Hiking – Campanda News

How To Find Your Next Great Hike

Tom Sperner — Mon, 14 May 2018 17:04:37 +0000

Hiking On RV Trips

Hiking is one of the best activities you can do with your family while on an RV trip. There’s something really special about getting out and being in nature. It brings the family together, cleanses the soul and provides a sense of well-being and accomplishment.

Here I am at 2,915 feet on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The internet has made it a lot easier to find information on great local hikes, but sometimes finding the information you want (or need — not always the same thing!) requires a bit of digging around. Fortunately, I’ve spent a lot of time doing exactly that kind of research and am happy to share these resources with you so you can find your own perfect hike. These resources are tried and true: My wife Camille and I are full-time RVers and hiking enthusiasts. We’ve visited 29 states in two years and have used the resources described in this article to find amazing hikes everywhere we’ve been. (Click here to read Camille’s article on Campanda Magazine about our five favorite hikes.)

Hiking: How It Used To Be

Remember paper trail maps? There was a time when you’d literally have been lost without one!

I’ve been camping and hiking with my family and friends ever since I can remember. Before Camille and I started our RV journey, we lived in California where I spent every summer backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The resources used to find great hiking trails have changed dramatically over the years. Before the internet, mobile phones and social media, I used to buy guidebooks and maps to find good hikes. Then I’d call U.S. Forest Service or National Park ranger stations to check on permit requirements and current conditions. Once I’d chosen a hike, I would go to a local outdoor store to find a topographical trail map of the area. The maps usually cost around $10 but were a great insurance policy against getting lost in the wilderness. And off we would go with our backpacks, tents and a roll of film in our cameras on a grand adventure!

A Brave New World

Ironically, there are now so many free online resources available that you can spend more time researching hikes than actually hiking! But if you know where to look, these resources can make the process a lot simpler than it used to be. For example, we were in Atlanta for the first time and didn’t know anything about hiking there — so I jumped on the laptop and mobile phone and got to work.

Internet Resources For Hikers

Google (or the search engine of your choice) is a great starting point for discovering nearby trails.

One of the things we like to do is hike to the highest point in each state we visit. When we were in Atlanta, I simply typed “highest point in Georgia” into an internet search engine and it returned literally millions of web links including a Wikipedia article on Brasstown Bald — Georgia’s highest point at 4,784 feet above sea level. That’s almost a mile high! Not bad for being east of the Rockies (remember, I’ve been spoiled by all the high peaks in California). A related link at the bottom of the search results page was “Brasstown Bald hiking.” It included a link to the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest website.

National park and forest websites are excellent resources — sort of like online visitor centers!

If the hike that you’re investigating is located on National Park Service or National Forest land, these websites are great places to find information about driving directions, trail conditions, alerts, closures and any fees. Through the National Forest website, I quickly learned that there were four ways to hike to the top of Brasstown Bald. Two of the trails were longer than I wanted (12 miles or more) and one was too short (1.2 miles). But the Jack’s Knob Trail — six miles round trip and 1,800 feet of elevation gain — was just right.

Some other great internet resources I regularly use are:

- www.summitpost.org | A user-driven website with information on many mountain hikes including descriptions, maps, directions, photos, trip reports and a climber’s log.

www.outdoorproject.com | A website of curated outdoor activities searchable by location. Reports include hike overviews, photos, current weather, driving directions and field guide printables.

Mobile Phone Apps For Hikers

At the summit of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia.

Once I knew where I wanted to go, I used the mapping app on my phone (Google Maps) to map my driving route to the trailhead — 101 miles in just over two hours. There were many fantastic hikes closer but I had summit fever! There are quite a few specially designed trail apps, but I end up using Google Maps a lot out of habit and because its maps also include many hiking trails and natural points of interest. I also use the Google Earth app to preview most of my hikes. Amazingly, you can often see the trails when you zoom in on the satellite views. In this case, I used it to check for parking availability at the Jack’s Knob trailhead. As I said, there are a number of excellent free hiking apps (for iPhone and Android) that you can use to find your next great hike. The information is often much more detailed than generic map apps like Google Maps, so I often use the two together for best results.

Here are some hiking apps I really like:

- AllTrails – a user-driven free app with over 50,000 trails curated by over 4 million users. Use your phone’s location to find hikes near you (there were 250 trails near me). Each hike includes topo maps, elevation profiles, photos, reviews and comments. A premium paid edition provides additional features.

AllTrails is an indispensable app for hikers.

