Do we have any hikers / backpackers?

[zillayen]

Only slightly off topic, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Glacier is on our radar, but having done Banff, Jasper and Yoho, I wonder if the scenery will be much the same. Is it worth doing, or will we be underwhelmed?

Glacier is beautiful and definitely worth doing. Compared to Banff/Jasper, the glaciers themselves are much smaller and less accessible so if that is your main focus then you might be underwhelmed.

 

[Colleen27]

If you haven't ever been, try the Porcupine Mountains in the western UP. Absolutely stunning.

DH and I went there on our first vacation together. We stayed at the modern campground and did a lot of day hikes. While out on the trails I often thought I would like to try an overnight hike and camp out but then I got a look at the bear pole and a pile of bear scat and quickly admitted my limitations. Day hikes are where it's at for me.

We went for the first time during the first pandemic summer - rented a house nearby, hiked during the day and had bonfires and stargazed at night. I love it up there, and can't believe it took me 42 years of living in Michigan to get further into the UP than the falls and Pictured Rocks.

 

[bcla]

If you haven't ever been, try the Porcupine Mountains in the western UP. Absolutely stunning.

DH and I went there on our first vacation together. We stayed at the modern campground and did a lot of day hikes. While out on the trails I often thought I would like to try an overnight hike and camp out but then I got a look at the bear pole and a pile of bear scat and quickly admitted my limitations. Day hikes are where it's at for me.

I'm big on western national parks and other areas. But it can be really weird sometimes. Once I had a day hike plan mapped out near Lake Tahoe and had to change it once I found that the pass I wanted to go through was covered in snow during May. But then I saw a couple that had been backpacking and said they came through that pass, but then I noticed that they had snowshoes strapped to their packs that they wore to get through the snow.

Certainly the most famous hiking spot in California is probably Yosemite. I met a family from Michigan (mom said she was from the UP but they lived near Detroit) when hiking there one year. However, even living in the San Francisco Bay Area there's so much open space. No bears though. Or if there is it becomes big news with almost a mythical nature.

 

[Jangles]

I enjoyed a glorious 20k walk around the Cotswolds (over the border in England) yesterday. A pub at the start and end , so a nice cold for refreshment before and after. It’s interesting that so many Disney fans like hiking, as you probably wouldn’t naturally put those interests together. The fit legs certainly help whilst visiting WDW and at RD.
I love seeing your photographs.

 

[Turn the Page]

I enjoyed a glorious 20k walk around the Cotswolds (over the border in England) yesterday. A pub at the start and end , so a nice cold for refreshment before and after. It’s interesting that so many Disney fans like hiking, as you probably wouldn’t naturally put those interests together. The fit legs certainly help whilst visiting WDW and at RD.
I love seeing your photographs.

Maybe it's because WDW and hiking are both active? Not that you can't like both active vacations and a spa trip or a beach weekend where all you do is lay in the sun but they seem fundamentally different to me.

 

[luvsvacation]

I enjoy hiking/backpacking but so far 2 days/1 night is my limit. It’s mostly about food. I don’t really want to mess with camp cooking and for 2 days I can live off beef jerky, trail mix and granola bars. I’ve hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon twice. This summer I’m doing 20 miles in the backcountry on the Teton Crest trail. That will be a first for me with no facilities at all and having to purify stream water. I’m taking baby steps, maybe someday I’ll get up to multi-day trips!

 

[RangerPooh]

I enjoy hiking/backpacking but so far 2 days/1 night is my limit. It’s mostly about food. I don’t really want to mess with camp cooking and for 2 days I can live off beef jerky, trail mix and granola bars. I’ve hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon twice. This summer I’m doing 20 miles in the backcountry on the Teton Crest trail. That will be a first for me with no facilities at all and having to purify stream water. I’m taking baby steps, maybe someday I’ll get up to multi-day trips!

Nothing wrong with baby steps. My trips are often just quick overnights. Work on Friday, drive out Saturday morning, return home Sunday. This is what we frequently do with our scouts or when my mommy friends and I go out. On our last mommy backpacking trip we brough beverages and a charcuterie.

 

[iheartglaciers]

Day hiker only here. We scored the elusive and very hard to get day pass for Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park in 2018. I’ve never seen such magnificence in all my life. Every moment was absolutely breathtaking.

For anyone who hikes I highly recommend Banff, Yoho and Jasper National parks in Canada. My husband and I are planning to start travelling to as many North American National parks as we can to see the beauty of our continent. We currently live in the Niagara escarpment so it’s a great place to get in shape and train out on the trails.

I loved Jasper and Banff!! I was thinking about hiking into Lake O’Hara, since I didn’t get the permit, but I’ll have to go back!

 

[pigletto]

I loved Jasper and Banff!! I was thinking about hiking into Lake O’Hara, since I didn’t get the permit, but I’ll have to go back!

I don’t know your skill level but there’s a variety of hikes. We did the Opabin Plateau which was a struggle for me but I am so glad I pushed on. It’s was a pretty beastly elevation gain for me.

You take a bus 11km up the mountain to the starting point for all the trails. People who don’t get spots on the bus often hike up. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/opabin-plateau-and-lake-ohara

 

[Frwinkley]

What we loved about Banff and Jasper were the little towns themselves. We could be out all day enjoying the sights, hiking, etc. and then head back to the hotel and enjoy dinner and a nice evening stroll. It truly was the best of both worlds. We are not campers and appreciate nice hotels--finding a mix of beautiful scenery and modern accommodations can be challenging. That also makes me a bit leery about Glacier. I've looked into staying in Whitefish, but I'm not sure if that's reasonable.

 

[RamblingMad]

I hike, backpack, and camp. I spent a couple of days this week hiking around Sedona. I'm usually on a trail at least one day a week or more.

 

[bcla]

I guess one of the most sought after day hikes is for the Half Dome cables. The National Park Service now has a [correction] lottery for day use permits, but they more or less come with most backpacking permits if requested. This is what it used to look like on the weekends and holidays before the permit system:

I don't know if I could do it that way. It would just absolutely beat up my body to do the 16 miles round trip. It's not just long, but the elevation gain and loss. I had enough difficulty doing 10 miles a day. The downhills may be less tiring, but they absolutely beat up on ones knees and hips. Definitely bring hiking poles and ibuprofen.

 

[RamblingMad]

I guess one of the most sought after day hikes is for the Half Dome cables. The National Park Service now has a letter for day use permits, but they more or less come with most backpacking permits if requested. This is what it used to look like on the weekends and holidays before the permit system:

I don't know if I could do it that way. It would just absolutely beat up my body to do the 16 miles round trip. It's not just long, but the elevation gain and loss. I had enough difficulty doing 10 miles a day. The downhills may be less tiring, but they absolutely beat up on ones knees and hips. Definitely bring hiking poles and ibuprofen.

I tend to do less crowded hikes. This is one I did where I only saw two other hikers.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/the-hog-wash-and-hog-heaven-loop

 

[iheartglaciers]

I don’t know your skill level but there’s a variety of hikes. We did the Opabin Plateau which was a struggle for me but I am so glad I pushed on. It’s was a pretty beastly elevation gain for me.

You take a bus 11km up the mountain to the starting point for all the trails. People who don’t get spots on the bus often hike up. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/opabin-plateau-and-lake-ohara

Yes, that’s what I was planning to do when I didn’t get the permit! I’ll definitely have to go back and do it, even if I have to hike in to the trailhead. Looks amazing!

 

[longboard55]

I hike a couple times a week in the local trails, but now apparently we have a mountain lion, so might change a few routes