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TrailGroove Blog

A Blog by the TrailGroove Team

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Entries in this blog

Trips

Hiking the Beaten Path: Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness

The drive into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness is one of many layers. Like the layers of the range itself, you must first go through the first layer: in this case the grasslands and rolling hills of Interstate 90, then continue chipping your way up the foothills and hope you make the correct turn. Unraveling further, you pass through farmland where finally, you bounce down a dirt road dodging potholes and prairie dogs while beginning to see the landscape change from rolling hills to forested s
jansenjournals

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Trips

To the Chinese Wall: Bob Marshall Wilderness Backpacking

There’s a geologically interesting Chinese Wall that’s not in China. It is part of the million-plus acre Bob Marshall Wilderness of Montana and consists of a 15-mile, 1000-foot cliff of limestone that runs north to south along the Continental Divide. The last time I hiked along the base of the wall was in mid-June during my hike of the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. That time I post-holed through 4-12 feet of snow, so I wanted to return in nicer climes and for the opportunity of bette
David Cobb

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Trips

Backpacking Isle Royale: A Superior Adventure

Located approximately 15 miles off the Minnesotan and Canadian shores of Lake Superior, Michigan’s Isle Royale is the largest island in the world’s largest freshwater lake. This national park is a wilderness paradise with 99% of it officially designated as such. It includes scenic ridges, rugged coastal views, inland lakes, unique wildlife relationships, and an excellent network of trails. The island is 45 miles long and 9 miles wide. As the third largest island in the contiguous United States,
Eric

Eric in Trips

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Trips

Backpacking & Hiking Grand Canyon's East Tonto Trail

A cheerful pumpkin sun peeks over the Coconino Plateau at dawn. It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and the air is frosty as dad and I join a gaggle of backpackers, clad in billowy down jackets evincing a cornucopia of startling colors, lining up outside Grand Canyon Village’s backcountry information center. It turns out the park’s Phantom Ranch and Indian Garden campgrounds are as jam-packed as pilgrims on the Mayflower which renders my hoped-for rim to rim route unfeasible. A bearded ranger suggests we
Daniel Anderson Jr

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Trips

Backpacking Washington's Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness

For most hikers and backpackers, when they think of Washington their thoughts tend to drift to the rugged grandeur of the North Cascades or the rainforests, beaches, and mountains of the Olympic Peninsula. The beauty and opportunities for amazing trips in those locales can certainly not be understated. As evidenced by increasing crowds at many trailheads in recent years, and stiff competition for permits in areas where they are required, the public lands in the western part of the state aren’t (
Mark Wetherington

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Trips

Hiking & Exploring Kentucky's Red River Gorge

Usually when I travel, I am pulled to the west – New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and surrounding areas. For my latest trip, however, I headed in the opposite direction and visited a place that I had first heard about several years ago: Red River Gorge Geologic Area in northeastern Kentucky. My companion for this trip was Joel, with whom I’ve taken several other trips, both mountain biking and hiking. We left Oklahoma on October 2nd, 2022 and spent four days hiking in the area. The Red Rive
Steve Ancik

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Trips

Distant Corners: Hiking the Oklahoma & Texas Panhandles

Lines drawn on a map are peculiar. Sometimes they follow terrain features and make complete sense. Oklahoma and Texas, for instance, are divided both politically and geographically by the Red River, a natural enough line of separation although its shifting, serpentine course has made boundary disputes a regular thing. Other lines are more confusing, and seemingly arbitrary. One example is the region containing the “panhandles” of these two states. Oklahoma’s panhandle is a strip of la
Susan Dragoo

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Trips

High Desert Scenery: A Hike On the Yakima Skyline Trail

Although the quintessential image of backpacking is of alpine lakes, thick forests and craggy peaks, deserts offer the well-prepared backpacker breathtaking scenery and an opportunity for longer hikes months before most mountains have melted out. Desert backpacking is typically associated with the iconic landscapes of the Southwest and destinations such as Canyonlands National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Grand Canyon National Park, and numerous other national parks, forest
Mark Wetherington

