Hiking Fodorites: Name the Most Spectacular Day Hikes You've Ever Done
Jan 28th, 2007, 08:23 AM
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Hiking Fodorites: Name the Most Spectacular Day Hikes You've Ever Done
Other than marriage and the birth of my kids, some of the most exhilirating days I've ever spent have been day hiking in the Western U.S. I'd like to plan more and I'd recommend these to any Fodorites who love the outdoors and are in reasonably good shape. I'm an addict, so please add your favorites to the list (not listed in any particular order):
1. Half Dome - Yosemite National Park
2. Upper Yosemite Falls - Yosemite N.P.
3. Glacier Point > Panorama Trail > John Muir Trail > Mist Trail - Yosemite N.P.
4. Angel's Landing - Zion N.P.
5. The Narrows - Zion N.P.
6. Long's Peak - Rocky Mountain N.P.
7. Kalalau Trail - Kauai North Shore
8. South Kaibab Trail - Grand Canyon National Park (only hiked one way in a single day)
9. Guadalupe Peak - Guadalupe Mountains National Park
This list is exclusively west of the Mississippi, but I'm also interested in any spectacular hikes in the East.
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/hiking/hik_guid.htm is a good hiking resource, but I'm interested in recommendations for any other particularly good hiking web sites.
1. Half Dome - Yosemite National Park
2. Upper Yosemite Falls - Yosemite N.P.
3. Glacier Point > Panorama Trail > John Muir Trail > Mist Trail - Yosemite N.P.
4. Angel's Landing - Zion N.P.
5. The Narrows - Zion N.P.
6. Long's Peak - Rocky Mountain N.P.
7. Kalalau Trail - Kauai North Shore
8. South Kaibab Trail - Grand Canyon National Park (only hiked one way in a single day)
9. Guadalupe Peak - Guadalupe Mountains National Park
This list is exclusively west of the Mississippi, but I'm also interested in any spectacular hikes in the East.
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/hiking/hik_guid.htm is a good hiking resource, but I'm interested in recommendations for any other particularly good hiking web sites.
Jan 28th, 2007, 08:36 AM
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I pick my favorites largely on the basis of scenery not physical challenge. I love the areas around Lake O'Hara Lodge (near Field, BC) and the Mt. Engadine Lodge (near Canmore, AL). The scenery is absolutely spectacular.
Last summer we stayed at Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch and did some fantastic hikes in the Sawtooths and White Clouds.
America, the beautiful!
Last summer we stayed at Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch and did some fantastic hikes in the Sawtooths and White Clouds.
America, the beautiful!
Jan 28th, 2007, 08:40 AM
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I wouldn't say they are as spectalcular as the hikes you mentioned, but these are a couple of our nearby favorites. We're in Maryland.
Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah NP
Maryland Heights at Harpers Ferry
Billy Goat A Trail in Great Falls NP
Swallow Falls Trail in western Maryland
Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah NP
Maryland Heights at Harpers Ferry
Billy Goat A Trail in Great Falls NP
Swallow Falls Trail in western Maryland
Jan 28th, 2007, 09:36 AM
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West Fork, Doe Mountain, and Brins Mesa Trails in Sedona are all beautiful. On Brins Mesa Trail we climbed out on a large flat rock about 20 yards off the main trail to relax and have a snack. The view from there was so spectacular it took my breath away.
Jan 28th, 2007, 09:37 AM
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The Panorama Trail at Yosemite was the first thing that popped into my mind.
Walking through the bamboo forest on the Pipiwai Trail on Maui was a unique experience. The waterfall at the end was a worthy payoff.
The portion of the King's Highway from Wai'anapanapa State Park towards Hana is one of the most beuatiful coastal hikes I've taken.
Another great coastal walk on the Sonoma Coast is to start at the Sea Ranch Lodge and take the Bluff Trail north all the way to Gualala. Do it in April/May when the yellow lupines are blooming.
-Bill
Walking through the bamboo forest on the Pipiwai Trail on Maui was a unique experience. The waterfall at the end was a worthy payoff.
The portion of the King's Highway from Wai'anapanapa State Park towards Hana is one of the most beuatiful coastal hikes I've taken.
Another great coastal walk on the Sonoma Coast is to start at the Sea Ranch Lodge and take the Bluff Trail north all the way to Gualala. Do it in April/May when the yellow lupines are blooming.
-Bill
Jan 28th, 2007, 10:02 AM
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One of my three things to see before I died was Delicate Arch. Went during spring break. There was some ice/ snow on the trail. Curving around and seeing Delicate Arch for the first time was absolutely amazing for me. Almost spiritual in a way.
Jan 28th, 2007, 10:46 AM
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Without an order...
