View Full Version : Looking for an off-the-beaten-path 100-milie hike out West
The title sums it up--we have a week to backpack this summer/fall, and we're looking for a 100-150-ish mile trail out West to do. As of this moment, we're leaning towards the Uintah Highline Trail. Mainly, I want to see if there's anything that we haven't thought of. Others that we considered already are:
AZT/Hayduke Trail section (would rather save these to do as a thru-hike someday)
Tahoe Rim Trail (already did the PCT on the western part)
Teton Crest Trail (a little further than we want to drive, too short for a full week, even with a loop)
Wonderland Trail (too far away)
JMT/PCT/CDT/CT section (been there, done that)
Am I forgetting anything else in the 100 miles range? We're more interested in hikes that we can do in summer or early fall where water won't be much of an issue.
Wind River Range. Trip reports abound at Backcountrypost.com.
Seems to me that you could drive to Wyoming as easily as Utah.
Sorry, but if I were that close, I would have to hike the Teton Crest Trail. You can add a day or 2 of day hikes to get acclimated. Any trail in the Tetons is a good trail. What's the rush? If you have a week, spend a week on the Teton Crest Trail.
http://backcountrypost.com/threads/tetons-indeed-doug-and-anita-tour-2015-part-1.5214/#post-61153
http://backcountrypost.com/threads/teton-crest-trail-doug-and-anita-tour-2015-part-2.5218/
http://backcountrypost.com/threads/teton-crest-trail-doug-and-anita-tour-2015-final-chapter.5219/
Since you will have a car, you can start in Idaho.
http://www.awayfromthegrind.com/blog/hiking/leapfrogging-the-teton-crest/
Have a great trip.
Wayne
hikeandbike5
01-12-2016, 14:47
medicine bow 100, unitah highline trail, or the winds
medicine bow 100, unitah highline trail, or the winds
My first thought, but I stayed kinda on topic. Silly me. Closer to Massachusetts than Grand Teton N.P. No permit, campsite or bear can requirements. Make it up as you go.
With a car you could park at the Elkhart Park. Put together a loop of any distance you like.
http://backcountrypost.com/search/4473499/?q=elkhart&o=date&c[node]=20
Wayne
Actually, we're in Arizona now, not Mass. Hence not wanting to drive all the way to the Tetons. The Teton Crest Trail is definitely on the future to-do list.
We saw a lot of the Winds (far from all, obviously) on the CDT. But I think we want to hit some new terrain for this trip.
I'll check out the Medicine Bow 100. Today was the first time I heard of that route.
We're also thinking inventing our own route. One possibility is a loop around northern Arizona that would traverse the entire Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon area and hit several different wilderness areas. I need to sit down with a map and see if this is possible--the terrain is rough, and there aren't many obvious routes to connect things up.
Thanks for the tips. Keep 'em coming if there are others.
Maah Daah Hey. Different than what you've experienced. Grasslands. Multi use. Buffalo.. Cool sandstone formations. Teddy Roosevent NP
Easy enough to extend a Teton Crest Tr thru into a 100-150 mile continuous hike by hiking into/from from Grand Teton NP into Yellowstone NP(right next door), Wind River Range, Targhee Nat6 Forest, and/or Gros Venture Wilderness. It's what Francis Tapon and I did on our CDT thru-hikes. I took an interrupted route though where Tapon did a road walk to make it continuous.
I did a straight SOBO CDT. I went south on the CDT into Yellowstone NP veering off onto the Bechler River River Tr(awesome trail!) at Shoshone Lake( Y NP) through a small section of Targhee Nat Forest to the Teton Crest Tr. At the end of the Teton Crest Tr hitched back up to where the typically taken CDT crosses HWY 191 in Y NP between lewis and Heart Lakes to enter intop the Wind River Range. Tapon did something similar; I got my idea from the creative Tapon. He but did it going NOBO on his leg of a CDT yo yo. He wrote up what he did. I think you'll find it at his website. If interested I wrote my route up for someone that I still have somewhere too.
