Backpacker Magazine – May 2010

Local Hikes: Mountain West

Spot a grizzly, basecamp amid Fourteeners, and relax in secluded hot springs. (Click linked trips for GPS waypoints, photos, and more.)

by: Ted Alvarez, Shannon Davis, and Kim Phillips.

Tags:
• Hiking
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• Camping
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• Backpacking
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• Colorado
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• New mexico
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• Arizona
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• Utah
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• Wyoming
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• Montana
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• Adventures
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1. Favorite multiday: Swiftcurrent Pass
From Glacier NP’s Logan Pass trailhead, take the Highline Trail to Swiftcurrent Pass, then descend through Many Glacier Valley, past turquoise icemelt pools. You’ll cross fields of glacier lilies (watch for grizzlies here–they love the bulbs) and steep slopes (watch for mountain goats). 14.7 miles

2. Megafauna: Yellowstone NP
Yellowstone’s 60-by-40-mile rectangle packs in 1,000 miles of trail, 600 griz, and 12 wolf packs. Hike the 17-mile Specimen Ridge Trail for vistas of it all. You won’t share; it’s off the tourist route. 

3. Best dayhike: Zion Narrows
Unknown? No. Unbeatable? Yep. Do it as a dayhike or an overnighter.

4. Favorite soak: Rainbow Hot Springs
From West Fork trailhead, hike eight miles round-trip to these sandy-bottom, 104°F pools. Seats eight.

5. Easy peak: Sandia Crest
Hop the tram to 10,000 feet. Then cruise 12 miles from aspens to desert.

6. Life-list basecamp: Chicago Basin
Take the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train to the Needleton stop; hike six miles to this cirque at 11,200 feet. Bag three Fourteeners or just explore.





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