Tag Archives: backpacking

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

September 20, 2023 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service (70%), Bureau of Land Management (12%), National Park Service (10%), other (8%)

Established 1978

3,028 miles

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/trails/cdt

Overview

We decided to write about the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) now, since Tiff recently finished backpacking the entire 512-mile Wyoming section of the route. The CDT stretches 3,028 miles from the Crazy Cook Monument on the border with Mexico north to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The official trail is known as the “red route,” with popular alternatives called “blue routes” detouring through sections like New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness (which 95% of thru-hikers choose). Tiff was supported by Scott along portions of the trail and they both backpacked through Yellowstone National Park together. Tiff met dozens of thru-hikers doing the entire trail this year, many of whom were “flip-flopping” after getting stopped north bound (NOBO) by snowy Colorado mountains so switching to a south bound (SOBO) direction to finish.

Highlights

Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Gila Wilderness, El Malpaís National Monument, South Pass City State Park, Wind River Range, Lemhi Pass, Chinese Wall, Triple Divide Pass

Must-Do Activity

It takes the average thru-hiker 147 days to complete the trek (including “zeros days”), but you can get a feel for the experience on shorter point-to-point or loop hikes. We have done the Rocky Mountain National Park section as a long day hike and Scott has backpacked the minimum 40 miles to see the famous Chinese Wall in Montana’s Lewis and Clark National Forest. We had all three of our backcountry campsites to ourselves along Yellowstone National Park’s 67-mile stretch of CDT and went a full day without seeing another person near the park’s Idaho border.

Best Trail

The Wind River Range in Wyoming’s Bridger National Forest is probably the most scenic stretch of mountains on the entire CDT. Many thru-hikers detour to a blue route to see beautiful, but overcrowded Titcomb Basin and the Cirque of the Towers (actually in neighboring Shoshone National Forest). Read more about our 2020 trip (mostly) following the CDT 120 miles through the range in our newspaper article.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The CDT goes right past crowded Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park’s Lower Geyser Basin, although there are other areas of colorful hot springs like those near Heart Lake (pictured).

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

Fees apply if you camp inside or drive into Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks

Road Conditions

Much of the trail is actually walking dirt roads and some paved roads, especially in New Mexico. Access roads to certain trailheads can be very rough and require driving long unpaved sections, such as the 30 miles to busy Big Sandy Trailhead in Bridger National Forest.

Camping

Camping is dispersed except for designated sites (permit required) in Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks.

Related Sites

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Georgia to Maine)

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (California-Oregon-Washington)

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail (Mississippi-Alabama-Tennessee)

Tiff starting at the Colorado-Wyoming border

Explore More – Which three oceans receive water from Triple Divide Pass in Montana?

Alaska

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

September 13, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

Alaska

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1978 National Monument, 1980 National Park

4,030,025 acres

Website: nps.gov/lacl

Overview

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is inaccessible by road and receives only about 15,000 visitors annually. It sits at the northern end of the massive Alaska Peninsula southwest of Anchorage, home to the twin 10,000-foot volcanoes Redoubt and Iliamna. Cloaked in the whitest of snow, on a clear day they dominate the skyline view from a boat bobbing in Cook Inlet or a vehicle driving the Sterling Highway. Behind the mountains lies massive Lake Clark itself, as well as the Twin Lakes made famous in the film Alone in the Wilderness and the book One Man’s Wilderness that both documented Richard “Dick” Proenneke’s cabin building and backcountry lifestyle (see our list of the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in a National Park and Alaska). Many visitors take flightseeing tours and never step foot on the ground, but that does not make their experience any less extraordinary.

Learn more in the expanded 2nd edition of our guidebook to the National Parks— A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s 63 National Parks.

Highlights

Redoubt Volcano, Iliamna Volcano, Port Alsworth, Lake Clark, Richard Proenneke Historic Site, Double Glacier

Must-Do Activity

You can easily see the twin 10,000-foot volcanoes (Redoubt and Iliamna) within the park from Anchorage or Homer on a clear day, but getting to them is no easy task. Your best bet is to take a float plane charter service and land on one of the big, glacier-fed lakes. While you are over there try to do some salmon fishing; that is why the brown bears and bald eagles like it here. The park’s visitor center is in Port Alsworth on Lake Clark, and another popular destination is Richard Proenneke Historic Site on Twin Lakes. The park’s best attraction may be the massive glaciers that cling to the peaks of the Alaska and Aleutian Ranges and the Chigmit and Neacola Mountains. Flying over a jagged glacial field offers a unique perspective on these giant rivers of ice and the boulder strewn valleys where gray, milky streams follow the wide pathways left by receded glaciers.