If you want greater variety but not locked into a continuous 100-150 miler break up your master trek into legs: Grand Teton NP(Teton Crest Tr), Yellowstone, and a Wind River Range hike segments. The CDT visits only a very limited amount of Y NP. and WRR . Don't assume just because you did the CDT in Y NP and WRR you've experienced Y NP and WRR!
OMG, EASY, to knock out a 100+ miler at Grand Canyon NP too. The Hayduke Tr through GC NP is an awesome adventure. A Tonto Tr thru is pretty good. Not enough for ya! Head over to not far away Buckskin Gulch, The Wave, Zion/Bryce(Under The Rim Tr)/Canyonlands(HUGE and REMOTE in three different areas)/Capitol Reef NPs.....
Don't get stuck on a named trail or one 100-150 miler and you'll get more!
BTW, some of the hiking in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon is great for shorter romps. I'm eagerly looking forward to more time in Sedona.
The Grand Enchantment Tr from the Superstitions to and through Aravapai Canyon was cool too in spring. Could do something involving the AZT and GET. Timing for both these trails is important.
How about a Do It Yourself one week trip around and through the Weminuche Wilderness?
Dogwood, the Tetons & Yellowstone are too far away. I do agree with not getting stuck on a named trail. Make your own route and then name it yourself. Folks will come from miles around to thru-hike the Burger Route. However, they will expect a guide book, map set, resupply points and mail drop locations. Really scary, hey? :eek: :cool:
Have a look around this forum. More information than you may want or need. Utah figures prominently in the content.
http://backcountrypost.com/
Good luck to you. Keep us posted.
Wayne
Feral Bill
01-12-2016, 16:44
Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness also has numerous opportunities to make a 100 mile hike. Highly recommended.
160 mile Collegiate Peaks Loop using the CDT and CT in early fall. Make it more interesting and throw some 14er bagging into the mix.
colorado_rob
01-12-2016, 18:39
160 mile Collegiate Peaks Loop using the CDT and CT in early fall. Make it more interesting and throw some 14er bagging into the mix.I like this one... and I was working on a loop that shortens it to 100 miles because I'm not interested in much of the eastern part of the loop. There are some cut-through's that will allow The Best of this 160 miles, but shortened.
I also like the DIY Weninuche loop Venchka mentions, tons of possibilities. Then there's the Medicine Bow 100 mile thing mentioned, all good choices. The only choice I'm not crazy about personally it the Uintah thing, been there, not as pretty, but it's all subjective.
THEN, there's a particularly intriguing version in the neighborhood of the Sierra High Route that I have my eyes on, I think I have a loop designed that is right at about 100 miles, but might be some very tough miles in places.
I'm in the "grab some maps and make up your own route" variety. I am doing more and more of the PBRs (Paul's Backpacking Routes). :) The Winds, the San Juans, the Uintahs (more so off-trail) (http://ryanjordan.com/uintas2014/) all offer wonderful loops to be done if you are willing to DIY.
Northern New Mexico also offers some chances for creative route mixes as well...
Northern New Mexico also offers some chances for creative route mixes as well...
get out of my head! Exactly what i thought when he mentioned he was in AZ. I couldnt believe how beautiful it was and its a quick drive from that desert wasteland that is west texas.
get out of my head! Exactly what i thought when he mentioned he was in AZ. I couldnt believe how beautiful it was and its a quick drive from that desert wasteland that is west texas.
Arguably the best food for post-backpacking noshing as well!
I would throw in a second vote for the Maah Daah Hey in western ND. I hiked it this spring and it was a very unique and enjoyable trail.
colorado_rob
01-13-2016, 12:54
I'm in the "grab some maps and make up your own route" variety. ...Yeah, it pays to have Topo maps for the entire USA right at your fingertips (or mouse click). I use the old NGS TOPO program, no longer available, but I think there's software called Cal TOPO that might be the same, and I believe, free (?).
Easy stuff to use, zoom (to full 24,000 scale TOPO level), pan, draw tracks to your heart's content, check mileages, establish waypoints, print whatever window you want, it's almost toooooooo easy these days!
