Press "Enter" to skip to content

Tag: deer

Garfield Basin: Center Park Trail to Tungsten PassGarfield Basin: Center Park Trail to Tungsten Pass

Garfield Basin: Center Park Trail to Tungsten Pass

High Uintas Wilderness | Saturday – Monday, August 1-3, 2026

After spending Friday evening at a concert in Salt Lake City, I was up early on Saturday morning to meet up with Jared so we could head over to the Uinta Mountains and go on a two night backpacking trip into the High Uintas Wilderness. We had tried backpacking along the western end of the Highline Trail last summer from Hayden Pass, but that trip didn’t work out as planned because there was a brand new wildfire that altered our initial plans and then we encountered plenty of deadfall across the trail from an older fire that made the hiking difficult. We were hoping not to repeat that kind of trip again this year. After looking over maps I thought Garfield Basin looked like it would be a relatively easy hike to a large basin that is mostly above treeline and wouldn’t be too busy or impacted by previous wildfires, so that’s where we decided to go. As an added bonus, we would be able to briefly connect up with the Highline Trail near the top of the basin and visit a pass or two while we were up there.

CONTINUE READINGGarfield Basin: Center Park Trail to Tungsten Pass
Leave a Comment
West Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater LakeWest Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater Lake

West Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater Lake

Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness | Saturday & Sunday, July 25-26, 2026

I can’t believe that it has finally happened! Just like with the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Maroon Bells Scenic Area was one of those places I thought I would probably never visit because of how popular and busy it can be there- plus there’s also the additional logistics of getting there and being able to park. As I have been working my way through the trails of the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness these past few years, I figured it was finally time to give this area a shot and hike up the West Maroon Creek drainage since I had already booked permits at all of the other areas in the Wilderness with designated campsites except for at Crater Lake. Back in February I was able to secure a camping permit at Crater Lake along with an overnight parking reservation, so this trip was actually going to happen this year! Although I initially hoped that Diane would be able to go with me, she was unavailable this weekend, so I invited Jackson and his wife Amy who both wanted to come along.

CONTINUE READINGWest Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater Lake
Leave a Comment
Ouray Trails: Portland Trail & Old Horsethief TrailOuray Trails: Portland Trail & Old Horsethief Trail

Ouray Trails: Portland Trail & Old Horsethief Trail

Ouray Trails on Memorial Day | Sunday – Monday, May 24-25, 2026

After leaving the Paradox Valley on Sunday afternoon, I went for a scenic drive across the Uncompahgre Plateau to Montrose and then headed south to Ouray so I could start off my summer hiking season in the San Juan Mountains since the snow is melting out early this year. I arrived with plenty of time to get in a late afternoon hike near town, so I started from the Baby Bathtubs Trailhead just below the Amphitheater Campground and planned to hike a loop up the Portland Trail, since it’s one of the few trails near Ouray that I had never hiked before.

CONTINUE READINGOuray Trails: Portland Trail & Old Horsethief Trail
Leave a Comment
White Rocks: Gold Star Canyon & The BenchWhite Rocks: Gold Star Canyon & The Bench

White Rocks: Gold Star Canyon & The Bench

Heart of the World | Sunday, October 26, 2025

After spending Saturday morning hiking a big loop in the Colorado National Monument that combined Ute Canyon and Monument Mesa, I returned again early on Sunday morning to hike a shorter loop near Gold Star Canyon from the White Rocks Trailhead. This time I would combine the Mushroom Rock Trail, Gold Star Canyon Trail, Bench Trail and Fenceline Trail to create a nice little 6-7 mile loop and end up back at the White Rocks. I started hiking up onto the Precambrian Bench at dawn and was able to make it to an overlook of Monument Canyon below Mushroom Rock just in time to watch the sunrise.

CONTINUE READINGWhite Rocks: Gold Star Canyon & The Bench
Leave a Comment
Plateau of Fire: Yellowstone National ParkPlateau of Fire: Yellowstone National Park

Plateau of Fire: Yellowstone National Park

Tuesday – Saturday, August 19-23, 2025

Up until about a week ago Diane and I were planning to spend the latter part of this week backpacking in the Wind River Range in Wyoming, however some things came up that prevented us from going on a longer backpacking trip at this time, so we decided to change course and throw together a last minute trip to Yellowstone National Park instead. Neither of us had ever been to Yellowstone before and I’ve certainly always avoided the park because of the massive crowds it attracts, but I guess it was finally time to give the world’s first National Park a shot. So late last week I reserved a site at the Bridge Bay Campground for three nights and then came up with a rough itinerary that focused on visiting some of the areas around the lower Grand Loop Road, entering the park via Cody and the East Entrance and then leaving through the South Entrance into Jackson Hole. I had never even thought about planning a trip to Yellowstone before last week or been this far north in Wyoming before, and I had to consult a lot of maps and guidebooks to help me figure out the layout of the park rather quickly so our itinerary would make some sense.

CONTINUE READINGPlateau of Fire: Yellowstone National Park
3 Comments