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Backpacker magazine just came out with it's list of America's Best Day Hikes. For Utah, they listed three (in order of "best"-ness):
1) Zion Narrows
2) Delicate Arch
3) Fairyland Loop in Bryce.
What would you rate as the top three day hikes in Utah? (Imagine you have only 3 days to live and must hike each day.) To broaden things, include canyoneering trips if you feel the need to do so.
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Originally Posted by Brewhaha
I LOVE #1 and #3... never did #2. Does it really deserve to be up there?
oh now tanya ... we all know that utah is famous for its arches, and that arch there ... well, it's pretty DAMN hard to beat that arch, with it's basin below, the cliff beyond, the spectacular views in all directions, the la sal mountains, the boatloads of people, the fire scars, the rope grooves, ...Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
yeah it surely has every right to be up there.
i am shocked you've never been. i think every corner of southern utah deserves focus. :ne_nau:
As a destination, I think so. But as a hike? I don't find the hike especially thrilling other than when you come around the corner and finally see the arch appear out of nowhere...breathtaking.Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
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Originally Posted by stefan
You have hiked a lot. What are your top 3 hikes? :popcorn:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brewhaha
What are your top 3 Brew! You have been around the Utah hiking quite a bit!
Hard to argue with the Backpacker mag list....
But just to be different here is my top three non-tech hikes:
Black Hole
Subway (from the top)
Buckskin Gulch
We need to get Tanya out of the kitchen.... err... I mean out of Zion for some fun exploring.
:popcorn:
Leave Zion!?!?!?!?!? --- I do a little --- once in a while. :haha:Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
I have heard the name Black Hole. What's so great about it? Why is it your favorite? I put Kolob Creek way way way way above Subway! I would put a vote in for Subway if you add Das Boot to it. :2thumbs: Buckskin I am doing this spring I hope. We were going to do it this month but its full of water.
Read my pre qualifications..... I said non-techie.
The Black Hole is just an awesome hike :2thumbs:
The Black Hole of White Canyon
http://climb-utah.com/CM/blackhole.htm
http://climb-utah.com/CM/Files/blackhole1.jpg
Those are not technical .. they just need a little bit of rope to do them. :ne_nau:Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
Of the ones I have done .... I would list:
1. Canaan Mountain to Eagle Crags
2. South Canyon to Vasey's Paradise - Grand Canyon
3. Maybe Bridge Mountain, but it would have to be with a snow storm and flash flooding like we has last June! I guess Bridge has that major climbing section though ---- Holding out to see if Buckskin fits the bill. :popcorn:
http://www.zionnational-park.com/ima...ney-aa_jpg.jpg
Chimney on Bridge Mountain
Kolob is non-tech??? using the MIA exit/entrance blows..... and you still have one rappel.
I would NEVER list Das Boot as non-tech.... it has two manadory rappels, one of which can currently be avoided if the old log has not washed out.
just my opinion :popcorn:
I was just kidding .... of course they are quite technical. (Sorry bad joke.. exhausted!) Kolob is really technical...... I have the Zion Canyon's listed from what I thought was easiest to hardest. Kolob is the hardest of the ones I have done. --->Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
http://www.zionnational-park.com/zio...nyoneering.htm
I was not thrilled with the MIA exit either. I was really not too thrilled with the Cougar we met close to the bottom of it! I don't know where it went after we scared it away but I am glad he was not impressed with that exit either!
Based on my limited experience (I haven't done The Narrows or Buckskin, etc.) here are some that I rate highly:
1) Chesler Park (including the Cracks) via Elephant Hill
2) Angel's Landing
3) Kane Gulch to Bullet Canyon (the longest hike I've ever taken because we were constantly going off trail to search for ruins and such)
Also, I'm curious about Shane's categorization of the Subway as non-technical. Could you elaborate?
My top three so far...
http://richardbarron.net/galleries/anytrail/lwhc/
http://richardbarron.net/galleries/a...l/CheslerPark/
http://richardbarron.net/galleries/anytrail/PeekaBoo/
But there are about a quillion that deserve to go on the list.
I agree with some that Delicate Arch is a cool destination (which is why, after all, I got married there), but the hike itself is easy and relatively uninteresting. There's no reason not to see it, though, since it's so easy to access.
Experianced hikers or athletic individuals do not need technical gear or knowledge to descend the Subway. But you do need a 60 foot rope or webbing to use as a handline in a couple of places. And you might need to use some team work with your parnters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brewhaha
Lots of people descent the Subway each year without the knowledge of how to rappel. This was also how I did my first descent of the Subway years ago.
