desert – Page 27 – besthike.com

January 2, 2008

off-road motor vehicles vs hikers in Utah

I spent 2wks last year hiking out of Moab, Utah. Then got grief after criticizing the ethos of the “adventure destination” in this post: Moab, Utah – living a lie?

Comments like this offended:

Moab reminds me more of Mad Max than a desert oasis.

That town is a hub and a flash point for the off-road vehicle debate.
Two rangers are charged with policing 1.8 million acres of Utah wilderness. How well is that working, do you think?

This issue has finally hit the popular media. Most importantly in a series of New York Times articles including this one: Surge in Off-Roading Stirs Dust and Debate in West

Now in an accompanying video. Click here to watch it.

Personally, I vote to confine motor vehicles to the smallest geographic area possible. And to restrict jeeps and Hummers foremost as they cause far more damage than, by comparison, snowmobiles.

AND I would start in Moab, Utah. That town has it’s priorities wrong. It’s time to force the issue.

(via GOAT)

December 30, 2007

motorized vehicles ruin the Utah desert

WildeBeat audio journal did a great piece this Fall on the problems of off road vehicles in the Utah desert.

This wild places program examines the problems of trying to designate new wilderness areas in the central Utah desert. If it gets overrun by off road vehicles, can it still become new wilderness?

This story was provided to us by guest reporter Kurt Repanshek, creator of the National Parks Traveler web magazine. Kurt tells this story of the struggle for wilderness designations in the desert canyonlands of central Utah with the help of:

* Heidi McIntosh, conservation director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
* Wayne Ludington, assistant field manager for the Price district of the Bureau of Land Management
* Liz Thomas, attorney for the Moab office of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

(A spokesman for the Blue Ribbon Coalition, the dominant advocacy group for off road vehicle enthusiasts, didn’t respond to our e-mailed requests for an interview.)

The WildeBeat: The audio journal about getting into the wilderness.

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

What a shame.

We named the SW USA the #2 best region in the world for hikers. But seeing motorized vehicles welcomed into Canyonlands National Park is a huge downer.

December 24, 2007December 22, 2009

#2 best hiking region in the world is the …

South West USA

Capitol Reef, Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Glen Canyon, White Sands National Monument, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. This part of the world is awesome.

We hike the SW USA every year and have yet to be disappointed.

Fascinating, diverse and mind-boggling. The best WOW geological zone we’ve seen anywhere.

More correct would be to call this region the Four Corners.

The high desert plateau intersection of the four U.S. states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado Plateau is not the deepest nor largest, but it’s by far the most stunningly beautiful on Earth.

Most of the best slot canyons and natural stone arches in the world are here. A desert, your views are unobstructed. The light is perfect for photography.

The best weather is Oct-Nov, Mar-May. Summers are too hot for most hikers.

Most of the hikes in the Four Corners are short due to lack of water and the real risk of getting lost. People die in this wilderness every year.

Our favourite hike in the Four Corners region is Paria Canyon on the border of Arizona and Utah. You enjoy many days beneath huge walls in a slot canyon.

#8 best hiking region in the world is …

Australia

We love Australia. Who doesn’t? What’s not to like? It’s paradise Down Under.

What an exotic treat to have kangaroos and wallabies hanging about your campsite!

“Stunning rocky headlands and perfect beaches, lush rainforests, sun-sharpened deserts and the muted beauty of the bush â€” taking to the trail in Australia offers a kaleidoscope of colours, terrains and adventures for walkers of all levels.” – LP

You have such a wealth of choices: the Blue Mountains (NSW), Whitsunday Islands (QLD), dense subtropical rainforest in Lamington National Park (QLD), Larapinta Trail (NT) out of Alice Springs, wild Kakadu National Park (NT), the rugged Cape-to-Cape (WA) or pretty Wine Glass Bay in Freycinet National Park (TAS).

Those are just a few! Our favourite Aussie hiking guru John Chapman helps you choose by clicking on the map:

More information on our new Australia information page.

Our favourite hike in Australia is The Overland Track in Tasmania.

View from the Labyrinth – flickr – Andrew Purdam

See our Overland Track Information page.

December 13, 2007

best hikes in Arizona

With 50,754 Photos and almost 800 hikes, HikeArizona.com is an incredible resource. It’s run by Joe Bartels.

