Glen Caynon, UT

This park is probably the one that has the greatest temperature variance throughout the year. During the winter, Glen Canyon can reach temperatures of -20 all the way up to 110 in the midst of the summer months. This can create some very harsh conditions for backpacking, so there are only a few months in the spring and fall that would be ideal times to visit this national park. This is a very large park with over 1.2 million acres covered in the Utah desert. One of the places of interest within the park are the Orange Cliffs, considered by many to be one of the most scenic areas of the Colorado Plateau region. Information on the Orange Cliffs and the backcountry permits that can be obtained is found on the National Park's Website.

A fun activity to take part in at Glen Canyon is kayaking in the Lake Powell area. This provides a different way of traveling down the canyon and enjoying the beauty that it has to offer. There are few rapids and whitewater portions of the lake/river, so being prepared with safety gear is necessary.

This is one place that I wish to visit some day as a day hike or a short backpacking trip. I don't think I could stay for too long because the climate is a bit unstable. The wide range of activities including, but not limited to, backpacking, hiking, kayaking, fishing, boating, and mountain biking would be very fun to take part in. This park is very interesting and I am excited to hear if any of you have been to this park. Talk to you soon!

Olympic National Park, WA

I think this park takes the cake on the diversity of environments and types of activities to take part in. Olympic National Park is located right in the tip of the northwest corner of the continental United states. Olympic offers beaches and trails along the coastline of the pacific ocean, forests with enormous trees and rushing rivers, and snowy mountain peaks for the adventurous climber. I had never heard about Olympic National park until I began working on this project of finding the top 20 backpacking locations. Based on the wide array of climates and conditions, i figured that it had to make my list.

I was most interested in what the park had to offer backpackers for wilderness hiking and camping, and was very pleased with what I discovered. The back country permit for Olympic National Park is similar to that of the other back country permits I have already discussed. This park is less known than many of the national parks, so permits may be obtained 30 days from your first day hike or less. According to a few websites, it seems like most of the time you will not need to reserve a permit, but I always think it's better to be prepared in this situation so they aren't out when you arrive. Most of the campsites on the wilderness trails can accommodate 1-6 people, but some group sites may hold up to 12. When you place your reservation, you will give the park rangers a rough itinerary of your planned campgrounds so they have a general idea of where to find you in case of an emergency.

Trip planning would be necessary for a trip like this. The website for this park offers some trails and possible campgrounds to use depending on which part of the park you are interested in hiking. This park, along with many in the US, has had issues with bears taking food from campers so they have installed bear wires in many of the campsites to help with hanging food out of reach of a bear. I think this site has some very clever ideas for backpacking and planning trips. I would check out as many sites as possible and read reviews in forums of places like http://www.backpacker.com/ and http://www.backpacking.net/ to feel more comfortable in places like the Olympic National Park Wilderness.

I think Olympic National Park would be a great place to explore the pacific northwest. It offers so many types of climates that It would be hard for me to narrow it down when choosing my route. If anyone has been to this this location, I would love to hear from you and about your experiences.

Porcupine Mountains, MI

A nice park in the Midwest for those that don't want to drive a long distance may be the Porcupine Mountains State Park in Michigan. This is one of the largest wilderness locations in the Midwest totalling about 60.000 square acres. The park offers opportunities for all types of visitors with activities including: skiing, hiking, canoeing, biking, and of course, backpacking. The backpacking trails are numerous, with over 90 miles available for use within the wilderness area. While backpacking, you may encounter one or more of the four lakes located within the park. The waters from the lakes eventually merge together and rush through waterfalls and rapids to lake superior.

I read a review on this park from another blogger who said it is the only backpacking trip where he has been kept up at night by a black bear trying to get to his food. This is a tip to remember that you should ALWAYS hang your food in a bear bag or some other type of container to keep bears out. Make sure to hang it over 100 feet from your campground and at least 20 ft. off the ground. Keep all food and scented items (toothpaste, soap, deodorant) in the bag for your own protection.

For the best backpacking options, check out this link to the map of the park.

