I’ll have to try a mid and see if it gives my ankles the movement I’m looking for. I love my Merrills but for the rocky trails we have here make them feel cumbersome.
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Hiking 2.0
- Thread starter HUSKER HOT SAUCE
- Start date
Okay..... Well, I usually wear 12's but ended up buying a pair of 13's. I wear orthotics, so I have to take that into account. The Zion from Merrell is simply awesome.... great support for the ankles, nice grip, they look good, they perform very well.
Anybody find some new hiking spots during the pandemic? We hit local Mines of Spain State Recreation Area near Dubuque, Iowa last fall. Further away, we rented a camping trailer on Lake Ouachita right on the LOViT (Lake Ouachita Vista Trail) for Spring Break and then hiked in Taos Ski Valley this summer to avoid the National Park crowds.
Mines of Spain
Camper Delivered to our reserved campsite and pre-set for us!
LOViT - would be great in the fall colors.
Gold Hill in Taos Ski Valley
Mines of Spain
Camper Delivered to our reserved campsite and pre-set for us!
LOViT - would be great in the fall colors.
Gold Hill in Taos Ski Valley
Third week of July, I began a circuitous road trip east to Northern Virginia to see family. I stopped off at several really nice national & state parks and hiked some awesome trails, including:
Hocking Hills State Park (Logan, OH) -- Old Man's Cave Trail, Ash Cave Trail. About an hour from downtown Columbus. Really nice state park with well-marked & maintained trails. Very easy to social distance.
New River Gorge National Park & Preserve (Glen Jean, WV) -- Nuttallburg Headhouse Trail, Nuttallburg Coal Tipple, Thurmond, Sandstone. Absolutely worth the trip if you have the time. If you enjoy the outdoors, this place should be on your bucket list (but go while you can still safely hike).
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (Harpers Ferry, WV) -- Maryland Heights Overlook Trail. Awesome views of Harpers Ferry await. Go early so you can avoid the crowds and, more importantly, get a spot to park at the train station (fee required).
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Brecksville, OH) -- Various portions of Towpath Trail and a few waterfall trails. Located between Cleveland and Akron, so no cell phone issues. Easy access to I-80.
Indiana Dunes State Park (Chesterton, IN) -- 3 Dunes Challenge, Great Marsh Trail. IMO, the state park is better than the national park. Hiking uphill in beach sand on a hot & humid day is really exhausting, lol. Easy access to I-94 and I-80/90.
If you enjoy hiking, research the opportunities at the above parks, especially if you will be attending a road game nearby (or on the way to/from).
Hocking Hills State Park (Logan, OH) -- Old Man's Cave Trail, Ash Cave Trail. About an hour from downtown Columbus. Really nice state park with well-marked & maintained trails. Very easy to social distance.
New River Gorge National Park & Preserve (Glen Jean, WV) -- Nuttallburg Headhouse Trail, Nuttallburg Coal Tipple, Thurmond, Sandstone. Absolutely worth the trip if you have the time. If you enjoy the outdoors, this place should be on your bucket list (but go while you can still safely hike).
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (Harpers Ferry, WV) -- Maryland Heights Overlook Trail. Awesome views of Harpers Ferry await. Go early so you can avoid the crowds and, more importantly, get a spot to park at the train station (fee required).
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Brecksville, OH) -- Various portions of Towpath Trail and a few waterfall trails. Located between Cleveland and Akron, so no cell phone issues. Easy access to I-80.
Indiana Dunes State Park (Chesterton, IN) -- 3 Dunes Challenge, Great Marsh Trail. IMO, the state park is better than the national park. Hiking uphill in beach sand on a hot & humid day is really exhausting, lol. Easy access to I-94 and I-80/90.
If you enjoy hiking, research the opportunities at the above parks, especially if you will be attending a road game nearby (or on the way to/from).
We just returned from an epic road trip out west. Stops included the Big 5 NPs in Utah (Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion), Glen Canyon NRA, Petrified Forest NP, Grand Canyon NP (north & south) and Death Valley NP.
Add Hickman Bridge Trail in Capitol Reef National Park (one of the Big 5 NPs in Utah) to the list of great hikes. The view of the bridge at the "end" of the trail is awesome. Zion, Arches and Bryce are better known and (probably) have more visitors, but IMO Capitol Reef doesn't have to take a back seat to any of them. It's pretty amazing in its own right and far less crowded. The downside is access: it's the middle park of the Big 5 loop so getting there takes longer. If you start out from Las Vegas, Zion and Bryce are relatively easily accessed. If you start out from Moab, Arches and Canyonlands are extremely easy to visit. Capitol Reef adds @2+ hours drive time, but it's absolutely worth the visit.
The drive from Moab to I-70 via SR 128 is really beautiful. It follows the Colorado River much of the way.
The drive from Capitol Reef NP to Bryce Canyon NP on SR 12 is amazing. Not to be missed if you're in the area!
Add Hickman Bridge Trail in Capitol Reef National Park (one of the Big 5 NPs in Utah) to the list of great hikes. The view of the bridge at the "end" of the trail is awesome. Zion, Arches and Bryce are better known and (probably) have more visitors, but IMO Capitol Reef doesn't have to take a back seat to any of them. It's pretty amazing in its own right and far less crowded. The downside is access: it's the middle park of the Big 5 loop so getting there takes longer. If you start out from Las Vegas, Zion and Bryce are relatively easily accessed. If you start out from Moab, Arches and Canyonlands are extremely easy to visit. Capitol Reef adds @2+ hours drive time, but it's absolutely worth the visit.