..
Here's my first attempt at a loop that includes some of the Sierra High Route (the yellow line on the left, about 39 miles), connected with the JMT (via the 6 mile white track near the top), which it follows for about 23 miles (red/yellow track on right), all connected to roads/trailheads to the east by the little white tracks on the right, one 7 miles, one 11 miles. I was thinking about coming in the 7 mile trail at the bottom, doing a loop, then back out the 7 mile exit to my car. 83 miles, but a bunch of these miles off-trail and very rugged (parts of the yellow SHR track). Just a first hack. this is at 100K scale, the image was too big to post at 24K scale.
Yeah, it pays to have Topo maps for the entire USA right at your fingertips (or mouse click). I use the old NGS TOPO program, no longer available, but I think there's software called Cal TOPO that might be the same, and I believe, free (?).
Hikearizona.com is a much better site for editing routes online. It's even better than using professional GIS software in some respects. Go the site and click on "Maps" in the upper left. Then click on "Route MGR" on the menu panel. You can make up trails, import tracks from your PC or other users, and do all sorts of editing really easily. And you can overlay your routes on any base map you want. It's free and basically just the brainchild of one guy, who's keeps adding to and improving the site. It's not just limited to Arizona either.
When you get to the "Route MGR" tab, there are video tutorials and a help page to show how things work. It's pretty intuitive though.
BTW, thanks for the terrific suggestions, all. Lots of great fodder there.
Y, but I think there's software called Cal TOPO that might be the same, and I believe, free (?).
Online. It was so good that the maintainer had to start charging a modest fee to cover the bandwidth. The basics are still free, however. By day, he's a California SAR guy so it is a labor of love that has done very well.
www.caltopo.com
Studlintsean
01-13-2016, 13:44
Online. It was so good that the maintainer had to start charging a modest fee to cover the bandwidth. The basics are still free, however. By day, he's a California SAR guy so it is a labor of love that has done very well.
www.caltopo.com (http://www.caltopo.com)
I just discovered CalTopo this week and used it to come up with a 6 day route in the Wind River Range. I am hoping to hike it this August.
Online. It was so good that the maintainer had to start charging a modest fee to cover the bandwidth. The basics are still free, however. By day, he's a California SAR guy so it is a labor of love that has done very well.
www.caltopo.com (http://www.caltopo.com)
The search feature is awesome. You can search for any place name, stream, pass, peak, etc by state.
Wayne
colorado_rob
01-13-2016, 14:19
Cool stuff. I found that Hikearaizona recently, burger, when I was scoping out the Hayduke trail. Cool app, I haven't learned all its functionality, but I did download the track, which I then promptly uploaded into my more-familiar NG TOPO program (which I can do anything I want with). One of the values of the Hikearizona thing is that it has a ton of established routes to peruse and download, if wanted.
Cool stuff. I found that Hikearaizona recently, burger, when I was scoping out the Hayduke trail. Cool app, I haven't learned all its functionality, but I did download the track, which I then promptly uploaded into my more-familiar NG TOPO program (which I can do anything I want with). One of the values of the Hikearizona thing is that it has a ton of established routes to peruse and download, if wanted.
Yeah it's an awesome site. It basically combines the functionality of a great mapping program with the information you'd want from a hiking guidebook that is continually updated (with route descriptions, trailhead directions, recent trail conditions, water reports, photos, etc.). If a hike you do isn't listed or you invent your own route, you can upload and share publicly your GPS route and a written description if you want. Right now, coverage seems to be best in the southwestern states and California. It's spottier elsewhere, but I'm sure it will grow as people add routes.
which I then promptly uploaded into my more-familiar NG TOPO program (which I can do anything I want with)
NG topo is also switching to the "cloud" quite a bit.
AllTrails has partnered with NatGeo to have the TI maps in their database. Done 3 or 4 yrs ago?
The one thing about USGS topo maps is that they are increasingly getting outdated. IIRC, the last major updates were during the George Bush era (the first one!) (http://topomaps.usgs.gov/revision.html) with some minor revisions since then. Features don't change of course, but what is on the said features (trails, building, roads) do change/ get added.
