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US National Parks with NO entrance fee

If you are against increased fees for American National Parks, plan your next hiking trip to one of the free ones.

The national park with the system’s greatest annual visitation, of around 9 million folks, Great Smoky Mountains, is, and will remain, free to enter. …

Other national parks with no entrance fees include Glacier Bay, Channel Islands, Isle Royale, Voyageurs, North Cascades, Congaree, Great Basin, Redwood, and Mammoth Cave. Combined, these parks had 2005 visitation of roughly 3.5 million folks.

National Parks Traveler: Entrance Fee Trivia

Great Smoky Mountains has 850mi (1368km) of hiking trails, including 70mi of the Appalachian Trail.

500px-sunset_at_clingmans_d.jpg
Sunset from Clingman’s Dome – Wikipedia

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#4 best hike in the world is …

Ausangate Circuit, Peru

Our favourite hike in Peru is still one of the least well known.

It’s wonderful, but dangerous.

Ausangate Circuit is 70km (43.5mi) plus sidetrips. It’s recommended only for confident, self-sufficient hikers experienced at high altitude. If you tolerate cold & altitude symptoms, the trails themselves are little trouble. Some route finding is necessary, but it’s entirely above the treeline with vast views.

Most groups hire pack animals, at least to get them up to the first pass. Worst case scenario — altitude sickness — you can ride your horse back down to lower elevation.

Why we love it:

  • PERU, all things considered, offers the best alpine hiking in the world
  • circle the sacred Ausangate massif (6372m, 20,905ft)
  • fantastic glacier views
  • remote, few trekkers, few people!
  • 4 high passes between 4757m – 5165m!
  • normally gorgeous sunny weather
  • thousands of alpacas
  • hotsprings at the start & finish of the trek
  • it is very inexpensive
  • travel Peru for as little as US$20 / day
  • unique Qoyllur Rit’i festival held nearby in May-June

    Considerations:

  • altitude sickness is a big risk
  • evacuation is difficult
  • no rescue service is available. You are on your own.
  • No Park officers. No campsites. No toilets.
  • acclimatization in Cuzco 3326m (10,912ft) is essential
  • 13-hour long nights in the tent
  • temperatures can fall well below freezing at night
  • be prepared for snow
  • storm could pin you in your tent
  • long, bumpy bus ride (5-8hrs) to & from trailhead or hire private transport from Cuzco

    Details on our Ausangate Circuit information page.

    Alpacas at Ausangate

    Alpacas and Ausangate

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    Sichuan, China has great hiking potential

    … but that’s just an excuse to post a cute panda photo.

    One of the great things about flickr is the ability to overlay “notes” and graphics.

    Here photographer Jerry Lee has added a Christmas touch.

    panda-christmas.jpg
    original – flickr

    More photos tagged “Sichuan” and “hiking”.

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    #5 best hike in the world is …

    Sunshine to Assiniboine

    This is our favourite hike in the Canadian Rockies. Mt. Assiniboine is Canada’s Matterhorn.

    Mountaineers dream of climbing Assiniboine. But this is also a great hiking destination for kids and grandparents who can access the high alpine Assiniboine Lodge, Naiset cabins or wonderful Lake Magog campground via helicopter.

    “Base camp” hiking doesn’t get any better than this:

    • Sunburst Valley / Nub loop sidetrip 6.7km (4.2mi)
    • Og Pass/ Windy Ridge sidetrip 8.7km (5.4mi)

    Our recommended route for serious hikers is 56km (34.8mi). Bus from Banff, Alberta to the Sunshine Ski Resort. (This puts you almost on top of the Continental Divide to start.)

    Wander lush Sunshine Meadows, winding your way towards beckoning Assiniboine.

