Hiking At Petrified Forest National Park In Arizona
- At March 15, 2017
- By Iala Jaggs
- In hiking
0
The stony trees, felled millions of years ago, are scattered across Petrified Forest National Park, a geological reminder of eons past when the high desert was a lush and green landscape. The rough bark fools the touch. Rather than the warm, yielding feel of wood, fingertips sense a sharp-edged, impenetrable surface.
Petrified Forest welcomes backcountry hikers
Many visitors don’t realize that the park’s backcountry is open for exploring. I sure didn’t. The park has always been more of a windshield experience. A beautiful 28-mile drive cuts from the Painted Desert north of Interstate 40 to the Petrified Forest south of it. There are pullouts, overlooks and a few short, paved trails, which visitors are admonished to stay on. Although the scenery is spectacular… Read more at AZCentral.com
The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is famous for its beautiful and stunning, rainbow-hued remnants of a Triassic forest that is preserved within its boundaries. Also, it has been regularly portrayed as a sad example of fossil theft. In the past, park rangers lamented that a ton of 225-million-year-old wood gets stolen from the park every month, and visitors were viewed with suspicion when they ventured into the national park.
Protecting Arizona’s Petrified Forest Can Be as Easy as Taking a Hike
The vision is “a trip that’s enjoyable, that’s safe, and that protects our resources as well,” Traver says. So far the program has been drawing a greater number of visitors into the desert each year. And other park programs have even benefitted science. During a supervised public dig earlier this year, amateur paleontologist Stephanie Leco found the jaw of a long-snouted fish, the first known occurrence of… Read more at SmithsonianMag.com
On The Trail: Petrified Forest National Park
At Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, there can be found an abundance of fossilized wood dating back hundreds of millions of years, lining the trails and topping the hillsides. Although it’s illegal, many visitors steal this beautiful wood from the park. But surprisingly, a lot of it has been returned, with apologetic notes… Watch here
Hiking In The Great Walks In New Zealand
- At March 08, 2017
- By Iala Jaggs
- In hikes
- 1
Hiking just one of New Zealand’s Great Walks will give you an amazing feeling of peace and self-confidence. But tramping all 9 of the Great Walks, well, you will have that ultimate once in a lifetime experience of New Zealand’s backcountry!
THE 9 GREAT WALKS OF NEW ZEALAND
It’s difficult to imagine how so many different landscapes can be in one country. In the North Island there are volcanoes, native rainforest bush and mighty long rivers with steep valley sides. Then the South Island takes us into beech forest territory, paradise beaches, secluded tussock lands, and onto majestic mountains… Read more at BackpackerGuide.nz
In total, New Zealand has nine Great Walks, with three on the North Island, five on the South Island, and one on Stewart Island. These Great Walks has some of New Zealand’s most awesome and iconic scenery. These walks are highly-maintained and managed by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, with lots of signage, rangers on duty and DOC campsites.
New Zealand’s Great Walks
Averaging 3–4 days in duration, the Great Walks can be completed solo or with a guide. Guides are expensive but provide local knowledge, cushier private huts, tastier meals (and drinks), transportation, and will help lighten your load. Make sure to plan ahead: the DOC limits the number of hikers on the Great Walks with a strict permit system. Some of the most popular hikes, such as the… Read the original article at witch Back Travel
New Zealand’s Great Walks in Virtual Reality (VR)
View five of New Zealand’s Great Walks through a Google Cardboard or equivalent mobile virtual reality headset. See the stunning scenery in a 360 degree view to truly appreciate what these tracks offer. Set to the highest quality for the best experience… Watch here
Arizona’s Picacho Peak Through Hunter Trail
- At March 01, 2017
- By Iala Jaggs
- In hikes
- 1
In the middle of Tucson and Phoenix, the mysterious Picacho Peak lies jutting out in the middle of the desert. Picacho Peak is one of those mountains that you should hike at least once in your lifetime! This is a very unique and different trail with handrails and cables built by boy scouts from a long time ago.
