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For those of you who live in areas where you can camp year-round – or those of you intrepid enough to dig snow caves and hunker down, this squash soup makes a rich seasonal meal that’s spicy enough to heat you from the inside. The topping of crispy lamb with cumin and sunflower seeds adds a taste sensation bold as a winter camper.
Soup “bark” is dehydrated pureed soup. The liquid is poured on solid trays then dehydrated until crisp (see dehydrating your own backpacking meals). It often tastes good as a cracker or chip, too. Package in a zip-style baggie and rehydrate in hot water.

Remember: Save a bowl with lamb crisps for your dinner! Add a sprig of cilantro.
At Home
Ingredients (2 servings)
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 shallots, minced 4 cups vegetable broth 2 cups diced winter squash (such as pumpkin, butternut, or acorn) 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups collard greens, thinly sliced and cut in half I chopped small red chili pepper 4 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon red pepper chili oil (to taste) black pepper and chilipowder to taste 1/2 lb organic lamb steak, sliced very thin 3 tablespoons whole cumin seed 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds chili powder to taste 1 cup apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons coconut oil 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari Instructions
In a soup pot, heat 1 olive oil, shallots, garlic, and squash on medium high. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add broth, soy sauce, and chili oil. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the collard greens, chopped chili, cover, and continue to simmer until all ingredients are soft. Puree the soup. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Pour puree onto solid dehydrator trays and dehydrate until it becomes crispy. Break “bark” into pieces and package in a zip-style baggie. Label.
Freeze the lamb steaks until they are slightly firm. With a sharp knife cut very thin 1/8” x 1” x 1” pieces.
Toast cumin, sunflower seeds, chili in a frying pan with 1 tbs. soy sauce.
In a shallow dish combine apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, and 2 tbs. soy sauce. Grind ½ the toasted cumin, sunflower, chili mixture together (I use a coffee grinder) then add to the marinade. Add the lamb slices and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Discard the marinade, place the lamb on a cookie tray and cook in a pre-heated 325-degree oven for five minutes.

Dehydrate the lamb until it is very crispy, like chips. Package the lamb crisps and the remaining toasted cumin, sunflower seed, chili mix in a zip-style baggie. Label.
Squash & Lamb Backpacking Soup: In Camp
Rehydrate the squash soup bark with 3 cups of water. Heat and serve with a generous sprinkling of lamb-cumin crisps on top. Add a sprig of dandelion greens or wild onion for color!

This goes well with a cranberry chutney. Find out how to make chutney roll-ups and other ultra nutritious and delicious backpacking meals in Backpackers' Ultra Food.
Editor's Note: This recipe originally appeared in Issue 12 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.

The Great Divide Trail in the Canadian Rockies is the stuff dreams are made of. Remote grand mountainous wilderness, picturesque scenery, a level of solitude that’s rare to find these days, and that hint of anticipation and suspense that comes with hiking through grizzly country. There is definitely an intimidation factor that comes with hiking in the lesser traveled Canadian Rockies, but the secret is out, and the GDT is gradually becoming one of the most destined thru-hikes in the world.

The Great Divide Trail extends from the northern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail about 700 miles north into Canada.
Thru-hiking the Great Divide Trail
The southern terminus for the GDT, at Waterton Lakes National Park, is also the northern terminus for the Continental Divide Trail (from Mexico to Canada in the US), and the eastern terminus for the Pacific Northwest Trail (from Montana to the Pacific Ocean). Northbound from Waterton Lakes, the GDT extends about 700 miles along the border that separates British Columbia and Alberta. Along the way, passing through many forest reserves and wilderness areas, 5 National Parks (including Banff and Jasper), and 7 Provincial Parks.
Given the information presented thus far, it’s hard to believe the GDT isn’t more traveled. That’s because there is a price to be paid to earn those rewards that the GDT can bring. There are a few main factors that impact the GDT and keep the crowds down. First of all, the GDT does not run near large cities or communities. There are nicely spread out resupply stops along the trail to send resupply boxes, but overall, the trail is relatively remote. I really enjoyed this aspect of the GDT, but it also impacts the quantity of resources and ability to maintain the trail.

Brushy Trail along the David Thompson Heritage Trail
Unlike the US, which has the National Trails Act, Canada does not have the degree of funding and laws that help to preserve and promote long trails. Given these challenges, the Great Divide Trail Association (GDTA), which is a fully voluntary association, has made great strides in the recent years in clearing and maintaining some of the most neglected sections. The GDT is not fully blazed nor maintained, and it never will be. The GDT is intended to have those undefined areas where you can freely roam cross-country through an alpine meadow or over mountain passes. That explorer aspect is the essence of the GDT that sets it apart from other long distance trails. There are many sections with clear trail, but there are just as many that are overgrown, contain downed trees, missing bridges, or marshy meadows. Combine this with the fact that some form of cold precipitation is likely many days, and you have a recipe for discomfort.

Fire damaged trail along Colonel Creek, Mount Robson Provincial Park
This is definitely not a trail for the pampered, but it is for those who enjoy the aspect of a more rustic experience with added challenges that promote solitude and independence. The weather is definitely the x-factor for the GDT. I'm not going to lie, there is rain, sleet, hail, and snow possible everyday on the GDT. There is no way to avoid it. For me and my hiking partner, the rain would usually be a light rain sometime overnight. We were thankful for that, and that it wasn't raining as much when we hiked. However, the rain did make all the thick brush along the trail wet, and the car wash effect took place on very cold mornings. Some days, we would be drenched with soaking wet shoes sometimes just minutes into the early morning hiking. Having dry shoes the second half of the hike was an anomaly. There is no avoiding it and trail runners or a lighter boot are your best bet if you ever want them to dry out.

Descending Cataract Pass, Jasper National Park
The good news is that we were fortunate to have avoided foul weather where it mattered. What really makes the GDT amazing are the high route options. We considered the high routes to be the first option and threaded the needle many times just barely making the clear weather window. Sometimes, other hikers just a few days from us, were not as fortunate. Due to weather conditions, they were forced to stay low on the GDT where there was more overgrowth and soggy terrain. This is why the x-factor of the weather can strongly impact a GDT experience. Generally, the hiking window for the GDT is July-early September, but there really is no guarantee of ideal weather.

There is just something indescribable about the GDT that puts it on a whole other level. It’s a trail that makes you feel small in the best way possible. There is something about all the ingredients that come together to create a very rewarding and adventurous experience if all the chips fall correctly. That experience is only magnified when you’ve pushed through the cold rivers, fallen trees, washed out trail, and bushwhacked through ice cold wet brush to get to those vistas. Rolling the dice and crossing fingers that skies will clear and clouds will part just when you need it. Both thanking and cursing that dense forest that can feel claustrophobic one moment and then be a safe haven from storms the next. That rush of exhilaration and unfathomable wonder as you hike on a trail-less ridgeline with the Canadian Rockies endlessly stretching in every direction.
Final Thoughts on the Great Divide Trail
I intentionally avoided specifics on the hike itself, because each day was so unique and varied. Anyone interested in a detailed daily journal of the hike, can visit my website noted at the end of the article. One important note I would like to make however, is that many GDT thru-hikers end their hike at Mt. Robson Provincial Park, mainly for logistical reasons. The final stretch of the GDT that continues north from Mt. Robson for another ~100mi to end at Kakwa Lake is incredibly remote and traveled by few. It’s a long carry for most and logistically a more challenging exit, but rewarding, especially if weather is going to be clear. The high route alternates in that final leg to Kakwa Lake are incredibly grand and rewarding. As I said before, the stuff dreams are made of.

In talking with some of the veteran long distance hikers who have experienced a wide variety of long trails, there are many that agree with me that the Great Divide Trail just may be THE best trail we’ll ever hike. There is something bittersweet about that realization...but the great thing is that I can return (like many GDT thru-hikers seem to do) and I know it will be a uniquely new and inspiring experience each time.
Great Divide Trail (GDT): Need to Know
Information
Check out www.greatdividetrail.com for more information on the Great Divide Trail and previous hiker journals. Given that the GDT goes through 5 National Parks and 7 Provincial Parks, permits and reservations would be needed. The Great Divide Trail Association provides more detail on this on their website with a list of all the campsites and which ones require permits. The main ones most thru hikers would need to pay attention to are Banff, Jasper, and Kootenay National Parks and Robson Provincial Park.
Getting There
Since the GDT goes through so many National and Provincial Parks, there are many places to jump on and do sections of the trail. Hikers looking to start at the southern terminus at Waterton Lakes National Park can fly into Calgary and rent a car or use the Airport Shuttle Express service. Driving to Waterton Lakes National Park is also doable and there are possibly resources through the park for leaving a vehicle for the length of the hike if needed.
Best Time to Go
The Canadian Rockies are often blanketed in snow, so the window of time to go would be July through mid-September with mid-July through mid-August being the most ideal in typical years.
Maps & Books
The guidebook for the GDT is Hiking Canada’s Great Divide Trail by Dustin Lynx. There have been some improvements made since the publication of the guidebook and those can also be found on the GDTA website. The maps for the GDT cannot yet be purchased as one complete unit. It’s a bit of a piecing together from various sources like National Geographic, Gem Trek Maps and map sets made by previous hikers.
Erin “Wired” Saver is a long distance backpacking blogger that has hiked over 10,000 miles since 2011 including hiking’s Triple Crown (Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Appalachian Trail).
Editor's Note: This article by Erin "Wired" Saver originally appeared in Issue 28 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.

On any hiking or backpacking trip, the ability to procure drinking water during the hike is one of the most important logistical considerations for both pre-trip planning as well as while we’re on the trail. Finding the water is of course the first step, and having the necessary gear to properly process the water so it’s suitable to drink is the second part of the equation.
Here we’ll look at the main types of water filters and backcountry water treatment methods that are best suited for backpacking and hiking, and elaborate on the necessary reading between the lines that needs to be done when choosing the best backpacking water filters or treatment options for backcountry use.