    Why we love it:

    • Assiniboine is remote, accessed only on foot or by helicopter
    • good chance to see mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk and mule deer, pikas, chipmunks & hoary marmots
    • Sunshine Meadows is home to hordes of Columbian and mantled ground squirrels.
    • huge, heavenly alpine meadows
    • colourful wild flowers
    • walk the continental divide
    • Wonder Pass to Marvel Lake is superb
    • Assiniboine is only a few hours away from our #6 hike, North Circle in Glacier National Park

      Considerations:

    • this is a very popular hike
    • budget for a series of fees — hiking is not cheap in Canadian National Parks
    • biting insects can be a nuisance at times
    • trails sometimes closed due to bear
    • you may be tempted to walk out from Assiniboine to Mt. Shark trailhead in a very long day
    • the weather is highly variable. It can snow any day of the year. Or it can be 30°C (86°F).Details on our Sunshine to Mt. Assiniboine information page.

      view of Assiniboine from the Lodge – Assiniboine Lodge Photo Gallery

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    moose encounters

    From the new Wilderness Trailcraft blog:

    … a moose is quite a bit more agile than it looks. When this moose made it up to the log he paused for only a fraction of a second and leaped over it. (And) … they can swim; underwater.

    moose.jpg

    A short time after this trip I was traveling through Yellowstone and I had a chance to talk to a ranger about my experience. She told me that she wasn’t surprised about the moose swimming but she was surprised at how stupid we were. She said the rangers consider the moose to be the most dangerous animal in the woods. Moose are very unpredictable and frequently aggressive.

    So there you have it. They weigh close to 1500 lbs, they can run faster than you, they can swim faster, jump over logs and they are aggressive and unpredictable. That’s worthy of being filed away as important knowledge!

    A moose can swim underwater

    120px-skilt146_01.pngI’ve seen video of moose diving for particularly succulent plants. And I understand that new born calves can swim immediately to escape predators who sometimes wait on pregnant cows.

    The real worry about moose, in some parts of the world, are vehicle collisions. This is exactly the wrong animal to hit.

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    #6 best hike in the world is …

    North Circle

    The Glacier National Park circuit includes Highline Trail / Ptarmigan Tunnel loop and Many Glacier – Waterton via Highline.

    This is a fabulous hike-of-a-lifetime in every possible way. In fact, there is almost no downside — aside from the very short hiking season. (And mosquitos early in the season.)

    Bears are a worry. Hikers have been killed in this park.

    The complete North Circuit is 65miles (104km) plus side trips, though many only hike sections. Parts are very accessible to all levels of fitness and experience. Much is pristine wilderness unchanged for hundreds of years.

    Why we love it:

    • Highline Trail
    • Ptarmigan Tunnel (120ft long)
    • Swiftcurrent Mountain Lookout
    • Iceberg Lake
    • wildflowers late June to early August
    • great day hikes elsewhere in the Park
    • likely to see elk, mule deer, moose, mountain goats & bighorn sheep
    • almost certain to see black or grizzly bears through the telescope at Swiftcurrent motel
    • great fishing, no licence required in the Park
    • convenient hiker’s shuttle bus
    • it’s an international hike if you cross in to Waterton, Canada for the excellent hiking there
    • you will see few of the other 2 million tourists visiting Glacier each year once you are on the trail
    • we love the nearby Going-to-the-Sun highway (badly damaged by flood Fall 2006)

      Considerations:

    • Wilderness Permit should be booked long in advance
    • Summer highs average about 70°F (21C), lows below freezing.
    • remote & wild sections
    • potentially dangerous crossing at Belly River
    • biting insects (including ticks in the early season)
    • bring binoculars or a high powered zoom lens for observing bears on distant mountain sidesDetails on our Glacier National Park North Circle information page.

      If interested in doing the entire North Circle, check the annotated photos posted by besthike editor Rick McCharles: North Circle trip report, 2005. His was a 7-day solo hike in September after the first snowfall of the winter starting and finishing in Waterton. Don’t miss him spooking a moose at Kootenai Lake.

      Highline Trail – Geoffrey Peters

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    nude hiking is for real

    I apologize for being flippant in the past.

    I spent time, back in the day, on nude beaches, after all.

    Rick, the Nudehiker, contacted me. He’s a Vietnam Vet, IT guy since the ’70s, and a specialist on Information Security.

