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!

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!

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.

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!