Figure we could all use a break from recent events with our favorite sports program. With National Hiking Day just around the corner (November 17) figured it would be nice to collect some of folk's favorite hikes and places to get out and enjoy. My top 3 anywhere and 1 local one.
(1) Loop trail around Jenny Lake, but must include the the spur trail up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Located in my favorite place in the world to visit, Grand Teton, NP. You have the lake, the mountains, the woods, falls, awesome overlook, a black bear walking on the trail right in front of us the first time I was there, which was my first bear seen in the wild.
(2) What we used to call "The Catawba Corridor" of the Appalachian Trail. Do people at Tech still use that phrase? The AT from Troutville up Tinker Mountain, through Scorched Earth Gap, Tinker Cliffs, and MacAfee's Knob ending at 311. Of course, to do the trip right, you actually would end it at The Home Place to stuff your face and get those calories back. The first trip my girlfriend at the time and I took together - she's now my wonderful wife - was backpacking this over 3 days/2 nights. Any doubts either of us may have had about being made for each other were obliterated on that trip, and my proposal came soon after.
(3) Double loop trail around Bass Lake and Dry Lake near Ely, Minnesota. Wonderful lake scenery, a few overlooks, and the scene of my greatest ever outdoor experience - when the wolf ran past me about 10 or 15 feet to my left. Still the only wolf I have even seen in the wild.
Many others too, like Dragon's Tooth, Cadillac Mountain (ME), Eagle Mountain (MN), places in Yellowstone and Glacier and Kenai Fjords that I can't remember the names of off the top of my head.
Not a whole lot of good spots in Southern, NJ, but I'll add one local one, Double Trouble State Park. Has some nice lakes and bogs in dense pine forest. Definitely my favorite that is within an hour or so of home. Did the orange loop trail as well as the out-and-back purple one. Think the place would be even better for canoe and kayak trips.
Comments
Always enjoyed Old Rag as a Boy Scout hike.
Plus one on Old Rag; great hike.
So crowded now, but definitely my favorite in VA
My favorite hike around the NRV is Dragon's Tooth, hands down.
Two of my favorites from this past summer were Peek-A-Boo in Bryce Canyon NP and The Narrows in Zion NP. Both were really awesome!
Narrows is incredible
Yeah Dragon's Tooth is awesome. We did not do that when we were on the backpacking trip, but came back to the area on our honeymoon to do Dragon's Tooth before heading up to Skyland Resort in Shenandoah, NP for about 1/3 of the honeymoon days. Did several hikes from there too. Awesome time. Went back to Skyland for Thanksgiving just after our 10th anniversary and took our daughter on one of the old hikes we did as well as a new one. Had the Thanksgiving buffet up there. Was a blast.
Agree with Jenny Lake and would add any hike anywhere in Canyonlands NP, especially around the Needles area. Kodachrome SP is also a great place to hike and take pictures.
My man! I have extensive experience in both and the best hike south of glacier is the paintbrush loop through cascade canyon in grand teton. A close second is the chesler park loop through the needles via the joint trail. And yes, I've hiked sections of the AT and it's not even close.
I've hiked most of the trails in the grand canyon and they don't compare to these two. Also...Angel's Landing in Zion (currently closed due to the rona)
We haven't made it to Glacier yet, even after spending months over the years out west, but I know how spectacular Glacier is from friends who've been. I guess I'd put the Chesler Park loop at number one with the Paintbrush Loop a close second, but it's a yard wide, yard long kind of thing.
Stuarts draft is an all time favorite. Mount Katahdin is my top though it's unbeatable. The view even on a cloudy day is top notch and the hike itself is so much fun.
Just wondering what hike you mean by Stuarts Draft? I only know that as a town not a hike.
Give me a minute to see if I can find the exact one. There's a stuarts draft area in the blue ridge and I used to hike it every year in scouts and it was always fun it's a long loop that takes roughly two days to hike in full so it was a good friday, Saturday, and Sunday out hike that made for a full weekend.
Okay so I had a brain fart, the hike is in Ramseys Draft just past staunton not stuarts draft. It s a fantastic loop trail for backpacking along the mountain ridge and then around down into the valley and back to the road that way. Takes 2 days in full gear and has some awesome creeks and is very very out there away from alot of people.
Nice trout stream in that hollow where that trail starts.
Are you doing Hokie Hike 2020? Ends on the 17th, cool gear for registration
No. That actually kind of miffed me that they are trying to turn the event into a fundraiser. I paid plenty of money to VT log ago and still donate small amounts. Thought it was a great idea when I first started reading the e-mail and the saw it is just the university asking for more money.
For something totally different than most of the east coast, northern section of Dolly Sods,WV. You will see trees and landscape that are like northern tundra.
Went to Dolly Sods this summer it was incredible as expected. Definitely want to go back.
My favorite not in the Southwest part of the state is Crabtree Falls. Great walk and on the most perfect of days way in the distance you can see the Washington Monument.
Rock Castle Gorge is incredible for a local hike. Stone Mountain in NC is underrated and fairly close. Ecola State park in Oregon, anywhere in the western national parks (several already mentioned here)
Ecola is GORGEOUS
When I lived in CO, I sure did enjoy hiking to high mountain lakes and fly fishing for Greenback Cutthroat Trout. American Lake outside of Aspen was a fantastic one.
We did part of the Jenny Lake trail when my brother and I were in GTNP this summer -- I guess it was actually the String Lake Loop and then the ferry across to do Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Got way too close to a bear (like 30 feet!!!!!) on the String Lake trail and then saw two moosen up past Inspiration Point
We really really enjoyed Bunsen Peak in Yellowstone. Met a Hokie at the top!
Not sure how I missed you but I was in the Tetons when i did the paintbrush loop this past August...i might be even hiked by you but i wasn't wearing VT gear. I ended up bailing on Yellowstone as most of the roads were closed in the southern part of the park were closed when i went...i planned on doing electric peak which shares the same parking lot as bunsen. Amazing how close we got!
Yeah seriously! We were definitely close. I think you got into Grand Teton after we were headed up to Mammoth in Yellowstone. We literally had the most #blessed planning ever. Planned on the counter clockwise loop to begin with, but the fire would have forced us into that anyway. Then the day after we went from Lake to Mammoth, the road between Lake and Canyon was closed due to an auto accident with fuel spill.
If you passed us, it's your fault as I had a TKP hat on for the whole trip 😉
OK...if I had seen a TKP hat I'd have known it was you...or at the very least I would've said something. So glad you had a good trip, I actually changed my itinerary on the drive up, I was planning on doing the SW corner of Yellowstone for a couple of days but decided to spend the majority of my time in Jackson instead, the first day after I hiked two ocean lake I headed up to grant village to get info on the fires and I showed up 5 minutes after the rangers left and was notified at the south entrance that the road to old faithful AND road to tower was closed. That basically sealed it for me so I decided to concentrate on grand teton instead.
Definitely hiking to union falls next summer, that area is so great since very few people make the effort to get out there. Solitude is a rare commodity in the summer time in that part of the country. Bummed we missed each other by a day or two.
Not an overly difficult trail in Glacier is Avalanche Lake and its breathtaking
Mystic Lake in the Beartooth Mountains is a bit tougher but it's awesome.
Great shots, next time I'm in glacier I want to do the dawson/pitamakan loop...its a huge day near 20 miles but supposedly one of Glaciers best...I had planned on doing it this summer but the rona shut down the whole eastern side of the park.
Anyone been to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in western Montana? I'm thinking about a trip there next summer.
No but I am dying to go.
Give this a watch
Here's one near Winchester with an amazing view, Eagle Rock. Most of it is hiking a steep fire road with the final mile or so getting you to a perch above the mountains.
https://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/EagleRock/
Late to the party but managed to squeeze in Glacier and Joshua Tree in September.
At Glacier, my friends and I had three days and hiked Highline Trail, Avalanche Lake, and Otokomi Lake. It was the tail end of the forest fire season so it was unfortunately smoky. I also was breaking in some new hiking boots and am still in the process of growing back both big toe nails haha.
Joshua Tree was really cool, especially at night, which was clear and full of stars. My friend and I were climbing up a rock formation when I saw something move right by where I put my foot. I almost stepped on this little guy. Had me paranoid for the rest of the trip.
Gibbs Trail in UT, easy for the kids looks over the whole valley
The last time I hiked was at Outward Bound. My crew was always lost, hungry and wet. After that I said f$&k it!
Finishing a 3 day 30 miler on the AT at Watauga Lake in Tennessee and doing a nice swim was pretty sweet.
Favorite nearby hike is Dragon's Tooth by far. Devil's Marbleyard is also a lot of fun. When I was in Alaska in July I hiked the Mount Healy Overlook trail in Denali. Tough hike but some of the most incredible views at the top. Looks like you're walking through Middle Earth. The Needles at Canyonlands is also super awesome.