In Conclusion....

Well, that concludes my list of my favorite places that I have backpacked and would like to go backpacking. As I look back at the list, I realize that alot of them are natural parks. This inspires me to invest in our natural parks because of the opportunities they present for backpackers and outdoor enthusiasts. Alot of these parks may be out of reach for you, financially or physically. I reccomend finding local parks that have unique aspects to them. I wrote about Devils Lake, a local state park near my hometown, in one of my recent posts. I encourage you to share your experiences on this page or in blogs of your own.

Throughout the process of writing this, I have realized that I do not have enough chances to get out and explore the wilderness that I talk about so much. I really enjoy getting out there, but unfortunatley the college life makes that difficult sometime. It seems like weekend trips will be the answer until summer rolls around, then hopefully i'll have the chance to tackle some of the big parks i wrote about throughout this blog. Well, that pretty much sums it up. Until we talk next, have a great time in the outdoors!

Crater Lake, OR

I remember first hearing about Crater Lake back in earth science class during my senior year of high school. It sounded like a great place to go, but I never had the time to go and check it out then. I have looked at the website and it looks like a great place to go backpacking and exploring the unique geological feature. In case you haven't heard of Crater Lake, here are some statistics:

-Depth: 1,943 ft. deep (7th Deepest in the world, Deepest in the United States)
-There is an average of 533 inches of snow per year that keeps the lake full. (No inlet, or outlet).
-It's freshwater is some of the clearest found anywhere.

There are 100 miles of trails in Crater park, with varying levels of difficulty. I think the most important thing to remember when hiking in an area like this is to remember the elevation. The surface of crater lake is about 7000 ft. above sea level. Hiking conditions are much different here if you are used to hiking at only a couple thousand feet above sea level. Allow plenty of time for breaks to stop and drink water or rest. Once you reach the lake, you have a great supply of some of the cleanest water in North America, great for drinking after your hike up.

Because Crater Park is one of the snowiest places in North America, the weather conditions can greatly affect the backpacking conditions. Many of the campsites are open only during a few short months in the summer. It is not unusual to have about 6-8 feet of snow on the ground when spring rolls around. You can check this website to see the closures of the park, and the best times they suggest to visit. If you get a chance to head out to Oregon and see this beautiful park, take some pictures and post them back here, i'd love to hear your experiences!

Devils Lake State Park, WI

This is a site that I'm really familiar with because it is located only about an hour from my home. Devils Lake State park is an attraction for many outdoor enthusiasts from Wisconsin and surrounding states. The park is in a central location within the state, providing convenient access to those interested in checking it out. I have been to this park a handful of times and really enjoy the beauty, especially in the fall. There are great hiking trails, but not quite as much for the avid backpacker. There are not too many places where backpackers can set up tents and camp alongside trails, we'll have to stick to the designated campsites on this one.


The bluffs around the lake are a challenge to hike and attract many climbers annually who enjoy scaling the great rock faces along the lake. This blog is done by the park ranger and is an interesting way to keep up to date on the activities of the park.

The park has many hiking and biking trails as designated by this map. I have taken the Sauk Point Trail and used it as a training for one of my trips to the Grand Canyon. One tip about this trail: Make sure the weather is nice and there has not been alot of recent rain or snow. We took the hike after a snow melt and it was very muddy with a few mudslides posing problems for us while hiking. I believe the trail is about 16 miles when you start at Parfrey's Glen, hike up to the lake and around it, and then back down the trail to the Glen. This was a fun hike that could be nice for a weekend get away.

Glacier National Park, MT

If there is one park that I want to visit the most, I would say that it is probably Glacier National Park in Montana. I have a few friends that have done some backpacking in this park and in a few near it and they have all come back with great reviews. Glacier has over 700 miles of designated hiking trails providing the appropriate difficulty level for any type of backpacker. Like many of the National Parks I have already talked about, Glacier has set up a program for backcountry exploration. I won't go into all the details on how to obtain a permit, because you can find them all on the National park website for Glacier.