First time I went through the Subway we carried 30' of webbing with a knot tied every 1' to use as a handline. Only problem with carrying 30' is you are forced to leave the webbing at the final obstacle. 60' of webbing allows you to loop the webbing around the bolts and retrieve it.
The major obstacles in the Subway are navigation, swimming and a couple of 5' to 8' drops that you do not want to jump because you might break an ankle.
Now days when I do the Subway I carry a harness and rope for my beginners or children so I can lower them down, but all the experienced or physical people just downclimb the obstacles with a spot from below or a handline from above.
:popcorn:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brewhaha
Just like Shane said, and Orderville Canyon is the same. In fact Orderville is easier to do without a rope than the Subway I think. --- but taking a rope for emergencies is always suggested!
I think Orderville is a little easier then Subway. At least here is no major navigation that will get you in trouble if ya mess it up. You will also need a short rope for handlines and such in Orderville.
The big deal with these obstacles in Orderville and Subway is if someone shows you the secret "oh my god" hand holds and the "I didn't see that" passage way they are pretty simple. But you are sure to miss some of the easy bypass type stuff the first time so you will want a rope to make up for your oversight.
These are the type obstacles that teenage boys blow right over and then say they don't know what the big deal is..... while middle aged beginners curse the route description for understating the problems.
.
Exactly! And why those same kids get hurt and have to have SAR drag their butts :bootyshake: out of the canyons. :popcorn:Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
Anyone have any favorite day hikes that arent canyons or in the south??
How about not in Utah but close?
Up Vallecito Creek just north of Durango. A great backpacking area. I recommend going over Columbine Pass and into Chicago Basin. 3-4 days.
Ouch! Those photos rock! :rockon:Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Barron
What is Chesler Park like? Why a favorite?Quote:
Originally Posted by Brewhaha
Angels Landing Rocks :rockon: No explanation needed. :mrgreen:
Where is Kane Gulch and why a favorite?
Have 3 favorites Stefan? Is Arches on that list? :ne_nau:Quote:
Originally Posted by stefan
OK.... how about three of my favorite winter SLC area routes?
Fifth Water Hotsprings
http://climb-utah.com/WM/fifth.htm
http://climb-utah.com/WM/Files/Fifth1s.jpg
Frary Peak
http://climb-utah.com/WM/frary.htm
http://climb-utah.com/WM/Files/frary6.jpg
Donut Falls
http://climb-utah.com/WM/donut.htm
http://climb-utah.com/WM/Files/donut01.jpg
Now how about a couple others cough up there favorite winter SLC area hikes :2thumbs:
.
1. just about any peak, ridge, bowl, glade you can tour and descend as that snow billows up on your chestQuote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
2. mt. van cott (sentimental reasons)
3. frary peak
Yeah.... I also had sex up there..... wonder if it was the same girl.....Quote:
Originally Posted by stefan
:roflol: :roflol: :roflol: :roflol:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
I have a hard time thinking of you as ever having a sentimental moment. Stefan on the other hand is sweet and I am sure he has many of those kinds of moments. :mrgreen:
I love to hike the Wasatch ...mostly from Albion Basin up to Sugarloaf Pass to the tram at Snowbird down the ridges to the Phifferhorn. In there you can drop down to Red Pine or White Lakes & down to the Little Cottonwood cnyn road. OR drove up Little Cottonwood to Lisa Falls and hike up the falls & creek as high as you dare, climbing under & over the ice flows...awesome. Lastly, any trails that connect in the area of the Highline Trail near Mirror Lake in the Uintahs.
,,,Up here in southwest wyoming there are no trails with names...NONE, but they are all over the place...hundreds of miles of them. Sheepcreek Canyon to the south, south of Manila in the uintahs is the most geologically diverse area within a hundred miles and the least populated too.
hmm ... you know choosing favorites is haarrd ... arches? well i've always loved devils garden and the endless fiery furnace. salt creek and the needles are pretty impressive too ... grand gulch from top to bottom and dark canyon are great ... halls creek>stevens cyn>coyote gulch is nice too ... robbers roost ... twin corral is spectacularly deep ... zion & deep creek narrows are manifique ... buckskin and the coyote buttes are superb ... all the forks of choprock (especially the south fork!!!) ... west canyon is simply unREAL ... riggs spring loop in bryce ... ad infinitumQuote:
Originally Posted by tanya
i dunno ... i know most of those aren't day hikes ... but there really is too much when you think about it.