The drive from Moab to I-70 via SR 128 is really beautiful. It follows the Colorado River much of the way.
The drive from Capitol Reef NP to Bryce Canyon NP on SR 12 is amazing. Not to be missed if you're in the area!
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Putting together a trip and remembered this thread. We are heading to Rocky Mountain National Park and nearby Forest Service locations on the eastern side of the Divide.
This will be my third time in the area; but, first since the new ticketed entry reservation system was implemented. This gives you a 2-hour window in which you must enter the Park or Forest Service area (only one FS area, Brainard Lakes, seems to require the advance reservation).
I've purchased entry tickets and planning accordingly. I'm thinking I'll appreciate the lower crowd levels, but it does mean I have more scheduled activities instead of just going with how we feel in the morning of a particular day.
This will be my third time in the area; but, first since the new ticketed entry reservation system was implemented. This gives you a 2-hour window in which you must enter the Park or Forest Service area (only one FS area, Brainard Lakes, seems to require the advance reservation).
I've purchased entry tickets and planning accordingly. I'm thinking I'll appreciate the lower crowd levels, but it does mean I have more scheduled activities instead of just going with how we feel in the morning of a particular day.
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We did an “extreme” hike on our stop in Juneau a couple weeks ago. Not a long hike only 2 miles out and back but it was about 700’ in elevation gain. Photo is from the top looking back down the valley to the port.
Edit: sorry this was Skagway not Juneau.
Edit: sorry this was Skagway not Juneau.
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Sweet. I took a co-worker on this hike last week https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/ralston-peak
It was part of the Caldor fire burn area and the first 2 1/2 miles of the trail were completely scorched. I believe it's going to be some 30+ years before areas like this fully come back to where they once were. I've hiked the area 6 previous times, but this last one was surreal. The views at the top are simply amazing.
Not my photo, but I have similar pics. That lake in the background is Lake Aloha. Beautiful area indeed.
Back from the Colorado week. My daughter and several of her high school friends joined us...a few had never been to the mountains before, so we enjoyed seeing their reaction and enjoyment.
Note that both Rocky Mountain National Park and Brainard Lakes Recreation Area require timed vehicle entry reservations where you have a 2-3 hour window to enter based on the time you chose/found in the online purchasing site. For RMNP, you can go into the park before 9 am or after 3 pm without the timed reservation (except for the most popular Bear lake area).
Sunday: Finch Lake Trail in Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. ~10.0 miles RT due to having to park at the overflow parking area. 1442 ft elevation gain. 4.5*
Monday: Ouzel Lake in Wild Basin. ~9.8 miles RT. 1510 elevation gain. 5*
Tuesday: Blue Lake in Brainard Lakes Recreation Area. ~ 5 miles RT. only 852 ft elevation gain, but you start at 10,500 ft. Moose and calf and Mitchell Lake. 5+* Blue Lake is amazing and one of our favorite high mountain hikes. Drove RMNP Trail Ridge road in the evening. In addition to wide open high mountain views, we ran across one of the largest bull elk I have ever seen, photos on my daughter's camera. I will see if I can get her to send me her best shot.
Wednesday: Evening hike to from Bear Lake parking area (very difficult to get entry tix and an open parking space!) to Emerald Lake. 3. 6 miles RT, 605 ft gain. This was our 'easy' day. 5*
Thursday: Isabelle Glacier, past Long Lake and Lake Isabelle in Brainard Lakes Recreation Area. ~8.5 miles, ~1500 ft elevation gain. 5+* Moose.
This is the last photo from the trip...near the Long Lake trailhead.
Note that both Rocky Mountain National Park and Brainard Lakes Recreation Area require timed vehicle entry reservations where you have a 2-3 hour window to enter based on the time you chose/found in the online purchasing site. For RMNP, you can go into the park before 9 am or after 3 pm without the timed reservation (except for the most popular Bear lake area).
Sunday: Finch Lake Trail in Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. ~10.0 miles RT due to having to park at the overflow parking area. 1442 ft elevation gain. 4.5*
Monday: Ouzel Lake in Wild Basin. ~9.8 miles RT. 1510 elevation gain. 5*
Tuesday: Blue Lake in Brainard Lakes Recreation Area. ~ 5 miles RT. only 852 ft elevation gain, but you start at 10,500 ft. Moose and calf and Mitchell Lake. 5+* Blue Lake is amazing and one of our favorite high mountain hikes. Drove RMNP Trail Ridge road in the evening. In addition to wide open high mountain views, we ran across one of the largest bull elk I have ever seen, photos on my daughter's camera. I will see if I can get her to send me her best shot.
Wednesday: Evening hike to from Bear Lake parking area (very difficult to get entry tix and an open parking space!) to Emerald Lake. 3. 6 miles RT, 605 ft gain. This was our 'easy' day. 5*
Thursday: Isabelle Glacier, past Long Lake and Lake Isabelle in Brainard Lakes Recreation Area. ~8.5 miles, ~1500 ft elevation gain. 5+* Moose.
This is the last photo from the trip...near the Long Lake trailhead.
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Suck it, HHS
www.fox5vegas.com
Las Vegas named among list of 25 best hiking cities in US
Las Vegas was named one of the best hiking cities in the United States, according to a new list.
www.fox5vegas.com
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