In Glacier, most visitors come in the summer months, but an avid winter backpacker may enjoy the challenge of going into the backcountry between November and April. For those interested in this period, they can recieve weekly avalanche reports by calling the park headquarters at 406-888-7800. Your schedule needs to be a bit flexible if you want to take on the challenge of winter hiking because of avalanches and other unpredictible circumstances. This hike is ONLY for the serious backpacker and I would say that you NEED to have a partner along with you. The following video from Glacier National Park gives you an idea of the Backcountry during the Winter.

I found this interesting blog by the rangers that work in the Backcountry of Glacier. You may find it interesting to see what they have to say about the park before you head out there.

Big Bend National Park, TX

I have personally done alot of backpacking in the southern desert states and I love the scenery views they provide. One thing to remember about backpacking in these states is that there are very good and very bad times to go. I have gone during spring break time to arizona and the weather has been beautiful. This would probably be a good time for you to head to Texas if you were interested in hiking the Big Bend National Park. I have never been to the Big Bend but I have been looking through literature on their website and it seems like a great place to go backpacking. One of the most popular areas to go backcountry within Big Bend is the Chisos Mountains.

The trails in the Chisos Mountain area are not too long. It seems to me like this area may be great for a weekend trip or a short half-week trip. There are 42 campsites designated for backpackers with varying levels of difficulty required to reach each one. Each campsite provides a bear box to place all food and scented items in. This picture shows the campsite marker and the bear box in the background:

Some sites have water accessible, but the park service stress that you should not plan on water being available. They emphasize that it is a desert, and if there's no rain in the desert, it means there's no water available to pump for drinking. For this park you MUST obtain a permit before entering, and they are available only for the specific days in the specific campsites you will be staying in. There are seasonal closures for a few trails in this park and they can be found on the park website. This looks like a great place to go backpacking if you are interested in a unique location in the middle of a desert.

Volcanoes National Park, HI

As I was thinking of places to go on a backpacking trip, I was curious to see if there were any good locations in Hawaii. I found Volcanoes National Park, something quite different from the other parks I have highlighted so far. Volcano's National Park offers over 320,000 acres of hiking and back-country trails to discover. I visited Hawaii a number of years ago and had the privilege to take a helicopter tour over this park. The volcanos were very interesting to see from above and I would imagine it is even more interesting to see them while hiking around. Over half of the park is designated as wilderness, providing plenty of opportunity for backpackers like us that want to get into uncharted territory.

One thing that came to mind when looking up a national park centered around a volcano was the danger that could be involved with backpacking there. I looked into those concerns and it seems like the park rangers keep track of all active portions of the park and places where the ground is soft near lava. Before entering the park you must read through the backcountry guidelines and check in with the rangers. They tell you if there are any portions of your planned trip that are currently off limits and then you are free to go on your way.

This webcam provides an interesting view of the volcano currently and gives you a feel for that part of the park. As you can see from the pictures here, this is not just all volcanic rock, there are some great green spaces and oceanside views. This is a very interesting park that I hope to visit someday soon.

Great Smoky Mountains, TN

After reviewing my last few blogs, i realized that I have not written much about areas in the central United States. After I heard about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I realized that I had to look into it for backpacking. The first thing that I noticed about the park were the beautiful mountain landscapes and very interesting hiking trails. For people interested in backcountry backpacking, there are over 100 camping locations located throughout the park specifically for those interested in this type of experience. This Map gives a pretty good idea of the locations of the campgrounds and trails between them. One thing to note, there are a few that require reservations up to a month in advance which can be made by calling the Backcountry Reservation Office at (865) 436-1231.

An interesting hike that I found through backpacker.com is a moderate hike (about 9 miles) to rainbow falls and then to the top of Mt. LeConte. Rainbow falls is an 80 ft. waterfall, the tallest in this park, and is named for the rainbows it creates when the sun shines through the mist. The trail sounds like it is of moderate difficulty with a few boulders to climb through, but for the most part it does not seem too hard to navigate. I would definately consider taking this hike up to see one of the highest peaks in this park. I found a video that shows the top of the mountain and the lodge located there.

Rainbow Falls

I think that the Great Smoky Mountains look like a great place to go backpacking in some moderate difficulty mountains. This would be a great hike for someone that is not quite ready to embark up the Rocky Mountains, but would like to experience hiking a mountain. There are many featured trails that I did not even write about, but you can find all the info about them on the national park website. Enjoy!