Location: northeast of Montrose, Colorado
Date: August 18, 2011
The Painted Wall
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado encompasses the most dramatic section of the Gunnison River's descent from the Rocky Mountains to its confluence with the Colorado River. The Black Canyon is a very narrow and steep canyon that the Gunnison River rapidly descends through. The canyon itself is as few as 40 feet wide at river level, while the Painted Wall, the highest sheer cliff in Colorado, rises 2,250 feet above the river.
Black Canyon
The park is most easily accessed from the south side of the canyon, but a few facilities are open on the north side during the summer. The South Rim road travels along the canyon rim for a few miles, leading to several viewpoints. There are few trails mileage-wise on the south side with most leading short distances to overlooks.
The lower section of Black Canyon
The canyon formed as the very hard rock of the surrounding area was uplifted and cut by fast-moving water. The river is one of the steepest in North America, losing on average 96 feet per mile in the park (compared to the Colorado River's 7.5 ft/mi in the Grand Canyon) and up to 250 feet per mile in sections. In 48 miles the Gunnison River loses more elevation than the Mississippi river does across its entire length.
Black Canyon
The plants and animals of the area are typical of those of the Colorado Plateau's pinyon-juniper woodlands. Downstream of the park, the canyon is protected in the Bureau of Land Management's Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. Upstream is Curecanti National Recreation Area, where three dams form two small reservoirs and one large reservoir. Rock climbing and river running are popular activities in the park.
Distance: ~1.6 mi (2.6 km) round trip
Highest elevation: 1,058 ft (322 m)
Elevation gain: 958 ft (292 m)
Date: November 24, 2010
The Precipice is perhaps the best and most challenging trail in Acadia National Park. The trail ascends nearly 1000 feet up the vertical eastern face of Champlain Mountain. I did this hike on a chilly and windy November day when there only a couple other people in the park and none on this trail.
The trail begins at the Precipice trailhead on the Park Loop Road south of Bar Harbor. The trail begins gaining some elevation for a short distance until you reach the bottom of the cliff. Next comes the best part of the hike when you reach ladder rungs inserted into the granite of the cliff. You also have to walk along several narrow exposed cliff edges, only a few of which have railings, in order to reach each following set of ladders.
The views from this trail are fantastic and are well worth it. During my visit the prevailing winds were coming from the w…
The Spyglass Hill Trail is a 20-mile network of hiking and equestrian trails along the south side of Enid Lake in Mississippi. This trail is on Army Corps of Engineers land and can be accessed from multiple trailheads (see the map below). I hiked the trail the warm winter afternoon of January 27, 2017.
I began my hike from Ford's Well, which is a developed day use area and campground on the eastern half of the trail network. Overall, I found this trail to be much like other hiking trails in the region: wide (often plowed by machines), predominately used by horses, on the same paths as old roads, and very poorly marked, often with many side trails. Cumulatively, I hiked a little over five miles on this trip.
I began my hike by going clockwise on the small loop south of Ford's Well, which passes through forest, cleared areas, and then returned on an old road to the trailhead. From the trailhead it took a fair bit of searching around to find where the trail continues from the far…
Location: northwest of Brownville, Maine
Distance: 7.4 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 500 feet
Date: July 30, 2010
The Gulf Hagas is a gorge with 130 foot-high walls in Maine. Over a course of three miles through the gorge the West Branch Pleasant River drops 370 feet. To get to the gorge you have to first stop at Katahdin Iron Works State Park to the south near Silver Lake to obtain a permit before continuing on the well maintained dirt road to the trailhead.
The trialhead is at an elevation just under 700 feet, and after only about 0.2 mi from the trailhead you must wade across the West Branch Pleasant River. In this section the river is wide and calm, and in late July it wasn't much more than one foot deep at the most. After crossing the river the trail passes Pugwash Pond and then through the Hermitage, which is an stand of old-growth trees. The Hermitage includes eastern white pines that are up to 150 feet tall.
It is 0.9 mi from the river crossing until you cross Gulf Hag…
Summit elevation: 12,662 ft (3,859 m)
Distance: 7 miles (11.3 km) round trip
Elevation gain: 5,550 ft (1,692 m)
Class: 3
Date: August 8, 2011
Borah Peak in the Lost River Mountains is the highest point in Idaho and the 11th highest state high point in the United States. The route to the summit is only 3.5 miles one way but gains 5,550 feet making for a very steep ascent. Along the route, Chicken Out Ridge, at over 11,000 feet, is a very difficult class 3 section that will test the nerves of anyone who attempts it. The peak, as well as the rest of the Lost River Mountains are on Salmon-Challis National Forest.
The trailhead is accessed via a dirt road heading east from US route 93 north of Mackay and south of Challis. It is strongly recommended that you begin hiking between 5:00 and 6:00 am depending on your pace in order to avoid afternoon thunderstorms and lightning, which may occur regardless of precipitation. There is a campground at the trailhead, but no water is available at…
The Quail Run Trail is a 2.2-mile partial loop trail in George P. Cossar State Park along the southern side of Enid Lake, Mississippi.
The trailhead is located near the boat ramp in the park and is marked by an old sign. The entirety of the trail passes through forest, but a large portion of the trail closely follows the park road.
The trail is formed by an out-and-back portion that is a half mile long (hiked twice for 1 mile total), along with a 1.2-mile loop section that follows a ridge, descends into a small valley, crosses a stream, goes back up hill to the park entrance, and returns back towards the trailhead.
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