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Best one week hike in lower 48


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  • #1825264
    Gary Dunckel
    BPL Member

    @zia-grill-guy

    Locale: Boulder

    Michael, Dave is likely on some trail right now, so I'll add a little here: I can't help with the Kalispell shuttle or with gear storage, but you can get a shower at the Swiftcurrent lodge complex near Many Glacier. You buy tokens at the lodge's desk and use the common shower facility (bring your own soap and towel). As for walk-in permits, half of the slots at each campsite are always available 24 hours in advance. You need to be at one of the backcountry offices when they open (7 am) and hope there isn't a long line.

    #1825290
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    James just to clarify things for you. As a rule of thumb National Parks tend to get the most visitors and generally require permits and you may have to camp in designated site. Wilderness areas are generally much more laid back.

    If Glacier Park does't work check out the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Its a very big area with lots of options, good place to not see people. There should be no permit headaches here.

    Edit – Wilderness Areas may say "permit required" but usually that just means you take a permit out of a box at the wilderness boundary and fill it out so they know what trails get the most use. Thats very different from Parks with limited numbers of camping permits.

    #1825449
    Brian Austin
    Member

    @footeab

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    I don't know how fast you hike, but if you want to fly to say Seattle and not rent a car, take the bus to Snoqualamie pass or Stevens pass and hike to the other pass depending if you are going North or South. Both passes have bus service.

    While the distance is only 50 miles or so, there are numerous side trails one should REALLY take. Like Lake Ivanhoe over dutch miller gap and then cross country to Tank Lakes and back to the PCT, or Tuck/Robin Lake or a side trip to the base of Cathedral peak or the Basin trail to base of Chimney rock.

    There are Numerous week long trips one can do in the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. Length is only determined by how quickly you hike and how much time you have. Huge number of loops available requiring no car shuttling. Bear problems are non existent as well. For instance Going "around" Glacier peak is 100 miles or equivalent to the Wonderland trail of mount Ranier, but with fewer people. Though the only real places there are many people on the wonderland trail is where a road intersects the trail. This is fairly often though. The West/north/East side of Raniers trails have few people except at sunrise. Paradise on the south is a people magnet and its nearly impossible to even take a picture of a flower on the weekend. During the week its not bad.

    There is also bus service to Olympic National park at least on the west side of things I believe. No, its not labeled ONP bus service. It will be some government bureaucratic number. Gray Hound bus service goes over there as well. Bus service also goes to Mount Rainier National Park. I believe bus service goes as far as Gorge Dam at the entrance of North Cascades National park. Though trails are nearly non existent in NCNP and its mostly a climbers paradise with a few trails in the valleys and a couple passes. Certainly nothing you could get a week of trail walking out of unless you are VERY slow. I would not recommend the backpacker to NCNP, rather the Glacier Peak Wilderness/Alpine Lake Wilderness/Pasayten Wilderness. Goat Rock wilderness and farther south into Oregon the scenery is all the same or nearly so. Going to the sisters or around mt. Adams won't be any different. Before I did that I would spend flight money and go the the Wind Rivers in WY. I have been hiking a bit in Colorado and honestly there is nothing worth flying to in Rocky Mountain National Park especially if you have the Sierra in your backyard!

    If you can go international, Golden Ears ridge run out of Vancouver BC is also good. I believe I stated that correctly anyways. One can also link up trails from Yoho down into Banff and Jasper in British Columbia/Alberta and is HIGHLY recommended.

    If you are into Canoeing or kayaking, British Columbia is king here as well. Bow lakes, Knight inlet head of… etc. =) British Columbia truly is Beautiful everywhere. There is a reason their license plates on their cars read "Beautiful British Columbia". Its true and they aren't even bragging.

    #1825459
    Chad Anderson
    Member

    @kiddzoso

    Locale: N. California

    I would find a way to get to Glacier NP. You are able to get there without a car. The park itself has a very good shuttle system, and there is also a train that can take you from one side to the other. The staff, facilities, rangers, etc., have all been top quality in my experience. You can also hitch hike in the region with much more success than elsewhere in the USA. Since the snow conditions vary year by year, you could keep an eye on it to see how it might look this year. I was there on Fourth of July, 2009, without any problems. We did several passes, with pretty mild snow fields to cross. Going-to-the-sun road had opened about a week earlier.

    As to why you should go there–type Glacier National Park into google and hit images. :)

    Moreover, the Park has a very rich sense of history, beyond the obvious natural attractions. The lodges are great to visit, even if you aren't staying there. My group showed up at the East Glacier Lodge looking like a bunch of people who had been backpacking for five days, and they held onto our gear behind the desk for hours, while we played mini-golf and drank beer on the patio, which has a great view of the mountains.