Mount Rainier, WA

On the complete opposite end of the country of my last post is a mountain known to many in the backpacking community. Mt. Rainier is located in the state of Washington only about 100 miles from Seattle. One of the pinnacle trails of Mt. Rainier National Park is the Wonderland trail, encircling the entire mountain, 93 miles long. This is a very strenuous hike with lot's of elevation gains as displayed by this graphic. I think this hike would take at least a week if you would like to do any resting or side hikes, something that would be necessary to take in all the beauty that Mt. Rainer has to offer.


In order to get a reservation for a back country permit, go to the National Parks Website. There are first come, first serve permits available, but if you are going to plan a trip, it would be safe to place a reservation around March 15th in order to have a better chance of guaranteeing a permit. You must submit your plan on the Wonderland trail including the campgrounds that you will be sleeping at each night. The following is a list of the campgrounds and the elevations they are located at along the trail:

Devil's Dream- 5,060 feet
South Puyallup River- 4,000 feet
Klapatche Park- 5,515 feet
North Puyallup River- 3,750 feet
Golden Lakes- 5,130 feet
South Mowich River- 2,605 feet
Mowich Lake Campground- 4,929 feet
Ipsut Creek Campground- 2,330 feet
Carbon River- 3,195 feet
Dick Creek- 4,185 feet
Mystic Camp- 5,570 feet
Granite Creek- 5,765
Sunrise Camp- 6,245
White River Campground- 4,280 feet
Summerland- 5,940 feet
Indian Bar- 5,120 feet
Nickel Creek- 3,385 feet
Maple Creek- 2,815 feet
Paradise River- 3,805 feet
Cougar Rock Campground- 3,180 feet

For the very adventurous backpacker, there are climbing options within the park adding a challenge and fun aspect to the hike. Reservations for these must also be made at the park website when planning your trip. This site makes my list of the top 20 places to backpack in the US because of the grandeur of the mountain and challenge that the Wonderland trail provides.

Appalachian Trail, NH

The Appalachian mountains provide some of the greatest mountain landscapes in the United States. I have traveled through the mountains a few times, and every time I am in awe of the views and sights they have to offer. I have never backpacked through these mountains, but I have found a trail that I would love to visit some day. Nestled in the northeastern corner of the United States is a trail that i found through a community I am involved in at backpacker.com. The trail starts in New Hampshire and goes about 28 miles, winding up in Maine. The trail offers many lookout points and neat landscapes that are among none other. Here are a few pictures from some people on backpacker.com:

The trail is quite strenuous according to backpacker.com and the pictures that they have provided. I feel like it would all be worth it when you find small lakes within the mountains and all the wildlife surrounding you on your hike through the wilderness. I am not sure what this location has for camping opportunities. The backpacker website has a few locations of small cabin's and other campgrounds listed, along with their corresponding GPS coordinates along the trail. This would be a great hike to spread over a few days because of the tough nature of the trail. I hope that someday I can head out to the Appalachian Mountains and do some hiking on this trail or something similar. If you have experiences in this area, feel free to share them in the comments section. See ya out there!

Denali National Park, AK

Denali National Park is currently on the top of my list of places I want to travel to and do some hiking and backpacking. I have never been to Alaska but hope to go very soon. From what I have read and heard, Denali National Park offers some of the best chances to see wildlife in the US because of it's secluded location, far from any civilization. I have done alot of reading on the backcountry passes for Denali and I am very inspired to try and obtain one some day. With the backcountry pass, you plan your trip based on maps from the park and are free to hike anywhere in the park you would like. At night, you need to camp in designated areas, but they are far from other people giving you a very secluded feeling.

The wildlife in Denali is spectacular with over thirty nine species of mammals documented so far. The park outlines "The Big Five" mammals that people want to see when they visit.

They are:
Moose

Caribou
Dall Sheep
Wolf
Grizzly Bear

One of the things they talk about extensively at Denali is the amount of bears located within the park. Backpackers need to be aware of the Grizzly Bears and use protective containers for their food, and practice bear safety techniques while hiking. Bears are just as scared of us as we are of them, so the the National park website outlines a few ways to make sure hikers don't encounter bears.

This is one of the parks that I most look forward to backpacking, let me know if you have had any great experiences here!