Contributor Al_hikesAZ posted in 2005 a list of The 20 Most Popular hikes in Arizona:

Flatiron
West Fork of Oak Creek
Peralta Trail
Humphreys Summit Trail
Brown’s Peak
Havasu Canyon
Fossil Springs Trail
Camelback Summit via Echo
Horton Creek Trail
Piestewa Peak Summit Trail
Bright Angel
Barnhardt Trail
Rogers Canyon
West Clear Creek Trail
Hunter Trail
Kaibab – South Rim
Boynton Canyon
Bell Trail
Inner Basin Trail
Tonto Narrows

This isnâ€™t necessarily the 20 best hikes in AZ, just the 20 Most Popular hikes.

He also recommends:

Bright Angel Trail
South Kaibab Trail

Thunder River/Deer Creek (photos)
Nankoweap Trail (photos)
Ribbon Falls (photos) just west of the North Kaibab Trail
Superstition Ridgeline

Al_hikesAZ also recommends 2 other sites for AZ Hikes:

Arizona Hikers

Todd’s Desert Hiking Guide

I am now planning on hiking Arizona in 2008! (There is a lot of research to be done.)

Early morning at Carney springs – Superstition Wilderness – larger original

Arizona Black Rattlesnake – larger original

See all of Al_hikesAZ photos sets on Flickr. They are excellent.

December 11, 2007

best hikes Copper Canyon, Mexico

Researching the best hikes in the Copper Canyon has turned out to be more challenging than expected. My ragged copy of Mexico’s Copper Canyon Country: A Hiking and Backpacking Guide (1994) is amusing, but badly dated.

I’ve been there before on the standard Gringo route, day hiking. Perhaps I’ll go back this winter for some serious multi-day canyon busting.

The Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barranca del Cobre) is a group of canyons consisting of 6 distinct canyons in the Sierra Tarahumara in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. The overall canyon system is larger and portions are deeper than the Grand Canyon in the neighboring United States although the Grand Canyon is larger than any of the individual canyons.

The system is transversed by the Chihuahua al PacÃfico railroad, known by the nickname â€œChepeâ€. It is both an important transportation system for locals and a draw for tourists.

Mexico established the Parque Nacional Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon National Park) to showcase this remote area.

The canyon is the traditional home of the indigenous Raramuri (Tarahumara) people.

Copper Canyon – Wikipedia

I’ll order the Moon guide by Joe Cummings, the world’s best guidebook writer in my opinion.

Moon Handbooks: Northern Mexico (2nd Ed.)

Leave a comment if you have advice on longer treks in the canyons.

November 23, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving from Hiking Las Vegas

I’ve really been enjoying this frequently updated blog. Las Vegas is one of the best, least appreciated, hiking destinations in the World.

10 hikers spent part of Thanksgiving Day on top of Shark Boulder in Red Rock Canyon. This was the first group hike to The Shark!

Hiking Las Vegas: Happy Thanksgiving from Shark Boulder

November 22, 2007

MODERN HIKER – San Antonio (Mt Baldy), California

By far the best source of information on hiking in Southern California is Modern Hiker.

And just possibly the best trip reports on-line anywhere. Here’s the perfect example post:

A leg-busting ascent to the highest point in Los Angeles County, with a neighboring mountain thrown in for good measure. This is a classic hike through some incredible subalpine scenery, and is a MUST HIKE for anyone who lives in or is visiting Southern California.

For a 6hr scramble, they’ve posted detailed trail information, fantastic photos, video clips, highlights, specific warnings, links to other trip reports, GPS coordinates with a link to Google Earth, …

And graphics like this:

Wow.

It’s far more detailed than any hiking guidebook.

See for yourself – Hiking Mount San Antonio (Mount Baldy) and Mount Harwood at Modern Hiker

Note that the site has a new URL: now it’s modernhiker.com

Check you have the right bookmark and/or RSS feed.

At besthike we are responsible for the entire world. We search out blogs that are most expert in specific geographic areas. Like Two-Heel Drive in the Bay area, California. And Modern Hiker in Southern California.

November 20, 2007

Alone across Australia – John Muir

One man and his dog, 128 days and 1553mi (2500km), the first person to walk solo and unassisted across the continent of Australia.

Adventurer of the Year Andrew Skurka just completed 6875mi on his Great Western Loop, but I reckon John Muir’s trek across Australia in 2001, on his fourth attempt, was even tougher.

Mainly because there is no water in most of Australia.

My favourite, the People’s Choice favourite, from the Banff Mountain Film Festival 2005 was the emotional story of Jon Muir and his Jack Russell, Seraphine.

This is a survival epic. The psychology of pushing yourself to the brink.