Backpacker Magazine – September 2008

Adventure Weekends: Luxury Hiking and Camping

We've got a selection of cozy shelters and trail-side restaurants from Washington to Maine. Check out these hikes in the Rockies, the Northeast, and the Northwest.

by: Jenn Fields

ROCKY MOUNTAINS

2 days
Cibola National Forest, NM
Leave your stove–not your appetite–behind on this 25.5-mile overnighter on the Sandia Crest Trail, 30 minutes east of Albuquerque. From the South Crest trailhead, climb 4,000 feet over 13.5 miles to the High Finance Restaurant (reservations required, 505-243-9742) for prime rib and a microbrew. Camp off-trail nearby and–after a cold breakfast–cruise downhill 12 miles through aspen groves to the North Crest trailhead. fs.fed.us/r3/cibola

3 days
Glen Canyon NRA, UT
Don't haul water–basecamp at an oasis. From the trailhead on Fortymile Ridge Road, drop two miles to Coyote Gulch through Crack-in-the-Wall. The gulch's seeps feed cottonwoods, creating a shady camp a couple of miles upstream from the Escalante River. Over the next two days, do side trips to swooping Cliff Arch; pictographs near Coyote Natural Bridge; and 100-foot wide Jacob Hamblin Arch and its nearby reliable spring. Deer flies subside in the fall, making a tent optional too. nps.gov/glca

4 days
10th Mountain Division Huts, CO
Score alpine views and bag a peak on this classic hut trek linking two 10th Mountain Division huts on a Holy Cross Wilderness 20-miler. From Tennessee Pass, hike 5.7 miles to the 10th Mountain Division Hut at 11,370 feet. The next day, trek 11.3 miles to Uncle Bud's Hut for a two-night stay. On day three, gain the 12,580-foot summit of Galena Mountain. Day four: Hike out four miles to the Timberline Lake trailhead on the west end of Turquoise Lake. huts.org

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