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INSIDER’S GUIDES GET THE BETA ON OUR FAVORITE HIKES play list

See 8,876-foot Eldorado Peak from the heather-lined Hid- den Lake Trail. For long-range views of , hike the Lightning Creek Trail.

mid-April, and there are often otters, loons, and peregrine falcons in the area,” Roloson says. You could hike there (6 miles from the Ross Dam trailhead), but Roloson favors putting in a canoe at the Colonial Creek launch. Paddle 4 miles to the park service dock on Haul Road and portage a mile to Ross Lake (canoe wheels help), then paddle another 5 miles to Big Beaver.

Trail gourmet The charming town of Stehekin (population 112), which sits on Lake Chelan in the park’s southeast corner, offers hikers the chance to refuel on farm-fresh goat cheese from roadside stands, steaks at Stehekin Valley Ranch, and “anything they make” at the Stehekin Pastry Company, Roloson says. The insider You can take a boat or float plane in, but The are Katie Roloson’s Roloson’s favorite way to visit is to stop off backyard—literally (in-park lodging is a midway through a five- or six-day, 58-mile perk of her job as manager of educational shuttle backpacking trip from Cascade Pass programs at the nonprofit North Cascades to Thunder Creek trailhead. (Ride the $7 Institute). In her eight years on the job, park shuttle 11 miles to Stehekin from High she’s made it a goal to climb all the peaks Bridge Campground and back.) she can see from her house—she’s down to the last three. Beginner mountaineering “Easy” is a relative term in the North Best backcountry campsite Cascades, where vertical topography and INSIDER’S The shelf cradling Tapto Lakes sits in an summit glaciers are standard (it’s the most off-trail camping zone just under 7,174-foot heavily glaciated park in the Lower 48). Red Face Mountain, with tent-door views But 7,182-foot is a great train- of hulking, 7,574-foot and ing ground for practicing snowfield skills, other forbidding Picket Range summits. Roloson says. “You do cross steep remnants And because the two teacup lakes don’t of the Colonial Glacier, but it’s mellow, with- show up as a campsite on the National out any crazy crevasses,” she says. Pack 1 Geographic Trails Illustrated park map, crampons and an ice axe and target June or expect to have them to yourself, Roloson July for the 5-mile push from the Pyramid GUIDE says. Best approach: a five-day, 47-mile Lake Trail up an obvious (but unsigned) loop from the Hannegan Pass trailhead. climber’s trail that leads from the south side Hike 12 miles on the Hannegan Pass and of the lake up the peak’s northeastern ridge. Chilliwack Trails (spend night one at Navigation and self-arrest skills are a must; Copper Creek), then continue 5.2 miles on overnight at one of the established camp- Brush Creek Trail to Whatcom Pass. Take sites on the rocky north ridge leading to Mountain Escape the obvious spur trail about a mile north Pyramid Peak (free permit required). from the pass to reach the lakes. To return, backtrack on Brush Creek Trail and swing Best wildlife-watching North Cascades National north on Chilliwack Trail, then west on The park’s remote valleys host plenty of Copper Ridge Trail for nonstop views of charismatic megafauna like black bears, huge peaks and hanging glaciers (primo moose, wolverines, cougars, lynx, bob- Park, campsites: Copper Lake and Egg Lake). cats, and the rare wolf. But for the most, er, singular wildlife-watching experience, Secret waterfall head to Willow Lake, just north of Ross This remote park saves its best for hikers willing to A booming, 30-foot cascade tumbles just a Lake. “It’s Sasquatch central—at least, that’s tackle long miles and steep climbs. The reward for such quarter-mile southwest of the Big Beaver what I’ve heard,” Roloson says. Rumors commitment: lonely alpine lakes, colossal peaks frosted backcountry campsite—but for 10 months of giant footprints and an eerie feeling of with glaciers, far-flung valleys hiding bears and wolver- of the year, you’d never know it. High being watched swirl around the marshy ines, and some of the best mountain views in the Lower water in the dammed Ross Lake covers the lake. Grab the campsite on the lake’s west 48. Some things just shouldn’t be rushed. waterfall until spring, when engineers draw side and keep your camera at the ready: down the lake and the gusher reemerges The area is prime habitat for moose, coy- BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN for its big annual show. “The lower falls otes, and gray wolves, just in case Bigfoot PHOTOS BY (FROM LEFT) ALAN MAJCHROWICZ; ANDY PORTER; PORTER; ANDY LEFT) ALAN MAJCHROWICZ; (FROM BY PHOTOS (2) ISTOCKPHOTO.COM are really impressive from mid-March to misses his appointment. See Overall Run Falls on our insider’s favorite multiday trip. play list

INSIDER’S 2 GUIDE

but the best bets are the secluded streamside campsites 4 miles - peaking on top of 2,736-foot Rocky Mount. Then a little-known peak with horizon-wide views from Skyline Drive on the Big Run Loop. Scout for an impacted drop 1,500 feet to the Gap Run Trail for creekside over the rainbow of foliage, head to 3,002-foot site near Big Run stream, or sling a hammock: “Shenandoah is a hiking (and camping, if you like) until rejoining Bear Church Rock in the park’s Central District. Autumn Getaway particularly good park for hammock camping because it can be the Rocky Mount Trail to close the lollipop loop. Take the Appalachian Trail north from Bootens hard to find a flat spot without any rocks in it,” Molloy says. But Gap to hook up with the Laurel Prong, Cat Knob, Shenandoah National the best part about these spots? You’ll have prime access to clear, Best multiday trip and Jones Mountain Trails for a 9.4-mile (round- 6-foot-deep swimming holes and excellent fishing for native brook Shenandoah’s long, skinny shape means deep trip) high-country stroll. “Mid-October is the best trout. “Shenandoah is a native brook trout stronghold,” he says. wilderness can be tough to find: “Skyline Drive time to go: You’ll have vibrant color on Skyline Park, Virginia “They don’t have any competition, so they’ve been able to get big- divides the park, and if you want to do a multi- Drive and changing color all around you,” Mol- ger than in other parts of the South.” To reach the sites, hike the Big day adventure, you almost always have to cross loy says. (Still, peak color can vary from year to Run Loop Trail down from Big Run Overlook, then join the Big Run the road,” Molloy says. The quiet Overall Run Shenandoah National Park hits its showy, vibrant prime year, so check the park’s Fall Color Report at Portal Trail and scout out a spot. Next day, climb back up via the area on the north side is one exception, where bit.do/ShenniesFoliage.) this month as scores of tree species flare up in one of Rockytop Trail for a 13.3-mile loop. a bulge in the park boundary forms a larger the East Coast’s best foliage displays. But leaf-peeping roadless area with extended trail options and Best trail town is only the beginning at this 105-mile-long park draped Best car campground top-notch black bear habitat. Molloy’s favorite is Tiny Luray, just 5 miles west of park head- over the spine of the . Hikers will With just 31 sites, the Lewis Mountain Campground is Shenan- the 12.5-mile Overall Run-Heiskell Hollow loop: quarters, is Molloy’s favorite place to play find crystalline swimming holes, quiet hollows, mon- doah’s smallest and least busy. Besides secluded wooded sites From Mathews Arm Campground, follow the tourist: “It’s like Gatlinburg, , was ster trout, see-forever ridgelines, and scrambly peaks and several rustic cabins, the campground offers a glimpse into a Overall Run Trail past 29-foot Twin Falls and on 60 years ago—only slight tourist schlock and shameful chapter in American history: In the 1930s and ’40s, the to Overall Run Falls, a 93-foot-tall, lacy cascade an old-timey feeling.” Historic buildings and from top to bottom. If you’ve been looking for an excuse park maintained Lewis Mountain as a “separate but equal,” black- (the park’s tallest). Continue northwest to camp funky craft shops dot the downtown, roadside to go, autumn is it. BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN only facility. Under pressure from the Department of the Interior in the lower reaches of the Overall Run valley. ice cream stands serve the perfect posthike after World War II, Shenandoah finally integrated Lewis Mountain On day two, swing south on the Beecher-Overall shakes, and the 10-story caves at Luray Cav- The insider (and all other facilities) by 1950. Run Connector Trail to access Heiskell Hollow, erns let hikers escape sticky summer after- Tennessee-based Johnny Molloy had a wealth of expe- a wooded valley rich with swimming holes. noons among intricately carved stalactites and rience to draw from to write his Top Trails: Shenandoah Seek solitude Follow the Heiskell Hollow Trail 3.3 miles up the stalagmites (luraycaverns.com). National Park guidebook: Over the past 20 years, he has The park’s northern end is only 2 hours from D.C., so it naturally flank of Knob Mountain to return. spent more than 130 nights in the park’s backcountry draws the city crowds. Dodge them by targeting Shenandoah’s and hiked most of its 500-plus miles of trail. southern third, where another hour’s drive insulates you from the Leaf-peeping perch Trip planner metro mobs. Top trip: the 9.8-mile Rocky Mount Loop, which is Blue Ridge Mountains? Not in fall. Instead, think Season April through early November; Best backcountry campsite quiet even by South District standards. Start with a ridgetop ramble scarlet (maple), gold (sassafrass), amber (hickory), spring for wildflowers, summer for swim- Shenandoah doesn’t have designated sites off the Appalachian Trail, so dotted with stony outcroppings and views across Gap Run Valley, and vast swathes of ruby (oaks) as Shenandoah’s ming, fall for foliage Permit Required for

you’re mostly on your own to pinpoint the perfect patch of tent real estate— Shenandoah Valley, and the main crest of Shenandoah’s mountains, TYLER ROEMER / FUSAROMIKE, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM TIM LUMLEY, TOP) FROM (CLOCKWISE BY PHOTOS AT COMMONS CREATIVE 2015 VIA FLICKR, 30, JULY MONUMENT IN NEVADA” NATIONAL AND RANGE “BASIN (MAKE HISTORY) EMELIE FROJEN BY TEXT OF JOHNNY MOLLOY. COURTESY WENDELL SAMFORD, TRIBUTION, hardwood forest shows off changing leaves. For camping (free) Contact nps.gov/shen The Vallecito Mountains frame the Borrego Badlands. play list

