Tag Archives: backpacking

Denali National Park and Preserve

May 9, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

At 20,320 feet above-sea-level, Denali is the highest point in North America. It is also the tallest mountain on Earth measured from base to summit. Mt. Everest starts from a 13,000-foot plateau, while Denali’s base is only 700 feet. The park is also home to an incredibly diverse array of wildlife, including our favorite, the hoary marmot.

Highlights

Denali peak, Sled Dog Demonstration, Mt. Healy Overlook Trail, wildlife

Must-Do Activity

The summit of Denali is only visible 10% of the summer, so flightseeing is the most successful option to the see the peak. While in the park, it is better to focus on the wildlife, so bring a good camera with a zoom lens for moose, caribou, Dall sheep, gray wolves, and brown bears. Your best chance to see wildlife is to buy a shuttle bus ticket online or at the Wilderness Access Center. We recommend you only take the eight hour roundtrip to Eielson Visitor Center (Mile 66) and spend some time hiking the tundra, instead of going all the way to Wonder Lake (Mile 85).

Best Trail

Most of the park is managed as wilderness so there are no trails, but around the park entrance there are a few. We recommend climbing as high on the steep trail up Mt. Healy as you can for unsurpassed views of the mountainous area.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Even if the summit of Denali is hidden, the tundra scenery here is incredibly colorful, especially around the bus stop for Polychrome Overlook (Mile 47).

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

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

Fees

There is no admission fee; however, visitors can only get past Mile 15 of the Park Road on a tour bus or with campground or backcountry reservations.

Road Conditions

The Park Road is paved to the Mile 15 Savage River Check Station, past which personal vehicles are not allowed. The dirt road is groomed, but it can get bumpy in the back of the bus.

Camping

Riley Creek Campground is open year round, a rarity in Alaska. A reservation at Teklanika River Campground allows you to drive your own vehicle to Mile 29 partway into the park.

Scott at Eielson Visitor Center in September 2004
Dall sheep
Scott and Tiff at Polychrome Overlook in July 2007
Caribou
Tiff on the Savage River Trail
Grizzly or brown bear
Scott on our March 2015 visit
Moose cow and calf
Hoary marmot

*This design we created to celebrate Denali National Park is available on a variety of products at* Cafe Press and Amazon.

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Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

April 17, 2019 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Overview

If you seek an otherworldly experience right here on Earth, look no further than Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in southeastern Idaho. In the 1800s, this massive lava flow proved an obstacle to avoid for immigrants on the Oregon Trail. In 1969 it truly earned its lunar label by serving as a field school on volcanic geology for NASA Apollo astronauts.

Highlights

Boy Scout Cave, Indian Tunnel, cinder cones, tree molds

Must-Do Activity

The 7-mile loop road is paved and provides parking at several trailheads, including the wheelchair-accessible Devils Orchard Nature Trail. Cinder cones, lava tubes, and tree molds are some of the unique volcanic features seen from the trails. If you come here in the winter the loop road closes due to the amount of snow they receive at 6,000 feet elevation, but you can still explore on snowshoes and cross-country skis.

Best Trail

If you cannot make it to the incomparable Lava Beds National Monument in northern California, you can explore a couple of short lava tube caves here. To explore Indian Tunnel you will need a free permit, but you do not even need a flashlight. That is not the case inside the pitch black Boy Scout Cave.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Unlike the moon, there is life here despite its blackened, rocky appearance. Hearty syringa bushes and limber pine trees sprout from cracks in the lava providing food and cover for sage grouse, pika, and other animals.

Peak Season

Summer, but it can get very hot on the black rocks without any shade.

Hours

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

Fees

$20 per vehicle or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The 7-mile loop road is paved, but other all roads into the monument require a heavy-duty 4×4 with excellent tires.

Camping

There is a first-come, first-served campground near the visitor center off Highway 93 that provides water, but no RV hookups. Backpacking is allowed in the wilderness area.

Craters of the Moon under a heavy blanket of snow in March

Explore More – In what year did the nearby town of Arco, Idaho became the first community in the world to utilize nuclear power?

South Dakota

Badlands National Park

April 10, 2019 Raven About The Parks 5 Comments

Overview

Badlands National Park is known for its fossils, but not all of the mammals here are extinct. Bison and bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the park, in addition to common prairie residents that include pronghorn, mule deer, prairie dogs, and coyotes.

Highlights

Door Trail, Notch Trail, Conata Basin, Sage Creek Road

Must-Do Activity

Driving the dirt road back to the free Sage Creek Primitive Campground, you will likely encounter a roaming bison herd and several prairie dog towns. Bighorn sheep and pronghorn can also be found near the road.

