In the desert hills east of Las Vegas is Valley of Fire State Park. We spent the day exploring the park hiking some of the short trails. We liked the look of the campgrounds (although they would be blazing hot in the day time), so we may return for a few days to explore all of the trails, canyons, pictographs, … Continue reading…
The trails out to Ross Moore Lake are becoming grown-in over the last 40 years. Back in the 1970’s, there was a cross-country ski race (loppet) along this track. It was wider then and there were no trees down along the route. We followed the 6.75 km trail from the end of Lac Le Jeune Drive through the forest … Continue reading…
Just outside St. George, Utah is an area called Red Cliffs Recreation area. The slickrock canyons, ragged bluffs, canyons, and mesas of the area sit on the edge of the desert. Some narrow canyons have been cut by streams flowing out of the Pine Mountains on the way to the Virgin River. An interesting hiking trail/scramble leads up one of … Continue reading…
We had hiked to Dolomite Pass a number of times and had looked up to Cirque Peak at the end of the valley. This time, we planned to scramble to the summit from the outset and, on a sunny day, we hiked in to Helen Lake from the trailhea which starts across from the Crowfoot Glacier viewpoint on the Jasper-Banff … Continue reading…
We have climbed Opax Mountain in the winter now for a few years. The route is a good one and the views are outstanding. It is a demanding winter trek for most people, but a rewarding one too. The route is 10km return on the snow with 357m elevation gain. Opax can be a confusing mountain to navigate, but anyone … Continue reading…
This trail is the bucket list for people world-wide. It is on a number of “best” and “most” lists from most dangerous to most beautiful. It starts at the end of the road and follows the rugged pali (cliffs) on the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. Above is Mount Waialeale, the wettest spot on the planet. If you … Continue reading…
Zion Canyon is surrounded by sheer red sandtone walls. A few trails precariously wind up into canyons or onto slickrock ridges. Roads originate from distant routes and work their way to the edge of escarpments on mesas, still leaving a long trek to the canyon. Long canyon routes start at remote locations and can be navigated downstream, opportunities for canyoneers. Scrambling … Continue reading…
In British Columbia, we mostly hike ridges to high points, In Utah, many hikes are through canyons, especially on the Colorado Plateau. In Zion National Park, there are hundreds of canyons to explore and a few of them having regular hiking trails in them. One of the more unusual ones is Hidden Canyon. The trailhead and the first kilometre follows … Continue reading…
We have been going up Chuwhels Mountain in winter for a few years and returned again recently. It is still one of the best access routes to the high country. Vehicle Access: Go south on the Lac Le Jeune to Stake Lake the road goes west at this point and crosses under the Coquihalla Highway the road is usually plowed … Continue reading…
The second in a series of articles on Snowshoe Routes in the area. Vehicle access to Upper Timber Lake: Drive south on the Lac le Jeune Road Turn onto the Timber Lake Road this is an unsigned road, but is the first road past the ranch (turn at N50 34.443 W120 25.977) this is an active logging road so the … Continue reading…
A series of articles will be posted to this site featuring snowshoe routes of the area. Some of the prerequisites for a good snowshoe route include: road access to the high country parking at or near the trailhead lots of snow (south-facing slopes and lower areas can be hiked) routes cant be driven on easy-to-follow routes field work done to … Continue reading…
This was our first hike in Zion National Park. It was 98 degrees (F) and I had a fever from a cold that had hit me the night before. I took some analgesic and then chose a steep hike. I sweated and puffed on the switchbacks, but on every stage, I was blown away by the unique trail and scenery. … Continue reading…
In the northwest corner of Zion National Park is an area of easy access to a cluster of hiking trails in canyons. Highway 15 connects St. George and Cedar City. A signed pulloff goes to a National Park entrance (pass required) and a road winds up through the hills, with several designated parking areas at viewpoints and trailheads. Two hikes … Continue reading…
The Narrows is one of the most famous "hikes" on the continent. For day-hikers, it starts at the end of the road. The Zion Canyon bus stops at the Temple of the Sinawava. A trail continues on in the narrowing canyon. At the end of the paved trail, any further progress is in the Virgin River. About 2/3 of the … Continue reading…
The Angels’ Landing Trail in Zion stands apart from other trails in many ways. First of all, it is very popular and it can have hordes of people going up to Scouts’ Landing. It is one of those trails that is a rite of passage, one from the Bucket List. Second, the route is surprising, engineered to provide a trail … Continue reading…
Mukuntuweap National Moument become Zion National Park in 1919. Part of the Colorado Plateau, the park's forested northern areas sit at 8700 feet and descend southward to the mouth of Zion Canyon at 3700 feet. From the Kolob Plateau, canyons descend to the rocky desert below. The deepest and widest canyons become the access routes among the bare rock cliffs, … Continue reading…