An assortment of various types of backcountry water treatment options
Backpacking & Hiking Water Treatment: What We Need to Treat & Filter
Microorganisms and Biological Concerns
While protozoan concerns such as giardia and cryptosporidium get the most publicity, concerns are best looked at in a categorical fashion. Starting with biological contaminants from smallest to largest, viruses (example: hepatitis, rotavirus, often smaller than .1 micron) are notoriously difficult to filter as they can slip through most common filter’s pore size.
Luckily, viruses are mostly a concern where there are many other people – for example where you might find untreated sewage. However, it’s always important to remember the source of the water you’re filtering. Bacteria (example: E.Coli, Salmonella, average size greater than .3 microns) are a more common concern in the wilderness as they are spread by both humans and wildlife, but luckily they are larger than viruses and more easily captured by most common filters.
Protozoa are a bit larger and include cryptosporidium and giardia, and a filter that will filter to 1 micron or smaller is recommended for removal. Concerns that are larger still include tapeworm eggs and unsightly, but not necessarily dangerous, critters of various types in your water such as insect larvae. On many occasions I’ve scooped water from crystal clear mountain streams and upon close inspection, have been quite surprised at what that scoop reveals to the eye – from sticks and stones to tadpoles and worms of various types – not to mention what you can’t see. I prefer to get my calories from my food bag while backpacking, and luckily these larger organisms are of course, very easily filtered.

Water sources will vary in purity, but various types of backcountry water treatment and filtration methods are available and can be utilized. Each method offers pros and cons, and I often prefer to use methods / technologies in combination depending on the trip.
Other Treatment Considerations
Many other components can make up the water you’re drinking in the backcountry as well. Chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, heavy metals, tannins, silt, taste and odor, as well as natural particulates of various types will need to be considered. Some of these concerns will only affect smell and taste, others could affect your health. Visible suspended matter is removed by most filters, but tannins and taste / smell can pass through – in my experience even drinking tea colored water however, has been fine.
If your water source is downstream of an area that has seen prior or active agricultural or mining use for example, chemicals and other various components introduced by man could be in the water source, especially as you move further downstream in the water supply chain. To reduce these types of contaminants and concerns we can utilize a purifier or filter that contains a carbon stage, or add a carbon element or step to an existing setup to assist in reducing many of these possible impurities.
Physical Water Filters and Purifiers
Most water treatment products designed for backcountry use that are reasonably lightweight, will not address all of the above concerns in one fell swoop. Thus, we need to evaluate our backpacking and hiking destinations, as well as our own personal comfort level to find the best compromise. For backpacking in the mountainous wilderness areas of the United States for example, the general consensus is that viruses are usually not of a great concern, and many times our water sources are fairly pure from man-made pollution as we’re getting it close to the source.
In these cases bacteria and protozoa are usually the main concerns. Other backcountry trips may find us filtering water on the banks of a river far from the source, that has passed through many towns before we consume it, perhaps on foreign soil, and the full gamut of contaminants are more of a possibility.
Water filters do just what they say; they filter the water to a certain micron level to remove bacteria and protozoa. Water purification by definition, including options like the First Need XLE will take this all a step further by also removing viruses, though not all products that are officially listed as purifiers will remove or reduce chemicals, heavy metals, tannins, debris, etc. – your water may be purified by marketing general standards, but it will not necessarily be “pure”.

A classic pump filter works well for pulling water out of hard to reach and shallow sources.
Popular water filters for backcountry water treatment should filter to an absolute pore size of .3 microns or smaller for adequate removal of bacteria, protozoa, and all things larger. Note the absolute part of the pore size equation, as filters listed with a “nominal” pore size will only on average filter to that level. Absolute is a guarantee, and is the number we’re actually interested in.
If you prefer viral protection, you will need an option with a much smaller absolute pore size; as a result flow rate will likely suffer and these types of purifiers are rare. Alternatively some filters combine with other technology to treat the virus part using an iodine or ion exchange process. Backpacking water purifiers that remove viruses physically are rare but can be found in the MSR Guardian pump purifier. Other options combine a normal filter with a cartridge that contains an iodinated resin for added virus protection, while the Grayl purifier uses an ion exchange process to achieve this goal.
Types of Backpacking & Hiking Water Filters
Physical filtration can be achieved utilizing various types of elements and technologies. The most popular lightweight water filter technology today, hollow fiber filters work by passing water through a multitude of small tubes; tubes that are perforated by many, many, pores so small (rated to the micron) that anything larger than this pore size cannot pass through, trapping any living organisms or non-living matter larger than the pore size. Hollow fiber filters are popular for their light weight and versatility – you can pretty much find one in any filter configuration you prefer – be that as a gravity filter, inline filter, or pump.
Hollow fiber filters can usually be backflushed to help restore flow rate, and flow rate will vary depending on pore size, surface area, and use. The most popular hollow fiber filters are in the .1 to .2 micron range making them sufficient for bacteria and protozoa, and this micron level is usually a good balance of protection, sufficient flow rate, and lifespan. Smaller micron, virus-rated filters also exist in this category as seen with the aforementioned MSR Guardian purifier, but flow rate will be slower due to the smaller pore size.