- Hiking Project – a user-driven free app from outdoor retailer REI Co-Op. It includes over 37,000 trails. You can input your location to find hikes near you. Each hike includes topo maps, elevation profiles, step-by-step trail gradients, photos, reviews, comments and nearby trails.REI also has a companion app for hiking within national parks and monuments, REI National Parks, with over 5,000 hikes.

ViewRanger – a free app which uses maps from major outdoor brands, tourism agencies and users. It includes many of the same features as the above apps. What makes this app unique is that it has an augmented reality feature called Skyline that uses your camera phone to label geographic features while on your hike. Very cool!

Pinterest For Hikers

Pinterest isn’t just for cupcake recipes and crafts anymore!

Still looking for resources? Pinterest is good for more than just DIY party decorations. It can also be a valuable search tool for local hikes. A search on ‘hiking near Brasstown Bald’ on Pinterest returned hundreds of pins with related information. Two of my favorite pins led me to local hiking blogs where I found great reviews of fantastic hikes in the area. I even figured out my next hike (Stone Mountain) and it was only two miles away!

Twitter & Instagram For Hikers

You can also use social media applications to find information on hikes. A search using hashtags on Twitter will return tweets with links to useful information. And if you’re a visual person who needs an amazing photo to convince you that the hike you’re planning will be great, you can search Instagram using hashtags as well.

Youtube For Hikers

A video can really help you get a feel for a prospective hike.

If you’re more into videos, Youtube is a great place to find hiking-related content. I searched on ‘Brasstown Bald’ and found thousands of videos including some incredible drone footage. A word of caution: the content is so great on Youtube that if you watch too many videos, you may feel like you’ve already been there. Personally, the videos I’ve watched have never spoiled a hike for me as nothing compares to hiking it yourself and seeing it with your own eyes.

Facebook For Hikers

Facebook can be a great resource if you know how to use it.

Lastly, the social media giant Facebook can be a helpful resource. A search on a hike you’re interested in will likely return pages, links, videos, photos and even posts from your friends with valuable information. There is even a new and growing Facebook group — RVers Who Hike — that you can join to ask questions, share ideas and get first hand information.

As you can see, there is so much information out there to help you find and plan your hikes. The next time you’re traveling in an RV and looking for that next great hike, I hope you find these resources helpful in getting you out on a new trail. Happy hiking!

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The post How To Find Your Next Great Hike appeared first on Campanda News.

5 Amazing RV Trips For Hikers

Tom Sperner — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 18:09:17 +0000

By Camille Attell If you love being outdoors and exploring nature, then a great perk of RV travel is that you can park, sleep and live in the same place where you plan to hike.

Me and Bryce at 19,342 feet on Mount Kilimanjaro.

(And if you don’t have one of your own, you can now rent an RV from fellow enthusiasts on Campanda!) My husband and I are avid hikers, and have had some of our best hiking experiences while traveling in an RV. We have a fairly large rig too — a 34-foot Class A gas coach — and have been able to get it into nearly every place we’ve wanted, including some really off-the-beaten-path areas. Here are some of our favorite hikes, along with tips on where to park your RV when you get there:

Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah

Utah is the mega-hike capital of our nation. With towering red rock landscapes and five national parks, it can feel impossible to pick just one national park to visit. So we decided to visit all five! Deciding on just one park for this article wasn’t much easier, but my husband and I decided that Bryce Canyon was our top choice because of the unique structures and relatively easy hiking options. It also helps that it has the same name as my husband Bryce. In fact, when we meet new people, he often says “My name’s Bryce — like the canyon.”

Bryce in Bryce Canyon.

We did the Navajo Loop Trail, a moderate 1.4-mile trail. You can complete this loop in about one to two hours, and see a variety of landscapes , including hoodoos (the tall, spire-like rock formations) and sweeping vistas. You can either pack a lunch (my favorite way to eat on a hike) or check out Ruby’s Inn, a hotel and restaurant catering to visitors. There are a couple of camping options in the area, which you can find on the National Parks Service website. We chose to camp behind Ruby’s Inn, which offers twelve RV sites. This gave us easy access to the hotel, restaurant and even the jacuzzi, which you can use at no additional cost. Trust me, there’s nothing like a soak in a jacuzzi to help you relax your tired muscles after a long day of hiking.

Guadalupe Peak | Texas

Bryce and I are what you call “peak baggers” — people who like to hike to the the top of the highest points in every place. We have summited Mount Kilimanjaro and a few other peaks. Bryce is a bit more determined than me and was eager to bag Guadalupe Peak, located in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. I was less enthusiastic when I discovered that we were out of the coffee that morning. But being the good sport that I am, I drank tea instead and grumpily muscled up the mountain.