Best Trail

At the park’s visitor center in Port Alsworth, 2.5-mile Tanalian Falls Trail is the only officially maintained trail and a popular destination for backpackers. At Richard Proenneke Historic Site, we hiked the scenic and steep Teetering Rock Trail less than a mile up to its namesake boulder that moves when you push on it.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Viewed from above, Double Glacier appears cracked and fissured like the skin on the back of a human hand. Rocky debris in lines of black accentuate the frozen white that hint at the slow flow of the ice river down the valley. Deeper crevasses reflect a cerulean shade that bewilders the eye in this otherwise monochrome landscape.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/lacl/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None, but it is expensive to access by airplane. We took Kachemak Air Service to Twin Lakes and Talon Air Service to Double Glacier and Big River Lakes/Wolverine Creek.

Road Conditions

Essentially, there are no roads in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.

Camping

No designated campgrounds exist within the park, so backcountry campers must come prepared with everything they need, plus the supplies required to wait an extra week for pickup should the weather turn bad.

Chugach National Forest (Alaska)

Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

Explore More – Before this area was a National Park, when did Richard “Dick” Proenneke arrive at Twin Lakes to begin building his cabin?

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Vermont

Moosalamoo National Recreation Area

August 23, 2023 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Moosalamoo National Recreation Area

Vermont

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Region

15,875 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gmfl/recreation/recarea/?recid=64903&actid=29

Overview

Created by the New England Wilderness Act of 2006, Moosalamoo National Recreation Area is located in the northern portion of Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest. Moosalamoo (pronounced moose-ah-la-moo) comes from the Abenaki word for a moose call. Recreation here is centered around water, with the Falls of Lana on Sucker Brook, a hike-in campground on Silver Lake, and boating on Sugar Hill Reservoir formed by Goshen Dam. There are 70 miles of hiking trails, which are also open to mountain bikers, equestrians, and cross-country skiers in the winter. Blueberry picking is a fun activity in the fall along trails and in cultivated fields at Blueberry Hill Inn in Goshen.

Highlights

Falls of Lana, Silver Lake, Voter Brook Overlook, Sugar Hill Reservoir , Robert Frost Interpretive Trail, Goshen Trail, Chandler Ridge-Leicester Hollow Loop, Mt. Moosalamoo Trail

Must-Do Activity

A short, steep hike from Silver Lake South Trailhead takes you underneath a welded steel penstock (or water pipe) that is part of a hydroelectric project. From here, carefully go left down the rocks on an unmarked route to the base of the Falls of Lana. The trail continues to the Rattlesnake Cliffs (closed seasonally due to raptor nesting) and Silver Lake, which has a backcountry campground. Another popular hike climbs about 1,500 feet in 2.5 miles to the top of Mt. Moosalamoo, with an additional 0.2-mile sidetrip to the South Vista.

Best Trail

Robert Frost, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, spent his summers at the Bread Loaf School of English, which he cofounded. On Highway 125, the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail is a handicap accessible boardwalk with posted poems by the author that also connects into the Crosswalk, North Star, Afternoon Delight, and Sundown Trails. Look for evidence of beavers near the ponds and the South Branch of the Middlebury River, as well as blueberries and huckleberries growing in old fields (maintained with prescribed fire). Unique to Forest Service trailheads, this one is a bus stop on the Tri-Valley Transit route.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Voter Brook Overlook was clearcut and planted with apple trees to provide a nice viewshed in this otherwise dense hardwood forest.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All the gravel roads we drove were in good shape during the spring and we were so impressed by one new road culvert we stopped to take a photo (see below).

Camping

Open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Moosalamoo Campground has 18 campsites located at the base of the Mt. Moosalamoo Trail, near Voter Brook Overlook. There are a couple dispersed campsites also on the road, but we had one of our worst nights camping here with college kids blasting music late and another group waking us up before sunrise. The backpacking campground at Silver Lake is nice, or you can stay at Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore.