Gravity filters, an example shown here using hollow fiber filter technology, use the force of gravity to move water through the filter.
Hollow fiber filters cannot be allowed to freeze when wet (the MSR Guardian is an exception) or after they've been used, so on trips where it will freeze at night you’ll need to sleep with the filter in your sleeping bag or carry it in your pocket any time temperatures begin to flirt with freezing during the day – this goes for nearly all other filters using different types of elements as well.
In addition to freezing, physical filters also need to be treated with some care in regards to drops and impacts, which could damage the element. Some hollow fiber filters like the Platypus GravityWorks (read our full GravityWorks review here), and the Katadyn BeFree have manufacturer supported integrity tests which are very helpful for a little peace of mind – unlike other gear, you can’t really tell if a filter is working properly or not, without this test.
Other types of physical filter media will use a ceramic element like the MSR EX filter, and the Katadyn Pocket Filter, or utilize a glass fiber element like the venerable Katadyn Hiker Pro. Ceramic filters have the ability to be repeatedly field cleaned. Some filters are entirely self-contained and will need to be thrown away when their flow rate diminishes too much to be of practical use, while others setups will have a replaceable cartridge that fits into a housing.
Approaches to Filtering in the Field
No matter what filter technology you end up going with, physical filters are most often utilized in an inline, gravity, squeeze, or pump configuration. The traditional pump water filter requires you to pump the water through the filter element via a hose in the water source, and is a proven setup at both getting you water and providing an ample upper body workout.
Pump filters have moving parts and increase the complication and weight, but these are also great for pulling water out of hard to reach places. The other methods will require you to fill some type of reservoir with dirty water first, by either submerging the dirty water container or bag in the water source or, if it’s one of those shallow or small sources you occasionally may need to use a separate vessel to fill the dirty container, like a mug (boil later to sterilize).

An inline water filter connected to a hydration setup treats water as you drink.
Gravity setups like the Platypus GravityWorks and the Katadyn Gravity BeFree let gravity do the work for you, by filling a dirty reservoir with water and by elevating, hanging from a tree branch or rock if possible, water passes through the filter element into a clean container. Inline setups such as the MSR Thru-Link splice into the tubing of your hydration reservoir and your own drinking force filters the water with each sip, while with squeeze setups like the Sawyer Squeeze, you can utilize a combination of gravity and squeezing force to move the dirty water through the filter and the filtered water into a clean vessel or drink directly.
Other options integrate the filter into a water bottle (LifeStraw Go Series) or softbottle (BeFree), where much in the same manner as an inline filter with a hydration reservoir, your drinking or a combination of drinking and squeezing is what filters the water as you go. Straw type options like the Lifestraw Peak (view at REI) are also another strategy, treating water by directly inserting one end into a water source and drinking from the other side of the straw. A straw filter is limited in that you cannot process larger volumes of water and each sip takes more work, and straw filters are perhaps best reserved more for emergency usage.
In whatever case, seek out the cleanest water possible to prolong the life of your filter and for the best flow rate. While many filters can be backflushed or cleaned, this is usually a losing battle over time. Although filters are rated by the gallon or liter in regards to their lifespan, and while it’s a great idea to evaluate this when choosing a filter, take this number with a grain of salt. Clean water is important for other treatment methods as well; in very turbid situations it’s a good idea to allow water to settle in a separate container (in for example, a Sea to Summit Bucket), then treat from the top. Luckily, this is more of the exception than the norm for most of us.
Backcountry UV Water Treatment
Ultraviolet treatment options like those offered by Steripen, come in various forms using either normal or rechargeable batteries, and utilize, as with many municipalities, UV light from a special lamp that’s inserted into your water container to neutralize many microorganisms by disrupting their DNA. This process usually takes about a minute and you’ll most likely be treating a liter of water or so at a time. Some other UV bottles have come (and gone) to / from the market that feature an integrated lamp, and yet others have been designed to float from the surface of your water vessel.

UV water treatment uses battery powered ultraviolet light that's inserted in a container to treat many microorganisms.
On the plus side, these UV treatment options are quite effective at neutralizing the things that physical filters have the toughest time with – viruses – and the technology is proven. However, many are not comfortable relying on an electronic and potentially fragile instrument for their main or only wilderness water treatment source.
Additionally, UV light on its own is not sufficient for neutralizing all living organisms that could be present in your water – tapeworm eggs for example, or larger organisms and larvae that may or may not do any harm but may not necessarily be what you want to ingest, nor will a UV product remove anything from the water or improve its composition. If the water is dirty, you’ll be drinking dirty water.
Steripen offers a filter with a 40x40 micron mesh screen that can help here, which is intended to reduce organic matter or particulates. Performance may also be insufficient in murky water, requiring pre-filtration. All said, this is an excellent technology as long as you’re aware of the limitations; I utilize a Steripen Adventurer Opti as a secondary treatment with a hollow fiber filter on any trip where I desire viral treatment.
Chemical Water Treatment
Chemical treatment usually utilizing chlorine dioxide (Aquamira) or Iodine (Potable Aqua) and on occasion some other chemicals like household bleach or other chemicals that produce chlorine, like Aquatabs can be effective, but like anything this category has its share of pros and cons. In contrast to physical filters and like UV treatment, chemicals are again effective against viruses, but often take longer (hours) to work on such concerns as cryptosporidium (4 hours) and these products will add a taste to your water; other products are not suitable for cryptosporidium whatsoever. Advocates for chemical treatments praise the ease of just adding the treatment right into their water bottles and allowing the treatment to take place as they hike.
To be honest, most of my thought goes into making sure my drinking water source is either free of any chemicals or how to reduce or remove them should there be any chance of them being present, so chemical treatment is a bit counter-productive from my point of view, and options like iodine are not an option for pregnant women or those with any type of a thyroid issue. Iodine and chlorine (i.e. bleach) on their own, are not effective against cryptosporidium.
However, this method is lightweight and over the years has been popular with ultralight backpackers, though decreasing in recent years with the increased availability of very light hollow fiber filters like the Sawyer Mini. In this category, other devices have seen the market over the years that create a solution with salt to create an oxidant solution that you subsequently dissolve in water; but as with other chemical treatments, with a 4 hour wait time these are not the quickest of options.
An example can be found in the discontinued MSR MIOX. These devices seem to come and go from the market. Chemical treatment may also be integrated with some filters to move them into the purifier category. As with boiling, chemical treatment can be a good backup to bring as well or to utilize in conjunction with other methods.