The insider apricot yarrow, hike the 3.8-mile loop up Car camp with a view Dayhike option: Drive to the Tule Wash Two guidebooks (Hiking in Anza-Borrego Desert, volumes one and Hornblende, over a small saddle, and The vista over miles of wrinkled and explore the Pumpkin Patch, a stretch two) weren’t enough to exhaust Robin Halford’s knowledge of the down Box Canyon in March. No flower badlands at Fonts Point draws crowds of erroded sandstone formations. INSIDER’S park: The volunteer hiking leader for the Anza-Borrego Desert explosion this year? No problem: In of wine sippers and sunset gazers most Natural History Association and local gift shop owner is currently these canyons, iconic desert plants such nights: “Fonts is beautiful, but everyone working on volume three. as hedgehog cactus, barrel cactus, agave, goes there,” Halford says. Better: the and prickly pear are a sure thing. similarly sweeping views from Vista del Best overnight Malpais just to the east. Best: You can Lack of reliable water sources in the park makes backpacking in Wildlife spotting drive to within about .1 mile of the over- 3 Anza-Borrego best for shorter trips, like the 10.4-mile overnight The park’s canyons and rocky mountain look (high-clearance car required; 4WD loop connecting Rockhouse and Butler Canyons in the Santa Rosa slopes provide a refuge for a few hundred recommended) and set up camp for a GUIDE Mountains Recreation Area. Park where the road splits between the endangered peninsular bighorn sheep solo sunset show chased with mind- two canyons (4WD required; high-clearance 2WD cars can usually (as well as kit foxes, bobcats, mountain blowing stargazing. “It’s very unlikely make it the first 7 miles, but you’ll have to walk the final mile to the lions, jackrabbits, and more than 70 you’ll see anyone else,” Halford says. trailhead). Head into Rockhouse, where you’ll have to scramble species of reptiles and amphibians). For (No reservations or permit required, but across several boulderfields to reach Hidden Spring about 3.5 miles your best shot at glimpsing the elusive keep your vehicle within one car length Warm Haven in (it’s more of a seep, Halford says; pack at least a gallon per person bighorns, head to the steep terrain they from the road.) per day). Backtrack 100 feet from the spring and take an unsigned favor. Halford’s favorite scoping spot is Anza-Borrego Desert trail up to Jackass Flat, then scout a campsite on the wide bench 3,626-foot Sunset Mountain, a 3.5-mile Desert essentials (clear from flash flood danger). The next day, head through taller, out-and-back trip. Drive 4.3 miles up the Halford never leaves home without a narrower Butler Canyon to reach your car. Pinyon Wash (4WD required), park, and multitool with pliers to extract cholla State Park, CA hike east, slaloming boulders and cacti, cactus spines. “No matter where you go, Flora-filled dayhike to a saddle on the peak’s western side you learn fairly quickly that the cholla Winter blues? This SoCal desert hideaway has the cure: The wildflower blooms at Anza-Borrego are the stuff of legend, with (there’s no official trail, but the route is really do seem to jump on you,” she says. hundreds of species lighting up the desert when conditions are just straightforward). Skirt the northern flank With “cold-season” daytime temps in the 60s and 70s, right (the best shows require the perfect combination of rainfall, and follow a ridge to a “sheep guzzler,” Trip planner now is the perfect time to wander its cactus-filled canyons, temperature, and sunshine). “If it’s a good bloom in the spring, Horn- or park-maintained seasonal water tank, Season November to April for cooler scramble rocky peaks, and scope for desert wildlife. blende Canyon can be just fantastic,” Halford says. To stroll among then top out for views over the Vallecito weather (March for flora) Permit None BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN blossoms like apricot mallow, purple Canterbury bells, and orange Mountains and the Salton Sea. Contact parks.ca.gov PHOTOS BY (FROM TOP) MITCH MILLER / FINE EARTH PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTOGRAPHY, MILLER / FINE EARTH MITCH TOP) (FROM BY PHOTOS / WILDNATUREIMAGES.COM NIEBRUGGE RON Play the slots in Zebra Canyon. 2. Best multiday trip Escalante River 7 miles play list The 5-mile out-and-back begins at a pullout off Hole-in-the-Rock Looking for the classic upstream from the Escalante Road near 37.639428, -111.445808. Escalante experience—but River trailhead, passing not in the mood to share? a natural rock bridge and Head for the under-the-radar panels of pictographs and Upper Paria River area on petroglyphs on the south- 4 Green’s favorite 33-mile, facing canyon walls, to INSIDER’S 6 3 four-day shuttle hike down heavenly camping at the 1 ESCALANTE a deep (500 feet in spots), mouth of Death Hollow (free, RIVER sculpted sandstone canyon self-issue permit required). HOLE-IN- THE-ROCK 5 packed with opportunities ROAD for exploring side gorges. “It’s 4. Secret car campground wide like the Grand Canyon Calf Creek Campground, 4 2 COTTONWOOD in some places, there are between Boulder and ROAD GUIDE giant ponderosa pines and Escalante on US 12, draws cottonwoods to camp under, campers like flies to honey PARIA RIVER and if you have a keen eye, for its rich red canyon walls, there’s rock art the length of desert spring, and proximity this hike,” Green says. From to 126-foot-tall Calf Creek the pullout off Cottonwood Falls. But just down the road, Canyon Road (37.511042, Deer Creek Campground Canyon Country -112.033900), descend along offers similar highlights the Paria Wash to the Sheep “with 2 percent of the people,” Creek at about Green says. From your Grand Staircase- mile 10. Day two, hike 5 tent, hike down Deer Creek miles to Deer Creek and set Canyon for rock art and trout Escalante National up camp, then explore Deer fishing—but no waterfalls. Creek and West Oak Creek Best bet: Take a dip in Calf Canyons just downstream. Creek Falls, then hightail it to Monument, Day three takes you 8 miles Deer Creek ($10/night). to Hogeye Canyon, another worthy side trip (and your last 5. Slot canyons If it’s true desert wilderness you seek—snaking reliable water). Finish with a Visiting Escalante without 10-mile hike to your shuttle wiggling through a few slots, deep red-rock chasms, and secret car on Cottonwood Canyon tight spots is like going to swimming oases—then you can’t do better Road (37.227822, -111.928922). Yellowstone and skipping the than this 1.9-million-acre park sprawling across Target May or early fall for geysers. For beginners, Green southern Utah. And with temperatures starting the best conditions and recommends the 5-miler to hit their springtime best in March, now is the pack a 50-foot handline for connecting Peek-a-Boo and perfect time for a slickrock adventure. navigating the scrambly bits Spooky Gulches: “They give in some side canyons (free everyone a chance to climb BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN permit required; pick up at and squeeze through classic, Cannonville Visitor Center). twisting slots.” From the Dry Fork trailhead, spider through 3. Top basecamp Peek-a-Boo, then hike .5 mile The sandy, cottonwood- east across the desert to join shaded campsite at the narrower Spooky (no permit The insider confluence of the Escalante needed for day trips). Rick Green may be king of the desert rats: As the 16-year River and Death Hollow tops owner of the outfitter Excursions of Escalante, he racks up Green’s list for its nearby 6. Post-trip refueling some 200 canyon days every year. Totaled, that’s more swimming holes (1.5 miles “Easy choice: Escalante than six solid years of exploring Escalante’s hidden corners. up Death Hollow Canyon), Outfitters,” Green says. The soaring canyon walls, and guide company/gear shop/ 1. Easy-access dayhike abundant rock art. But now restaurant in Escalante Even though Big Horn Canyon is just 10 miles outside it’s better than ever, thanks serves up tasty pizza (try the the town of Escalante, it remains surprisingly quiet: to extensive volunteer work ham-and-goat-cheese Big “Everyone’s in a hurry to go way the heck out to Coyote over the past couple of years Horn) and local microbrews, Gulch, and they drive right by the canyons near town,” that has cleared the canyon including their own, Green says. The few who do explore the twisty, redrock of its overgrowth of invasive Vagabond Ale. “The maps and canyon’s sandstone towers and narrows enter on the north tamarisk and Russian olive. cool vibe there make it the end, but Green prefers the “top-secret entrance”: From the To get there, follow the place to hang out.” unmarked trailhead (just past a corral about 5 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road), follow Harris Wash 2 miles to join Big Horn Canyon to the north. Enter Big Horn and take the first fork on your right to snake through a rust-colored slot canyon and reach an open sandstone basin swirled with reds and oranges. Continue exploring up the main fork of Big Horn Canyon as the walls stretch 150 feet above you, Trip Planner then retrace your steps for a 6- to 8-mile hike (depending on Season March to May and September to November Permit how far up you go). Required (free) for backpacking Contact bit.do/escalante-blm PHOTOS BY AUSTIN CRONNELLY / TANDEMSTOCK.COM; ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / TANDEMSTOCK.COM; CRONNELLY AUSTIN BY PHOTOS PHOTOGRAPHY TIM HAUF DARRENMOWER; play list AT to the NOC for burgers, beer, and hot showers, Foster says.

Easy-access waterfall Dry Falls is anything but, especially after rain: “The whole Boots, Bikes & Boats Cullasaja River pours over a cliff INSIDER’S there,” Foster says. “You can’t help but be inspired by the power of Nantahala National Forest, that waterfall if you catch it at high flow.” A stroll of a few hundred yards from the parking lot off US This half-million-acre treasure trove of hidden valleys, meandering ridgelines, round- 64 gets you to views of the 70-foot 5 gusher splashing into a sharp topped peaks, and whitewater rivers hits its prime in late spring, when the whole place GUIDE ravine; follow the trail behind the dresses up in a color wheel of wildflowers. As if you needed another reason to head falls to watch (and feel) the water’s into the woods. BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN rumble from the inside out.

Multisport basecamp Mountain bikers, paddlers, and anglers will be happy at Tsali Campground, a primo basecamp From Tellico Gap, take the on Fontana Lake’s multipronged AT 1.4 miles to the Wesser peninsula. Nearly 37 miles of Bald Tower and this killer view moderate bike trails cross rolling of the Appalachians. ridges and outcroppings with views of the lake and National Park (Foster’s fave is the 8.7-mile Mouse Branch Loop). And for the more amphibious, endless opportunities for exploring Fontana Lake’s jigsaw shoreline await from the boat ramp, a short The insider when you get to the top, you’ll have Foster says. “It offers something for then turn right on Nichols Cove lofty spruce-fir forest. Start at the walk from your tent. Pack a rod Steve Foster has been hiking this 360-degree views of the Nantahala everybody, and there are loads of Trail. Continue on, keeping an eye NOC and climb 7 miles south on to cast for walleye, bass, and area for 12 years—and retirement Range.” From Winding Stair Gap, surfing waves and play spots.” The out for the remnants of pioneer the AT to camp at crappie while you’re at it (camping: from his biology career isn’t hop on the Appalachian Trail and 8-mile stretch from the put-in on homesteads and graves, to the (pictured), a 4,627-foot meadow $15/night, first-come, first-serve; slowing him down. In fact, it just head northwest, gaining 1,396 feet Wayah Road to the NOC is mostly junction with Slickrock Creek with a Civilian Conservation mountain biking: $2/person/day). means more trail time for the en route to the bald. Can’t tear Class II, with one Class III rapid—go Trail. Turn left and hike to Wildcat Corps fire tower on top. Day two’s Franklin, North Carolina, local. yourself away? Camping is allowed guided if you’re a rookie (starting Falls (mile 5), a multi-tiered 11 miles hug high ridgelines as you When he’s not out trekking or up here, no permit required. at $50; noc.com). Visit in early June cascade that tumbles 10 feet into a continue south on the AT, crossing paddling (“three days a week or (Check with rangers beforehand to for the best flora or early fall for swimming hole. Camp at a social Tellico Gap and Burningtown Gap more,” he says), Foster works for see if the spring is reliable, or play it warmer weather (the river flows site along Slickrock Creek (bonus: en route to 5,342-foot . the Nantahala Outdoor Center. safe and BYO water.) reliably all year, except November). brook trout here). On day two, Then swing southwest on the follow Slickrock Creek upstream AT/ to Wine Spring Best dayhike Top overnight to rejoin Big Fat Trail and close the Bald (camp here). Just past here, To land see-forever views of The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock lollipop loop. the Bartram Trail branches off to the whole forest, you need to Wilderness on the Nantahala’s the west; on day three, follow it reach the open mountaintop northwest side is no secret—“You Best week to a streamside campsite on the meadow on 5,216-foot Siler Bald can’t swing a dead cat in Joyce Foster’s favorite backcountry Nantahala River around Bartram (not to be confused with Silers Kilmer Memorial Forest without escape starts right from his office Trail mile 53.5 (10 miles total). Trail town Bald in the Smokies). There are hitting a family there,” Foster at the NOC, then loops up and Day four traces the Nantahala Hometown pride: Franklin gets two ways to get there: the short says—but solitude is possible. Head over a series of balds and ridges downstream 10 miles to Bartram Foster’s nod for the best place to way from Wayah Crest (4 miles for the Big Fat-Nichols Cove loop on a 56-mile trip linking the AT Trail mile 63.5; camp near the wrap up a day in the Nantahala. out and back), and Foster’s pick, in the area’s outer reaches for a 7.5- and the Bartram Trail. The payoff: intersection with the London Bald Look for him at the new Lazy the 8.4-mile round-trip from mile trip along a clear stream. “I’m killer high-country sunrises Trail. Next, hike across Winding Hiker Brewing Co. (read about it at Winding Stair Gap. “You go through Paddling trip never in a hurry to make miles in and sunsets, spring wildflowers, Stairs Road and climb to 5,062-foot backpacker.com/lazyhiker) or the everything from oak-hickory to The best intro to the Appalachians’ this area,” Foster says. From the and a tour of the Nantahala’s Cheoah Bald for the best sunrises Rock House Lodge, a pub with 18 rhododendrons to tulip poplar famed whitewater? “It’s gotta Big Fat Gap trailhead, drop steeply finest ecosystems, from hidden around (8 miles). Finish by craft beers on draft tucked inside