AllTrails has topo maps and the NatGeo TI maps. You can make up routes, save them, etc. There is now an AllTrails app for iPhone and Androids which works similar to Backcountry navigator (which uses CalTopo as a source ) or Gaia GPS. The TI maps, if lacking the detail of 7.5 USGS topos, are of course updated more.
CalTopo recognizes the the Achilles heel of traditional topos and is essentially starting "open source" map layers.
http://caltopo.blogspot.com/2015/11/mapbuilder-pimp-your-topo.html
While I like the TI map aspect of AllTrails, I think CalTopo is better software overall.
Anyway...exciting stuff if you have a techie and an outdoor background.
I love printed maps for various reasons. But I also recognize that while they aren't going away completely, the electronic tools may replace certain aspects of them.
lonehiker
01-15-2016, 11:24
Big Horn mountains/Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming. You have the Solitude Loop trail (68 miles) coupled with Cloud Peak and maybe throw in what I call the Edelman loop. You could easily come up with a 100+ mile route. Of course I am partial to the Medicine Bow One Hundred and hope to hike it again this fall, re-mapping a couple of the sections. Follow the link at www.awayfromthegrind.com for v1 of my map set.
Shutterbug
01-15-2016, 20:26
Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness also has numerous opportunities to make a 100 mile hike. Highly recommended.
Eagle Cap is a really good suggestion. I hiked there a few years ago. Beautiful country and very few people. Just plan your hike before the elk hunting season. The elk hunters don't particularly like hikers spooking the elk.
Big Horn mountains/Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming. You have the Solitude Loop trail (68 miles) coupled with Cloud Peak and maybe throw in what I call the Edelman loop. You could easily come up with a 100+ mile route. Of course I am partial to the Medicine Bow One Hundred and hope to hike it again this fall, re-mapping a couple of the sections. Follow the link at www.awayfromthegrind.com (http://www.awayfromthegrind.com) for v1 of my map set.
On my list. THX for the "Bow" mapset.
Just an update: it looks like our hiking trip has been ugpraded from 1 week to 2 weeks. This opens up a lot of new possibilities--we're thinking about Europe, maybe a couple of hundred miles of the Hayduke Trail or the Sky Islands Traverse, or doing a couple of shorter trails (like the Uintah Highline + the Teton Crest).
Too many choices! I'll post something when we've decided or narrowed it down. Thanks again for all the suggestions everyone.
hikeandbike5
07-07-2016, 10:23
did you ever pick a destination?
I think we're doing the Uintah Highline and the Teton Crest.
did you ever pick a destination?
We ended up doing the Teton Crest Trail and a 90 mile loop hike in the middle part of the Uintas.
The TCT was great. We made it into a 60 mile loop by including the Valley Trail that runs up the base of the mountains and goes by a bunch of lakes. (Also, we think that starting a hike with a ski lift ride, like most TCT hikers do, is lame--I'm sure others disagree.) The ~12 miles of trail from upper Paintbrush Canyon over Paintbrush Divide through Cascade Canyon and up to Hurricane Pass has to be among the most scenic short sections of hiking I've ever done. Just sublime. FWIW, if I did it again, I would do the loop clockwise, starting up near Jenny Lake, doing the Valley Trail southbound first to get it out of the way, going up Granite Canyon which is a gentle climb for th most part, and saving the best parts of the TCT for last.
The Uintas were kind of sucky. The trails are badly/not-at-all maintained, sheep had overgrazed everywhere, and the bark beetles have turned the forests into a dead zone. There was some nice scenery, and we hardly saw anyone on trail, but it's not great hiking. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.
Thank you for the information on the TCT. I will commit your suggestion to CalTopo.
