Favorite Hikes

[nyc999]

I'm a pretty avid hiker and love finding new places to go. Hopefully this thread can serve as a place to find new trails, campsites, etc.

I'll review some local favorites and a few of my memorable ones outside of the area. I don't really take many pictures, so I did my best to find pics online.

<u>Local</u>

Most of these are small mountains as you need to drive at least 2-2.5 hours out of NYC to hike mountains of any real size (i.e. 4K+ elevation)

<u>Bear Mountain</u>

This is a pretty popular destination for people in NYC b/c it is one of the closest mountains to the city - it's about 45 minutes north on the Palisades Parkway. It's a little different for me because I grew up 15 minutes away. It's not a big mountain - the base is actually the lowest point on the Appalachian Trail. Also, the main trail is not very challenging. However, far less know about a trail that goes up the steeper side of the mountain. This is my preferred route. I do this hike 2 - 4 times per year (about 2 hours to get up and down) - I do it early in the year as a benchmark and use it to measure my physical fitness throughout the year. There's also a nice skyline view on a clear day.

Lowest point on AT



Hotel at base of mountain



View of lowest point about 3/4 of the way up




<u>Mohonk Mountain House - the Lemon Squeeze</u>

Located in New Paltz, NY, about 1.5 hours north of NYC, this is another great little hike. It is more a pile of rocks than mountain - you can reach the top in 15-minutes if you take the road. But the trail is difficult - an on-all-fours type of climb up through rocks. You will go into small caves, squeeze through narrow passages, and climb up ladders built into the rock. It's another good workout, and there is an amazing view of the Hudson Valley at the top.

Separately, it is at the Mohonk Mountain House, which is a great (albeit expensive) hotel.

Start of Trail



Hotel where trail is located




<u>Breakneck Ridge</u>

In Cold Spring, NY (~1 hour north of NYC), another small mountain yet but challenging climb. The trail starts right on the Hudson River, and you basically climb the face of the mountain. A lot of fun and a good workout.

Start of Trail



View from across the river, the trail goes up the rock part




<u>Long-Distance</u>

For the past 10-12 years, I have taken an almost annual 4-5 day backpacking trip with friends.

<u>Sequoia National Park</u>

An absolutely beautiful park...great hiking, stunning trees, and bears everywhere. You can see very little of the park by car, I believe less than 25%. In addition, it borders Kings Canyon National Park, which is even more remote.

My favorite hike was Alta Peak at about 11K elevation. The website description:

'"Alta" means "high" in Spanish, and Alta Peak provides some of the best views and high-country scenery within day-hiking distance of the Lodgepole/Wolverton area. On a clear day, you can even see across the Great Western Divide to Mt. Whitney from the summit of Alta Peak (11,204 ft). However, the steep grades and high altitudes along this trail make it one of the most strenuous in the western half of Sequoia National Park. Don't try this hike unless you are in good physical condition. Backcountry permits are also available for this trail.'

I agree with this description, it kicked my butt, especially for an east coaster not used to the elevation.

Very common trees in the park



Alta Peak



View of the Park




<u>Lake Placid, NY</u>

A four-season town w/great skiing in the winter. The summer is fun because there are a ton of mountains and lakes spread over a few miles. This is considered the "high-peaks" region of the Adirondacks. Mt. Marcy is the tallest in the state (just over 5K), and I like the trail which first goes around the mountain and straight up the other side (away from the common approach). Mt. Phelps is an easier alternative in this area, but provides spectacular views.


Views of the region





Mt. Marcy in winter




<u>Other Great Hikes/Areas</u>, but don't currently have the time to write about:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Acadia National Park
Mt. Katahdin, Maine (Baxter State Park)
Pikes Peak, Colorado
Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada
Anywhere in the Scottish Highlands

[IggyWH]

Not exactly the kind of hiking you're talking about, but I have been part of several environmental surveys for gas pipelines that are going to be put in. At all cost, these lines try to avoid human contact areas, which leads us to walk in areas that I wonder how many humans have really seen some of the things I have seen.