Hundreds of miles from the source, I took extra steps in my treatment process at this backcountry location.
Boiling
Boiling water is an excellent way to neutralize microorganisms that might be present, but it takes a while, requires a lot of fuel, and let’s be honest, on a hot summer day, who wants to drink steaming hot water when we could be drinking that crisp and cold water from a mountain stream? As such, boiling can be tough to utilize as a main water treatment method on most 3 season backpacking trips, but it’s an excellent method to keep in mind as a backup method should your filter or other method fail you.
In winter however, melting snow for water may be your best and only option. Be sure to bring a big pot (my Evernew 1.3 works well solo) and a stove that will work well during continued usage in cold conditions like the MSR WindPro II – read our WindPro II review here. Opinions on how long to boil water vary widely; the CDC suggests bringing water to a rolling boil for 1 minute, or for 3 full minutes at altitudes above 6562 feet (be sure to check that 2 on the end of your altimeter!). Data suggests however that pathogens are neutralized at lower temperatures; in the end it depends on heat and time but luckily, both are achieved by bringing your water to a boil and after removal from heat.
Carbon Filtration
As we’ve seen, the technologies used above are all mainly designed to thwart microorganisms. If improving the taste and smell of your water, or if any agricultural and / or industrial contamination is a concern, look for a system that integrates filtration technology combined with a carbon stage that will improve and / or reduce, but not necessarily eliminate, these concerns.

If desired, a carbon element can be integrated into an existing system using a modular approach to filter water further.
This will increase the weight of your system, and possibly the cost of replacement elements, etc., but there is of course no free lunch. The Grayl UltraPress and Katadyn Hiker Pro are all examples of filters with integrated carbon filtration – or if you’re like me and have settled on a treatment method that does not address this concern, but you may occasionally head out on a trip where some of these concerns would be nice to cover, you can always splice in an add-on carbon element (I use an add on GravityWorks Carbon Element) for this purpose when needed.
My Approach to Backcountry Water Treatment
For a complicated issue, there are unfortunately no one size fits all solutions and in the end, when we’re concerned about not carrying extra weight, it all comes down to a compromise and what each one of us is most interested in removing from our water. Luckily there are many lightweight and effective options out there to choose from. For general backpacking we should expect to find an option that will treat what we’re concerned with for around a pound or less. About half a pound is usually doable, and lighter options of just a few ounces are very realistic to target. The best backpacking water filter or water treatment method very much depends on the task at hand.

Most of my trips are very well served by standard hollow fiber filtration technology; as with all of us most likely, my preference is to backpack into areas where the water is already fairly good. As such I’m not usually concerned about viruses or pollution, (both a Steripen and carbon filter have a spot in the gear room for such destinations to use in conjunction with a hollow fiber filter), and I like to target the removal of bacteria, protozoa, and the removal of larger critters no matter their parasitical intent or lack thereof.
The hollow fiber filter also has that added benefit of giving your water a good scrub; removing particulate matter. I really like a filter that has a manufacturer supported integrity test as well, so it essentially comes down to the cartridge for me. The Platypus GravityWorks cartridge fits all of the above criteria, and it just so happens the whole setup it comes with works well and is pretty darn convenient to use both on the trail as well as in camp.
For a complete list of backcountry-ready, tried and tested backpacking water filters and treatment methods that you can sort and filter by all the main points we’ve discussed in this post, check out this page at REI.

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.

Ocotillo and Sunset on the Sierra del Carmen Range in Big Bend
The Chisos Mountains dominate the center of the park, with the high point being Emory Peak at 7,832 feet of elevation. Surrounding the mountains are thousands of acres of the Chihuahuan Desert. At the southern border is the Rio Grande River at an elevation of around 1,800 feet. The park covers a whopping 1,252 square miles. With this size, variety of elevations, and various ecosystems, there is an enormous potential for hiking, wildlife spotting, and photography.
A Hiking Trip to Big Bend
I took a week-long trip to Big Bend with my sister in early November 2023. We planned on hiking several trails, plus backpacking in the Chisos Mountains, which included a climb to the top of Emory Peak. The trip did not disappoint! For the first three days, we took shorter hikes of one to five miles each, including Persimmon Gap Draw, Boquillas Canyon, Ernst Tinaja, Balanced Rock, Rio Grande Village Nature Trail, Pine Canyon, Lost Mine, and the Window. All of these led up to our main event–backpacking to a backcountry campsite high in the mountains.