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Trips

Hiking the Fiery Gizzard Trail of the Cumberland Plateau

Just the name Fiery Gizzard sounds like an adventure doesn’t it? The Cumberland Plateau is known for spectacular waterfalls, spring wildflowers, and panoramic views overlooking wild gorges extending for miles in the distance. The Fiery Gizzard Trail has a little bit of everything for the hiker or backpacker looking for a true wilderness experience any time of year. The official name of Fiery Gizzard is the Grundy Forest State Natural Area which is part of the South Cumberland State Park complex
DustyD

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Trips

Backpacking Kungsleden: Jewel of the Swedish Arctic

If there is such a thing as a backpacker’s paradise then look no further than the Kungsleden, Sweden’s Royal Trail above the Arctic Circle near the border of Norway. If you can hike just one section of the 240-mile long trail, start with the world-class hike between Nikkaluokta and Abisko. Imagine wide Arctic valleys, stunning northern lights, reindeer, and, if you go in September, incredible fall colors covering the landscape. The 80-mile hike from Nikkaluokta to Abisko can work for all skill l
DustyD

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Trips

Backpacking in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness

November tends to be a dead zone for Colorado hikers. It's too early for skiing or even snowshoeing in the high country. But cold temps and the threat of blizzards are present even if the snow is lacking. Most backpackers sit out the month, maybe catching up on their favorite trail magazine. Not all Colorado is high country and 14er's though. Out beyond the West Elks, the Uncompahgre Plateau runs from the Utah border 60 miles southeast down to the edge of the San Juans. Elevations range from 400
HappyHour

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Trips

Hiking through Rubies: Backpacking the Ruby Mountains

Recently I set out to explore the Seven Devils Wilderness in Idaho and walk a 27-mile loop through those mountains, but a large fire in Hell’s Canyon diverted that plan at the last minute. The Ruby Mountain Wilderness of Nevada had long been on my “to do” list, and this seemed like a good time to change plans and head south. The Rubies were misnamed in the 1800s during the gold rush, when a group of army explorers thought they’d found a range filled with rubies; instead they discovered only
David Cobb

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Trips

Desert Bliss: Hiking Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

I sit alone along a flat gravel ridgeline somewhere in the Sonoran Desert’s Ajo Mountains. There are no winter clouds, no moon, and a spellbinding cacophony of tinsel stars is visible above the din of chirping, cheeping crickets. Suddenly, the distinctive roar of fighter jet engines joins the caroling chorus, aircraft whose red blinking LEDs trace somersault motions in the sky like a berserk Rudolph piloting Santa’s sleigh. A string of yellow puffs, bright as Christmas lights, trail the planes b
Daniel Anderson Jr

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Trips

Backpacking the Noble Canyon Trail, Southern California

Distance mode. Proximity mode. Red light night vision mode. At 90 lumens, my new Black Diamond Spot headlamp is the newest addition to my backpacking kit in ages. For the second or third time on today’s maiden voyage hike, I unsheathe the Spot from my Gregory Z65’s brain pouch, cradle it in my fingers, and imagine how its endless wonderful qualities will make every trip better. The blood red bezel’s sharp lines attach to a diagonally-shaded retro headband conjuring the aura of Optimus Prime.
Daniel Anderson Jr

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Trips

Hiking & Camping in Goblin Valley State Park Utah

Located a solid 102 miles from the tourist base at Moab, Goblin Valley gives quiet respite from all things civilized. First discovered by cowboys roaming the range in search of lost cattle, this geological playground was designated as a state park as recent as 1964. Originally the site was known as Mushroom Valley, the name inspired by the comically organic appearance that the rock formations take. Since then, the title of Goblin Valley was added, giving the park an otherworldly name
Jessica Smith

Jessica Smith in Trips

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Trips

Hiking the West Coast Trail of Vancouver Island

As my son and I took the mandatory trail class by Parks Canada we were warned of many things that one might encounter. Along the shore there were the tides that can block beach routes and river crossings, fast changing surge channels that were responsible for the only death documented on the trail, and the remote possibility of a tsunami. Along the West Coast Trail, time and logistics turns more by a maritime clock, whether by tide or ferry. The trail itself owes its creation to the sea, in
JimG

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Trips

Backpacking Washington's Scenic Pasayten Wilderness

While much of Washington is a veritable backpacker’s paradise, its three national parks and the areas of national forest closest to the Seattle megalopolis seem to absorb the bulk of the crowds. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness, with its spectacular scenery and name-brand destinations like The Enchantments, and Mount Rainier, with its life-list Wonderland Trail, deservedly draw hordes of eager backpackers. But for those willing to travel a bit further east, incredible backpacking and ample opportunit
Mark Wetherington

