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best hiking desert park – Death Valley

I’ve been many weeks hiking the deserts of the American southwest.

Wonderful.

The best of all, I’m thinking, is Death Valley.

… the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located within Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 ft (85.5 m ) below sea level. …

Big, weird and wonderful.

The best hike is Telescope Peak.

Golden Canyon trailhead up to Zabriskie Point would be the signature day hike.

I’m reminiscing about the Valley of Death already.

Death Valley sand dunes

Amazon – Hiking California’s Desert Parks

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Adventure Sports Week LOOMS

I’m looking forward to the second annual ASW. Will you be there?

2010 Dates June 4-13

Each June in Northern Idaho, Adventure Sports Week offers 10 days of racing, training, clinics, gear demos and more. ASW features triathlons, mountain biking, trail running, adventure racing, open water kayaking and swimming.

Our venue is located on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille at Farragut State Park.

home page

• Schedule of Races

• Registration

• Venue

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hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Though May is reckoned to be the best month to hike Capitol Reef, rather than set up a tent I fled to this little “camping cabin“.

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

Good call. Morning dawned well below zero with plenty of snow on the ground.

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

The Visitor Center is everyone’s first stop. From there it’s only a few miles to Hickman Bridge trailhead where you have the option of 4 hikes:

• Hickman Bridge
• Rim Overlook
• Navajo Knobs – 9mi return, 1649ft ascent
• Cohab Canyon

These range from “easy” (Hickman Bridge) to “challenging” (The Knobs), ideal for a mixed ability group.

The route is well marked with cairns.

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

Views are wonderful throughout though there’s not much protection from wind and sun.

Pectols Pyramid is the first highlight of many.

Pectols Pyramid - hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

My first rattlesnake ever! (They’ve seen me, but I’ve never seen one of them.)

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

… Apparently it’s too early in the Spring for this guy. And a Ranger told me they are only very rarely found on this trail.

Was he looking for this guy?

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

The route climbs parallel with the highway. Here’s the valley far below:

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

That’s them?

The Navajo Knobs?

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

A bit of a let down. They’re simply 2 bumps of limestone atop the Waterpocket Fold. The main reason to go the extra miles is to see around the corner. It’s impressive!

I left a Summit Stone atop one Knob, reward for anyone keen enough to get up there.

Rangers were pushing this guidebook: Capitol Reef National Park – The Complete Hiking and Touring Guide.

I used my trusty Lonely Planet Hiking in the USA.

As both a driving tour, and hiking destination, I highly recommend Capitol Reef.

See the rest of my photos from this day hike.

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USA hikes with Gorgeous Finales

A good list from divine caroline by Vicki Santillano:

Kalalau Trail, Hawaii
Half Dome, California
Conundrum Creek Trail, Colorado
Bright Angel Trail, Arizona
The Hollywood Trail, California
Mount Riga State Park Trail, Connecticut
OldRag Mountain Hike, Virginia
Raven Cliff Falls Trail, Georgia
Mount Whitney Trail, California

… The ends of these popular hikes can replenish the most tired and weary of walkers and instill an invigorating sense of accomplishment in them. … the more motivation you’ll have to keep walking when the trails get tough …

click through for details and photos of each – Nine U.S. Hikes with Gorgeous Finales

(via Chris Weiss on uncooped who adds Angel’s Landing, Utah)

I’m liking Conundrum Hot Springs.

… located at a staggering 11,200′ within the famous Maroon Bells in the Snowmass wilderness. These steamy pools are 8.5 miles up the Conundrum Creek trail just outside of Aspen. …

click photo for details
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Anniversary Narrows, Lake Mead, Nevada

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

As beautiful a slot canyon as any other on earth.

How could I resist?

That claim made by one of my guidebooks, Afoot and Afield Las Vegas, the best of those I used.

Simple.

Drive to this trailhead. …

Anniversary Narrows, Lake Mead, Nevada

An easy 2.5mi out-and-back.

Unfortunately, I didn’t do that.

Instead I parked on the highway, not trusting my low clearance vehicle to make it to the trailhead. This added about 2.5mi to the trip.

En route a couple of hikers told me I was off-route. They could not find the trailhead. (It was there.)

I diverted to the only other possible watercourse, following footprints down a dry creek. It looked feasible.

WRONG.

I circumambulated a minor peak on a scramble soon dubbed the DANGER MINE trail.

Anniversary Narrows, Lake Mead, Nevada

There must have been a dozen old mine shafts up there, right to the top of the peak.

Finally I spied hikers far below. On my original, correct route.

Anniversary Narrows, Lake Mead, Nevada

Anniversary Narrows are lovely.

Anniversary Narrows, Lake Mead, Nevada

Rick straddling Anniversary Narrows, Lake Mead, Nevada

Recommended. But another cautionary tale of how easy it is to get lost in the desert. It’s possible to fall into an abandoned mine shaft out there, too.

The crumbling ruins of the mining operation are a historical attraction.

Anniversary Narrows, Lake Mead, Nevada

see all my photos from this trip

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Monument Valley, Wildcat Trail

Phoenix is more than 300 miles distant. Las Vegas more than 400 miles.

Yet Monument Valley is always packed with tourists, many of them European.

I found the Park badly managed. Perhaps they’ve no need to do better as it’s a must see attraction, as is.

No independent hiking is allowed save one track, Wildcat. The American Southwest had given it an underwhelming review, so my expectations were low.

Turned out I loved it, the only hiker on the trail.

Wildcat Trail, Monument Valley

Wildcat Trail, Monument Valley

Rick in Monument Valley

As the sun dropped in the sky, shadows became interesting.

Wildcat Trail, Monument Valley

See all my photos from this day hike.

Don’t drive by without doing this hike. Only $5 entrance fee. There’s a rough $10 dry campground at the trailhead. I recall 2 Germans telling me, years ago, that waking up in the morning with Monument Valley outside the window was one of the real highlights of their visit to the Southwest.

Jamie Compos posted an excellent trip report with photos. They were followed on the walk by a “tourist dog”, looking for handouts.

And check Hank Leukart’s hilarious winter visit to Monument Valley – Without Baggage – A surreal, Native American dream.

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fear the Henry Mountains, Utah

These black, bleak peaks looming over 8000ft above the surrounding deserts are out-of-place.

Remote. Barren. Inaccessible.

Nobody lives there, aside from American bison. And that was by forced relocation. Poor beasts.

The Bureau of Land Management do not make regular patrols. Too dangerous, I assume.

… The Henry Mountains were the last mountain range to be added to the map of the 48 contiguous U.S. states (1872), and before their official naming …, sometimes referred to as the “Unknown Mountains.” …

One hiker dared climb, Bob Palin. Read his photo trip report: Hiking Mount Ellen

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Dave Adlard climbs Mt Ranier

When I gave Dave my expedition hiking pack, I had no idea he was planning to become the next insane high altitude mountaineer.

Here’s his (lengthy) Mt Ranier trip report from this past weekend:

If I live to be 100, I may never see a better day to climb, especially on the fickle Mt. Rainier.

I had been looking forward to this weekend for a while – everyone  normally “do stuff with” was out of town, and so i had noted this date on my calendar as a possibility for getting over and doing a “real” mountain. I had had no luck finding a climbing partner, and so, with a little bit of trepidation, I made the 6.5 hour drive toward Rainier on my own, with ever increasing clouds as I got closer.

Once at the Paradise visitor’s center/trailhead, I was amazed at how deserted it was… normally, on weekends and in the summer, this place is packed, but the climbing/hiking season didn’t actually open until the next day. …

Continue reading “Dave Adlard climbs Mt Ranier”