White Rocks National Recreation Area (Vermont)

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont)

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park (New Hampshire)

Nearest National Park

Acadia

Explore More – Although his name is not Lana, the Falls of Lana are named for which U.S. Army General who served in the 1848 Mexican-American War?

Oregon

Fremont National Forest

July 26, 2023 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Fremont National Forest

Oregon

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region

1,713,891 acres (1,207,039 federal/ 506,852 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/fremont-winema

Overview

In central Oregon, the sagebrush-dominated high desert is also known as the Oregon Outback because of its rural resemblance to the arid Australian bush. Fremont National Forest encompasses the wooded mountains that rise to the west above Lake Abert and Summer Lake in the Warner Valley, an important wetland area for wildlife. In addition, a separate section located to the southeast covers the Warner Mountains and Abert Rim. The cliffs of Hadley Butte are popular with hang gliders. The Mitchell Monument honors the six American civilians who lost their lives during World War II when a Japanese balloon bomb exploded after traveling 6,000 miles.

Highlights

Oregon Outback Scenic Byway, Goodlow Mountain Natural Area, Drake Peak Lookout, North Warner Viewpoint, Abert Rim, Heart Lake, North Fork of Sprague National Wild and Scenic River, Mitchell Monument, Cottonwood Lake, Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail, Fremont National Recreation Trail, Gearhart Mountain Trail

Must-Do Activity

While it is not an official trail, the 4.6-mile out-and-back hike to Coleman Rim does have a good payoff with views of the Chewaucan River Valley. It is reached by driving nine miles up paved Forest Road 3360 from Highway 140, then turning right for two miles on gravel Forest Road 024 to Shepard Camp Creek. From there, you start hiking north to the head of Shepard Camp Meadow, while watching for black-tailed deer, sandhill cranes, and the numerous cattle that frequent this area. At that point, the route starts to gain elevation as it turns east through a forest of ponderosa pine, Sierra white fir, and western white pine trees. You will likely have to climb over a few downed trees as you navigate toward the rocky Coleman Rim that sits above 7,000 feet in elevation.

Best Trail

After the Bootleg Fire swept through the area between our 2020 and 2022 visits, it was amazing to see the differences around Gearhart Mountain. We drove as far up the mountain as we could to Lookout Rock Trailhead, parking at the edge of the Gearhart Mountain Wilderness, walking up the gated road to a fire lookout tower that remained unburnt on its rocky ridgetop. It was difficult to the follow the official Gearhart Mountain trail because of downed trees and the blanket of dead needles on the forest floor, but it was worth a look around to see the fire’s aftermath (please exercise caution due to the hazards of standing dead trees). The trail accesses the volcanic Palisade Rocks within one mile from the trailhead.

Watchable Wildlife

Mule deer, elk, and pronghorns are large ungulates found in Fremont National Forest, sharing habitat with carnivores like black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats. The National Forest borders Summer Lake and several large wetlands that are important stops for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway. Commonly seen waterfowl are Canada geese, mallards, and whistling swans, and the elusive northern spotted owl nests in old-growth forests. There are largemouth bass in the lakes, while streams support several species of trout, including the threatened bull trout.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Nearly 10,000 Fugo balloons were launched by the Japanese during World War II, but only one caused casualties, killing six American civilians when it exploded on May 5, 1945. At the Mitchell Monument, you can read their story and see a ponderosa pine tree that still contains shrapnel from the balloon bomb.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Paved Highway 140 runs east-west through the heart of the National Forest, while Highway 395 splits a separate southeastern section on the California border. We found unpaved Forest Road 34 to be full of potholes, but it got better the further east we went towards the Mitchell Monument and Gearhart Mountain. Even after the 2021 fire, we found Forest Road 3660 to the Coleman Rim to be a good gravel road, while Forest Road 024 was a bit overgrown.

Camping

This is a good National Forest for dispersed camping, but we also passed Corral Creek Campground on our way up to Gearhart Mountain and Cottonwood Recreation Area offers a campground on a lake. Rentals are available in the summer for the Drake Peak Lookout, Currier Guard Station, and Bald Butte Lookout.