Wayne
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dudeijuststarted
10-14-2016, 20:30
I did some day-hiking at Henry Coe State Park and the ranger seemed pretty psyched about the backcountry nature of the place. If I recall correctly there's also a great fishing lake about 30 miles out from the gate that is only accessible by foot. According to their site:
http://coepark.net/pineridgeassociation/activities/backpacking
"Coe Park is a backpacker's dream come true. You could easily plan a week-long trip, hiking 10 miles a day and camping at a different site every night."
Nice park. Wrong state.
Wayne
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The Uintas were kind of sucky. The trails are badly/not-at-all maintained, s.
And that is why I loved it!
To paraphrase a Humphrey Bogart movie "Trails..we don't need no stinkin' trails!"
As for the beetle kill, unfortunately that is part and parcel of the American West in 2016.
Sucky Uintas hiking.. ;)
36555
36556
If you are used to lettered trails, the Unitas and similar areas may not be appealing. If you think 7.5 minute quads are where it is at for trip planning OTOH...
There was some nice scenery, and we hardly saw anyone on trail .Wait..what? You saw no one and the scenery was nice?
That sound wonderful!
OTOH, a busy national park a hop, skip and a jump from a busy tourist area with a ski gondola access? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (https://theawl.com/the-life-and-times-of-%E3%83%84-39697541e6ac)
Being serious, it all shows how different values affect the trip. I have friends in Victor, ID. Every time I've been up there, I could not help but feel how busy the Wyadho valley area was...
The Unitas? Loved it! I can't wait to get back.
We're also thinking inventing our own route. One possibility is a loop around northern Arizona that would traverse the entire Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon area and hit several different wilderness areas. I need to sit down with a map and see if this is possible--the terrain is rough, and there aren't many obvious routes to connect things up.
A loop around North AZ sounds like fun. Love the area, and hiking to Slide Rock means I'll actually get a parking spot.
And that is why I loved it!
To paraphrase a Humphrey Bogart movie "Trails..we don't need no stinkin' trails!"
As for the beetle kill, unfortunately that is part and parcel of the American West in 2016.
If you are used to lettered trails, the Unitas and similar areas may not be appealing. If you think 7.5 minute quads are where it is at for trip planning OTOH...
Wait..what? You saw no one and the scenery was nice?
That sound wonderful!
OTOH, a busy national park a hop, skip and a jump from a busy tourist area with a ski gondola access? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (https://theawl.com/the-life-and-times-of-%E3%83%84-39697541e6ac)
Being serious, it all shows how different values affect the trip. I have friends in Victor, ID. Every time I've been up there, I could not help but feel how busy the Wyadho valley area was...
The Unitas? Loved it! I can't wait to get back.
Well, first, if you are avoiding the TCT because it has a 3-letter acronym, you are seriously missing out. I would rate the scenery the equal of anything I've seen in the US--right up there with the best parts of Glacier, the Sierra,etc. We did this in mid-September, and while there were some people on the trail, I wouldn't call it busy. We had all of the nicest passes to ourselves.
As for the Uintas, the beetle kill is the worst I've seen anywhere in the West with the possible exception of a few spots in the vicinity of Yellowstone where the white pine blister rust has killed all of the whitebark pines. It was very depressing to hike through formerly old-growth forest with literally no surviving large trees. And almost every meadow that we hiked through was grazed down to nothing by all the sheep. There were at least 2 or 3 passes where we hit the top of the pass only to be met with a wall of sheep piss/crap smell from the basin on the other side. That is not how I want to spend my time given that there are plenty of high-elevation wilderness areas that are not ecological wastelands (FWIW, I'm an ecologist, so I'm pretty much incapable of ignoring ruination even if there is nice scenery around. YMMV). The bad trail maintenance was just the icing on the cake, not the main issue. We planned an ambitious schedule, expecting that USFS trails in a major wilderness area would be pretty good, but we didn't make the miles we needed to because of losing the trail and a lot of bad tread. If we'd known about trail conditions ahead of time, we would have adjusted our route and it wouldn't have been much of an issue.
