Category: alpine

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McGonagall Pass – Denali

Sean Tevebaugh:

A tough trip in 3 nights, 4+ nights is recommended for easier and more relaxed hiking …

… we were lucky enough to have bluebird days all 4 days!

Routefinding can be challenging as this hike has many social trails woven through the rugged tundra. There is one (unmarked) trail that is most often used and offers the fastest hiking, but is tough to follow and easy to lose track of at times.

This hike involves a crossing of the McKinley River, a potentially very dangerous river crossing! It’s crucial to be informed and prepared for this river crossing- knowledge of advanced river crossing techniques, the best current crossing routes, as well as current weather & water level conditions is all critical info for a safe crossing.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Read an excellent trip report.

NPS site

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Three Passes trek to Everest

Hank and Susan put together a terrific video of their guided Base Camp trip. The three passes are Renjo La, Cho La, and Kongma La, all more difficult than Base Camp itself.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (31min)

read more – Without Baggage – How to Hike Nepal’s Three Passes

Three Passes is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Check our Three Passes information page.

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Ausangate Trek, Peru

Drew posted the best Ausangate page we’ve yet seen.

Ausangate is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Distance: 42.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 9406 ft
Minimum Elevation: 12498 ft
Maximum Elevation: 16,828 ft
Time: 5 days
Permits: No
Visa: Single entry tourist visa to Peru for US citizens
Trail Condition: Wide fired road on the start which narrows to single track and alpaca trails
Cell Phone Reception: None

Trail to Peak – A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE AUSANGATE TREK

If you are considering this amazing adventure, that page is MUST READ.

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hike Apuseni Natural Park, Romania

Apuseni Natural Park is located in western Romania in the central-northern side of the Apuseni Mountains, comprising a part of the Bihor Mountains at south and Vlădeasa Mountains at north. …

Vlădeasa Massif, Apuseni Mountains

Of many good options Galbena Gorge appeals to me.

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hiking Retezat National Park, Romania

Containing more than 60 peaks over 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) and over 100 crystal clear deep glacier lakes, the Retezat Mountains are some of the most beautiful in the Carpathians.

In 1935 the Government of Romania set aside an area of the Retezat Mountains creating the country’s first national park. …

Click through to check out some of the the hiking options.

related – Retezat National Park: Romania’s Most Precious Wilderness

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climbing Mt. Wrightson, Arizona

Mount Wrightson is a 9,456-foot (2,882 m) peak in the Santa Rita Mountains within the Coronado National Forest, in southern Arizona …

The mountain is known for the spectacular view from its barren peak, nearly 7,000 feet (2,100 m) feet above Tucson. …

Mount Wrightson from Madera Canyon.
Mount Wrightson from Madera Canyon.

There are two main trails to the summit, and they cross each other twice, making a figure “8”. The Old Baldy Trail is the shorter of the two at 10.8 miles roundtrip. The Super Trail is the other one and is about 14 miles long roundtrip. …

Wrightson can be climbed any time of the year due to the great trail conditions. However, be prepared for wintery weather at the summit, especially during spring and fall when the valley below is temperate. You will encounter snow from fall through early spring.

As a testament to its dangers, there’s a memorial at Josephine Saddle (the first saddle where the two trails meet) for three unlucky boy scouts who perished there in a freak winter storm in November 1958. …

SummitPost 

related – Mitch Stevens – Southwest Discoveries – Mt. Wrightson – Hiking Tucson’s Loftiest Summit

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5 great Canadian Rockies hikes

Canadian National Parks are FREE ENTRY in 2017. I’ve done all of these trips — some more than once — and am booked again in August for Assiniboine.

1. Skyline Trail
2. Skoki Circuit
3. Rockwall Trail
4. Berg Lake Trail
5. Mt. Assiniboine

Top 5 Backpacking Trips In The Canadian Rockies

rockwall-trail-aug-06-004-copyhsrs
Rockwall

See our full list of the best hikes in North America.

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Colorado Trail Fest

Backpacker Magazine:

In partnership with Mountain Hardwear, the state of Colorado, and the Colorado Outward Bound School, we launched the first annual Colorado Trail Fest in September 2016.

Nearly 40 BACKPACKER readers gathered for a four-day trek in the San Juan Mountains, followed by a train ride to Durango and a music-beer-food-prizes celebration. …

Backpacker

Click PLAY or watch 2016 highlights on YouTube.

The 2017 Colorado Trail Fest is scheduled for mid-September. Leave a comment if you have final dates for that.