Many years ago I did  a four night trip into the John Muir Wilderness from Wishon Reservoir to Blackcap Basin and back. I thought the area was pretty spectacular high country but with a fair bit of climbing to get there. On the trip, I spent two days getting to Portal Lake and an extra [...]

I love spring hiking. The long days, abundant greenery, full streams… But access to Sierra trails are limited in May. Many of the smaller backroads are closed due to snow and will not be open – depending on the year – till June or later. And most access points that are available mean snow hiking [...]

Located in central Arizona, Southwest of Flagstaff, Sycamore Canyon wilderness looked interesting when I read the write up in Exploring Arizona’s Wild Areas. It was described as similar to Oak Creek Canyon, without the crowds… hmm. The last couple of Spring trips to Arizona had been to the Mazatzal and I was looking to try [...]

Into the Mazatzal Wilderness once again. This time I tried an area north of the East Verde River. I studied the map and found an interesting rough canyon section and decided to explore that. Kind of a slow trek, but well worth the effort. Saw some great areas. The trek started at the 6000′ Twin [...]

I had read some articles on Peoples (Peeples) Canyon and read the write up in Exploring Arizona’s Wild Areas and was intrigued. Arizona Highways described the area as ‘one of the wonders of public land in Arizona’. Riparian areas in the desert are always beautiful places to visit and see the stark contrast between the wet and the dry. So I decided to take a Spring trip to this area. Five nights up through the canyon from the South and then looping back with a play-it-as-it-goes route coming back.

Apache Kid Wilderness is located not far from Hwy 25 about 3 hours South of Albuquerque. I had gone to New Mexico to visit friends in Albuquerque and had wanted to do some backpacking while there. Where, I wasn’t sure. It was still high season and I didn’t want to fight the crowds that go [...]