Best Trail

The Notch Trail is only 1.5 miles in and out, but is an adventure with a large ladder, badlands, cliffs, and an excellent overlook at the end.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Bighorn sheep, many with large curling horns, seem to pose atop the badlands formations, especially around the Pinnacles Overlook.

A big horn sheep in Badlands National Park

Peak Season

Summer, but we prefer the fall when it is less crowded, especially in Sage Creek Primitive Campground.

Hours

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

Fees

$25 per vehicle or America The Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

Badlands Loop Road is paved, and Sage Creek Road and Conata Road are both graded and passable to all vehicles. Sheep Mountain Table Road in the Stronghold Unit may be more difficult when wet, but otherwise does not require four-wheel drive as designated on the park map.

Camping

Cedar Pass Campground has RV sites and the free Sage Creek Primitive Campground is located down a good dirt road on the west side of the park. Backpacking is free and only requires registration at the trailhead.

Prairie dog
Door Trail
Bison
Tiff at the end of the Notch Trail
Scott on the Notch Trail
Tiff backpacking in Conata Basin
Sunset at our backpacking camp in Conata Basin
Bighorn sheep
Sunset in Sage Creek Camground

*This design we created to celebrate Badlands National Park is available on a variety of products at* Cafe Press and Amazon.

Explore More – How many endangered black-footed ferrets were reintroduced to the park in 1994?

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Washington

Mount Rainier National Park

March 7, 2019 Raven About The Parks 5 Comments

Overview

Only 3 hours from Seattle, 14,410-foot tall Mount Rainier dominates the skyline in all directions. It spends many days cloaked in clouds, so your best view might be out a tiny airplane window before landing at Sea-Tac Airport. It is an active volcano, uncomfortably close to a population of millions, but it provides recreational opportunities year round. The park truly contains the wonderland for which its 93-mile circumnavigating trail is named.

Highlights

Paradise, Sunrise, Grove of the Patriarchs Trail, Wonderland Trail

Must-Do Activity

Despite receiving an average of 680 inches of snow annually, the road to Paradise is open all year. Even in July, you should pack your snowshoes to follow the 5.5 mile Skyline Loop or the 1.2 mile long Nisqually Vista Trail. This is the jumping off point for most mountaineers attempting to summit the volcano.

Best Trail

A really fun (or scary) swinging footbridge grants access to the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail (1.2 miles roundtrip), where giant Douglas-fir trees tower to more than 300 feet in height.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Reflection Lake is right off the main park road east of the Paradise turnoff. When there is no wind, it offers a stunning mirror view of Mount Rainier.

Peak Season

Summer, but expect heavy snowpack through July and at least 9 months a year.

Hours

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

Fees

$30 per vehicle or America The Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The main roads to Paradise and Sunrise are paved, though the latter is closed October to July, as is the dirt road that accesses Mowich Lake. The Carbon River Road in the northwest corner was washed out in 2006, but is still walkable for 5 miles one-way to access Ipsut Creek Campground.

Camping

There are several large campgrounds that accept reservations, but White River Campground near Sunrise has 112 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Paradise still buried in snow in July
September wildflowers in Sunrise
Grove of the Patriarchs Trail
Grove of the Patriarchs Trail
Paradise Inn
Longmire Historic District
Glaciers of Mt. Rainier

*This design we created to celebrate Mount Rainier National Park is available on a variety of products at* Cafe Press and Amazon.

Explore More – How many different glaciers cling to the sides of the Mount Rainier volcano?

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Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

February 26, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

There are currently three National Lakeshores in the National Park Service system, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of two in Michigan. It encompasses 31 miles of mainland shoreline and 34 more miles on two large islands that give the park its name. The park receives over a million visitors annually and is known for its fishing and canoeing.

Highlights

Dune Climb, Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, Glen Haven Village Historic District, 1871 South Manitou Island Lighthouse

Must-Do Activity

Much of this National Lakeshore is forested and surrounds several small townships (marked “Twp” on many maps). For a backcountry experience on the mainland, take the winding 7-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive that becomes a cross-country ski trail in winter. Trails and overlooks provide stops along the route, which is not recommended for long vehicles or trailers.

Best Trail

Dune Climb is more than 100 feet tall and the best place to play in the sand. This is a perched dune where sand accumulated atop glacial moraines left from the last ice age. From the top there are great views and you can continue on several other trails.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Glen Haven Village Historic District maintains a former general store, blacksmithy, and cannery, which now contains a museum dedicated to small watercraft. The Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum is open Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

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

Fees

$25 per vehicle or America The Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The main roads are paved, but some beach access is only by dirt road. Ferries in the summer leave from Leland, Michigan to either North or South Manitou Islands where there are no roads. Unless you are doing a day trip, camping permits are required before departure.

Camping

Platte River Campground is open year round and takes reservations. Backpackers can enjoy more than 100 miles of trails, including some on the two wilderness islands. Backcountry camping requires a permit.