Category: desert

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The Window, Big Bend TX

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Chisos Basin Campground is the best in Big Bend National Park. Reserve in advance as it’s very popular.

The Window, Big Bend

Awaking my first morning I found the famed Window hike ran right past my campsite.

I had two mugs of coffee. Then set off down the trail.

The Window, Big Bend

The Window, Big Bend

The moon still out.

The Window, Big Bend

I was first down the trail this morning. My only company were the large, friendly Mexican jays.

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My first trail in Big Bend, I was impressed with construction and management. Check these stairs cut into stone.

The Window, Big Bend

Here’s the Window pour-off. The only outlet for water from the entire mountain basin.

The Window, Big Bend

Don’t get too close. It’s a 220ft drop to Chihuahuan Desert.

related – Trek Southwest – The Window Trail – Big Bend National Park

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Tramway Trail, Albuquerque

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

I took the Sandia Peak Tramway trip on one of the snowiest days of the year.

It’s one of the top tourist attractions in New Mexico.

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I first tried hiking to the top. Planning to ride down on the Cable Car. That would have been GREAT.

The La Luz Trail (Trail 137) … on the west face of the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trail begins at the La Luz Trailhead and proceeds approximately eight miles to either Sandia Crest or the Sandia Peak Tramway. The hike is strenuous, with 3,775 ft (1,151 m) of elevation gain and a grade of 12%. …

click for larger map
click for larger map

I started at the Tramway parking lot on the Tramway Trail (82). Planning to connect to the La Luz.

Tramway Trail, Albuquerque

It’s a pretty traverse above lovely residential homes.

Tramway Trail, Albuquerque

I’d heard a foot of snow had fallen up top. It did not look good for me getting up there.

Tramway Trail, Albuquerque Tramway Trail, Albuquerque

I – happily – backtracked to my vehicle.

Tramway Trail, Albuquerque

At one point I stumbled off trail. Easy to do in the desert. While scrambling an arroyo to regain the trail I kicked a cactus and drove a spine into my foot.

Lesson learned = STAY on the trail in the desert.

The main reason to go to Albuquerque are the 200 miles of Sandia hiking trails many of which are off limits to mountain bikes.

We’ve added the La Luz Trail to our list of best hikes in North America.

 

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hiking Big Bend National Park, Texas

I’m planning to hike Big Bend for the first time. In January.

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The Parks Service recommends:

• Desert Hikes
• Mountain Hikes
• River Hikes

As usual I’ll check with Rangers before deciding which hikes. Local information is critical in the desert. Backcountry Use Permits are required.

I’ll be mostly doing day hikes and one night tenting trips. Water is an issue, I understand, even in winter.

Unless you are walking the Rio Grande, of course.

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Santa Elena Canyon
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50 Awesome Hiking Blogs

Mitch Stevens of Southwest Discoveries posted 50 sites they like.

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Though most of the 50 are focused on the S.W. USA, we are honoured to be included. 🙂

www.besthike.com

besthike.comBesthike.com, founded by intrepid adventurer Rick McCharles, is one of the best hiking blogs on the web. It is a comprehensive listing of the world’s best hikes. Rick not only catalogs the planet’s best life changing hikes but provide descriptions. It is no surprise that Rick includes hikes in the southwest as some of the best hikes in the world. Most of the hikes he recommends are challenging multi-day adventures, such as the Zion Narrows for instance. Rick is continuing to research the best hikes on earth, calling his website a “work in progress.”

I’m planning a trip to Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico right now. This list is a great resource.

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Badlands National Park Traverse

Cam Honan:

Last month I hiked the length of Badlands National Park from Ben Reifel Visitor Center to White River Visitor Center. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time that such a traverse had been completed. …

Distance: 90 miles approx.

Time: 5 days

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Read the excellent trip report – Badlands Traverse – Trip Report

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Greater Patagonian Trail update

GearJunkie:

The Greater Patagonian Trail (GPT) is 1,300 miles long and counting. It is a growing network of backroads and rutted trails stitched together to form an enormous route across South America, and almost nobody knows about it.

That’s because it’s been built quietly, the entire route put together by one couple who hope to share a love of hiking with the world.

At 1,300 Miles, Remote ‘GPT’ Is Longest Trail In South America

I met Swiss-German hiker and explorer Jan Dudeck and his Chilean wife Meylin Ubilla last January. And hope to get back to Patagonia again in 2017.

Laguna Caracol
Laguna Caracol

 

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Santa Monica Mountains ‘Backbone’ Trail

MATT TINOCO: 

It’s taken decades for the National Park Service (NPS) to purchase the land needed to build an uninterrupted hiking experience through Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. However, it’s now possible for Southern Californians to hike 67 complete mountainous miles across the range on the Backbone Trail, according to the L.A. Times. …

If you are interested in hiking the trail, as this writer is, you can learn more about the process at the National Park Service website. …

The Santa Monica Mountains’ 67-Mile ‘Backbone’ Trail Is Finally Complete

 

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