Our big trek started (after a couple of false starts) at The Basin, which is the trailhead for many trails. We hoisted our packs and began the hike up Laguna Meadows Trail. It got cloudier as the day went on, and was mostly cloudy by evening. We repeatedly passed and were passed by a group of college-aged “kids” on the hike, but otherwise saw very few other hikers on the climb. We spotted a black bear (there are about 30 to 40 in the park) about 100 feet off of the trail at one point, but it was too far away, moving too fast, and in too much brush to get any pictures.
We saw several Mexican Jays that caught our eye due to their bright blue coloring. At the intersection of Colima Trail, the group of “kids” continued south, and we turned east. We went up and over a saddle on the Colima Trail, and then down to Boot Canyon. This part of the hike was about 5.4 miles, with about 2,400 feet of climbing and about 520 feet of descent, and took us around 4 ½ hours, carrying packs weighing roughly 35 pounds each – not exactly ultralight, but we were also carrying about 1.5 gallons of water each, as there was no guarantee that Boot Spring would be flowing enough to replenish our supplies. That evening, we had seven or eight deer pass near the campsite and a later-identified acorn woodpecker that was busy in the trees. It was a chilly evening, so we were in our tents by a little after 7 o’clock. I read for a while and then tossed and turned much of the night – my lightweight air mattress is REALLY noisy! It was about 50° overnight and we had no other “visitors” that we know of.

Balanced Rock
The next morning, we had our breakfast and saw two young bucks (brothers?) grooming each other and then play-fighting. We had carried small day packs with us so that we could spend the day hiking without the burden of full backpacks. We left our backpacks in the provided bear boxes, flattened our tents (apparently bears get curious about tents left standing), and hiked south in Boot Canyon. When we hiked, there were numerous pools and even some flowing water in the canyon due to some recent rain. We arrived at the end of Boot Canyon Trail at the South Rim, then hiked an easy trail toward the Southwest Rim. We then turned around and continued back along the South Rim to the East and Northeast Rim and finally back to camp. It was a beautiful, mostly sunny day with some cirrus clouds. Despite quite a bit of haze, the views from the rims are spectacular! The Rio Grande River is visible out there in the distance and Mexico just beyond. I really enjoyed the loop and was reluctant to leave. The total distance of the loop was around 6.7 miles with about 2,180 feet of climbing, and it took us 5 1/2 hours, with plenty of stops for photos.

The trail along the rim is well-used and easy to follow as it winds along the edge and up and over several higher ridges. It passes through an area of the East Rim that had been burned in 2021 and is just starting to recover, and most of the campsites were in burned areas. I like the direction that we hiked – counterclockwise – as the hike down from the East Rim to Boot Canyon is quite narrow, steep, rough, and when we hiked it, somewhat overgrown – it would have been quite difficult in the opposite direction. On the return to our campsite, we stopped to refill our water supply at Boot Spring, which was flowing at least a liter per minute – something that you can’t always count on. Back at the campsite, we rested and watched birds flit about.
There was a Peregrine Falcon that visited briefly, and numerous woodpeckers pecking the trees, at least one catching bugs out of the air. After dinner, while sitting in camp enjoying the evening, a bear visited. He seemed quite interested in us, looking from several angles around the campsite, getting to within 25 feet at times! I tried to take a couple of pictures, but they came out blurry because it was nearly dark. We eventually (after probably only five minutes or so), got him to leave by yelling and throwing a couple of rocks. He seemed somewhat young and scared of us, at one point standing on his hind legs behind a tree, like he was thinking about climbing it. He soon moved on, and we didn’t see him again. That evening, we also heard in the distance, and then just above our campsite after dark, a Western Screech Owl – quite the thrilling evening!

The next morning, we broke camp and hiked down Boot Canyon Trail (fairly level trail for about a mile) to the Emory Peak Trail. We left our packs in the bear boxes and then hiked up to Emory Peak, which is about 1.5 miles with about 800 feet of climbing. The trail gets rougher and steeper we climbed, until you reach the last 25 feet. We found we needed to scramble up an exposed rock face of large granite boulders, but the 360° view from Emory Peak, the highest point in the park, is superb. Climbing back down seemed the most treacherous with all of that steep rock and exposure, with no room for any false steps. Once we made it off the peak, we hiked back down and picked up our packs. This was where we saw the most other hikers on the trip, as there were about a dozen resting at this point. Then we hiked down the Pinnacles Trail to our vehicle. The total distance this day was about 8.5 miles with 3,000 feet of descent and 1,700 feet of climbing, and took us six hours with many breaks for photos and rests.
Other Big Bend National Park Hikes of Note
Pine Canyon
Pine Canyon Trail starts from a trailhead off of the main paved roads at the end of a one-lane 6.4 mile track that goes across the desert. The road is rough but was suitable, when we drove it, for a Subaru Forester or similar vehicle. The lower part of Pine Canyon Trail crosses a large Sotol (a type of agave with long, sawtoothed leaves) grassland and slowly climbs into a forested Pinõn-Juniper canyon on the east side of the Chisos Mountains.