    #1825634
    James McIntosh
    Member

    @jamesmc

    Locale: Near Bass Strait

    Thanks all for the advice. I had presumed that the Colorado Rocky Mtns or the Wind Rivers were the place to go. But when I looked at Colorado most peaks (eg Mt Elbert) looked like just very big hills. Do I presume right that access to Glacier NP would be by flying to Kalispell?

    Still thinking options.

    James

    #1825689
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    Yes, Kalispell would be the closest for airline service. Within the US, it would normally be at least twice as much as flying into Denver.

    The mountains in CO seem to vary widely even within 10 miles. The Maroon Bells Wilderness I mentioned have ones like "very big hills" but also the Elk Mountain Range that contains Snowmass Mtn and Capitol Peak. You can see some nice pics of the secluded Pierre Lakes Basin I visited, which is between those two. One thing I failed to mention though was acclimating to the altitude if you fly into Aspen. I don't have any problems (though I wasn't certain beforehand since this was pretty extreme). The lowest you can sleep on the trail is about 10K' (3K+ m). I went from 600' (180 m) to that in 12 hours. Some won't be able to do that. Glacier NP is MUCH lower though.

    #1826063
    Brian Austin
    Member

    @footeab

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    commercial airline cabin pressure is regulated to 8000 feet ASL. If you don't have problems existing on an airplane going cross country then 10k or higher certainly won't be a problem. MOST don't have any difficulty till 12k+++ feet. Closer to 13K.

    La Paz Bolivia is 13k+++ feet. Many have problems flying into this elevation. Just an FYI.

    mountains around Ranier are also round bumps. If one went only to RNP like MANY do, they would think Washington is rather bland and boring regarding mountain climbing as it only has these "volcanoes". Of course I-90 northwards are real mountains excellent for the beginner to intermediate mountaineer and making for excellent backpacking scenery. The flower fields of Ranier are truly extraordinary though. Never seen better anywhere except Olympic National Park. Yes this includes Glacier National Park. GNP is beautiful and unique in its own right. Tetons are, bland IMO. Wind Rivers are better than the Tetons IMO in terms of beauty. RMNP, uh, why is it a national park? There are far better sections of mountains in CO fairly close. Its like someone from the east coast took the train to Denver and said WOA that is National PARK without asking the locals where the truly amazing mountains were.

    #1826354
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    Some mountains in Colorado do look a big like big hills, still nice but I get that glacier carved peaks are more fun to look at. There are places in Colorado where I think the scenery is as good as it gets outside of maybe Alaska. The downside is the wilderness areas are a bit smaller so going out for a week is going to be harder and you'll see more people. If you want great scenery and more solitude for a week long trip you might want to look at some of the places mentioned in Montana, Wyoming or Washington.

    #1826358
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    "commercial airline cabin pressure is regulated to 8000 feet ASL. If you don't have problems existing on an airplane going cross country then 10k or higher certainly won't be a problem. MOST don't have any difficulty till 12k+++ feet. Closer to 13K."

    Um I would argue there is a big difference between a plane cabin and a mountain at 10,000 ft. I'm speaking of comfort and the ability to enjoy a trip here not dying of HAPE.

    #1826363
    MFR
    Spectator

    @bigriverangler

    Locale: West

    While Glacier does have workable shuttle options, from Glacier Park International Airport and around the park, expect to take some time using them. They get pretty overwhelmed with tourists, and it can be pretty difficult catching one with room depending on where you get on.

    To complicate things even more, there are several kinds of shuttles. The NPS runs the ones on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and around the Apgar area on the West Side. Private vendors offer shuttles from places like Many Glacier to St. Mary and down in to Cut Bank and Two Medicine. The NPS service is free, but the vendors charge but I'm not sure how much. I think the North Fork (Kintla/Bowman Lakes) and Southern Sector (in and around Walton) are the only major areas of the park where you can't shuttle in.

    One thing that might work in Glacier is hitchhiking. I've never done it myself since I've always had my car of friends to pick me up. But I see hikers hitching all the time, and they seem to get picked up, especially if you're only going a few miles. I bet you could hitch up to Polebridge and Bowman Lake or back to Apgar.

    I don't want to discourage you from Glacier because that's where I'd send you too (I'm pretty biased), but I just want you to be realistic about travel in the park in August.

    #1826371
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    >"Um I would argue there is a big difference between a plane cabin and a mountain at 10,000 ft."

    On the plane my big exertion is to raise my seat and traytable to their full and upright, locked positions. And my big decision is red or white wine with the dinner.

    Retaining judgement and physical stamina at 10,000+ on your first few days can be difficult.