Hunter Trail – Picacho Peak, AZ
The first section takes you up steep switchbacks to the saddle. When in season a beautiful wildflower is witnessed at the beginning of the trail. February through early April offers the best rewards. Keep an eye on triplogs and… Read more at HikeArizona.com
Picacho Peak is not for the weak of heart. Even though it’s just a 4-mile hike, this hike will definitely wear you out to the bone. A lot of experienced hikers tried hiking Picacho Peak and some of the called it the “Hell Hike”.
Picacho Peak Hike, a.k.a. Hell Hike
My hiking partner and I took the Hunter Trail to the Sunset Vista Trail that took us to the top. Mile One is a relatively steep climb (similar to Piestawa’s Summit trail) and we certainly got our cardio going as we scooted up to the saddle. Note the sign describes the trail as “primitive.” We really should have taken that more seriously… Read more at Phoenix New Times
Picacho Peak State Park, AZ * 12/07/16
Come along with me as I get out of the truck in Picacho, AZ and hike up Picacho Peak. It’s quite a ride from the truck stop across the street over rolling hills up to the trail head, but the view is worth all the hard work… Watch here
Hiking The Peralta Trail to Fremont Saddle in Phoenix, Arizona
- At February 22, 2017
- By Iala Jaggs
- In hikes
- 1
Have time for some hiking in Arizona? If you’re not yet sure where to hike, try driving up to Peralta trailhead. It is close to Mesa, Arizona.
Peralta Trail #102 to Fremont Saddle, Phoenix
It was a beautiful day climbing up and along a creek. Here’s the vista on one side… See more at BestHike.com
Hiking up to Peralta Canyon Trail in the Superstition Wilderness can be the longest 2-mile trail that you will ever trek. The hike is a non-stop uphill slog through the slickrock chutes and desert scrub that begins right after leaving the trailhead and doesn’t stop until the trail summits at the 2-mile point on Fremont Saddle.
Arizona hike: Peralta Trail, Superstition Wilderness
Here, up-close views of Weavers Needle — the area’s most recognizable pillar of rock — deliver a generous return on investment for the sweaty haul. The saddle is a popular place to take a break and decide whether to continue hiking downhill another 2.6 miles to the end of the… Read more at AzCentral.com
Hiking on Peralta Trail, Superstition Mountains, Arizona, USA
Hiking Rattlesnake Canyon In New Mexico
- At February 15, 2017
- By Iala Jaggs
- In hikes, hiking
- 1
Rattlesnake Canyon is the highest point of the hike. The start of the hike is down into a creek bed, crossing the creek and then hiking back up to a high path on the edge of the canyon. Then about half-mile hike, the hiking trail goes vertically down through a bunch of rock stairs until you reach the canyon’s floor once again.
Rattlesnake Canyon (Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM)
Staying on the trail isn’t too hard. It’s a pretty well-defined trail, defined enough that even Knox knew which way to go as he ran ahead. There are also rock cairns of various sizes along that trail marking where you should go. Save some energy because you’ll have to go back up those two vertical areas when you come back out. Even though they have steps built in, it’ll get your heart rate up. Overall… Read more at 160K
Slot canyons are narrow canyons, like a crevice, that results from rushing water capitalizing on a fissure in another rock formation. Over the years, the liquid carves a beautiful canyon, wider at the top than at the canyon’s lower bed. These slot canyons are found most often in dry places, like areas in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California.
A hiker’s sampler of the Southwest’s slot canyons
The Southwest has so many slot canyons — the number is said to be more than 1,000 — that you could get a crick in your neck exploring this bounty. (You’ll spend a lot of time looking up at the sliver of light that plays off the narrow walls.)… Read more at Los Angeles Times
Zebra and Tunnel Slot Canyons Escalante, Utah
Zebra and Tunnel Slot Canyons in Escalante, Utah are unique. The banding in the sandstone in Zebra is not like many other slots. The colors are different and nature’s design is one of a kind. Although the canyon is very short it has a lot to offer to the… Watch here
