|
Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia is home to the
highest peak in the Canadian Rockies - Mount Robson at 12,972 feet. In
2006 I day hiked the 25 mile trail to spectacular Berg Lake.
There may well be more scenic hikes out there in the Rockies, but I
haven't found them yet...
|
|
Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument in
Utah offers some of the best canyon and desert hiking in the Southwest, in a region that's
still remote enough to offer a taste of exploration. My favorite hike in the
Escalante is the majestic Coyote Gulch - which can be experienced at least briefly on a day
hike - but for those with the right skills the Escalante also boasts renowned slot canyons and
multi-day backpacking routes.
|
|
Jostedalsbreen National Park in
Norway, whose glaciers are one of the last vestiges of the ice age to be found in continental
Europe, is ringed by spectacular fjords and lake-filled valleys. A small
number of marked trails - most of which are steep and strenuous - provide access
to this unique landscape, which is relatively little known outside Norway.
|
|
Glacier National Park. If you want to see a grizzly bear in the lower
48 states, Glacier is your best bet. Other benefits of venturing this far
north in Montana include perhaps the most striking section of the Rockies outside Canada
(though only just, it's on the border), and an extensive trail system that's
ideal for both day hikes and backpacking trips.
|
|
Zion National Park is my favorite Utah park. The signature hike here
is the Narrows, a non-technical hike along - and frequently through - the
Virgin River as it flows through a spectacularly beautiful gorge. This is one of
the best day hikes to be found anywhere. There are also excellent hikes to the
rim of Zion Canyon, from where the views rival any to be found in the Southwest.
|
|
Bugaboo Provincial Park lies in the Purcell Mountains of British
Columbia. The glaciers and granite spires in this small park are renowned
climbing destinations, and offer scenery distinct from anything found in the
nearby Canadian Rockies. Trailheads here and elsewhere in the Purcells are relatively
remote, and as a result the trails are sparsely frequented.
|
|
Canyonlands National Park features some of the
classic views of the American southwest - you'll recognize the scenery here even if you've
never heard of the park - together with excellent day hiking possibilities in the park's
southern Needles district. Less crowded than Zion or Arches (never mind the Grand Canyon!)
Canyonlands offers perhaps the starkest view of the desert to be found in the Utah parks.
|
|
Olympic National Park may be the most varied of the National Parks - it
includes glaciated mountains, rainforest and temperate forest, along with a
stretch of undeveloped Pacific coast. I visited Olympic in 2003, and found at
least half a dozen good day hikes in the most easily accessible part of the
park near Port Angeles.
|
|
The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness protects almost a million acres in
southern Montana, not far from Yellowstone National Park. The most distinctive
feature of the wilderness is a vast high plateau, dotted with lakes and
mountains including Granite Peak, the highest in Montana. My trip there
in 2004 scarcely does justice to the hiking possibilities, which are
extensive and worth considering as an alternative to the crowds in
Yellowstone.
|
|
Arches National Park is first and foremost a photographic location. Hiking
possibilities here are limited - the main trails can be exhausted in a single day -
but packed into such a small area are some of the iconic landscapes of the American Southwest.
The highlight of the park, Delicate Arch, which sits on the edge of a sandstone bowl
with the La Sal Mountains as a backdrop, is even more impressive in person than
in the inumerable photographs.
|