-Keet Seel in Navajo National Monument
-Hunt's mesa in Monument valley
-Syncline loop in Canyonland(island on the sky district)
-Some hikes in Grand Gulch primitieve area with Jay, guide at faroutexpeditions in Bluff
-Landscape arch and the entire loop by
Devils garden in arches national park
-Saddle/Castle/Medecine root/notch/castle/saddle pass in the badlands(south dakota)
-Red beds trail/valley view trail/
jonction to joyner trail/joyner trail/jonction/red beds at Devils tower national monument
-Loop trail at natural bridges national monument.
-Confluence overlook in Canyonlands(Needles district).
Erik.
-Keet Seel in Navajo National Monument
-Hunt's mesa in Monument valley
-Syncline loop in Canyonland(island on the sky district)
-Some hikes in Grand Gulch primitieve area with Jay, guide at faroutexpeditions in Bluff
-Landscape arch and the entire loop by
Devils garden in arches national park
-Saddle/Castle/Medecine root/notch/castle/saddle pass in the badlands(south dakota)
-Red beds trail/valley view trail/
jonction to joyner trail/joyner trail/jonction/red beds at Devils tower national monument
-Loop trail at natural bridges national monument.
-Confluence overlook in Canyonlands(Needles district).
Erik.
Jan 28th, 2007, 11:09 AM
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Hiking to the top of Mt. St. Helens and gazing into the crater.
Paradise park on Mt. Hood
Dog Mountain in the Gorge
Angel's Rest in the Gorge
Hamilton Mountain in the Gorge
Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast
Saddle Mountain on the way to the coast
Paradise park on Mt. Hood
Dog Mountain in the Gorge
Angel's Rest in the Gorge
Hamilton Mountain in the Gorge
Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast
Saddle Mountain on the way to the coast
Jan 28th, 2007, 11:15 AM
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Hi - I love hiking out west, too. BUT we are from Massachusetts and another spectacular place to hike is the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We go almost every year for a few days during Fall foliage. There are many wonderful trails both easy and hard. One of our favorites for an all day hike is the Franconia Ridge.
sue
sue
Jan 28th, 2007, 12:10 PM
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Narrows, Zion NP
Avalanche Lake and Grinnel Glacier, Glacier NP
Eagle Creek (and assorted smaller hikes), Columbia River Gorge, OR
Hike from Glacier Point down to Valley floor via Mist Trail, Yosemite
Hidden Lake near Glenwood Springs, CO
West Fork, Oak Creek, Sedona, AZ
and...even though it wasn't a day hike, I loved the trail to Havasu and Mooney Falls near Supai, AZ
MRand, I LOVE hiking out west. I've yet to find anything to compare back east. I like some hikes on Cape Cod, and in the White Mnts. of Vermont, but they are not as "dramatic". I am lucky to have a nice hiking area nearby in, of all places, NW Phila, but it's merely a nice woods, nothing spectacular. I love the waterfalls, and far reaching scenery out west.
Avalanche Lake and Grinnel Glacier, Glacier NP
Eagle Creek (and assorted smaller hikes), Columbia River Gorge, OR
Hike from Glacier Point down to Valley floor via Mist Trail, Yosemite
Hidden Lake near Glenwood Springs, CO
West Fork, Oak Creek, Sedona, AZ
and...even though it wasn't a day hike, I loved the trail to Havasu and Mooney Falls near Supai, AZ
MRand, I LOVE hiking out west. I've yet to find anything to compare back east. I like some hikes on Cape Cod, and in the White Mnts. of Vermont, but they are not as "dramatic". I am lucky to have a nice hiking area nearby in, of all places, NW Phila, but it's merely a nice woods, nothing spectacular. I love the waterfalls, and far reaching scenery out west.
Jan 28th, 2007, 01:18 PM
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Also for the eastern Fodorites- don't dismiss the areas around NYC! My husband and I have really enjoyed several hikes in the area, especially at Bear Mountain. The book "60 Hikes within 60 Miles of NYC" has been a great resource.
Jan 28th, 2007, 02:00 PM
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Parker ridge in Banff, cresting the ridge to see Saskatchewan glacier tumbling down from the Columbia ice field.
Blue Lake trail in the North Cascades in early June, finding more than a foot of snow covering the trail in the upper reaches, Blue Lake still encased in ice, and seeing the mountain goats that were supposed to be on the mountain side crossing the trail right in front of us.
Blue Lake trail in the North Cascades in early June, finding more than a foot of snow covering the trail in the upper reaches, Blue Lake still encased in ice, and seeing the mountain goats that were supposed to be on the mountain side crossing the trail right in front of us.
Jan 28th, 2007, 03:44 PM
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Most of my favorites have already been covered but didn't see these two. Only order is when we did them.
The hike from Uncle Tom's stairs in Yellowstone, along the canyon rim to Artist Point. Lots of beautiful views along the way. Then, instead of backtracking, circle back to the Uncle Tom's area past a dead lake, mud pots and fumerols, and finally through an Alpine meadow. Saw very few people along the rim trail and no one once we left the Artist Point area. And this was in early August. Not on the map at the time. A ranger told us how to do it. Not a full days hike, but we enjoyed just stopping along the way and enjoying the view and a snack or drink.
