Backpacker Magazine – January 2011

Trip Finder: Rockies

Your favorite Rockies hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.

by: Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

Tags:
• Destinations
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• Wyoming
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• Idaho
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• Colorado
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• Montana
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• Yellowstone
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• Grand Teton
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DAYHIKES
WILDFLOWERS Rustler Gulch Trail, CO
In late July, the mountains above Crested Butte go kaleidoscopic with chiming bell, Indian paintbrush, cow parsnip, and columbine. Sample the show on a mellow, 10-mile round-trip hike through Gunnison NF north of Gothic. Bonus: views of crumbling Precarious Peak. fs.fed.us/r2/gmug

PEAKBAGGING Scotchman Peak Trail, ID
Yes, the ascent is leg-quiveringly steep. But the reward for grunting your way up 3,700 feet in 4.2 miles to Scotchman Peak’s 7,009-foot summit? Equally breathtaking vistas of the rugged peaks around your perch, including the Blacktop, Goat, and Sugarloaf Mountains. fs.usda.gov/ipnf

WILDLIFE Mt. Washburn Trail, WY
Want a highlight reel of Yellowstone’s A-list fauna, but don’t have a week to play hide and seek? Hike this 6.2-mile round-trip from the Dunraven trailhead to the lookout atop 10,243-foot Mt. Washburn, says Frasier. He’s spotted bison, elk, and a mama grizzly with cubs all in one hike. nps.gov/yell


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