly west of the Wave is what many call “the Second Wave“, which has fainter colours but is still of interest to most visitors and photographers.

Bearfoot Theory

Check our Wave information page.

Posted on

top 10 hikes – Puez-Odle, Italy

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Puez-Odle Altopiano

photo by Away On The Road

AT A GLANCE

The Dolomites are one of our top 10 hiking regions of the world.

Why We Like This Hike

  • fantastic vistas of jagged peaks
  • family friendly as you can get to elevation with a cablecar
  • great signage
  • Rifugio Puez is a good destination for lunch or hot drinks
  • extend the walk if you have good weather, time and energy
  • there are many more great hikes nearby

Check our Puez-Odle Altopiano information page for details.

 

Posted on

top 10 hikes – Göreme, Cappadocia

For the next 10 days we’ll be rolling out our top 10 day hikes around the world.

Unique walks. Days you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

For example, exploring the “fairy chimney” rock formations of Cappadocia, Turkey. Göreme makes an ideal base.

Why We Like This Hike

  • Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia are World Heritage sites
  • start on the Rose Valley trail (5km), perhaps the best section of all

  • Love Valley is … interesting

  • to finish it’s downhill back to Göreme. A nice but often crowded trail.

Don’t miss the balloons of Cappadocia.

Click over to our Göreme information page for details.

Posted on

Enchantment’s Traverse, Washington State

I hiked the Traverse in 2011.

Getting a permit is the first challenge

Click PLAY or watch some of my highlights on YouTube.

backpackers-review posted a MUCH better trip report than my own.

  • about 18 miles one-way
  • peak elevation of 7,860 feet
  • mosquitoes can be a problem until late Autumn

THE ENCHANTMENTS TRAVERSE – ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS

 

Posted on

Testing water filters for hikers

Misleading and unsubstantiated claims are a problem in the increasingly confusing assortment of options for filtering water.

Here’s the most comprehensive evaluation I’ve ever seen. See how your product rates.

Survival & Backpacking Water Filter Tests

LifeStraw Mission and MUV Survivalist look to be the units that best suit my needs. They are both about 350 grams.

Posted on

NEW – Red Sea Mountain Trail, Egypt

You can day hike here independently. But the multi-day trip must be guided.

Located west of the beach resort town of Hurghada, the Red Sea Mountain Trail is created from a network of ancient routes used by local Bedouin tribes over the years. Owned and operated by the Khushmaan clan of the Maaza, Egypt’s largest Bedouin tribe, the trail aims to bring travelers away from Egypt’s main tourist path and to the clan’s traditional territory. The trail benefits the Bedouin community by creating jobs and helping preserve the culture.

“We want the Red Sea Mountain Trail to diversify Hurghada’s tourism and create a space for slow, immersive travel in which the Bedouin can . . . communicate their rich knowledge of their homeland to outsiders,” …

Egypt Opens 105-Mile Hiking Trail in the Red Sea Mountains

Cost is about $80 / day and up.