    As the OP plots out the trip, if it include hiking above 8,000', I'd strongly suggest layover days in high-elevation cities (Denver, anything in Wyoming, Santa Fe, etc) beforehand. Just one or two days at an intermediate altitude helps me a lot.

    Editted to add: Or do dayhikes and sightseeing in Glacier, Yosemite, Yellowstone or Rocky Mountain NP for 1-2 days before your backpacking trip.

    #1826415
    David Chenault
    BPL Member

    @davec

    Locale: Queen City, MT

    Hi Michael, back from the woods (Glacier!).

    I don't know the details about the airport shuttle, having never used it myself. Flathead-Glacier Transport has a very rudimentary website, with no rates posted, just a phone number. I have hitched within the park quite often with good success during the summer.

    I'm not sure about storing gear. The aiport might have lockers available. There are a number of hotels near West Glacier and I'm sure they would sell showers. You can (I think) also pay for a shower in the Apgar campground.

    There are lots of permits available as walk-ins in August (half are held in reserve, as mentioned), the problem is that there will be a big line early (as in 6 am or earlier) and it can be hard to put together a good trip just on walk ins. For those who can plan in advance, I strongly recommend mailing in a permit application during the winter. If you can, be flexible with your dates but not your itinerary.

    #1826573
    James McIntosh
    Member

    @jamesmc

    Locale: Near Bass Strait

    Well I've sent off for maps of Glacier NP, Maroon Bells and Wind Rivers, as well as a guide book to the Wind Rivers. Already the proud ower of a map of Zion NP, though I can't seem to find it at the moment. At least poring over maps will give me the best fun I can have without leaving home. I'll leave the north west in case I ever do a special walking trip to the US.

    Not too conerned about altitude. The highest I've walked at is Mt Hoffman at not quite 11,000 feet. I puffed quite a bit, but it was up hill. If I get up to 14,000 feet – well I'll just see what it feels like then!

    Thanks to all for the advice.

    James

    #1826593
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    Be sure to check out the Trip Report Index.

    My point was more about acclimating to the altitude. Some people need a day or two to alleviate the headaches, nausea, etc that can come from going too high too fast.

    #1826717
    Russ Porter
    Member

    @russp17

    Locale: Anchorage

    I grew up in Wyoming so I will recommend the wind rivers! It is a great place to go on a weeklong backpacking trip. The other place in Wyoming with a less people where I spent many trips as a kid is the Bighorns, they are not as famous but fabulous fishing and great scenery. The Teton crest trail is nice, but if I had to choose I would choose the Wind Rivers!

    After living in Wyoming I lived in Washington for two years. Washington is wonderful also. The cascades are great and have awesome mountains (not big hills like Colorado). My only complaint of the cascades is you spend a lot of your time walking in trees compared to Wyoming and a lot more people are around. (growing up on the prairie I'm use to not a lot of trees or people that's why I love living in Alaska tree line is low so great vistas all time)

    #1826939
    MFR
    Spectator

    @bigriverangler

    Locale: West

    The only pay showers I know of are at the KOA campgrounds–one outside of West Glacier on Highway 2 and the other in St. Mary. Otherwise, you're going to get too far outside of the park to be useful (and both are a bit out of the way without a vehicle).

    #1828116
    kevperro .
    BPL Member

    @kevperro

    Locale: Washington State

    I'll just offer the two I'd recommend in my neck of the woods. The Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainer has been mentioned and it is a rugged 1 week hike. Most people plan for more than a week so depending on your conditioning it may be too much to bite off the entire loop.

    It has easy access from a major airport as you can see the mountain on any clear day from Seatac.

    The other option I'm doing this summer over Labor Day weekend and there is full bus service that get's you close to all these points (entry and exit). I'm hiking from Lake Quinalt in the southern Olympics to Hurricane Ridge on the northern side. I'm taking 4-5 days as that is the limit of my time off. It could be stretched a little longer with shorter days and/or alternate routes. That is about 60 miles of hiking with a fair amount of elevation change and late August is prime time for hiking the Olympics.

    The bus service from Seatac is well established from Port Angeles around to Lake Quinalt so you could start from either direction. You may need to hitch a ride down from Hurricane Ridge but I've done that many a time without a problem. I don't think it has ever taken me longer than 10 minutes to find a ride in summer.

    I've hiked all over North America inlcuding the Northern half of the AT, Colorado, Utah, Alaska, Southern California section of the PCT and the Olympics are fantastic hiking. The biggest problem with them are the short high-country season.

    #1828850
    James McIntosh
    Member

    @jamesmc

    Locale: Near Bass Strait

    It's getting more complex. Seems there's a conference I should go to in Ashville NC at the end of July. This would give me 3 weeks free. Any recommendations for walking in the Appalachians?

