Far Western Texas is home to two parks that share the name Big Bend. The more famous is the Big Bend National Park, but this hike is in Big Bend Ranch State Park. This land is part of the Chihuahuan Desert. It is dry and unforgiving. It is astounding to…
Sandia Crest 2025
A few years ago I came on a family trip to Albuquerque. I had only just enough time to gaze at the Sandia Mountains and wonder what it would be like to hike up there. So when Joern listed a thorough backpacking hike of the Sandia crest, I knew I…
Laugavegur backpack trip
Laugavegur, Iceland Day 1, Landmannalauger to Hrafntinnusker, 7.5 mile It is a 5-hour ride from the central bus terminal in Reykjavik to the trailhead of this most talked about trail in Iceland. At the trailhead in Landmannalauger we needed extra time studying trail signs and my GPS to get oriented…
Tonto East & the Escalante, Grand Canyon 2023
Tonto East was the only part of the Tonto Trail which I hadn’t previously hiked, so when Joern proposed this trip I didn’t hesitate. Previously, I had hiked all of the other sections of the Tonto Trail: the Beamer Trail section (far east to the confluence of the Little Colorado),…
The Colorado Trail (Denver to Monarch Pass)
South bound seems the preferred direction for hiking the Colorado Trail. But once it joins the Continental Divide Trail at Georgia Pass, the north bound traffic of through hikers on the Continental Divide greatly increases. Wherever the trail goes near a convenient access point, many hikers join. But in between,…
Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon
Starting from the trailhead, one might wonder where the slot canyon is. At this point Buckskin Gulch is just a wide open valley with cows grazing and low hills in the background. But soon enough the walls steepen up and the canyon begins to take shape. Click on the images…
Ruby Crest Trail
Driving along H/W 80 one might get the impression that the state of Nevada is one big desert cover with nothing but sand and rocks. A more careful study of the topography quickly corrects this impression. Nevada is actually a very diverse land with more mountain ranges than any state.…
Royal Arch Loop, Grand Canyon National Park
The Royal Arch Loop is perhaps the most technical section of the Tonto Trail accessible from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is also the only part that is done in a loop, starting and finishing at the same trailhead. Access is via 25 mile dirt/jeep road –…
Backpacking in Henry Coe State Park – Mt. Stakes
Henry Coe State Park is one of my favorite places for backpacking in early springs. It is just 1 1/2 hours drive from my house, but it feels very remote – usually I don’t see more than 1 or 2 people from the time I leave the headquarter. It is…
Circling Timna Valley
Chronologically, this trip happened before Ramon Crater, but for various reasons it didn’t get posted in time. Timna Valley is the site of biblical time copper mines. The history is long and complex and beyond the scope of this blog entry. Today it is a park with many points of…