and hemlock,” Foster says. “And be the Lower Nantahala River,” on the Big Fat Trail about a mile, valleys and quiet creeks to the PHOTOS BY (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) STEVEN MCBRIDE; ISTOCK.COM (3); OUTDOOR CENTER NANTAHALA COURTESY; descending 8 more miles on the the Outdoor 76 gear shop. ■ occasional white-tailed ptarmigan make the and elk of “Herds . of string a and tarns, ice-blue blossoms, summer with smothered meadows past winding Pass, to Elwood Pass Cumbres from Wilderness Juan San South the across cuts Trail Divide Continental the of section Mostly above treeline, this 51.4-mile week Wild are mountains.” you see All manmade. nothing roads, no are acity,” “There see says. she and down look you never that is place this I love about Areas Juan Wilderness San South and ’s Weminuche Hiking of editions three authoring while peaks of a master Photojournalist Donna Ikenberry became The insider play list INSIDER’S GUIDE 7 . “What “What . piece for yourself. yourself. for piece a claim and treeline above head to time perfect the is September rest. the than lonelier and craggier, wilder, as out stand Juans San Colorado’s mountains, of wealth its for revered astate in Even JuanSan Mountains, Colorado Jewel Crown BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN mountain harebells explode onto the onto the explode harebells mountain paintbrush, alpine forget-me-nots, and aster, columbine, tomid-July mid-August, from where hillsides, Juan San the from be well as might scene That poppies? of Oz of Wizard The in You scene the know Wildflowers thunderstorms. afternoon frequent summer’s for avoiding ideal is September levels; snow on depending October, through July accessible typically is area The junction. Fork Trail Middle the and junction, Fork Trail Adams the Lake, Blue Lake, Trail at camping days, five in route the tackle and available) shuttles commercial (no Pass at Elwood vehicle a Drop says. Ikenberry it extra-special,” where Dorothy conks out in a field afield out in conks Dorothy where

PHOTOS BY GLENN RANDALL (TOP) AND CHRIS D’ARDENNE The final .9-mile scramble gains 1,524 feet. 1,524 gains scramble .9-mile final The 8.3. at mile spur summit the taking before Pass Weminuche on 5.5 mile near Camp Trails. Skyline and (#818) Weminuche the on out-and-back 18.4-mile an on pinnacle Sawatch and La Garita Ranges. Reach the cuts through, ultimately extending to the Range Grenadier the of spine the while directions, all out in fans Wilderness Weminuche spiky The it is: what a view And there.” from view the see top and to the climb to actually Ihad for years, Juans San the over all from it seeing “After says. she Pyramid,’” the say, there’s out and look ‘Oh, you’ll peaks, other on you’re “When herself. for view up-close the to see had Ikenberry afar, from Pyramid Grande Rio 13,821-foot of summit remote the at gazing of years After Peak experience Skyline Trails. or Creek Kitty to the connecting by hike the to extend ridgeline the along on Press 2.5. mile near slopes volcanic atop cliffy country high flora-filled to the continue and junction Highline to the miles 1.1 (#800) Trail Lake Hunters the Take feet. at 12,000 tundra the through passes which (#832), on the Highline (also called Highland) Trail area Stairsteps the route to petal-peeping: favorite quick-access Ikenberry’s scene. Bag 14,150-foot Mt. Sneffels to catch first light on on light first catch to Sneffels Mt. 14,150-foot Bag Below left: Columbine bloom in Blue Lakes Basin. Basin. Lakes Blue in bloom Columbine left: Below the Blue Lakes Basin and surrounding San Juans. San surrounding and Basin Lakes Blue the .gov/sanjuan snow years years snow Trip planner (bcexp.com). Experience Backcountry by swing maps, and gear ever.” For cookies best for “the must-go Durango’s Bread bakery is Ikenberry’s up Stock see marmots, pikas, and golden eagles. CDT, upto you where the might to link Peak River South 13,148-foot and Lake Goose Little past miles 3.7 another It’s shrubs. shoreline the in toads) boreal (endangered small and (moose) big both for wildlife scan then asite, grab and lake treeline to the miles 8.7 (#805) Trail Creek Ivy the Hike either. trips, side peakbagging access easy- or fishing trout cutthroat primo the have to you won’t share so radar, the under to remain Trail Divide Continental the off enough far just They’re Lake: at Goose wildlife-spotting opps, head to the sites best the of some with overnight For aquiet marmots, black bears, and mountain goats. streams attract A-list fauna like elk, moose, The San Juans’ expansive forests and clear Animal planet issue at trailhead kiosk kiosk at trailhead issue SEASON July through October in normal normal in October through July PERMIT Required (free); self- (free); Required CONTACT fs.usda play list

INSIDER’S 8 GUIDE

Desert Oasis MazatzalWilderness, Arizona

Think backpacking in Arizona is all about how much water you can carry? Not in the Mazatzal Wilderness, a high-desert preserve straddling the Tonto and Coconino National Forests. Here, springs and creeks knit together steep canyons, Sonoran Desert shrublands, and pine-fir forests— where javelina, black bears, and river otters wander. For perfect weather, now’s the time to join them. BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN Travel through the Mazatzal to see saguaros and summits (here, in the Rolls Area by Brownie Tank).

The insider Multiday loosen, opening up one of Arizona’s primo As an official Arizona Trail Steward for the Circumnavigate 7,903-foot Mazatzal Peak escapes to backpackers. From the Fossil past four years, Chad Hummer roamed on a 22-mile, three-day loop featuring Springs trailhead, descend 1,600 feet on the Mazatzal Wilderness’s roughest waterfalls, shady campsites, and reliable the 4-mile Trail #18 to reach the string of terrain, checking route conditions and springs. You’ll score views of the Verde swimming holes on Fossil Creek. Splash water availability for the Arizona Trail River and the 200-mile-long cliff face of away, then head at least 1.4 miles west to Association. But the born-and-raised the Mogollon Rim. From the Barnhardt scout a cottonwood-shaded site at least desert dweller was already hooked on trailhead, take the Y Bar Trail #44 100 feet from the creek; camping is allowed the Mazatzal’s magic: “I love hiking in southwest, gradually ascending blocky west of Fossil Creek Bridge. places with shade and water—a precious Mazatzal Peak (experienced scramblers commodity out here.” can go for the class 3 summit, but loose Basecamp rock and thick brush make it challenging). Pitch a tent under the pines at the Peeley Go for the gold Around mile 5.5, scout a secluded social trailhead, then spend a few days exploring All year, Hummer looks forward to October site under the pines. Next day, turn north the three trails that spiral out from there in the Mazatzal—fall brings relief from both on the Arizona Trail for vistas extending to (high-clearance vehicle required; 4WD searing summer temps and monsoon rains, the Verde River and Horseshoe Reservoir. after rains). “There are awesome views giving way to dry, hiker-friendly weather Camp at Horse Camp Seep, a year-round overlooking the Mogollon Rim to the (expect highs in the mid-70s). Even better: spring. To close the loop, backtrack to the north and the valley below, and the higher Starting in mid-October, the wilderness Barnhardt Trail and descend steeply along elevation (6,000-plus feet) makes it nice pops with bright oranges, yellows, and a canyon wall dotted with cascades. and cool at night,” Hummer says. Grab an scarlets as hardwoods show off their fall impacted site with a fire ring (BYO water), colors. Hummer’s favorite leaf-peeping trek Swimming hole then pick a direction for your next day’s traces Sycamore Creek under a canopy of With its gushing waterfalls, staircase adventure: You can trace a ridgeline on golden cottonwoods. From the Mormon travertine deposits, and clear springs the Mazatzal Divide Trail, follow a lush Grove trailhead, take the Saddle Mountain (“they’re 30 feet deep, and you can still waterway on the Deer Creek Trail, or check Trail #91 through a pinyon-juniper canyon see the bottom,” Hummer says), Fossil out an old mine on the Cornucopia Trail. 3 miles to the abandoned Story Mine. A few Creek draws the hordes—so much so that shafts dot the canyon walls (don’t enter in spring and summer, the Forest Service Trip planner them), but the real attraction is the medley bans camping and requires advance SEASON September through April PERMIT of shady, seasonal pools. Spend the night, reservations just to park. But starting in Required (free); self-register at trailheads

then return the way you came. October, the crowds fade and restrictions CONTACT bit.do/mazatzal PHOTOS BY (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT): GILL; PAUL ROB GREEBON; ISTOCK.COM (4) INSIDER’S 6 GUIDE

Bluegrass Escape National Forest, The wilderness draped across eastern Kentucky’s Cumberland Plateau is a hiker’s playground of sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, swimming holes, and rock arches. BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN

The insider Matt Able, Trails Program Manager for the Daniel Boone, fell in love with the national forest as a college kid who spent his spare weekends climbing in the . See 40-foot Copperas Falls by following the creek of the same These days, he spends his workdays name about 2 miles on a social exploring the forest’s trails. path from the trailhead off KY 715 (near the concrete bridge). Waterfall hike The Daniel Boone is riddled with lacy waterfalls, but 40-foot Van Hook Falls Pick up the Loop to see the path in is the 6.5-mile (one-way), stream- is Able’s favorite because you can walk state’s tallest waterfall, a 113-footer, then riddled Middle Ridge Trail #518. “I’m a right behind it. And on a sticky summer turn east on Trail #602. The glutton for rough trails—the rockier and day, nothing beats the shoulder-pounding ridgeline between miles 7 and 8 offers tougher it is, the more I enjoy it,” he says. massage you’ll get standing under it. To good dispersed camping in the pine- Take it along Beaver Creek, keeping an eye feel the spray, start the 6-mile Rockcastle oak woods. Next day, hike past 70-foot- out for foxes and black bears. Scout a site Narrows East Loop clockwise. At the long Yahoo Arch before hooking up after mile 4.5 to turn it into an overnight, junction near mile 1.5, cross the bridge with the southbound trail #612. Follow it or link up with Trail #512 at mile 6.5 and over Van Hook Branch to reach the grotto back to the before continue deeper into the wilderness. cradling the falls. Grab a perch on one of reconnecting with the Lick Creek Trail. the boulders lining the stream to dip your Multiday trek toes in the water, or poke around the cool Best views For the full Daniel Boone experience, you cavern behind the cascade, before closing Land 360-degree vistas atop Auxier Ridge, can’t beat the 290-mile Sheltowee Trace the loop on Rockcastle Narrows. a sandstone spine in the northern Daniel Trail, which bisects the national forest Boone’s cliffy Red River Gorge. A 6-mile from north to south like the guyline on a Top overnight loop via the Auxier Ridge and Double pup tent. The links countless A pair of natural sandstone arches, a Arch Trails will land you atop a stone fin area highlights like clifftop overlooks, bluff-lined river, and the state’s tallest with views that stretch across the gorge wild creeks, waterfalls, and habitats for waterfall—the only way to make this to Courthouse Rock and (two deer, bald eagles, and river otters. Able’s 13-mile loop more Kentucky is to add islands in a sea of lush foliage), Haystack pick for the primo miles with the fewest a flask of bourbon. Hike west on Lick Rock (which resembles a giant beehive), road crossings: the 70-mile stretch from Creek Trail #631 in the forest’s southern and Double Arch. Nab up-close views of Holly Bay Marina to the Great Meadows corner, dropping under rocky overhangs the arch-within-an-arch later in the loop. Campground on the Tennessee border to a junction. Take the .5-mile spur to (do it in five to seven days). “In late May see an 80-foot cascade plunge over an Best solitude and June, you’re sure to see blooming amphitheater, then continue on to wide Alone time in the northern stretches of the rhododendrons and trillium,” Able says. Princess Falls at mile 3.4. Swing north forest can be hard to come by in summer, along the banks of the Big South Fork of but not in the Beaver Creek Wilderness, Trip planner the Cumberland River, crossing into the a hardwood forest circled by sandstone SEASON Year-round PERMIT None Big South Fork . cliffs and laced with creeks. Able’s favorite CONTACT fs.usda.gov/dbnf play list more miles and camp on the north side of side north the on camp and miles more for 1.5 cross-country southeast continue then miles, for 1.7 Trail Equestrian the Follow Camp: Equestrian the from back out-and- 6.4-mile this Try cliffs. high 800-foot- banded, the and River Red Town Fork Dog the of Prairie colored copper- the of views yielding height, to knee grass the keep wildfires) natural as well (as sheep aoudad and Deer grassland. native arare find you’ll where the park’s roadless southern boundary, over to head Instead, them. follow don’t but area, the of end north the in stay will folks Most corner. southeastern to the restricted is park 27,000-acre this in backpacking 1870s), the until here lived tribes Kiowa and (Comanche sites archaeological To protect Uncharted overnight off. and trail on Duro, Palo of inch square every knows He canyon. 120-mile-long this in ones old uncovers and routes new scouts Podzemny Chris Engineers, of Corps Duro Palo the as known crew trail-building the of head As The insider INSIDER’S 9 GUIDE and wildflower-dotted crags. crags. wildflower-dotted and temperatures springtime mild enjoy to now Texas secret this Hike U.S. the in canyon second-largest the Duro, Palo distinguish cliffs redrock and hoodoos Striated Country Color the river, you can see the entire canyon canyon entire the see river, you can the above feet 800 “From says. Podzemny Rim,” Fortress from is favorite view “My Pretty vista trails.” best the “all by surrounded it’s Plus, says. Podzemny Cliff,” Fortress 3,400-foot-tall of views great you get and private feel sites “The maps. park many on appear it doesn’t that new 2016—so Juniper Campground opened in summer 18-site the Formerly area, aday-use campground car Secret bonnet. war ared wearing achief depict they says Podzemny but art, rock the of location exact the protects and deer—and petroglyphs. The park eye out for bobcats an Keep fenceline. the BY KELLY BASTONE Collared lizard Collared pounding created deep, round holes in in holes round deep, created pounding that all years, over the and grains, and beans to grind stones metate and poles big used “People left. the on in, mile .5 about bowls little for the look and Trail GSL 3.8-mile the Hike made. they holes mortar see still you can and years, 1,200 for Duro Palo in lived Americans Native Relics Trail. (GSL) Lowry Spicer, Givens, upthe mile .5 Hike Beginners: rock. amushroom on aV5+ problem, Fungi” on “High classic the find you’ll where is Area) Use Day Sunflower the (opposite Gardens Boulder The for experts. problems Fortress Cliff offer an array of climbing below boulders house-size of jumble The Big-league bouldering Fortress Cliff Trail to the viewpoint. Rylander the on northwest miles 1.4 head then 2011), in resurrected Podzemny that route (a once-forgotten Trail Garden Rock steep the on miles 2.4 hiking by there Get to gold.” purple from ranges that layer Tecovas the and Yellowstone eruption, the from layer ash colors—the its all and

PHOTOS BY ROB GREEBON PHOTOGRAPHY (TOP); QILIAN YU / 500PX Trip planner for updates. page Facebook park’s the check rainfall; on depends bloom Peak floor. canyon the on Trail Sunflower 1.2-mile named aptly the along them Admire says. Podzemny sunflowers,” of explosion an we get few years “Every ramble Wildflower points. widest the at across 4feet only it measures deep, 10 feet to 20 just Though wriggling: for Prepare trailhead). Garden Rock the from miles (3 Spur Pond Duck the of end at the favorite awaits His describes Palo Duro’s slot canyons. how Podzemny is fun,” “Outrageously Slot canyons meal.” their to hole cook the into stones the drop and nearby, afire on rocks heat food, and water with hole the fill “They’d explains. Podzemny rock,” the September through November CONTACT PERMIT SEASON Required ($12) for overnights for overnights ($12) Required March through May and and May through March bit.do/palo-duro-canyon-sp See the sun rise over over rise sun the See Palo Duro from the the from Duro Palo ihhue Trail. Lighthouse play list

INSIDER’S 10 GUIDE

From 1,942-foot Deasey Mountain, see Katahdin to the south.

back from here), the ragged Traveller Terra Incognita Range, and, of course, the Katahdin massif. Head back the same way.

Katahdin Woods and Waters Thru-hike Locals know the Appalachian Trail National Monument, Maine doesn’t end at the Knife Edge. It keeps going 138 miles to Canada, bisecting Katahdin We welcomed the Northeast’s most pristine watershed to the national park Woods and Waters. St. Clair calls the 27-mile system last August with itchy feet. Now go see what the fuss is about. Hint: section of the International Appalachian old-growth forests, craggy peaks, hidden waterfalls, and A-list wildlife. Trail (IAT) through the monument a BY RYAN WICHELNS classic: Start on the Loop Road and hike it north, taking the Katahdin Lake Trail The insider along the riverbank because you’ll want to (IAT) across the Wassataquoik and up What is now a national monument was linger: “I’ve walked a long way up and down Deasey (see “Multisport,” left). Drop down until last fall Lucas St. Clair’s backyard. that river,” St. Clair says. “It’s a spiritual to the Lunksoos Lean-to at mile 12.9 before “I spent my childhood canoeing, hunting, place.” continuing 4.5 miles to Old Telos Tote Road, and fishing here,” says the lifelong which parallels the East Branch. Still on the Mainer. His mother, Burt’s Bee’s founder Multisport IAT, pick a campsite near a waterfall: 20-foot Roxanne Quimby, donated it to the federal You could simply hike 1,942-foot Deasey Grand Pitch (mile 23.4) or 15-foot Haskell government last year. In 2011, St. Clair took Mountain—the monument’s tallest peak— Rock (mile 24.9). Next day, close out the hike responsibility for the campaign to turn it via the Katahdin Lake Trail and you at Haskell Gate. into a park and spent his days showing it to wouldn’t regret it, with its adventurous ford congresspeople, National Park Service reps, of the Wassataquoik and a trek through Fauna school groups, and more. In the process, glacially carved hillsides. But you’d be Black bears are a common sight when he’s hiked, skied, and biked every inch of missing out on a quintessential Maine raspberries are ripe (July and August), the park’s 150 miles of trail “and then some.” multisport journey: “You should always but it’s the moose that people come to start a hike in a canoe,” St. Clair says. Put Maine to see. According to St. Clair, you Cascade hike in at Lunksoos Camp and paddle 2 miles can find them just about anywhere. Even Waterfalls are a major part of Katahdin upstream on the East Branch of the calm the 16-mile Loop Road is a hot spot for the Woods and Waters, and according to St. Penobscot to the Big Seboeis campsite. ungulates: “They’re so big, they can’t plow Clair, the best is Orin Falls on the remote Stash your boat and hike 4 miles on Old through the dense forests,” he says. Wassataquoik (“wass-ata-cook”) Stream. Telos Tote Road (which turns into the Take the only trail from Loop Road International Appalachian Trail) through Trip planner (between mile markers 15 and 16) and a silver-maple floodplain and old-growth SEASON Year-round; expect snow October follow it 3 miles to the series of small drops hemlocks to the bald summit. See forested to April, but the roads and trails are skiable

and pools. Scout an established campsite Lunksoos Mountain (2.6 miles out and PERMIT None CONTACT nps.gov/kaww PHOTOS BY LITTLE OUTDOOR GIANTS (LEFT); VALLEY DEATH NATIONAL PARK play list Best wildflowers April through June, find a display of golden arrowleaf balsamroot, fuschia bitterroots, The Great Wide Open purple phlox and pasqueflowers, and INSIDER’S magenta shooting stars on the hills around Missoula. But while you can hardly hike Lolo National Forest, Montana a trail within 10 miles of town without In the stretch of mountains spanning northwest Montana up to the Idaho border, tripping over those blooms, finding trout swim legendary rivers like the Blackfoot and the Clark Fork; wolverines, Wright’s favorite flower—the rare, pale-pink 11 grizzly bears, and moose amble through the evergreen forests; and locals complain steer’s head—takes a little more sleuthing. it’s too crowded if there’s one other car at the trailhead. In short, it’s paradise— Best bet: Hit the Rattlesnake Wilderness’s GUIDE Stuart Peak Trail “about two weeks after especially in early summer, when wildflowers bloom and before August’s wildfire the snow melts on the peak,” Wright season rolls around. BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN says (typically late May, depending on snowpack). Scan the meadow about 4.5 miles up for the curly-headed blooms that The insider really do resemble horned cows (pictured Purple phlox dots Packer If you live in northwest Montana and below). Bag 7,960-foot Stuart by continuing Meadows, a mile east of the Lolo Pass Visitor Center. enjoy the outdoors, you either know another 4.5 miles. Alden Wright or wish you did. The lifelong Missoulian holds (or has held) leadership positions in the Rocky Mountaineers Steer’s head flower hiking club, the Missoula Nordic Ski Club, and the Thursday Night Ride mountain biking group, amassing decades’ worth of knowledge about local trails. For the past 30 years, Wright has celebrated his birthday by leading an ascent up 10,157- foot Trapper Peak—this last April with 75 candles on his cake.