Sotol along the Pine Canyon Trail in Big Bend National Park
The shaded canyon is full of a variety of large trees (including the national champion Arizona Yellow Pine, with a 105 foot height and 9-foot girth – unfortunately we did not know this at the time so did not know to look for it). There are also oaks, junipers, and maples along the trail. The last half mile gets quite steep until you reach a 200 foot-tall pour-off. It had a trickle of water when we were there. The hike was about 4.3 miles round-trip with about 1,000 feet elevation gain to the end.
Lost Mine
The Lost Mine Trail starts steeply from the parking lot, then less steeply but continuously, with many switchbacks along the way, up onto a ridge overlooking excellent views of the surrounding desert and mountains. This is one of the more popular hikes in the park, and for good reason –the views from the end are amazing, rivaling the views from the South Rim. A pair of ravens felt the same way as they perched on one of the large rocks and watched us. The hike is a total of 4.8 miles round-trip with about 1,100 feet elevation gain to the end.
Ernst Tinaja
To get to Ernst Tinaja you must first travel the rough four-wheel drive (high clearance needed) Old Ore Road for about five miles. From the trailhead, it’s an easy one-mile walk up a dry wash with very little elevation gain (less than 300 feet) to the tinaja – a pool or depression carved out of the rock below a waterfall. There were several small pools in the wash along the way. The tinaja is in a sloped canyon at the end, and is surrounded by twisted, colorful sedimentary (mainly limestone) rock layers with some fossil shells visible. This is a very good short hike, provided you have the right vehicle to get to the trailhead.
The Window
The Window Trail starts in Chisos Basin Campground between sites 49 and 51. There is also a trailhead at The Basin, which adds nearly a mile of hiking each way. The trail descends through Oak Creek Canyon to the Window pour-off. The top of the Window pour-off is slickrock–very slick, and is not a place I'd like to be if the rock was wet, with a near 200 foot drop off. Near the end of the trail, we took a side trail (Oak Spring trail) up to an overlook high above the Window, with great views of the surrounding desert and mountains.

Along the trail and at the Window, there are usually a few visitors, as this is another of the most popular hikes in the park. The view through the window frames panoramic desert vistas. The hike (without the side jaunt to the overlook) is about 4.8 miles round-trip with 900 feet elevation drop to the end (and 900 feet back up to the trailhead!). The extra side-trip to the overlook adds just over a half-mile and an extra 350 feet of climbing and descent, but the view is worth the extra effort.
Hiking in Big Bend: Need to Know
Information
There are four developed campgrounds in the park. Information on seasons and reservations can be found here. Advance reservations are needed for all camping in the park. Permits are not needed for hiking. There are five visitor centers. Water is a concern and we packed in all that we needed.
Getting There
Big Bend National Park is quite isolated, and a long way from major cities. It is about 4 hours south of Midland-Odessa, 5 hours from El Paso, and over 8 hours from Dallas. The nearest major airports are at Midland/Odessa, Texas (235 miles from park headquarters) and El Paso, Texas (330 miles from park headquarters).
Best Time to Go
November through April are the busiest times. Later spring, summer, and early fall can be very hot. Summer can be even hotter. Spring break gets very busy. Campground and lodging reservations are required and can be made up to six months in advance.
Maps and Books
We used the Trails Illustrated 225 topo map of the park and the Falcon Guide: Hiking Big Bend National Park. Also, the Hiker’s Guide 2021 by The Big Bend Natural History Association is a good source. I additionally found Nature Watch Big Bend to be very informative about the park. Lastly, there is a Best Easy Day Hikes: Big Bend National Park guidebook available.
Editor's Note: This article by Steve and Melissa Ancik originally appeared in Issue 56 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.

I love the wide open spaces and views of the American West. So, I arranged for another westward trek, this time to southern Nevada. My sister Melissa and I drove her Toyota 4Runner, an excellent vehicle for the narrow, rough roads on which we would be driving. We planned on going to the Buffington Pockets area, Gold Butte National Monument, both northeast of Las Vegas, and the Vermilion Cliffs in northern Arizona (the subject for another story).

We added, on the fly, a visit to Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, just across the border in northwestern Arizona. All of these locations are far from the often-crowded national parks, and far, far from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas – my kind of places!
A Desert Hiking Adventure Begins
Our first stop was Buffington Pockets, which is a rugged and isolated area not too far off of Interstate 15 north of Las Vegas. Our first goal here was the historic Colorock Quarry. The roads to Colorock Quarry start out as graded gravel roads, which split to go to Valley of Fire State Park (which I had previously visited) and toward the quarry. The further you go the more the roads deteriorate into narrow one-lane tracks which require a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle, especially the very last part nearest the quarry.

We climbed around this colorful and scenic area for a while, getting up high for good views. Once we finished here, we drove on toward Hidden Valley on the Bitter Springs Backcountry Byway, where we wanted to hike to an arch called Striped Arch, but we found that the road ended at a wilderness boundary a few miles from the arch. We didn’t have enough time before sunset to make it to the arch and back, so we gave up on that hike and drove back a ways along the byway and found an excellent camping site just off the road next to some colorful rocks with arches. Camping in this area is not at established campgrounds (there are none), but you can find many places just off the road to camp.
Gold Butte National Monument
The next morning, we headed back to the interstate and then northeastward toward Mesquite NV, and then south on Gold Butte Byway into Gold Butte National Monument (nearly 300,000 acres on the east side of Lake Mead). Melissa was driving, and at one point she applied the brakes, and I was asking “WHAT?! WHAT?!” She had seen a Gila monster crossing the road, and of course we stopped for photographs. Further down the road, we stopped at an area with an exceptional number of cacti and wildflowers (more pictures) and then continued on to Whitney Pocket. This is an area of outcrops of red and white Aztec Sandstone surrounded by desert vegetation, including many Joshua Trees.

