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

NORTHWEST

2 days
Ecola State Park, OR
Go tent-free on this 16-mile hike along the rocky Pacific. Take the Oregon Coast Trail north from Ecola Point; cruise by tide pools at Indian Beach and climb above the shore to Tillamook Point. At mile four, drop your pack at the Adirondack-style shelters near the lighthouse viewpoint, then climb north 2.5 miles to Tillamook Head viewpoint. Backtrack to the shelter, and return to Ecola the next day through Sitka spruce via the Clatsop Loop Trail. oregonstateparks.org

3 days
Mt. Tahoma Trails Association Huts, WA The southern group of the MTTA's huts (and yurt) will reopen in late summer–just in time for a fall fastpack. Hike 7.5 miles from the Road 1 Sno-Park, south of Ashford, to the yurt, at 4,100-feet, below Griffin Mountain. Inside, you'll find an outfitted kitchen and sleeping pads. The next day, continue 1.6 miles to the 5,283-foot peak of Griffin Mountain, then tackle the six-mile Outer Loop Trail. skimtta.com

4 days
Lake Lovelywater, Squamish, BC
The Alpine Club of Canada's huts are a cozy base (bunks, full kitchen, propane heat) for hiking the Tantalus Mountains. From Brackendale, hire a jet boat (604-898-3356) to cross the Squamish River, then trek four miles to the Tantalus Hut. The next day, climb to the Jim Haberl Hut for a two-nighter. Then try the class III West Ridge of Mount Alpha. accvancouver.ca/huts.htm

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