    JamesMc

    #1829449
    Jason Cravens
    Spectator

    @packpack

    Locale: Cumberland Plateau

    The AT is very close to Asheville. You can fly into Asheville or Knoxville, TN. It is fairly easy to get a shuttle from the Knoxville airport to the Smoky Mountains. The AT runs 75 miles through the state of Tennessee. The highest elevations is just under 7,000 feet. Many many options for week long trips. The only downside is the southeastern US is hot and humid in August!

    #1829760
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    I would NOT choose the AT if you could get out west. From the pictures I've seen of Australia I don't think the AT is going to be higher or more scenic than than Australian mountains. I'm not saying it will be horrible just that the western mountains are better, especially when you consider the weather.

    If you end up in the Ashville area don't despair there is plenty to do there.
    From Asheville I would suggest hiking along the Art Loab Trail through the Shining Rock Wilderness. Go in the middle of the week and you'll see less people. Its one of the higher areas so it will be cooler. The Smokies are good but they are a National Park so plan reservations ahead of time. If you need another trip try Grayson Highlands. There's a nice 22+ mile loop through that area. Its also a bit higher so it will be a bit cooler. There should also be some nice whitewater rafting near Ashville if you're into that.

    #1829905
    Jason Cravens
    Spectator

    @packpack

    Locale: Cumberland Plateau

    I agree, I would not choose the AT or Asheville area over the western US, but if you are going to Asheville, the Smokies and Blue Ridge Mountains offer plenty. The Smokies does offer a trip that you can fly very close to (Knoxville) and shuttle to the park. Crowds are high in the Smokies as it is the most visited park in the US. The area offers the AT and the Mountain to Sea Trail. Many options for kayaking, cycling, and rafting. The Obed River area has some great climbing and bouldering available.

    #1829909
    Leslie Thurston
    Member

    @lesler

    Locale: right here, right now

    check out linville gorge and surrounding area (a bit of a drive from ashevegas)
    i found the area suprisingly rugged and somewhat removed
    teems with climbers, but also offers woods exploration
    minus the crowds
    (if you know where to go and where NOT to go)
    hit up a local for prized beta.
    lt

    #1834172
    James McIntosh
    Member

    @jamesmc

    Locale: Near Bass Strait

    It turns out I really 'should' go to Phoenix for work as well. So how about this for a plan?

    Spend a few days in the hills around Asheville, then fly to Phoenix.
    Pick up a hire car and drive via a few sights like Monutment Valley and Mesa Verde to Durango.
    Catch the steam train into the hills and hike for a week in the Weminuche wilderness.
    Get to Aspen somehow (probably hire car)
    Hike the Maroon Bells / Snowmass Wilderness
    Fly out to New York from Aspen
    This is contrary to my preference for not hiring a car – I just didn't want to pay for a hire car to sit in a car park at the end of a road for a week. I really don't mind driving even though the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car.

    A couple of questions…
    Will it be insanely hot in Arizona? (A Swedish colleague who has been there assures me I'll die from the heat, but he's used to ice.)
    Will I be able to buy stuff like freezedried food and disposable gas cylinders at Durango?

    Thanks

    JamesMc

    #1834181
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    Looks good to me James.
    In the Ashville area I'd check out Shining Rock wilderness (actually I think I already mentioned it). Its scenic and cooler up there. I've only been in Linnville Gorge a bit but I would't go there. It is lower and it will be hot and muggy that time of year, also farther away from Ashville. You can drive up to Mt. Mitchell if you want, I've heard its nice on top (haven't been yet).
    Another idea is to see if there are any cool gear stores in Ashville. From what I've heard American outdoor gear doesn't always make it down to Australia so it might be fun to see something different.
    I don't know a lot about Arizona.
    The San Juans via the railroad should be great. You can go up the Elk Creek valley on the Colorado Trail and loop back and com down Chicago Basin (or the other way around). I believe a ticket currently costs about $85. This is an amazing area, a bit crowded by wilderness standards but the scenery is awesome.
    I really like your plan, you get to see a lot of different places. I think the only downside is you won't be able to get really remote and away from people but you can't have everything.

    #1835610
    joseph peterson
    Member

    @sparky

    Locale: Southern California

    Just my humble opinion….i have traveled and hiked the western US all of my 35 years on earth so my opinion is fairly valid and completely non biased. While colorado is strikingly beautiful, all the other areas mentioned are much more beautiful.

    If i were planning a trip of a lifetime to the western US, colorado wouldnt make the cut. Saying that ill be hiking maroon bells first week of august this year….im invited on a trip….id rather be in the sierra

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