Wilderness Areas

Gearhart Mountain Wilderness

Related Sites

Deschutes National Forest (Oregon)

Winema National Forest (Oregon)

Newberry National Volcanic Monument (Oregon)

Nearest National Park

Crater Lake

Conifer Tree Species

ponderosa pine, western white pine, lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, white fir, western juniper

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, curlleaf mountain-mahogany, willow, sagebrush

Explore More – The National Forest is named after John C. Fremont who explored this area for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and went on to take control of the California Republic (for which he was convicted of mutiny and later pardoned), serve as a U.S. Senator, run twice for President, and then resign while Governor of what U.S. territory?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Kansas

Cimarron National Grassland

July 19, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Cimarron National Grassland

Kansas

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region

116,319 acres (108,176 federal/ 8,143 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/psicc

Overview

Following the devastating “Dust Bowl,” several Congressional Acts in the 1930s allowed the federal government to purchase and restore damaged agricultural lands in the Great Plains. Most of the 20 National Grasslands have their origin in these times, which is why they are often a patchwork of federal and private ownership. Cimarron National Grassland is no exception, although its fairly contiguous swath of government land in the southwest corner of Kansas represents the largest parcel of public land in the entire state. Today recreation is one of the multiple uses of this landscape, that also includes cattle grazing and oil/gas drilling. There are 200 stock ponds here (a few stocked with gamefish), plus the Cimarron River, which even when appearing dry often flows a foot below the surface. Cimarron is a Spanish word for a feral horse, like an American mustang.

Highlights

Point of Rocks, Cimarron Overlook, Middle Spring, Cottonwood Picnic Area, Cimarron Recreation Area, Turkey Trail, Companion Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Point of Rocks is the third-highest point in Kansas and was a major landmark on the Cimarron Route of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail that later became a permanent settlement. There are no buildings left here, but the parking lot offers interpretive signs and a great view across the Cimarron River. A steep trail from the top accesses the Companion Trail that parallels the Santa Fe National Historic Trail for 19 miles through the National Grassland. A mile back towards Highway 27, Middle Spring is on the National Register of Historic Places as one of only three reliable water sources along the Cimarron Route.

Best Trail

The Turkey Trail is open to OHVs and connects 10.5 miles from Cottonwood Picnic Area to Cimarron Recreation Area, where the Cimarron River Trail continues east for another ten miles or so.

Watchable Wildlife

Cimarron National Grassland is one of the best places in Kansas for birdwatching with more than 360 species identified. There are two lesser prairie-chicken leks with permanent blinds set up for watching spring mating rituals. During our short visit we spotted ravens, turkey vultures, shrikes, redwing blackbirds, mourning doves, meadowlarks, red-headed woodpeckers, barn swallows, kingbirds, Bullock’s orioles, canvasbacks, and some variety of hawk. Based on the signs there are also mountain plovers and burrowing owls, which inhabit the burrows of prairie dogs and can imitate the sound of a prairie rattlesnake. When we arrived at the smoke-obscured overlook for Point of Rocks we startled a group of four mule deer, and we also read that elk were reintroduced here at one point.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Cottonwood Picnic Area is fenced off from river access, but it has picnic tables and a playground with old-school equipment like teeter-totters. There is also a fun table with metal seats from old tractors and two old tractors unearthed in 2003 after being buried to stabilize the river bank following floods in the 1930s.

Peak Season

Spring

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Paved Highway 27 cuts north-south through the National Grassland bisecting the unpaved Sea of Grass Auto Tour, which we found to be in good shape at least for the three miles to Point of Rocks.

Camping

Cimarron Recreation Area offers 14 campsites, fishing ponds, and a corral for horses, plus dispersed camping is allowed in most of the National Grassland.

Fort Larned National Historic Site (Kansas)

Nicodemus National Historic Site (Kansas)

Nearest National Park

Great Sand Dunes

Explore More – Passed in 1937, what Congressional Act requires 25% of revenue generated by the National Grasslands to be returned to the county for schools and roads?

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

Moosalamoo National Recreation Area

Fremont National Forest

Cimarron National Grassland

Start your U.S. National Forests, National Parks, and National Monuments adventure here!