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Backpacker Magazine – November 2012
From the Field: BACKPACKER Trail Scouts' Top Western Local Hikes
Whether you want an uncrowded hike in Zion National Park or a five-miler through a gypsum dune field in New Mexico, our scouts have paved the way.
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Tags:
- FromTheField |
- Washington |
- Idaho |
- New Mexico |
- Utah |
- Arizona |
Lower Hulls Gulch Loop, Hulls Gulch/Camel's Back Reserve, ID
David Gordon, Boise, ID
Escape into the foothills five minutes from downtown Boise on this local-favorite seven-mile loop. Ascend 600 feet in two miles to a sage- and bitterbrush-covered ridgeline: “You get nice views looking back at the city to the southwest,” Gordon says. Descend along trickling Hulls Creek to close the loop. Tip: Don’t let a freezing late-fall morning dissuade you—the hills are at their prettiest under a layer of frost. (Check ridgetorivers.cityofboise.org for trail conditions.) Trip ID 5668
“Also consider going in the late afternoon, when the sunlight casts an orange hue on the autumn-brown hills.”
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READERS COMMENTS
Never lose your way in the clouds or succumb to exposure just because you want to avoid the crowds on a glorious trail around an emerald lake! Know how to find your way by reading "Felix the Sugar Glider Be Safe Hike Smart" (Amazon). Learn how to orient yourself using a compass, a compass and a map, a map and no compass, no compass and no map. A compass doesn't need satellites or batteries and works in all types of weather but you need to know how to use it and this book makes learning how to use a compass easy. Look for it on Amazon, "Felix the Sugar Glider Be Safe Hike Smart." The ability to know your way and know where you are is something we all need in any survival situation not just while hiking. Learn to stay found by using a compass and paying attention to your surroundings. Learn what to pack for a day-hike, what to do if you get lost, how to get rescued, and survival packing (for the car and for the trail) just incase you end up unexpectedly spending the night outdoors.
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