Dayhike The proposed Great Burn wilderness area, a 275,000-acre zone straddling the Montana-Idaho border, draws its name from the catastrophic 1910 wildfires that torched 3 million acres in less than three days. Lucky side effect: The burn kept out logging and development for a century, preserving this now-recovered expanse of subalpine terrain, lush valleys, craggy cliffs, and glittering lakes. Wright’s favorite day- Wildlife hike size sampler is the 7.2-mile out-and-back up There are no sure things in wildlife- to Heart and Pearl Lakes, a one-two punch watching. But if you’re the betting type, of 6,000-foot tarns tucked in rocky cirques. chances are good on Petty Mountain in

the Grave Creek Range, where a 150-strong Multisport trip herd of bighorn sheep frequents the 7,270- The best way to cover 45 miles in a foot peak’s precipitous slopes. Scan for weekend? Two-wheeled assist. Mountain the bighorns across a narrow canyon just bikes are allowed on the first 14 miles of .5 mile in on the Petty Pasture Trail. Keep the Main Rattlesnake Corridor (Trail 515) going and look for them again as you climb in the Rattlesnake National Recreation above treeline en route to the summit (13 Area. Pedal up the wide gravel path along miles round-trip). Bonus: You might also Rattlesnake Creek to the Rattlesnake spy moose near Petty Creek or elk higher Wilderness boundary (a manageable up on the arid slopes. 1,250 feet of elevation gain), then stash your bike and start climbing into the lake- Posthike refuel dotted high country on foot. Follow Trail Wright favors the dark beers at Lolo Peak 534 along and switchback up to Brewing Company, a microbrewery in the the trio of Carter, Roosevelt, and McKinley small town of Lolo with a sunny timber Lakes—all excellent spots to pitch a tent deck outside and Norman Maclean and cast for westslope cutthroat trout. quotes embedded in the bar inside. For Next day, swing south on Trail 517 to climb something lighter, try the seasonal Cherry 8,057-foot Mosquito Peak for views of the Kriek Lambic. And if your hike ends late, wilderness’s rocky ridgelines and snow- you’re in luck: Unlike many other Montana speckled summits before descending to breweries, Lolo Peak has a license to serve Wright’s favorite camp spot, Sanders Lake. past 8 p.m. The triangular tarn sits beneath a sharp ridge with infinity-pool views. (Find an Trip planner established site near the shore.) To close SEASON April through October; June is the three-day circuit, follow Wrangle Creek best for flora PERMIT None CONTACT TEXT BY AMY ECKERT on trail back to your bike. ELIZABETH BOEHM. ISTOCK.COM; WALKER; HEIDI LEFT) FROM (CLOCKWISE BY PHOTOS fs.usda.gov/lolo

12 05.2017 play list

INSIDER’S 12 GUIDE Get this view from from the 2-mile trail that links Fisk Mill and Stump Beach Coves in Salt Point State Park.

traversing coastal hills en route to one Trail, the hiking path to Duncan’s Landing Sea World of this area’s best spots for discovering (an overlook above the most violent waves), and urchins, hermit crabs, and anemones at Coyote Hole (a Paleolithic rock structure that housed low tide. native Pomo and Coast Miwok people thousands of Sonoma Coast, years ago). Aim for sites 5 through 9, which sit right A wild shoreline and pristine beaches make Sonoma County’s coast a Cliffs and breakers on the black-sand beach, for unmatched ocean views primo getaway any time of year. Explore its two state parks and more than

Enjoy cool ocean breezes and panoramic from your tent door. two dozen named beaches in summer, when morning fog often gives way views of the surf churning below black cliffs to dazzling afternoons—and you’ll want to come back again and again. on the Kortum Trail. The 8-mile out-and- Seal encounter BY KELLY BASTONE back begins at Wright’s Beach and heads A colony of 50 to 100 harbor seals occupies a north, rambling across meadow-topped peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and the Russian headlands to Blind Beach. Scan for shiny River in Goat Rock State Beach. Visit them at the end The insider Redwoods and seashells patches on the sides of the stone monoliths of a .5-mile hike north along the trailless beach. In Outdoor photographer Rachid Dahnoun Dahnoun likes to link groves of sky- atop the bluffs; Dahnoun thinks they were August, they often splash in the estuary, where they’re makes weekly trips to Sonoma’s coast tickling redwoods with teeming tide pools wooly mammoth back-scratchers. safe from sharks. to fill his portfolio with images of by hiking the Pomo Canyon Trail to Shell seaside cliffs and towering redwoods. Beach. The 7-mile round-trip starts from Oceanside car campground Trip planner He’s covered every inch of the 30-mile the redwood grove at the Pomo Canyon All 27 sites in Wright’s Beach Campground SEASON Year-round PERMIT Day-use fees vary

coastline from Salt Point to Bodega Bay. Campground (above Willow Creek) before ($35/night) offer fast access to the Kortum PHOTOS BY RACHID DAHNOUN (LEFT); ANTHONYROSENBERG / ISTOCK.COM park to park CONTACT parks.ca.gov play list

INSIDER’S 13 GUIDE

Water’s Edge Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan On Lake Superior’s southern shore, sandstone meets the unrelenting waves and weather of the world’s largest freshwater lake. The result: caves, arches, pillars, and cliffs that stretch for miles along the shoreline. Better yet: The colorful coast gets even more vibrant this month, when its blufftop hardwoods flare up in a palette of ruby, gold, and tangerine. BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN

Get this view of Miners Castle on the North Country Kayakers can explore the innards National Scenic Trail near the of Miners Castle. To do it, put in at visitor center. Miners Beach near the visitor center.

The insider sandstone pillar marking the start of Take the short spur to a series of overlooks dune ecosystem, a rolling, sandy landscape dotted with Few can claim to know the nooks and Chapel Beach. Swing west along the to check out the solitary sandstone pillar, stands of jack pine. crannies of Michigan’s wild Lake Superior sandy stretch (when it’s dry, the sand will then continue down to Miners Beach. shoreline better than Michael Neiger. After squeak or “sing” underfoot), then ascend Camp at the clifftop Potato Patch site at Best car campground decades spent exploring the region as the lakeside cliffs to stroll 200 feet above mile 7 (there’s no water up there, so top Tent-door lake views, epic sunsets, a sugary beach: a volunteer canoeing and backpacking the shoreline to “the most spectacular off at Miners Beach .4 mile back). Day two, Midwestern camping doesn’t get much better than guide for groups like the , a lead part of the park.” The escarpment offers hike the shoreline section of the Chapel- Twelvemile Beach. The first-come, first-serve sites ($14- investigator for Michigan Backcountry views of the cliffs’ orange stripes, rutted Mosquito Beach Loop (see “Top Dayhike,” $16/night) sit on an elevated plateau shaded by white Search and Rescue, and author of Exploring coves, and sea caves in both directions. previous) and snag a coveted site in the birch and fill up fast, so show up early and beeline it for Pictured Rocks: West Half, Neiger has logged Descend to Mosquito Beach (usually bug- pines near Chapel Beach for a grade-A Lake sites 12, 15, 16, 24, 25, or 26 for the best water views. nearly as many days in “the bush” as he has free in September), then head back into the Superior sunset (reservation required). in civilization. woods to pass Mosquito Falls—a wide shelf Follow the bluff 4.3 miles to the sandy Après where you might spy river otters—en route Coves site for night three, nabbing views of At Falling Rock Café & Bookstore in Munising, locals Top dayhike to the trailhead. 70-foot Spray Falls along the way. Finish by hang their own coffee mugs on the walls, smoked The loop circling Chapel and Mosquito connecting with the spur to Little Beaver whitefish headlines the menu, and a “super selection” Beaches is “the best cliffside hiking in Multiday trek Lake in the Beaver Basin Wilderness and of ice cream replenishes lost calories, Neiger says. the Midwest,” Neiger says—and that’s not Pictured Rocks is a long, skinny park, and hiking out to your shuttle car. even the half of it. This 10.4-miler also the North Country National Scenic Trail Trip planner encompasses a pair of waterfalls, wavy spans the whole thing—making it the best Beach ramble SEASON May through October; fall foliage typically sandstone formations, and pristine, bet for extended backpacking. Neiger’s The 5-square-mile expanse of Grand Sable peaks late September through mid-October. PERMIT singing-sand beaches. From the Chapel favorite segment links Sand Point to Little Dunes, a rare “perched dune” system of Required for backpacking ($5/person per night plus Road trailhead, hike counterclockwise Beaver Lake for a leisurely 22-mile, four- sand deposited on top of a bluff, “will blow $15 reservation fee); obtain at recreation.gov. Car through abundant patches of orange- day shuttle route. From Sand Point (beachy your mind,” Neiger says. “You’ll think you’re campgrounds are $16/night. SHUTTLE ALTRAN yellow jewelweed (blooming late summer and sheltered, it’s a top spot for a dip in the in the desert.” For the best access, start at (altranbus.com/backpack.html) and Trailspotters into fall) to 60-foot Chapel Falls. Continue lake), follow the NCT northeast along the the Sable Falls lot and head 1 mile north (trailspotters.com) both run hiker drop-offs and

on to see Chapel Rock at mile 2.1, a sculpted bluff to Miners Castle (pictured above). to the lake to wander through the fragile PHOTOS BY MICHIGAN NUT PHOTOGRAPHY pickups. Prices vary. CONTACT nps.gov/piro Play List INSIDERS GUIDE

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE EASTERN , CALIFORNIA The geologic forces that built the Range of Light followed two different blueprints: On the west side, a long, gradual slope climbs from the Central Valley to the Sierra Crest. But on the east, the divide plummets dramatically to the flats, creating a wonderland of granite peaks and alpine lakes guarded by punishingly steep approaches. High summer is the best time to tackle the wilder side, and with topography like that, what are you waiting for? 15 By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan THE INSIDER transit makes for an easy shuttle. SP Parker has been exploring the Bonus: Because you start in the eastern Sierra and its five wil- Ansel Adams Wilderness and hike derness areas and three national into Yosemite, permits are slightly parks—up to 100 days a season—for easier to land (but still apply early; a lifetime. A Kiwi by birth, Parker see Trip Planner). From the Agnew fled soggy New Zealand for sunny Meadows trailhead (the first stop on California almost 40 years ago and the mandatory bus from Mammoth has been working as a mountaineer- Mountain Adventure Center; $7), ing and climbing guide ever since, take the High Trail along the east- nowadays for his Bishop-based ern edge of the San Joaquin River outfit, Sierra Mountain Center. canyon, enjoying views of Banner Peak and the thorny Minarets. PERFECT DAYHIKE Head northwest to Badger Lakes, Why settle for one gorgeous, peak- then drop to lakeside camping—and rimmed alpine lake when you can excellent swimming—at Thousand have six? Parker’s favorite day trip Island Lake, mile 7.8. Pick up the strings together a series of sparkly JMT from here for a mellow second tarns in the Wilderness— day that crosses Island Pass to the plus a quiet jaunt over Table Rush Creek drainage; Parker recom- Mountain—in a 8-mile shuttle hike. mends taking a side trail to Davis Start on the Tyee Lakes Trail and Lakes and camping in the shadow huff nearly 2,000 feet to the first of 12,303-foot Mt. Davis (mile 11.3). four lakes at 11,000 feet, earning Day three carries you over Donahue views of the Inconsolable Range as Pass into Yosemite’s Lyell Canyon, a you climb. At the fourth Tyee Lake, wide, glacially carved granite valley, pick up the trail to Table Mountain where you can scout a quiet camp- and cross the southern end of the site on the east side of Lyell Fork flat-topped peak to connect to near the Ireland Lake Trail junction the George Lake Trail. You’ll drop (if the water is low enough to ford; 2,500 feet, much of it via the steep it usually is by August). Hike out to Visit Sailor Lake SIERRA SOLITUDE 6,000 feet of elevation gain over Sierra—it’s across the Owens POSTHIKE TOAST TRIP PLANNER switchbacks above George Lake, Tuolumne Meadows and catch the on an 11-mile The glories of the Sierra are no 8 miles to the pass; drop into Valley, in the White Mountains, Bishop locals replay the day’s SEASON June to September out-and-back and traipse through high meadows YARTS bus back to Mammoth Lakes from the Lake secret, but that doesn’t mean you the national park’s South Fork with an excellent view of the greatest hits at Mountain PERMIT Required (price varies); to link to the Sabrina Lake Trail and ($9; yarts.com). Sabrina have to share. When Parker wants of the Kings River Canyon and Sierra, including Wheeler Rambler Brewery (mountain- obtain from the agency that your shuttle car. (The trailheads are trailhead. to shake the masses, he hightails camp. Day two, ascend 2,200 Crest and the Palisades. The ramblerbrewery.com), a pub manages your trailhead. Reserve just 9 miles apart, so you can try to BEST PEAK it to Kings Canyon National Park’s feet over 11,730-foot Cartridge remoteness and open, high- with live music and great veg- on recreation.gov. CONTACTS hitch a ride back in lieu of a shuttle.) There’s no casual route to the top of Marion Lake. “It’s a little gem of a Pass to a granite-framed Lake altitude (8,600 feet) setting of etarian options (try the tempeh www.fs.usda.gov/inyo; nps.gov/ 13,986-foot Mt. Humphreys, which lake surrounded by high peaks, as Basin, some 5 miles away. the Grandview Campground Reuben, Parker says). yose; nps.gov/seki BITE-SIZE is just how Parker likes it. The “easy” deep into the Sierra Nevada as you Camp here, or make Marion ($5/night) makes for primo If the whole JMT is a distant dream, way, a class 4 scramble over sliding can get—and you have to work really Lake via 2 miles of simple stargazing, and it’s just down this three-night sampler will ease talus, starts by tracing Bishop Creek hard to do it,” he says. It’ll take you off-trail navigation, and stay the road from the Schulman the wait. The 28.1-mile route starts along a necklace of lakes over Piute two or three days to reach the heav- awhile: You’ve earned it. Grove of bristlecone pines. If the mountains feel out of reach, reach for your mouse and high (8,322 feet), getting you to Pass. Set up basecamp in the north- enly blue pool that splashes with Hike the 4.5-mile Methuselah scroll to the top of select summits via 360-degree videos the good stuff without as much ern part of Humphreys Basin, about trout, but every step is worth it. ANCIENT TREES, BRIGHT STARS Trail to see a 4,850-plus-year- in our growing library. Find an e-climb near (or far from) of the usual eastern Sierra eleva- 6.5 miles in, then tackle the western Start at the ’s Parker’s favorite Sierra car old bristlecone, one of Earth’s you at backpacker.com/360. tion penalty, and summer public ridge (alpine know-how required). Taboose Pass trailhead and bust out campground isn’t actually in the oldest living things.

JEREMY LONG / TANDEMSTOCK.COM play list See Mize Mill Falls on a short hike from the Sipsey Picnic Area. the trees, then ditch your pack and explore the side canyons riddling the area—you might find unnamed waterfalls and more rock shelters. Next day, head west to Thompson Creek, then climb Warlick Ridge back east to hook up with the Gum Pond Trail back to the road and your car.

Multiday epic Get a grand tour of the Sipsey on Barrett’s favorite trip: a four-day, 40-mile loop that meanders through each of the region’s ecosystems, from upland forests to sandstone canyons to fern-filled gullies. The logistics are a bit intense, but it’s worth it: You also get abundant seasonal waterfalls (November through May) and a firsthand look at the area’s human history, from post-Ice Age shelters to 19th-century whiskey stills. Follow Trail 203 from the Flannigan trailhead INSIDER’S on the wilderness’s eastern edge down to Borden Creek, then link Trails 207, 208, and 210 to camp under the forest canopy near mile 9.5. Day 14 two’s hike stays high on a ridge GUIDE for almost 7 miles, connect- ing Trails 210 and 223. Day three, follow Trails 208 and 206 past Eye of the Needle (a tight boulder squeeze) and Ship Rock (a prominent, prow- shaped bluff) before taking Trail 209 east along the Sipsey Southern Charm Fork. To finish, link Trails 209, 200, and 203.

Bankhead National Forest, Alabama Birder’s campground The hardwood forests, scalped cliffs, and sandstone caves of northern Alabama are good any time of year, Avian enthusiasts pitch their but they’re hard to beat with fall’s mild temperatures and electric foliage. It’s time to reap the rewards of the tents at the quiet, 13-site Brushy South’s best season. BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN Lake Campground for a peek at great blue herons, kingfishers, and, in spring and fall, migra- The insider Fork of Caney Creek another that’s next-level idyllic, make Off-trail overnight tory species such as orchard The Bankhead—which .8 mile to reach a 20-foot like a photographer and chase In the Sipsey’s little-tracked orioles, yellow-throated vireos, includes the Sipsey Wilder- cascade Barrett calls Lower the light: “The Rippey Trail northern reaches, “you can and warblers. Not among the ness—is Janice Barrett’s Caney Creek Falls (there’s no runs north-south, and on a drop down any canyon, follow binocular set? Launch a kayak backyard. And as outreach official name). From here, the fall afternoon, when the sun a stream, and find beautiful or canoe from the camp- coordinator for the advo- trail disappears and the sand- is shining from the west, it’s a places to camp,” Barrett says. ground and paddle the day cacy nonprofit Wild South, stone walls deepen to 50 feet. beautiful scene,” Barrett says. Her top pick for those with away on 35-acre Brushy Lake she takes full advantage of it. Hike on and keep your eyes For a 7.5-mile out-and-back, navigation chops: the roughly or 10 miles along Class I and II Barrett leads hikes exploring peeled for shallow overhangs; follow Rippey Trail 201 along 5-mile, partially off-trail loop Brushy Creek to Hickory Grove the wilderness’s caves and these rock shelters were used a ridge thick with northern linking the Lick Branch and Road (portage around the ridges all year. by prehistoric inhabitants red oak, hickory, sugar maple, Thompson Creek areas. From dam on the southern shore). 10,000 years ago. Turn back and American beech. Then the Braziel trailhead, imme- Canyon country at the junction with the North hang a left on Trail 206 to diately head cross-country Trip planner The swimming hole below Fork of Caney Creek for a 5.9- descend into the Sipsey Fork to the southwest and follow SEASON Year-round PERMITS 40-foot Caney Creek Falls is mile out-and-back. canyon, a short-but-steep the unnamed creek. Pick None CAR CAMPING $5/night no secret. But most hikers stop drop with expansive views your way down into the (first-come, first-serve) MAPS at the falls 1 mile in—leaving Golden hour dayhike over the forest’s mosaic of canyon, where ankle-deep Bankhead National Forest the off-trail extension deeper Toward the end of October, reds, oranges, and yellows. Lick Branch flows between and Sipsey Wilderness by into the canyon all for you. you’ll find a fiery palette of Trace the river for a half mile, sandstone walls and lime- Carto-Craft Maps ($5 each); Continue downstream on the fall colors on any trail in the then head back on Trail 206 stone outcroppings. Scout an cartocraft.com CONTACT

social trail along the South Bankhead. But for a view to link back to 201. established campsite under PHOTOS BY (LEFT) STEVE MINOR; SCOTT PERRY / AURORA PHOTOS bit.do/bankhead-nf Play List INSIDERS GUIDE

WATERFRONT PROPERTY , WASHINGTON Yes, the peaks here are something to behold. And there’s no way to downplay views of Pacific Northwest forests and Cascadian volcanoes. But look a little lower in the aptly named Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and you’ll see the real prize: 700 crystalline tarns. The sharp topography hides pockets of water deep in basins, high on slopes, and everywhere in between. Here, it’s about the swimmable, campable, and jaw- droppable lakes as much as it is the climbable summits. And at the end 16 of summer, the water sure is fine.By Ryan Wichelns THE INSIDER miles to the 1.5-mile-long tarn, which Craig Romano likes to say hiking reflects Big Snow Mountain at the is his livelihood. The author of more far end when the weather’s calm. than 20 outdoor guidebooks, he has Most casual hikers stop here—you walked more than 25,000 miles don’t. The string of lakes that fol- in Washington alone for research. lows—Bear, Deer, Snoqualmie—is one His latest goal? Discovering off- of Romano’s favorites because it’s so the-beaten-path trips in the Alpine quick to leave the crowds. Continue Lakes Wilderness, which, just one on the Dorothy Lake Trail, tracing hour from Seattle, is rightly popular high above the east and south shores, with Pacific Northwest hikers. to reach much smaller Bear Lake and its quiet beachfront camping near WEEKEND SOLITUDE mile 4.8. From there, you can con- The Enchantments, on the north tinue to Deer and Snoqualmie Lakes side of the 400,000-acre wilder- at miles 5.3 and 6.3, respectively. ness, attract hikers like ants to honey, leaving the nearby Chain MOUNTAIN GOAT SANCTUARY and Doelle (“dool-ee”) Lakes com- Go goat watching in the area around paratively vacant. The 24-mile out- Tuck and Robin Lakes. The shaggy, and-back there follows the Pacific white animals congregate on the Crest Trail from for 4.9 talus slopes of 7,142-foot Granite miles before veering south onto the Mountain, high above treeline, late Trail at fir- and cedar- spring through summer. (Go in May trimmed Josephine Lake. Head 3.2 and June to try to spy babies.) To get miles down the valley before turn- there, tackle the 14.4-mile out-and- ing east up the Chain Lakes Trail back from the Tucquala Meadows and climbing 2,000 feet to the first trailhead. Weave through a forested of the three Chain Lakes at mile valley before beginning the climb up 10.5. A serrated ridge frames the to the lake basin at mile 4.5. At the Visit the pool to the north, and 6,846-foot twin tarns, scan for mountain goats stained-glass part? The route there is just as good: APRÈS Bulls Tooth looms above it to the balancing on boulders and lingering waters of the Take the Surprise Creek Trail 4 miles Leavenworth is the undisputed south. Keep going up to the 6,200- near snowfields. Find a wind-pro- Thunder south from U.S. 2 in Scenic to the capital of the Alpine Lakes, but Mountain Lakes foot pass that separates the Chains tected campsite before returning the on an 8-mile path’s namesake. (Stop for a swim; at Romano prefers the quieter town from the Doelles for views of the way you came. piece of the just 4,500 feet, it’s relatively warm.) of Roslyn for post-hike eats. His Enchantments’ multi-peaked Mt. Keep going on the Pacific Crest Trail, favorite: Basecamp Books and Stewart. Drop north off the pass on- BEST VIEW from Tunnel crossing Surprise Mountain’s north Bites, which sells—you guessed Creek. Or, trail to visit the twin Doelles, ringed Climb any mountain in the Alpine scramble 1.2 ridge to the Deception Lakes at mile it—hiking books and food. with granite and meadows, at mile 12. Lakes Wilderness and you’re pretty miles up from 8. From there, climb up its southern Camp on the bigger lake’s north side. much guaranteed a viewshed of Surprise Lake flank on the Old Cascade Crest and TRIP PLANNER (see Best View). water, ice, granite, and spruce, so Surprise Mountain Trails, sum- SEASON June to October CUSTOM HIKE it’s hard to go wrong. But Romano’s miting near mile 10. (Want another PERMITS Most trailheads Not sure how far you want to go? favorite is the view from Surprise Romano favorite? Tackle the 8-mile require a Northwest Forest Pass Build your own dayhike starting Mountain, which stretches north out-and-back to Granite Mountain ($30; store.usgs.gov/forest- with Dorothy Lake, the first in a across a broad, tunnel-like glacial for fire lookout-assisted vistas south pass) and backcountry permit series of alpine pools. From the end valley, all the way to 10,541-foot to Mt. Rainier. The trailhead is off (free; self-issue). CONTACT of Miller River Road, it’s an easy 1.8 Glacier Peak, 30 miles away. Best I-90 on NF-9034.) www.fs.usda.gov/okawen

JASON ZABRISKIE Play List INSIDER’S GUIDE

EMPIRE BUILDING LONG PATH, & NEW JERSEY Step off the subway and into a wilderness sparkling with lacy waterfalls and craggy summits—all thanks to the Long Path, a 358-mile work in progress stretching from 175th Street to John Boyd Thacher State Park upstate and linking the Hudson 17Highlands, Shawangunks, and Catskills. The trail is inching its way to the Adirondacks (72 miles to go), but that’s no reason to delay a visit (or five) to its top-tier bits, all aflame with the fall palette this month. By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

THE INSIDER On a weekend trip in 2004, Andy Garrison discovered the Long Path when his 9-year-old son wondered what the “LP” icons all over their map meant. Captivated by the idea of a long-distance trip right in their own backyard, the pair hiked the whole thing over the next two years. Since then, Garrison has become a self- made Long Trail expert, volunteer- ing thousands of hours with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference to maintain, acquire land for, and pro- mote his hometown thru-hike. BIRD’S-EYE DAYHIKE Garrison favors the northern Shawangunks for the far-reaching views: “It’s so different from every- thing else in the area,” he says. “It has deformed pitch pines, scrub oak, and berry bushes—but doesn’t, for the most part, have tall trees.” This 8.3- mile loop treats you to an aerial per- spective over the , Catskills, southern ’Gunks, and the lofty outcroppings of Gertrude’s Nose and Castle Point, plus a 187-foot waterfall and a series of explorable fall for it yourself. From Upper Get an eyeful closing with 9 miles over three more URBAN HIKE CAN’T-MISS TRAIL TOWN caverns called the Ice Caves. From Cherrytown Road in Ulster County, along the Long peaks (Cross, Pleasant, and Romer) With a southern endpoint at a New Phoenicia (population 309) is the Path in Hook the Sam’s Point Preserve lot, the trail hike to 30-foot Vernooy Falls, then Mountain State to the town of Phoenicia. York subway station, the Long Path is kind of place where the hardware passes spurs to the caves en route to stump up and over Bangle Hill to tent Park. From the citified by design—but even its dens- store sells hiking boots and quaint an overlook above Verkeerder Kill at Sundown Primitive Campsite at trailhead on US STRETCH OF SOLITUDE est areas hide natural beauty, like the inns offer a chance for a hot shower 9W, hike 1.5 Falls. Turn northwest and hike to mile 9.7. Day two roller coasters over miles to this This 7.4-mile section near the Long stretch between the and a genteel return to civilization. , then swing south on High 3,843-foot perch above the Path’s northern terminus is all about and New Jersey’s Palisades Parkway. Garrison hits up Brio’s Pizzeria for Point Carriage Road to close the loop. and Table Mountain to campsites Hudson (foliage the little things—quiet red pine and From the his posthike celebrations: “After peaks mid- in the floodplain of the East Branch October). spruce forests, miniature waterfalls north, the trail follows the Palisades a week in the woods, I go for the PEAKBAGGER’S CHOICE of Neversink Creek. The third day and ponds, remnants of 1800s-era escarpment, a blocky, 600-foot basal- 1-pound hamburger.” This four-day, 36-mile shuttle hike traces a ridge of the homesteads and cemeteries. Start tic cliff wall where the views are both is the one that kicked off Garrison’s to 4,180-foot Slide Mountain, then at Road and head into the wild (swamps, hardwood forests, the TRIP PLANNER love affair with the Long Path. A bobs up and down between cols and Eminence State Forest, tracing old Hudson) and civilized (NYC, the Met SEASON May to October at higher rollicking sine wave of a trek that Cornell and Wittenberg Mountains. stone walls to Rossman Hill Lean-to at Cloisters monastery, old stone home- elevations, year-round at lower ones tags six Catskills summits (includ- Land at a campsite near the seasonal mile 5.9. Day two, pass Looking Glass steads). Garrison’s top section runs PERMIT None SHUTTLE Cabs are ing the range’s high point), the trip stream .9 mile past the East Branch- Pond and the cascades in its outlet on 13.9 miles up from the bridge, tracing available across the Long Path. Pre-

offers vistas so big, you just might Phoenicia Trail junction before your way to Sawyer Hollow Road. PHOTOS BY ISTOCK.COM (6). TEXT BY MORGAN MCFALL-JOHNSEN the cliffs most of the way. arrange a pickup. CONTACT nynjtc.org

STEVEN AARON PHOTOGRAPHY Play List INSIDER’S GUIDE CANYON CONFIDENTIAL MOAB, UTAH No other trail town is as synonymous with desert paradise as Moab: Within easy striking distance of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, the Bears Ears buttes, and acres of empty Bureau of Land Management land, the town sits at the heart of A-list canyon country. You can’t keep real estate like this secret for long, though, and in recent years, parts of the wilderness have become downright crowded. The : There’s plenty of redrock utopia to go around—if you know where to look. By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan 1THE INSIDER8 days exploring a remote canyon rich with ruins Mike Coronella has spent the last 15 years and art panels (like the famed All American ferreting out Moab’s secret spots. As both Man). Camp at the Salt Creek 1 campsite, then the owner of local outfitter Deep Desert near the spur to Angel Arch. Next day, head west Expeditions and a volunteer with Grand County into Lost Canyon, a series of slickrock benches Search and Rescue, he knows almost every overlooking deeper chasms, and camp at Lost inch of the canyons and mountains around his Canyon 1. Continue west among Chesler Park’s hometown, and quite a bit more to boot: He’s also pillars, tossing in the short side trip to Druid the cofounder of the 800-mile Trail Arch en route, and sleep at Chesler Park 1. Head through southeast Utah and northwest Arizona. northwest on Lower Red Lake Canyon Trail to spend the last night in the open zone before fin- EASY DAY TRIP ishing on the banks of the Colorado, just south of With a high rock art-to-effort ratio but a low its confluence with the Green River. Hop a pre- number of hikers per mile, the South Fork of arranged jetboat shuttle (texsriverways.com) Sevenmile Wash adds up to a Coronella favorite. back to Moab (there’s no other way out). There’s no official trail on this BLM land, so just follow the sandy bottom up to 5 miles (one way) COUNTERPROGRAMMING between canyon walls layered like phyllo dough. Shhh: There’s more to Moab than the desert. The From the unmarked trailhead on UT 313 (near lonely La Sal Mountains rise southeast of town 38.6492, -109.7222), wind past petroglyph and and see a fraction of the traffic the canyons do. pictograph panels, keeping your eyes peeled for For top-of-Utah views, head for 12,645-foot Mt. human figures, geometric shapes, and bighorn Mellenthin via Gold Basin, a 3-mile (one-way) sheep adorning the desert varnish. (Leave all ascent through aspen stands, then evergreens, rock art undisturbed, of course.) then open talus. You’ll tag Pre-Laurel Peak and Laurel Peak before swinging northeast and QUIET OVERNIGHT negotiating steep scree slopes to the top. There, A geologic mystery lies in Canyonlands National you’ll find vistas extending into Colorado’s San Park’s Island in the Sky District: a 3-mile-long Juan Mountains and Utah’s Henrys. zone of wildly tilted rock layers that don’t match the rest of the park. “Everything is turned inside STARGAZING out,” Coronella says of the area, called Upheaval Coronella maintains that the celestial show is Dome. The theories about its origin involve a excellent “everywhere” in the Moab region, but, meteor impact or a layer of ancient salt rising when pressed, he recommends the 360-degree to the surface. Form your own ideas on the 8.3- view from the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint in mile Syncline Loop, which traces the canyons . “The stars here are sur- around Upheaval Dome, careening up and down real,” he says. cliffy switchbacks and winding through boul- derfields. Camp at the Syncline site and save PHOTO OPP time to tour the inner dome on the 1.5-mile spur. Canyonlands’ White Rim Road is popular with “Dayhikers never go in there,” Coronella notes. drivers and mountain bikers, but with just 20 campsites along the 100-mile route, solitude is WILD WEEK guaranteed if you score a permit. Gun for the Ready for a big bite? Tackle the 50-miler from Labyrinth area (pictured), applying as many as Cathedral Butte to the Colorado River in four months in advance, to enjoy a private vista Canyonlands’ Needles District. The point-to- over the Green River. point route showcases canyon country’s finest, from rock art panels to sandstone arches to TRIP PLANNER striated hoodoos. “It’s an astonishing series SEASON March to May and September to of canyons, drainages, and ridgelines with November PERMIT Required for backpacking at Nab one of two sites at huge views,” Coronella says. From the trail- Canyonlands ($30/group; reservations recom- Labyrinth off Canyonlands’ White Rim Road for private head on the district’s southern border (37.9500, mended); canypermits.nps.gov INFO nps.gov/ desert real estate. -109.7062), drop into Salt Creek and spend two cany; nps.gov/arch; www.fs.usda.gov/mantilasal

NOVEMBER 2018 GRANT ORDELHEIDE / TANDEMSTOCK.COM 06 BACKPACKER.COM Play List INSIDER’S GUIDE

waterside tent site near mile 2 ($19; reserve at southcarolinaparks.com). Next day, bear south along a tribu- SECRETS OF THE SOUTH tary, then ascend .5 mile up steep PALMETTO TRAIL, wood-and-rock steps, gaining 400 The Palmetto Trail winds 360 miles (and counting) north- feet. Top out on a 3,000-foot ridge in west from the coast, threading together South Carolina’s the Mountain Bridge Wilderness, wildest lowlands to its highest mountains. Between, it cross- where the view includes farmlands es historic battlefields and defunct railways, giving hikers a to the south, a string of distant moun- 1full immersion9 in the state’s history. Start planning a thru-hike, or knock off tains wrapping west and north, and the best sections now: no bugs, no problems. By Morgan McFall-Johnsen the North Saluda Reservoir to the east. Continue along the spine to a suspension bridge that carries you to THE INSIDERS passes through four ecosystems 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls. Retrace The first time Bernie and April teeming with unique flora and fauna. your steps for a 15-mile out-and-back. Hester set out to thru-hike the To do it, begin at the U.S. 17 trail- Palmetto Trail, April’s multiple scle- head, and head 17.7 miles west on HIGHPOINT DETOUR rosis put a big question mark on the day one, trekking through grass- You could drive to the top of endeavor. “We weren’t sure if she lands and swamps with 100-year-old Sassafras Mountain, but what’s could do it,” Bernie says. But she was cypresses. Spy alligators lurking in the fun in that? Earn the view on a strong, and the couple completed the murky water (the Hesters have 24-mile loop that touches the high- the trail in April 2017. They didn’t never seen them on the high-and-dry est point of the Palmetto Trail—and stop there. That October, they set boardwalks). Snag one of the Hesters’ South Carolina’s tallest peak. At out from the opposite trailhead and favorite campsites in the quiet pine Table Rock State Park, head west on did it again, raising money for the forest .2 mile north of Bob Morris the Palmetto Trail, following a ridge National Multiple Sclerosis Society Road: It sits in a palm-shaded clear- above the Jocassee Gorges. After and becoming the first thru-hikers to ing at the transition zone between the boulderfield, hit a T in the trail complete the trail twice in one year. forest and swamp and doesn’t appear at mile 8.9. Head north to stay on the Then they did it a third time in 2018. on maps, so it’s rarely used (find Palmetto Trail, roller coastering into water .3 mile north at Turkey Creek). one of the gorges and then along gran- TOAST THE COAST Day two, stage a 12.8-mile push: ite cliffs to a rhododendron-crowned Myrtle Beach might get all the atten- Gain elevation as you hike through ridge, the trail’s highpoint. Veer onto tion, but South Carolina has 2,876 the Santee Experimental Forest, the to ascend 3,553- miles of shoreline. Explore some where longleaf pines painted with foot Sassafras Mountain, dotted of its best on a 7.1-mile hike along white stripes mark the homes of the with the mountain’s namesake trees. the coastal bluffs and marshes of endangered red-cockaded wood- “It’s drop-dead gorgeous up there for Awendaw Creek. From Buck Hall pecker. Land at a campground near the sunset,” Bernie says, so set up Recreation Area, swoop through the Witherbee Ranger Station and camp anywhere (the whole peak is maritime forest and stands of the the waters of Little Hellhole Reserve. open) and enjoy. Next day, backtrack Palmetto Trail’s namesake minia- Day three is an easy 7.7 miles through to the junction and continue on the ture palm trees, where fiddler crabs lanky pines where swallow-tailed Foothills Trail, tracing cliffs with scurry across the trail (look for the kites and wild boars live. Tent on a Blue Ridge views, to Table Rock, a males’ oversized claw). At mile 2, bluff overlooking the slow-moving .9-mile road walk from the trailhead. emerge on the bluffs above Awendaw water of Cane Gully, then finish with Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway 9 miles through the Wadboo Creek CHEERS before crossing a salt marsh (there’s marshes to U.S. 52. Fun fact: Francis After peakbagging and swamp a boardwalk). From there, dip inland Marion and his troops hid in these splashing, head over to RJ Rockers through a live oak forest to reach U.S. swamps during the Revolutionary Brewing Company in Spartanburg (6 17. Hitch a five-minute ride back to War, launching surprise attacks on miles north of the Croft Passage) to Buck Hall or retrace your steps for a British supply lines and earning him clink pints of the Palmetto Trail Pale 14.2-mile out-and-back. the nickname “Swamp Fox.” Ale. All sales of the brew benefit the Palmetto Conservation Foundation’s SWAMP SOLITUDE RAILS TO TRAILS “Finish the Trail” campaign. Find big-wilderness quiet on the Varied landscapes are the Hesters’ Palmetto’s longest section, which favorite thing about the Palmetto Time the Middle draped in gray Spanish moss, paus- WALK THE LINE TRIP PLANNER winds through the otherwise trail- Trail: “One minute you’re in complete Saluda Passage ing at 260-foot Molly’s Bluff to catch Though the mountains here seem SEASON January to March and Sep- (Walk the Line, less lowlands in Francis Marion solitude, the next you’re descending right) for March’s views west all the way to Columbia. gentle, the 10.9-mile Middle Saluda tember to November SHUTTLE INFO National Forest. Case in point: an old railway into a historic indus- budding season. Then descend to the remnants of the Passage packs a serious punch. “It’s Taxis are available near Wateree (taxi- During the 47.2-mile Swamp Fox trial town,” Bernie says. See for your- 19th-century SC Railroad, where our favorite section, and also the cabincolumbiasc.com), and Nature Passage, the Hesters hiked for four self on an 11.4-mile shuttle hike from the boardwalk beelines across the most difficult,” Bernie says. To taste Adventure Outfitters (natureadven- days without seeing another person. to the town of Wateree Swamp. Loop around the it, park at Jones Gap (near mile 3 of tureoutfitters.com) runs shuttles in They saw plenty of wildlife, though: Wateree (a church, a power plant, reservoir to the road, then catch a the Passage) and head west along the the Swamp Fox Passage. PERMIT None

This section of the Palmetto Trail and a few homes). Climb past oaks 35-minute taxi back to your car. PHOTO BY ROB HAMMER / AURORA PHOTOS. TEXT BY CASSANDRA MAJEWSKI (IN THE CLUB) Middle Saluda River before finding a CONTACT palmettoconservation.org

STEVEN McBRIDE INSIDER’S GUIDEINSIDER’S Play List 2 mirage door. next neon the outshine to sure It’s full. tinajas the keeps precip occasional and norm the are days 60°F when spring, early in avisit Stage Desert. Mojave the of out feet 3,000 juts that wonderland disintegrate to soft dirt, which is unusual with with unusual is which dirt, soft to disintegrate needles “The says. Brewster forest,” hidden the it call “We pines. of pinyon for astand downhill look and namesake 40-foot-wide 40-foot-tall, mountain’s the under Pass rock. “beehive” tinct, dis the via exit an picking before amile about for 3rock class the ascend to fours all use There, crack. a4-foot-wide to abench downclimbing before rock on the marks “quote” black Follow escarpment. an to scrub pinyon and juniper through 2 miles about Trail Mountain Bridge signed the take pass, the At crowds. deters that approach long surface—a dirt Road’s Gap on Rocky 4miles Trek Drive. 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The result is a topsy-turvy atopsy-turvy is result The upside-down. everything turned ago years million 65 rumble ageologic where Canyon, Rock Red to City Sin of west miles 17 Head show? areal see to Want Vegas Strip. the on waters dancing Forget NATIONAL CONSERVATIONRED ROCK CANYON NEVADA AREA, MIRACLE IN THE DESERT moved to Nevada Nevada to moved - - - - - AEON JONES / TANDEMSTOCK.COM from ranching and mining pack animals. descended burros wild They’re Drive? Scenic the near braying donkeys those And station. fee the before 159 of NV west just apeak Mountain, Kraft near of sightings heard Brewster’s 4pounds. as much as weighs and long inches 20 up to grows lizards of American heavyweight The home: Rock Red call also monsters Gila sheep. bighorn of desert horns curved for the cliffs scan then on rock, of hooves clip hollow deep, for the listen elevations, higher At active. stay here animals other March, to November paperless permit. CONTACT permit. paperless obtain to 515-5050 (702) call (free); overnighting SEASON PLANNER TRIP jackpot. adesert Just No mirage. ferns. with hung boulders rust-colored by framed pool a fills cascade That winter.” in gusher 30-foot a becomes summer in trickle alittle what’s but year-round, almost runs “It Brewster. says waterfall,” ahidden “There’s closely: listen then mouth, canyon the to desert open through miles 1.5 trail alevel Follow Canyon. Creek First to out-and-back for a3-mile 159 on NV exit Drive Scenic of the south miles 2.6 Head WATERFALLSCHASE dish. asucculent into heart agave’s spiny the soften to used were pits roasting these berms; limestone donut-shaped passes Canyon Creek Pine to foray A 3-mile shapes. 800-year-old with etched panel abrick-red Wall, Petroglyph to Area Picnic Spring Willow from spur .2-mile the take Then Loop. Spring Willow 1.5-mile the on pictographs painted See cliffs: adorns art Their seasons. the with through moved Paiutes ago—Southern years recently—1,000 More BC. 11,000 around history Rock Red enter Humans FIRST PEOPLE, INFINITE LEGACY Though the desert tortoise hibernates from from hibernates tortoise desert the Though MEET THE CREATURES THE MEET before retiring to your camp. your to retiring before scan south to 6,801-foot Rainbow Mountain Mountain Rainbow 6,801-foot to south scan the final summit approach. From the top, top, the From approach. summit final the depressions where water pools—signal pools—signal water where depressions then climb on. Two large tinajas—rock tinajas—rock large Two on. climb then acampsite, out Stake sandstone.” the all September to May PERMIT May to September bit.do/redrock-blm Required for

PHOTOS BY COURTESY

TEXTPHOTOS BY BYCASSANDRA COURTESY MAJEWSKI Pine Creek Canyon Canyon Creek Pine at sunrise Play List INSIDER’S GUIDE

CITY BY THE BAY GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, CA Forget sourdough and Silicon Valley: Greater San Francisco’s most valuable treasure is its 80,000- acre necklace of wildflower-spotted hills, 21miles-long beaches, and oceanside bluffs. Stretching from Tomales Bay in the north to the redwood groves southwest of the Bay—with the Golden Gate Bridge smack in the middle—the chain of public land offers everything from quick lunchtime treks to campsites so quiet you’ll forget you could be back in a booming metropolis in time for a breakfast of $12 avocado toast. By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

THE INSIDER Paul Myers spends his days shoot- ing photos and video in Golden Gate’s most beautiful corners as the digital content producer for the park’s non- profit partner, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC). And he’s certainly put in the scouting leg- work: The born-and-raised Bay Area local has spent four decades explor- ing the park’s 250-plus trails. LUNCH HIKE Golden Gate’s Presidio, an old mili- tary base-turned-park at the south- ern end of the bridge, hosts San Francisco’s best hidden trails, says Myers. His pick for a midday leg- stretcher begins at Baker Beach, a white-sand expanse with crashing waves and big views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Take the California Coastal Trail a short jog north to the .7-mile Batteries to Bluffs Trail, then Beach on the Dipsea Trail, then cross Take the QUICK OVERNIGHT BUTTERFLY HIKE at the southern tip of the park com- California Coastal wind along the bluffs. “Watch peli- into Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Trail through the The three tent sites at Hawk Camp, Milagra Ridge is one of the few plex, a little-known grove of the giants cans go by and see whales (hump- trace fern-lined Webb Creek on the Marin Headlands perched on a rise overlooking the places to reliably spot the endan- awaits at Phleger Estate. True, it’s a backs, grays, and killers) when Steep Ravine Trail to the Pantoll for the best wrinkly topography of Gerbode gered Mission blue butterfly, mix of old- and second-growth trees, they’re migrating in early spring Campground, where vistas range bluff views. Valley and the mouth of San thanks to the GGNPC’s work so the redwoods don’t reach the same and fall,” Myers says. Rejoin the northwest to Point Reyes National Francisco Bay, feel a lot more remote restoring the silver lupine flower, lofty heights as their more famous California Coastal Trail and con- Seashore. Drop into another canyon than they really are. “It’s isolated, one of the insect’s host plants. And neighbors up north. “But there could tinue north to Fort Point, an 1850s- shaded by old-growth redwoods on but the trailhead is 30 minutes from now is the perfect time to go look- be 4,000 people a day at Muir Woods,” era post at the base of the bridge, then the Stapelveldt and Ben Johnson the city,” Myers says. And the mod- ing for the periwinkle, quarter-size Myers says. “Here, you might see five.” retrace your steps for a 3-mile trip. Trails to Muir Woods—Myers con- erate, 3.2-mile approach means you bugs, as the adult blues are out and Access the secret stash via San Mateo siders this the back door into the can start hiking in late afternoon fluttering from March to June. County’s Huddart Park, linking the BIG DAY arboreal cathedral because it con- and still catch a killer sunset from Scan for them on the lupines along Miramontes, Raymundo, and Mt. With nearly 3,200 feet of elevation veniently skirts the new parking the grassy hilltop. Myers’s favorite the Milagra Ridge Trail on a 2-mile Redondo Trails for a 5-mile lasso-loop gain, this 13-mile loop was Myers’s and shuttle reservation system. The way in: From the Tennessee Valley out-and-back to the overlook west that tracks steeply through a forest of go-to when training for the High return leg’s stiff, 1,700-foot climb trailhead, take the Old Springs Trail of Battery 244—and don’t forget redwoods and wood sorrel. Sierra Route. Rewards for the sweat: in 2.4 miles on the Bootjack Trail through eucalyptus trees to the to look up for vistas of the Pacific, a glimpse of ecosystems ranging from ditches the crowds for good: You’ll Miwok Trail. Hike .9 mile, then link Mori Point, and Mt. Tamalpais. TRIP PLANNER coastal cliffs to oak forests, views of hug Redwood Creek, then connect the Bobcat and Hawk Camp Trails SEASON Year-round PERMIT the Farallon Islands, and a stretch to the Matt Davis Trail via the short to reach the free backcountry sites, REDWOOD SOLITUDE Required for overnighting (prices vary; meandering through the redwoods at Alpine Trail and descend another 4 just shy of 800 feet elevation. Pack in Psst: Muir Woods isn’t the only place check recreation.gov or call (415) 331-

Muir Woods. Kick it off from Stinson miles back to Stinson Beach. your water. PHOTOS BY ISTOCK.COM (6). TEXT BY ALI WUNDERMAN (BUGS) in Golden Gate to see redwoods. Down 1540. CONTACT nps.gov/goga

ED CALLAERT