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Trips

Magnificent Solitude: Hiking in Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park – the key word here is Big – so big, in fact, that the park is home to thousands of species of plants, animals, and insects, and is so large that it contains an entire mountain range! The park is also quite a ways away from major cities, being in far southwestern Texas up against the Rio Grande River and just across from Mexico, allowing it to be a dark sky location. The Chisos Mountains dominate the center of the park, with the high point being Emory Peak at 7,
Steve Ancik

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Trips

Backpacking & Hiking into the Richland Creek Wilderness

Arkansas: The Natural State. Nothing is more natural than this remote wilderness deep in the Ozark National Forest in the northern part of the state. This wonderful wild place is known as Richland Creek Wilderness, where waterfalls, not-so-secret caves, thick forests, swimming holes, bluffs, colorful fall foliage, wildflowers, and more are to be found. There are a multitude of boulder-dotted creeks in the Wilderness, the main ones being Big Devils Fork, Long Devils Fork, and Richland Creek. Rich
Steve Ancik

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Trips

A Spring Hike on the Buffalo River Trail of Arkansas

A cool, rainy weekend in early April provides the perfect backdrop for a hike on Arkansas’ Buffalo River Trail. Moist spring weather in the Ozarks means the lush hardwood and pine forest is bursting with wildflowers, ferns and all manner of growth, keeping hikers engaged in identifying each plant and marveling over the delicate and diverse shapes and intense colors. Cloudy, humid weather intensifies the deep, vernal greens enveloping the trail, and likewise accentuates the rainbow shades of coun
Susan Dragoo

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Trips

A Ridge of Riches: Hiking the Bridger Range of Montana

The view out the cabin window was nothing short of spectacular. Sitting perched at an elevation overlooking the Gallatin Valley, the city of Bozeman, and most importantly the Bridger Mountains; aptly named by the locals, “The Bridger’s” or “Bridger Range.” A spine that shoots up from the plains with a sheer drop on either side and a ridge that beckons the call for exploration. A sunset glow pierces the cabin window with the fire outside ablaze. The orange glow glissades down the edges of the ran
jansenjournals

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Trips

Backpacking the Enchantments: Alpine Lakes Wilderness

With names like Gnome Tarn, Dragontail Peaks, and Aasgard Pass, you’d think I’d stumbled into a land of Norse Sagas. But instead I walked through a land of water and granite surrounded by the fall color of subalpine larch. The Enchantments are a small section of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in northern Washington’s Cascade Range. This is a land of high valleys and beautiful aqua-marine lakes, all lying under the ever-present view of Prusik Peak. While an Enchantments hike can offer rew
David Cobb

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Trips

Backpacking the Selway River Trail: A Hike from Paradise

Most backpacking trips enter a figurative “Paradise” at some point or another. It could be an exquisite sunset, a perfect campsite, or time spent mesmerized by a waterfall. My trip along the Selway River Trail with my stalwart backpacking companion Justin had the amusing distinction of actually beginning at a Paradise. The Paradise boat launch and trailhead in the Bitterroot National Forest in a remote corner of Idaho, to be exact. From here we would follow the Selway River downstream
Mark Wetherington

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Trips

Sierra Serenity: Hiking the Theodore Solomons Trail

You’ve no doubt heard of the John Muir Trail, justly known as one of America’s premier hiking trails. Perhaps you have even hiked it (if not, put it at the top of your hiking bucket list). But the JMT is not the only long trail through the heart of the Sierra Nevada. Just 10 miles to its west, the Theodore Solomons Trail parallels the JMT. Starting at Horseshoe Meadows south of Mt. Whitney, it bears west over the Kern drainage, turns north to Mineral King, then keeps to the west sides of Sequoia
HappyHour

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Trips

A San Juan Mountain High: Hiking on the Colorado Trail

The San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado have some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country. The views are filled with high peaks, beautiful waterfalls, scenic valleys, and prolific wildflowers which call to you to explore! I have spent several vacations in the area over the years, and was long overdue for another visit. This trip was with three of my hiking friends from the flatlands of Oklahoma and Texas – Craig from Houston, and Ward and Joel from Oklahoma City. We all live at l
Steve Ancik

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