Second is the hike to The Wave in the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area. Did this, this past May. The photos you've seen just don't do the place justice. Saw only 7 other people the entire day. Had the Wave, itself, all to ourselves for probably 2 hours. I just can't imagine wandering this general area without a GPS. No real trails, and all that sandstone and slick rock sure starts to look a lot alike. We hope to go back one day to explore more of the area. Preferably when it isn't so hot.
I'm enjoying reading about all these others. I'm going to print this thread later for future reference.
Fran
The hike from Uncle Tom's stairs in Yellowstone, along the canyon rim to Artist Point. Lots of beautiful views along the way. Then, instead of backtracking, circle back to the Uncle Tom's area past a dead lake, mud pots and fumerols, and finally through an Alpine meadow. Saw very few people along the rim trail and no one once we left the Artist Point area. And this was in early August. Not on the map at the time. A ranger told us how to do it. Not a full days hike, but we enjoyed just stopping along the way and enjoying the view and a snack or drink.
Second is the hike to The Wave in the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area. Did this, this past May. The photos you've seen just don't do the place justice. Saw only 7 other people the entire day. Had the Wave, itself, all to ourselves for probably 2 hours. I just can't imagine wandering this general area without a GPS. No real trails, and all that sandstone and slick rock sure starts to look a lot alike. We hope to go back one day to explore more of the area. Preferably when it isn't so hot.
I'm enjoying reading about all these others. I'm going to print this thread later for future reference.
Fran
Jan 28th, 2007, 04:35 PM
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My favorite day hikes at Yosemite (Half Dome), Mt. Rainier (Paradise) and Lake O'Hara have already been mentioned. So I'll add few new ones:
In the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, the hike to Catherine's Pass from Albion Basin. Also the hike up Gad Valley to the top of the Snowbird tram. Wildflowers galore.
In Washington's North Cascades, the Maple Pass Loop, Cutthroat Pass, the hike to Cascade Pass, Yellow Aster Butte near Mt. Baker, Mt. Dickerman on the Mountain Loop highway, Marmot Pass in the Olympics. . . I could go on and on. A good website for Washington trails is www.wta.org
In the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, the hike to Catherine's Pass from Albion Basin. Also the hike up Gad Valley to the top of the Snowbird tram. Wildflowers galore.
In Washington's North Cascades, the Maple Pass Loop, Cutthroat Pass, the hike to Cascade Pass, Yellow Aster Butte near Mt. Baker, Mt. Dickerman on the Mountain Loop highway, Marmot Pass in the Olympics. . . I could go on and on. A good website for Washington trails is www.wta.org
Jan 29th, 2007, 04:23 AM
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Mt. Washington, NH - as you can bet this was a pretty tiring hike, but once I reached the summit (on a gorgeous September high pressure day, no less) it was so worth it.
Mt. Pisgah, Westmore, VT - located opposite Mt. Hor in Westmore (in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom where I went to college), and overlooks Lake Willoughby, a glacial lake. You can see for miles from the summit, including to Canada and New Hampshire.
Mt. Pisgah, Westmore, VT - located opposite Mt. Hor in Westmore (in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom where I went to college), and overlooks Lake Willoughby, a glacial lake. You can see for miles from the summit, including to Canada and New Hampshire.
Jan 29th, 2007, 05:40 AM
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Wilcox Pass - icefields parkway between Banff and Jasper
confluence trail -canyonlands np
iceberg lake - glacier np
sperry glacier (from sperry chalet) glacier np
franconia ridge - franconia notch st pk, NH
Mt. lecomte- great smokey mtns np
the narrows - zion np
grinnell glacier - glacier np
primrose ridge (no trail) - denali np
wall street - bryce canyon np
My thoughts on eastern hiking, the best is in the white mountains... although GSM np has some really great stretches of the the AT as does shenandoah np
eastern hikes tend to go straight up, no room for the switchbacks they have in the west. and the trip up doesn't have as many vistas (you are rarely above tree line) but once at the top, WOW. so anything that takes you up up up is good! enjoyed some maine hikes but their names escape me, moosehead lake area.... best hiking white mountains of NH great hiking book available -AMC White Mountain Guide.
confluence trail -canyonlands np
iceberg lake - glacier np
sperry glacier (from sperry chalet) glacier np
franconia ridge - franconia notch st pk, NH
Mt. lecomte- great smokey mtns np
the narrows - zion np
grinnell glacier - glacier np
primrose ridge (no trail) - denali np
wall street - bryce canyon np
My thoughts on eastern hiking, the best is in the white mountains... although GSM np has some really great stretches of the the AT as does shenandoah np
eastern hikes tend to go straight up, no room for the switchbacks they have in the west. and the trip up doesn't have as many vistas (you are rarely above tree line) but once at the top, WOW. so anything that takes you up up up is good! enjoyed some maine hikes but their names escape me, moosehead lake area.... best hiking white mountains of NH great hiking book available -AMC White Mountain Guide.