    He edits an excellent blog dedicated to nude hiking and soaking in the Pacific Northwest. (The soaking part sounds great.)

    I linked and subscribed immediately.

    Rick has links too to key organizations like the Naturists Society and the American Association for Nude Recreation. He has a lot of good content on advocacy, etiquette, nude resorts, hikes, etc.

    I learned that the nude outdoor recreation movement is under represented on the internet. Nudists are a tad skittish in a culture that feels traumatized after a brief glimpse of Brittany or Janet.

    If we really want to get more profile for nude hiking, Rick, there’s a simple solution. Female hikers.

    Check it out for yourself: Nudehiker

    nudehiker.jpg

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    #1 best trekking peak is …

    Kilimanjaro

    If you are going to Africa for just one climb, this is it.

    The standard Marangu route is 64km (40mi) plus sidetrips if you make the summit. The majority of those who try, do not get to the top.

    Technically the trek is not challenging. But anywhere between 2-10 hikers die each year from altitude sickness. It’s difficult to acclimatize while ascending 4,600m (15,000ft) from the plains to 5896m (19,344ft).

    Why we (still) love it:

    • the highest mountain on the continent
    • no need for rope or technical experience
    • one of the “seven summits”
    • the most sought after trek in Africa
    • the sense of accomplishment getting to Gillman’s Point on the crater rim. (Most turn back here.)
    • few do the extra 2hrs or more to Uhuru peak to get a photograph with the sign “Highest Point in Africa”.
    • on the Marangu Route you can sleep in huts or tents. (Other routes you must sleep in tents.)
    • can be climbed year round
    • enjoy almost every type of climate on one trip
    • the summit actually has GSM mobile phone service for emergencies

      Considerations:

    • no independent hikers allowed since 1991
    • minimum cost in 2006 is US$800 carrying your own pack.
    • the Marangu route has been called filthy and overpriced
    • Kilimanjaro often called the highest ‘walkable’ mountain in the world — not true. There are many volcanos higher that can be ‘walked’ in good weather and more than a few higher trekking peaks. Kilimanjaro must be the most popular of the high peaks, however.
    • over 20,000 hikers in 2000
    • even though the volcano is close to the equator, high up be prepared for rain, snow & bitter cold any day of the year
    • warm sleeping bag needed
    • you can tent instead of staying in the huts, but the cost is the same
    • though technically not active, steam is released from the crater & there is a slight chance the mountain could collapse as did Mount St Helens
    • normally the final climb is done at night as the scree is frozen. Many hikers start climbing at midnight. This can be a 16hr walking day!Sounds bad?There is a SMART way to go. Budget the money, then schedule a climb of lower Mt. Meru first followed by an immediate start on Kili. Use the Mt. Meru days for altitude acclimatization, not necessarily to get to the top.

      If possible take one of the alternate (longer, more expensive) routes on Kilimanjaro to allow more days to acclimatize.

      Details on our Kilimanjaro Marangu Route information page.

      And get a good guidebook early. Over 80% of Kilmanjaro hikers book their trip from home, not in Tanzania.

      The Trekking Guide to Africa's Highest Mountain - 2nd Edition; Now includes Mount Meru

      Kilimanjaro: The Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain – 2nd Edition; Now includes Mount Meru

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    book – Ten Million Steps

    Ten million steps is the incredible story of a 10-month walk from the Florida Keys to Quebec.

    “Eb” Eberhart has another book, Where Less the Path is Worn: First Trek O’er Appalachians of North America, recounting a 347-day trek, over 5000mi, from Belle Isle, Newfoundland to the tip of Key West, Florida.

    After getting medical advice he needed a pacemaker, Eb instead he walked over 17,000mi since 1998. If you see him on the trail, he goes by the monicker of Nimblewill Nomad. Age-68, he is not slowing down yet. He did the Lewis and Clark Trail in 2006.

    Ten million steps

    NimblewillNomad.com – official website

    (via Two-Heel Drive)