The top of Guadalupe peak.

The Guadalupe Peak Trail that leads up to the 8,751-foot peak is a strenuous 8.4 miles with 3,000 feet of elevation. If you’re not an avid hiker or in reasonable to good shape, this hike might tucker you out. But it’s worth it in the end because the views are stunning, especially if you bring a lunch and eat at the top. If that’s a lot to take on, there are plenty of easier hikes in the area. (Side note: The top of Guadalupe Peak is my first ever blog post on our More Than A Wheelin’ website!) Camping in the park is limited and basic. We ended up boondocking in the parking lot. You can read my article about finding free and inexpensive RV camping for more information about how to boondock.

The fascinating Carlsbad Caverns National Park isn’t far from Guadalupe Peak.

It’s worth mentioning that Carlsbad Caverns National Park — a massive cave system in New Mexico — is not far from Guadalupe Peak. It’s by far the most stunning cave system I have ever seen and it’s 100 percent worth the 30-minute drive from Guadalupe Peak. The giant speleothems (cave formations) will leave you in awe. It may be a stretch to call Carlsbad Caverns a hike since there is an option to take an elevator, but if you want to turn it into a more active side trip, then I recommend climbing back up the 750-foot incline when you leave.

Black Elk Peak | South Dakota

If you’re a peak bagger like us, then you should definitely add Black Elk Peak to your list of hikes. Just a stone’s throw from Mount Rushmore, it’s a destination that you can easily work into your family’s summer vacation. The four-mile trail starts at Sylvan Lake inside of Custer State Park and leads to the highest natural point in South Dakota at 7,242 feet. It offers beautiful scenery and wide mountain and valley vistas. There’s even a stone fire tower at the top that offers stunning 360-degree views.

Me posing on the tower wall.

When we hiked it we barely saw anyone else on the trail and had the peak all to ourselves. We enjoyed some turkey sandwiches while taking it all in. There are a number of RV camping options in the area. We camped in Piedmont — about 15 to 20 minutes outside of Rapid City — because we wanted to explore a number of places in the area and that was the most convenient location for our plans.

Grand Teton National Park | Wyoming

It’s hard to find a hike as grand as what’s offered in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. I grew up in California and the Sierra Nevada mountain range was right in my backyard. I thought we had the best mountain range in the United States until I encountered the Grand Tetons with its sweeping rock facing stretching to the valley floor. Whew, they took my breath away!

A view of Phelps Lake from the trail.

We had planned on one of the more popular hikes in the park, but apparently so had everyone else — it would have been over an hour before we’d be able to park our car. So we ended up at the 7.2-mile Phelps Lake Loop Trail instead. This turned out wonderfully because we got to take in the Phelps Lake views. As we descended to the lake bed, we crossed through a beautiful wildflower meadow while gazing at lodgepole pine trees (and keeping a watchful eye for grizzly bears).

Boondocking at Upper Teton View

It rained on and off, creating a heavy mist that engulfed the peaks. The intermittent drizzle actually made the experience even more mystical! There are multiple RV parking options in Grand Teton. We were lucky enough to discover Upper Teton View, which you can find on Campendium. It was a visually stunning spot, fairly quiet and private with only a handful of other RVers. It’s boondocking-only accommodations in a rugged area, so be prepared.

Chimney Rock State Park | North Carolina

I didn’t do much traveling around the Southeast before I started RVing. When I finally did, I was surprised by how green it is! We explored portions of the Smoky Mountains and hikes like Clingman’s Dome (the highest point in Tennessee) where it’s green everywhere! But it was the hike to Chimney Rock in North Carolina where I really appreciated how lush the areas is. The Chimney Rock Hike is unique for a few reasons: A trail turns into a series of staircases that leads you to the top of the 315-foot granite outcropping located on the very edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You’ll feel pretty high up at 2,280 feet above sea level, and from the top you can take in the 75-mile panoramic views of Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. If you want a neat lunch experience, consider dining at the restaurant in the park, which is connected by the elevated staircases. You can’t camp in the park, but you can drive your RV in if needed. Check out TripAdvisor recommendations for camping options.

I hope you enjoyed this roundup of five great hikes (and a bonus hike in Carlsbad Caverns). Our country offers such diverse and beautiful terrain and it was difficult to pick our top five. The hikes that made the cut were chosen because they offer the chance to see different landscapes at various levels of difficulty — meaning there’s a hike on this list for just about everyone. Now get out there and go bag a peak!

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