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great Hot Springs in the USA

Guest content contributed by Keilah Keiser.

The United States is home to over 1,661 known thermal springs across the country. Some are far too hot to soak, others have been turned into weekend wellness resorts that will melt your worries away while others have been left “au natural” — tucked away in nature.

Because hot springs are a product of geothermal heat, they are often found in areas with unique geological locations. Most hot springs in the U.S. are found west of the Colorado Rockies. Tucked away at the base of snow-capped mountains, among acres of protected forest, perched above whitewater rivers or set in the middle of grassy plains, hot springs are defined by the landscapes that surround them.

So how do hikers go about finding these hot springs?

While locations that have been turned into weekend resort getaways are easy to locate with a local director GPS on your phone, more remote locations are not. From California to Colorado and even farther north, hikers can use this guide to help plan their road trip and scout out some of the best and off-the-beaten-path-soaks in the Western U.S.

Click over to this page for Google map links for each destination.

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Cargo walks 22,530km in 18 months

Ayear and a half and 22,530 kilometres after setting off from Ushuaia, in Patagonia, Holly ‘Cargo’ Harrison completed one of the world’s longest trails, walking north to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in just 530 days.

He has thereby beaten his predecessor, a British explorer named George Meegan, who completed this journey in six years (1977-1983). Harrison averaged more than 24km every day, and once walked three times that amount within 24 hours. …

Holly Harrison’s 530-Day Walk

One highlight was walking the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama with a local guide.

To his surprise, he was “treated like a king” by the insurgents, indigenous groups and traffickers. He described this experience as “the most enlightening part of the trip”. Unfortunately, as he arrived in Panama, he had his passport seized and was taken to a detention centre by Panamanian authorities …

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U.S. National Parks: A Love Story

I’ve long ago given up on Trump’s Swamp dweller Ryan Zinke, secretary of the Department of Interior.

In the comments True Brigand links to the many scummy things he’s done.

But he’s making the right noises here. Perhaps he’s learned something on the job.

The Restore Our Parks Act has a good chance to pass. Trump will sign it. I’ll take that as a win … if it happens.

Ryan Zinke:

Last year, our parks had 330 million visitors, with more visitors expected this year.

Unfortunately, our park system has been neglected and is in need of rebuilding. We are loving our parks to death. The backlog of critical maintenance and repairs in the National Park Service stands at $11.6 billion and until recently, addressing the backlog seemed to be out of our reach. …

A bipartisan bill that is now before the Senate would achieve this worthy goal. Thanks to the efforts of leaders like Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), and many others, the bill has momentum as others join to show their commitment to our public lands. I commend every senator involved in this effort for recognizing that preserving our parks is not a Republican or Democrat issue – it is an American issue. …

Bipartisan bill would bring needed funds to deteriorating National Park Service infrastructure

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Nuk Tessli lodge north of Vancouver

Oded Goffer sends a link.

Nuk Tessli is a remote lodge ideally situated for hikers.

You can fly in from Nimpo Lake, “Floatplane capital of BC”, near Tweedsmuir National Park.

30 years ago the first cabins were built by an amazing lady who lived here alone through winters and summers for 23 of those years.

Doron and Sela, the current owners of the cabins, have spent much time and efforts in the past 7 years in order to build and improve the cabins. In addition they made sure to explore this untouched natural resort, marking new trails without hurting the gentle environmental.

Click over to NukTessli.com for more information.

And costs. Room and board there costs $175 CAD / person / day in 2018. Price of the flight around $100 CAD – $150 CAD depending on number of people.

The Coast Mountains are the great, relatively unexplored part of Canada. So close to Vancouver yet so little visited. I can’t think of a better way to get there.

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Ptarmigan Cirque, Alberta

I was born in Calgary, Alberta close to Banff. If you asked me to recommend the best day hike out of the city it would be Ptarmigan Cirque.

Hike Bike Travel:

It’s a 3.6 kilometre loop (if you include the interpretive trail) with 210 metres of elevation gain. There is the option to hike a section of the scramblers trail that heads for Mt. Rae.

For a short hike it delivers a tremendous variety of scenery – including coniferous forests, high alpine meadows, mountains and waterfalls. It’s the perfect hike to take your out of town guests who want a taste of the mountains without spending a full day in them – and it’s a great one for families too. …

Ptarmigan Cirque Hike In Kananaskis Country

The trailhead is off Highwood Pass (2,206m), getting you to elevation easily.

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The Great Divide Trail is TOUGH

  • snow
  • river crossings
  • wet feet
  • weather
  • permits
  • campsite reservations
  • resupply

The Great Divide Trail traverses the continental divide between Alberta and British Columbia, wandering through the vast wilderness of the Canadian Rocky Mountains for more than 1100 kilometres. …

The Great Divide Trail is not officially signed and not always even an actual trail, sometimes merely a wilderness route, inspiring modern-day adventurers to walk the same paths of the original explorers to the area. A journey on the Great Divide Trail promises to be demanding but on the GDT you’ll discover a definitive wilderness experience in one of the most magnificent settings on Earth.

Great Divide Trail Association

Click PLAY or watch some of the challenges on YouTube. (2014)

Still interested?

Why Not and Lady on a Rock are doing it. Grizzlies? What Grizzlies?

Start here – Off to Canada’s Great Divide Trail (July 1, 2018). Click through for day-by-day trip reports.

related – Advice To Future GDTers

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NEW – Transcaucasian Trail

Over the next five years, the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT) project aims to develop a world-class, long-distance trail network across the Caucasus, linking roughly two dozen existing and proposed national parks in the region. The network will consist of two intersecting trail corridors, each roughly 1500 km long. One corridor, oriented east to west, will connect the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and the other, oriented north to south, will connect the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus.

About

transcaucasian-trail

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

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hiking Yellowstone to the Yukon

This looks good.

Karsten Heuer’s journey was intended to show that such a system of parks and corridors is feasible. He set out in June 1998 from Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, on the beginning of a 3,400 kilometre hike that would end, 18 months later, in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory.

Along the way, he faced personal problems, including the breakup of his relationship with the woman who had planned the journey with him. He came to terms with difficult public relations problems when he spoke to loggers and others with a stake in the economic exploitation of wild lands. And, above all, he overcame extraordinary physical challenges: ferocious storms, avalanches, apparently impassable rivers in full flood, and bears that mistook him for dinner.

Accompanied by occasional human companions and a remarkable border collie named Webster …

walking-the-big-wild-y2y

Y2Y.net

walking-the-big-wild

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Laugavegur trek, Iceland

I’m starting Iceland’s most famous walk July 24, 2018. Wish me luck.

My first attempt a few years ago failed. Wanting to hike in June, the trails were far too muddy.

One of the best hikes in the world is the Laugavegur

 (Landmannalaugar to Skógar route)

by clesenne
by clesenne

AT A GLANCE

  • IcelandIceland‘s best hike
  • weird and wonderful landscapes
  • best route is Skógar – Landmannalaugar 77km (48mi) in 4-6 days in either direction
  • shorter options 55km (34mi) or 22km (13.6mi)
  • tent or sleep in huts
  • permits not required
  • steep rough, rocky and slippery slopes
  • in good weather, this trek is only moderately difficult
  • up to 100 hikers starting each day during high season July and August
  • it can be dangerous in bad weather. About every second year someone dies.

Click PLAY or watch Alastair Humphrey’s highlights on Vimeo.

Check our Laugavegur information page on how to organize this adventure for yourself.