An example of this is my post showing pics from my time spent in Kentucky last winter.

I'm sure it's not safe for someone like you to just go exploring on someones land, but in my experience, this is when you see some of the coolest things.

[emon87]

I've always felt bad for the people on the east coast who don't have the awesomeness of the Cascades, etc. to go into.

I've gone too many places to count - both backpacking and mountaineering. I will definitely post a bunch of pics and reports soon. (Have to do work right now tho)

However, amongst my favorites:

McClellan Butte



Seven Lakes Basin




The Enchantments




And of Course, Mt. Rainier

[Dominic]

cool! I grew up in North Jersey and Bear Mountain was a big part of my childhood...camping in the summer, hiking in the winter through the softly falling snow and trees...awesome.

[Banks2334]

nyc,
Sequoia is awesome. A must see in California.
As for favorite hikes, for me it's Mt Whitney. For those who don't know, its located in the Eastern Sierra and is the tallest peak in the continental US. There are many technical climbing routes but amazingly enough, there is a hikeable trail, The Main Whitney Trail. It is 11.5 miles one way with an elevation gain of about 6000 feet. Due to the high demand there is a strict permit system in place to limit the impact of people on the trail. Also, due to the well maintained trail, people underestimate the effort required to hike the trail(only 1/3 of all people summit).
Some people hike partway up and camp but I prefer to do it in a day. It usually takes me about 12-13 hours. A fun variation is to do it at night under a full moon or leave at midnight so you get to the summit by sunrise, its quite a sight. If someone is looking for a fun physical challenge with spectacular views, it can't be beat.

[JaredL]

[ QUOTE ]
I've always felt bad for the people on the east coast who don't have the awesomeness of the Cascades, etc. to go into.


[/ QUOTE ]

Definately.

My favorite hiking is in Southern(ish) Oregon along the North Umpqua Trail. It basically runs from not too far outside of Roseburg to Diamond Lake.

Here's a so-so pic of Watson Falls:


Probably my favorite place in the world as far as views go is on a lookout on Mount Bailey, where you look out over Diamond Lake with a view of Mount Thielsen on the other side of it. Here's a view from the lake. Here's a shot that is the reverse:


and a shot of Thielsen from the Lake


Crater Lake is also right there, though if on a hike you have to go through massive desert basically at high altitude so I've only driven up to it from the campground. It is one of the most amazing things you will ever see. Pictures don't really do it justice but here are a couple:

[cobrakai111]

Trapper Peak in the Bitteroots. This was one of many awesome hikes I went on when I lived in Montana. Photos like these really make me miss it at times.

[JuntMonkey]

Mohonk is badass, we used to go all the time when I was a kid. I've been doing that rock climb since I was 5. One time my grandma was with us. We came upon a difficult-looking stretch and she said "oh s--t".

They filmed Road to Wellville there.

[whiskeytown]

I don't do many hikes away from MT - the hill behind our place has the best view of the valley, IMHO -

but a couple times I went up to Glacier and went to Avalanche Lake - in early spring, before the tourists really start pouring in, you start at a grassy level and usually find yourself in the snow range before it's done -

I was there one time - it was cloudy and beautiful beyond words - and no people - people ruin the experience for me -

come to think of it - so do bears [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

rb

[JaBlue]

Only place I really did an extended hike was 7 days in the sierras at a trail called mineral king. I think we did something like 35 miles and 12000 feet total elevation change, went up starting at 7000 highest area was 12000, went up and down a lot of hills.

photos courtesy of my friend John Chen, amateur photographer.

Trailhead:




The whole place pretty much looks like this:


Cody and Mara:


John is a swimmer and everyone was trying to goad him into swimming across this lake (the short way parallel to the dam). I told him I would do it if he did, we dove in, water was probably 45-50. John finished when I was about half-way, at which point I thought there was a good point I would die- had to keep my head above water because I needed air and couldn't hold my breath long enough to go under. Very scary.