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best day hikes North America west

Phil Armitage posted hist 10 best day hikes, so far:

Berg Lake trail, Mount Robson Provincial Park

The Narrows, Zion National Park

Highline trail to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook, Glacier National Park

Conrad Kain hut, Bugaboo Provincial Park

Coyote Gulch, Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument

Harding Icefield trail, Kenai Fjords National Park

Panorama Ridge trail, Garibaldi Provincial Park

Paintbrush / Cascade Canyon loop, Grand Teton National Park

High Divide trail, Olympic National Park

details and photos

Best of the best?

I’ve done 4 from that list, enjoying Zion Narrows the most.

Leave a comment if you’ve an opinion.

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bear trashes plane

From 2009.

… When bush pilot Luke Miller, 28, made an overnight stop at a friend’s hunting lodge in Southwest Alaska … he had no way to know that a large and very dedicated menace would, under cover of night, chew and claw his plane to shreds. …

Alaska Dispatch – An appetite for revenge

Yikes.

more photos

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remind me never to hike with Skurka

Andrew Skurka is the world’s greatest hiker, famed already for his 6,875mi Great Western Loop.

That was nothing compared to his most recent achievement.

The Adventure Blog:

…his 4679 mile (7530km) Alaska-Yukon Expedition set a new standard for all others to follow.

The route passed through some of the most remote places in the U.S. and Canada, crossing eight national parks and several mountain ranges in the process. As is typical, Andrew went alone and spent 176 days on the trail hiking, skiing, and rafting his way through the unforgiving wilderness.

Now, his full story is finally being told in the pages of National Geographic Magazine, which will feature Skruka’s adventure in the March issue that will be hitting newsstands soon. …

It was harsh.

Nat Geo already has the article online – Alaska Yukon Trek

more photos

Check the cool interactive map.

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Yukon – Slims River to Kaskawulsh Glacier

Phil Armitage posted an excellent trip report of their 2010 adventures on the Slims West trail, 64km (40mi) return.

Here’s their view from Canada Creek campsite:

… From the campsite at Canada Creek it’s 19km (12 miles) roundtrip, with 1200 meters (3,900 feet) of climbing, to the summit of Observation Mountain.

That doesn’t sound like a particularly strenuous day hike, but there’s Canada Creek to cross (twice, with the second crossing likely be harder than the one on the way out, as the water level rises during the day) and no trail for most of that distance.

The summer days are long at these high latitudes but still, don’t underestimate the time required. Most of the parties we met found the hike to be harder and longer than they had anticipated. …

read more – hiking the slims river west trail to the kaskawulsh glacier overlook on observation mountain

Their photos are STUNNING.

… On my trip I never made it past the first creek crossing.

Route finding is tricky. You might need gills to cross some streams in flood. And know that there’s been at least one hiker killed by bear there. Parks Canada shuts it down when the bears are sighted.

Phil recommends special footwear for the water and mud.

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via Ferrata – Leukerbad, Switzerland

I’m looking at blocking some time for via Ferrata next summer, likely in Italy.

… a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. …

But this line in Switzerland looks like a great option, too.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… Roughly 708 feet of ladders and over 6500 feet of steel cable have been installed in the rock face of the Dauberhorn. There’s also a 330-foot long natural cave that is traversed along the way …

Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog

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THE Definitive Guide to Hiking Torres del Paine

With a title like that, how could I not click.

ADAM SEPER:

A big part of our RTW trip, particularly in South America, was built around hiking and trekking. We hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Colca Canyon in Peru, and various hikes in and around El Chalten. All were in preparation for our biggest trek yet, hiking the “W” in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine (TDP) in the Patagonia region of Chile.

In addition to being drop dead gorgeous, one of the other main appeals of hiking in TDP is that all hikers and trekkers can do it independently if they want. Sure, you can sign on with an expensive tour, but it’s unnecessary. Going at it without a guided tour is highly recommended so you can go at your own pace, take the route that’s right for you, and have a multitude of choices along the way. …

click through for more – Traveling Around the World for Couples

Related Posts linked from the bottom of that article:

A Trekking Guide (for those who like to eat and drink a lot)

Trekking Torres del Paine-Which Route to Take

Trekking Torres del Paine-What to Pack

Trekking Torres del Paine-Where to Sleep

Trekking Torres del Paine-Transportation, Admission, and Costs
Chile

There’s more to come.

That really is the most up-to-date guide for independent trekkers. Many are scared off making the long trip south due to lack of details on our Paine information page.

Thanks Adam.

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Patagonian ‘fox’

The road chose me is the account of Dan’s 65,000km jeep trek. He’s nearly reached the southern most point – Tierra Del Fuego.

Here’s a photo of what looks like a fox checking out their camp site:

hmm … Is this a South American Gray Fox? … Or a Culpeo? … neither are true ‘foxes’, actually.

When I was down there we often had “false foxes” roaming camp grounds, usually at dusk.

(via The road chose me – Around Ushuaia)

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Trail Days, Damascus, Virginia

Trail Days 2011 will be May 13 – 15th.

It’s always the weekend after Mother’s Day.

Trail Days draws about 20,000 tourists, mostly hikers, every year. Here’s a photo from last year.

Damascus (pop. 981) is the home of the annual Trail Days festival, and is known as Trail Town USA due to the convergence of four scenic trails in the town, including the Appalachian Trail, U.S. Bicycle Route 76, and the Virginia Creeper Trail. …

For years I’ve been hearing about the biggest hiking party in the States, perhaps the world, from Tom Mangan.

He’s linked to another hiking festival:

VIRGINIA JOURNEYS 2011

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY’S 38TH BIENNIAL CONFERENCE

July 1 – 8, 2011
Emory & Henry College – Emory, Virginia

Every two years, Appalachian Trail hikers, enthusiasts, supporters, and conservationists get together at an Appalachian Trail Festival and Biennial Conference to swap stories, take a hike or two, and attend workshops.

…All the details are at www.virginia2011.org.

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crowd free hiking USA … and Canada

Backpacker is recommending these destinations:

Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA | Pigsah National Forest, NC | Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, MT | Dome Land Wilderness, CA | Mahoosuc Mountains, ME | Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario | Owyhee Uplands, ID/OR

I know Lassen and the ‘Bob’, but not much about the rest.

Dome Land, with 94,695 acres at the southern tail of the Sierra Nevada, is markedly drier than Yosemite. This, plus the lower elevations (3,000 to 9,400 feet), makes it a good choice for spring and fall, when snow still clings to high-mountain locales. …

details

This high-desert region’s obscurity is a big selling point. Spilling out of southwest Idaho into Nevada and Oregon, the Owyhee Uplands comprise one of the least developed areas in the Lower 48. Juniper-covered plateaus set atop sagebrush tablelands create a sense of limitless open space.

Snowy mountains line the horizon, and the many-tentacled Owyhee and Bruneau Rivers groove the underlying basalt and rhyolite. “The Owyhee is as good as any desert landscape in the U.S.,” says Sheldon Bluestein, author of Exploring Idaho’s High Desert. “It’s national-park-worthy.” …

details

Bruneau River, Owyhee Uplands by Glenn Merritt