Absarokanaut
10-30-2016, 18:56
Five Pockets Trailhead Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming. Go up Bear Pocket, off trail over the Ramshorn Plateau to the East fork of Dunoir Creek. Move to West Fork of Dunoir Creek, through Dundee Meadows and up to Bonneville Pass and then off trail northward to Austin Peak. From there off trail on high plateau crest of the Continental Divide to Marston Pass. The fact the CDT veers off the crest for a long ways here amazes and delights me at the same time. Hike Younts Peak and Throfare Mt. Descend the head of the Yellowstone River, go through the Thorofare, get into the Teton Wilderness of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, hit the 48s remotest point at Bridger Lake. From there either head for Yellowstone Lake's East Shore, out to the Ishawooa Trailhead in Shoshone, or over Two Ocean Plateau to Pacific Creek Trailhead just outside Grand Teton National Park.
This would be a truly wild adventure with lots of cautions to heed. Don't even think about it if you're not capable of navigation without electronic device. Go at your own risk but there's something to be said about going through this country's deepest wilds outside of Alaska.
handlebar
10-30-2016, 19:55
One with easy logistics is involves using the free Summit Stage to close an end to end north from Copper Mountain over Uneva and Eccles Passes then down into Solverthorne and using the bus to return to your car at Copper. For a little longer variant, continue from Sikverthorne up over Ptarmigan Pass to a Jones Pass on the CDT then south on the CDT to where it crosses the highway to Breckinridge again closing the loop using Summit Stage.
Make a little bit more of a drive, but consider the North Boundary Trail in Jasper ... I think it clocks in at 105 miles or so. Pretty much guarantee that you won't see very many people ... probably more wildlife than people. August or early September is best.
If we'd known about trail conditions ahead of time, we would have adjusted our route and it wouldn't have been much of an issue.
You've mentioned the word "trails" several times.
The best scenery, and experiences, are not on trail in my opinion.
And that is why I think our experiences differ.
I was just up in Victor, ID again this weekend.
Busy area.
Again, all what you are after.
ps. I am familiar with the Tetons...
36759
You've mentioned the word "trails" several times.
The best scenery, and experiences, are not on trail in my opinion.
And that is why I think our experiences differ.
I was just up in Victor, ID again this weekend.
Busy area.
Again, all what you are after.
ps. I am familiar with the Tetons...
36759
I've been trying to convey the same message on the CDT thread especially in how it pertains to the OP's desire of experiencing natural wonders.
You must be standing on the trail because it's not visible in the pic. ;)
hikeandbike5
10-31-2016, 00:36
One with easy logistics is involves using the free Summit Stage to close an end to end north from Copper Mountain over Uneva and Eccles Passes then down into Solverthorne and using the bus to return to your car at Copper. For a little longer variant, continue from Sikverthorne up over Ptarmigan Pass to a Jones Pass on the CDT then south on the CDT to where it crosses the highway to Breckinridge again closing the loop using Summit Stage.
and it's not even remotely close to 100 miles.
handlebar
11-01-2016, 16:20
and it's not even remotely close to 100 miles. It is if you start at Copper, continue over Ptarmigan Pass to Jones Pass and hike S on CDT to Georgia Pass to hwy to Breck, 104 mi, or keep going over Ten Mile Range to close the loop back to Copper. Fantastic scenery plus two 14ers.
At various times I've indulged in hobbies much more expensive than hiking. Skiing, sailboat racing (a 16' trailerable boat), photography, and RC aircraft.
These days, as a day hiker, weekender and section hiker my main expense is just getting to and from the trail, and maybe a shuttle.
^^^
--Oops, wrong thread, sorry---
try looking on https://traili.st/ - there are a lot of great trails in the US
rocketsocks
11-10-2016, 23:35
At various times I've indulged in hobbies much more expensive than hiking. Skiing, sailboat racing (a 16' trailerable boat), photography, and RC aircraft.
These days, as a day hiker, weekender and section hiker my main expense is just getting to and from the trail, and maybe a shuttle.
Same...hiking was always what tied many of my interest together, a common thread if you will, so the gear has always been there...pretty darn cheap endevour if ya ask me, many get fancy and fancy is fine, but by no means a requeset, so many items I started with were just lying around the house already.