I was not thinking best day hikes.. just best hikes in general. :nod: What is a backpack to one person is a day hike to another. Where do you live Stefan? :popcorn: I have not done Riggs Spring Loop in Bryce! Why is it on your favorite list. The Narrows is obvious. Its spectacular! Where is Devils Garden and the others?Quote:
Originally Posted by stefan
You just need to climb Elephant Butte to see what I wrote in the register during my last visit :lol8:Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
:ne_nau:
Do any of you in the photo know? I can't imagine it was anything sentimental... except maybe Dang... my beer can sprung a hole or something? :haha:Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
Best 3 hikes.. I dont think you can name just 3.
I love the Maple Canyon Loop hike (fountain green)
Provo peak or the Cascade Saddle
No one likes Timp? You just need to do it on a sunday to keep the zoob factor down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summit42
Are these near/in SLC or your favorites of all time? :popcorn:
The three favorites I listed were all hikes you could do during the winter.
well i don't know if a 7 day backpacking trip would be a dayhike to anyone but often i have found some of my favorite moments are backpacking others are canyoneering and still others are ski touring and many others are dayhikes in ancient forests. at this moment in my life i am living in boston. i moved from salt lake a year ago september for work for a short bit of time ... riggs spring? well, first it's in bryce and i love bryce ... but i love this area because of the views, the pink cliffs and most of all the trees. i think this area has one of the most diverse coniferous forests in utah (big lover of conifers ... my favorite plant) the lower subalpine upper montane is a nice place to be. devils garden and fiery furnace are a set of fins in northern arches, a wonderful area. salt creek is in the needles area of canyonlands. the whole of the needles district is wonderful with it's grooooooovy cedar mesa sandstone and it's super-eroded canyon walls. i love THE cedar mesa area of utah, for similar reasons, plus all of the wondeful ruins and rock art. grand gulch is one of the longest canyons in the area, and cuts its way through the cedar mesa sandstone almost all the way to the sanjuan river. essentially it cuts through the descending slab of cedar mesa off of the monument upwarp that is exposing the cedar mesa which lies well below the navajo. the cottonwoods and wet sections of this canyon are just great! the side canyons are wonderful, especially those near the san juan. the ruins ... well, they need no real mention from me. dark canyon on the other hand lies more to the north and cuts deeply below the cedar mesa, and wanders through the fantastic layers of shales, limestones and sandstones ... dazzling ... in fact you can see the bowing of the layers of the upwarp of rock as you descend the canyon and watch how certain layers are positioned above the canyon floor (very cool!). dark canyon in many ways is a unique gem for utah. buckskin cause it rocks ... and the paria narrows are just beautiful ... coyote buttes because well ... you know ... choprock is a tributary system in the middle of the escalante river with wonderful slots and narrows ... escalante is simply a magical place whether in the north or the south ... halls creek lines the southern section of CRNP lying on the east side of the waterpocket fold ... you can following it down (through the halls creek narrows) down further, than up to the top of the waterpocket fold with dazzling views in all directions, then down a number of the eastern escalante side canyons ... stevens canyon to the escalante and up coyote gulch which is utterly beautiful ... west canyon? we'll you'll just have to go there to find out ... quite a tedious approach from either end ... but what's there is OH so good. these really are just a handful of places i have really enjoyed, a number of tech canyons would rank high too.Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
there are just too many amazing places on the plateau ...
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Originally Posted by stefan
What else would you expect from the worlds longest slot canyon :five:Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summit42
Actually, I love Timp, although I hear people bad mouth it a lot, cant figure out why. The scenery is fantastic, it's got a lot of everything in the hike, you almost always see mountain goats, and the views from the top are amazing. It gets my vote for a top 3.
I also really love White Pine for a day hike, again because of the diverse terrain and it's decently long and super pretty. It's particulary great when snowy!
I really love Observation Point in Zion as well. Again (I must really like variety) you have varied terrain and spectacular views and just an amazing hike. Cant go wrong.
yeah, but as i have spent most of my life in salt lake, it is where my heart is.Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
well, i'd be interested in what you think of it ... i mean, it doesn't have the most spectacular forest, and you don't really have views below the rim and i know a lot of people wouldn't place it high on their list, but i included because of the views, the trees and some of the times i have spent there. also along the southern part of the trail along the rim, it's kinda nice to head off trail to the rock out-croppings, to stare down the vertical cliffs to a sea of forest with the white cliffs off in the distance.Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
where were you planning on heading?Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya