We have been hiking Wilcox Pass for about 37 years and we hope to continue to hike it as long as we can. The trailhead is at the Icefields Summit area on the Jasper-Banff Highway. Go south and turn onto the road into Wilcox Campground. Park at the kiosk at 2048m (6719 ft.). The trail climbs through sub-alpine forest with … Continue reading…
Three trips to Zion National Park in a year and we continue to find new trails and routes. One of our favorite hikes is to Observation Point (link to previous article). The trail goes up the sandstone cliffs, then through a canyon to the upper slickrock. We could see the bottom of the canyon below us, but the sides were … Continue reading…
This one-way route has much merit, but requires a little more field work to find the best route. It is possible to go over Wheeler Mountain, but we wanted to find a more level route. We started at Lac du Bois, went around the lake, then down Hanging Valley. A few aspen groves flank the trail. From the end of … Continue reading…
The road from the east into Zion National Park is stunning. Some drivers rush through this narrow,w inding road and then through the tunnel, but if you go for the scenery, take your time and make a few stops along the way. There isn't much parking so just look for pull-outs where they appear. The one designated trail is the … Continue reading…
We have continued to return to Kauai to hike and explore, sometimes finding new routes and sometimes enjoying favorites from past years. There are many hikes on the island and a few are among the best trail experiences in the world. Several of these are in Kokee State Park, on top of the island. Although it is always warm, the … Continue reading…
Hiking trails were established near the confluence of the Watching Creek and the Tranquille River and are still used by a few people. The area needs some maintenance with fallen trees and a washed-out bridge, but it is still worth a few hours of hiking and exploration. Standing above the confluence on the north side is a ridge that goes … Continue reading…
The Roche Lake area has a group of lakes separated by hills, forest, and grasslands. Some of the lakes are easy to get to, but many are accessed only by difficult 4WD tracks. We chose to hike a loop route past 5 of these lakes. We parked at the entrance area to Roche Lake and walked along a rough track … Continue reading…
Mt. Vicars is a minor mountain on the edge of the Campbell Range. It stands above the north shore of Sciutto Lake. It is not a classic hike, but is a relatively short, steepish climb to a good viewpoint. We found a better track up, avoiding some of the forest and rock bands by going around the east side on … Continue reading…
Guanaco Peak and Vicuna Peak stand at the head of the Upper Coldwater River Valley in the Coquihalla Summit Recreational Area. They are not visible from the highway, but anyone who hikes up Zoa, Yak, Zupjok, or Needle Peak will likely photograph them and want to hike them. Access is the difficult issue. The route to Guanaco is up the … Continue reading…
Eagle Pass Mountain is one of the finest hikes of our area. Drive east on the Trans-Canada Highway through Malakwa and Craigellachie, then watch for the left turn onto the Crazy Creek Forest Service Road. This road is narrow and steep at first and is an active logging road. Follow the road up, watching for posted signs to Eagle Pass … Continue reading…
We hike to Skoatl Point almost every year. The road in to the trailhead and the trail has changed a lot over the years. The good news is that the trail is in good shape. The bad news is that logging is going on close to the edge of the park and to get to the trailhead, you will be … Continue reading…
The locals call it Peek-A-Boo Canyon, but the mappers name it Red Canyon. It is in the sand hills, a side canyon off Kanab Creek, 8.6 miles north of Kanab, Utah. To get there, turn onto a side road off Highway 89 and park, then hike in to the hills. Locals can drive in, but the road is very sandy … Continue reading…
The trail into Trophy Meadows is the finest trail of our area, but anywhere beyond the end of the trail (Plateau of the Lakes under Trophy 2) is a rough, off-trail adventure. One of the best of these is the traverse over to Cwem Cwem Lake. We have tried several routes, bt the best one is now partly marked with … Continue reading…
We try to stay for a rew days of hiking in Glacier National Park each year and we hike the Asulkan Trail almost every time. The first half of the trail is an easy walk through a valley bottom and the second half is a steep hike up moraines to an elevation level with the tongue of the glaciers near … Continue reading…
Mt. Fleet lies between Louis Lake and Mt. Lolo. It rises steeply above the Paul Lake-Pinantan Lake Road. From below, I have looked up the cliffs and had previously decided to get to the top, just because it is one more local mountain to explore. From Google Earth, I could see that the easiest approach was on logging roads from … Continue reading…
The words “ice caves” are a little misleading. These cracks, holes, and small canyons on the edge of he bluff receive melting snows and ice collects below in the lower areas on the north-facing slopes above Bridge Lake. The folklore is that First Nations and pioneers went to the caves to collect ice in the summer. Ice will stay in … Continue reading…
