I hiked this route 15 years ago when I was in high school and loved it. In fact the next summer, my friend and I convinced a bunch of our buddies to go up to Goat Lake for our senior trip instead of squandering our money in Mexico. We hiked up with a full dual burner Coleman stove and pots …
We climbed on 2/11/06. My bother in law and I are somewhat novice alpine climbers. We decided to do Granite Mountian. I'd heard and read a lot of good things about the climb. We decided to hit the trail at 0600 hrs. We assumed there would be a lot of soft snow so we brought snow shoes. We got to …
I have hiked Dege peak several times and consider it to be the best short hike I have been on in Mt Raininer NP. The view awesome, you can see Mt adams to the south and another tall mt to the north, I think either Baker or Glacier peak. It is great for a time crunch, or for people who …
This is a pretty cool hike. In the summer, you can wear a t-shirt and shorts, but bring a jacket, it can be windy at the top. If you have experience with winter hiking and routefinding, i would suggest doing this hike in the winter, sometime between january and april, on a clear day. the view is awesome, and when …
There has been a great deal of snow up there as of late and it was certainly apparent based on the fact that I couldn't get my Jeep much more than halfway up the road to the trailhead. Despite that, we strapped the snowshoes on and made our way up to the trailhead. We reached the trailhead at about 11:00AM …
We went yesteday, the Sunday of Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. It wasn't too crowded, though we did see a surprising number of people for the time of year, and the rain/hail weather conditions. It was clear and sunny in the morning (I had forgotten what colors other than "gray" the sky came in, heh), which probably drew crowds. The …
If you are lucky enough to have made your way to Arches National Park don't even think about skipping out on this hike. Delicate arch is a literally a national treasure. The hike is relatively short with modest elevation gains so don't pass it by. If you find yourself breathing hard on the trip it is this is likely due …
This hike is remarkably easy. I must say that while the scenery isn't that great the difficulty of the hike isn't that bad either. I would say do this hike in the winter or when rainy since there aren't many views along the way. Still I would say it is worth doing if for no more reason than to see …
Awesome trail for noobies to hiking and "backcountry". If you always wanted to be in the Lord of the Rings sets and settings then go to this portion of the Olympics!
River provides plenty of water that is better than any purified yuppie crap you get in a bottle. I went in May 2003 and experienced some drizzle (because we …
This was also my first experience backpacking in the wilderness overnight. The trail to Rachel Lake is absolutely beautiful, but that's not why we came. We camped right where the trail arrives at Rachel Lake, because it took so much longer than expected to arrive that is was nearly dark by the time we pulled the tent out. Nevertheless, there …
The DAF team headed up to Rattlesnake Ledge on Sunday December 04. There was a couple of inches of snow at the trailhead, increasing to about a foot at the top. The trail up was well traveled, and there was no need for snowshoes, or gators. The trail was a bit slick though. The trail is a gradual climb most …
I'm so glad to see that there are some new Utah hikes! I have been to Canyonlands and Arches, and casually hiked around a bit (no backpacking or hard-core hikes). Of the easy trails I hiked, the Upheaval Dome is the most memorable. I went late March several years ago. There were very few people in Canyonlands at this time, …
I did not want to give this hike a rating since we were unable to make it all the way up, but looks like I can't post without doing so. This is definitely NOT a year-round hike. As you go higher, the snow is very deep (at least 2-3feet, and it seemed that a lot of melting had already occured). …
We took the Cape Alva trail to and from the beach. The hike there was very easy and well maintained. There are a few stairs here and there, but if you are just an active person (but not someone who works out) you will still find it easy. Additionally, we are inexperienced backpackers, and wanted an easy trail where we …
Snow Lake. 1300ft up 400 ft down to get to the lake. The lake was aptly named, at least at this time of year. There was an estimated 5ft of snow at the top. Enough to get waist deep. This white ground covering hindered the speedy completion of the course, however it was an asset to the beauty and interest …
This is a decent hike with nice views for relatively little effort. However, I would not say that it would be easy for visitors who are in bad shape. There are a few other nice hikes that are easier than this one. (Lake 22, Wallace Falls) The trail is nicely maintained, and the initial 1/4th of it is very easy. …
Strenuous hike but I did it with 2 young kids (6 and 8) and they made it on their own so not as difficult as it seems. Mesmerized by the lake we almost didn't make it down before sunset and just spent way too much time at the falls. But everything is well worth the trek and I'll do it …
If you do not like to return the same way you came by - have second car left in theTwin Falls parking lot on exit 34. Then you start from exit 38, have a nice easy decent hike to the waterfalls, continue down the river with the trail and finish the hike at lower parking lot. You descent most of …
Even today, Oct 30 - still very nice hike. About 5 inches of snow on the very top of the mount, covers most of the boulders and big stones on the way. A bit slippery but anyone with high hiking shoes and hiking poles can easily make it. My wife with kids decided to turn back from the very last …
Defiance is a fantastic hike. The hike shares much of the way with the Mason Lake and Bandera Mtn. trail. No doubt you will encounter people on the way up and down. It snowed last night, and we hit the snow at around 4300'. The grade is a little less than average for the Pac NW hiker to Mason Lake, …
This was such a great hike. It probably doesn't hurt that the weather was amazing the day that we did this hike (a crisp, sunny fall morning). The views were amazing. I would expect it to be a bit more difficult if it were raining because of the boulder scramble at the top. Also, if you have weak ankles I …
This hike is very well-maintained. It is full of lush vegetation and mossy branches. It is an easy hike except for the switchbacks towards the end. The hike is quite popular, so you will see quite a few people. (There's probably a reason why that parking lot is so big). Mushrooms galore this time of year. Anyone who is in …
Hiking to Talapus Lake was fine. Easy hike but, yes, a bit muddy, even though, it did not rain the night before. But the way to Olalie Lake was confusing, at least for me. I did not see any sign and the trail was not clear. But it's a good day hike, especially when you don't have a lot of …
Went on this hike yesterday, 10/23/05, and absolutely loved it. For the elevation gain, the trail was rather forgiving thanks to the switchbacks. Even though the weather was cloudy, we were still able to get some really good views of the neighboring peaks. Glad I went.
We hit the trail at 8:30. The weather was looking nice, in the 60s F and partly sunny. The trail is well taken care of, mostly soft surface, with occasional roots and rocks. There is one fallen stag that has blocked that path. It is easily passed with a little hoist . We made it to the top in 120 …