This area had several spots for camping, and had the largest number of people that we encountered on the entire trip. We wandered around the rocky outcrops for a while, and then continued our sightseeing tour. Our next stop, and it was a brief one, was at the Devil’s Throat, a large sinkhole surrounded by a chain link fence. Not much to see there, so we drove on to our next destination, The Grotto. Before we hiked we had sandwiches for lunch, and then took the short hike (a little over one-half mile round-trip) into the area. There were some interesting outcrops and a few petroglyphs here, but we didn’t spend a lot of time before moving on.
Our next stop was at Seven Keyholes Slot Canyon. After another short hike (about one-half mile to the canyon), we arrived at the canyon, which has odd-shaped openings, almost round at the bottom with a slot at the top. There are several of these sections with open sections in between. After seeing the canyon, we explored the area a bit more, seeing lots and lots of “holey” rocks, small caves, and arches. We probably hiked an additional mile or more exploring the nearby canyons (and there was a lot more that we could have gone to see).

We next headed toward a place that’s been on my “must see” list for a long time – Little Finland or Hobgoblin’s Playground. Getting there again consisted of driving miles of sandy, rocky roads. The ridge along which Little Finland is located is about fifty feet or so above a large relatively flat area. Along the base of the cliffs there are a number of large California Fan palm trees (not something we expected to see in the desert). Once we found our way up onto the ridge, we were surrounded by some of the strangest rocks I’ve ever seen, eroded mostly by the wind into intricate shapes, some resembling animals or monsters.
It was a difficult place to take photos, as there was so much distracting background that it was hard to isolate individual pieces of the scene. Somehow, however, I managed to take dozens of photos, including a few “keepers”. The hike at Little Finland was around a mile in length, although you could probably hike back and forth and make it considerably longer. We ended up hiking over 5 ½ miles on the hikes of this day, after which we drove until we found a good campsite off of Mud Wash Road. There were supposedly petroglyphs somewhere around there, but we never found them. Looked for shooting stars (it was one of the Lyrid meteor shower nights) until bedtime. We didn’t see any.

Our next day began with a drive to another trailhead. This meandering "trail" was up and down over the outcrops of stone, for a total of a little over a mile and took us to the area known for the Falling Man petroglyph. There are an impressive number of other petroglyphs on the cliffs in this area too. There were even a couple of potholes (or tinajas) with water and tadpoles. We hiked around, following a bunch of GPS waypoints that I had pre-loaded on my phone and found Falling Man (there must be an interesting story here) and most of the other petroglyphs. There is an amazing variety of these scattered throughout the area, including some that were in what I would consider pretty precarious spots high on the cliffs. Those ancients were skilled climbers (except for perhaps that poor falling man).

After finishing at Falling Man, we drove on down the road to our next trail, this one to take us to the 21 Goats Petroglyph Panel. This was an interesting hike (about two miles round-trip) in that it was a bearpoppy restoration area. The sign explained the ecology of the poppies and that they grow in a limited area and only on gypsum soil. We spotted a few along the hike and even found one near enough to the trail that we were able to get a couple of pictures. On to the petroglyphs – this was a really cool panel. I stepped off the width at over 35 feet, and it was probably at least 12 feet above the ground to the top. The name is somewhat misleading, as I counted about 38 “goats” (actually desert bighorn sheep). We took our photographs and headed back to the truck.

Next we drove to the trailhead for the Khota Circus (also spelled Kohta) Petroglyphs. This was a longer hike (around 3.6 miles round-trip) which went through different environments – some with sand (tough walking), and other places through washes and rocky outcrops. There was also quite a variety of wildflowers along the way. The Khota Circus is about 80 feet long by 6 feet high at the base of a tall cliff. It’s mostly animals (thus the name) – many goats, some turtles, birds, snakes, and a few humans. One of the humans is obviously a hunter shooting at a goat. Apparently, we missed another smaller but better preserved panel high on a nearby cliff.
We researched a bit once we returned to civilization, and found that the petroglyphs range in age from 700 to 3000 years old and were created by Anasazi or Southern Paiutes. There is a small slot canyon near the petroglyphs, but it isn't very long or interesting. Over the previous two days, we had seen very few people on the trails. Gold Butte only receives just over 100,000 visitors a year, most at Whitney Pocket, which is at the end of a semi-paved road, and at Little Finland. The rest of the time, we were on narrow, rough roads where only the hardiest souls (like us) go!
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
We were a bit ahead of schedule, so Melissa suggested that we go east to visit part of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (another huge park of more than a million acres that gets fewer than 100,000 visitors a year). It is even more remote and rugged than the areas that we had been in the previous days. There are no developed facilities, and most of the roads require high clearance and sometimes four-wheel drive vehicles. As we left Whitney Pocket, we came upon a field which was filled with a “superbloom” of Las Vegas poppies. We drove throughout the northern part of the monument, and noticed what looked like redbuds here and there. That was totally unexpected, considering the desert climate, but it turns out that they were California redbuds, which are indeed native to the area.

We drove until we found a place to camp along the road. We broke camp the next morning and headed toward the Paiute Wilderness for a hike, and as it turns out, the only hike we took in this vast park. The road to the trailhead was a crazy, narrow, up and down thing, but our expert driver (Melissa) handled it with ease. The trail didn’t have great scenery, but it was nice, and there were many wildflowers along the route. After leaving this area, we headed via several rough roads to Tweed’s Overlook, giving us a great overview of the northern section of the park.

We talked to a couple of guys up there who told us about a drive called “Nutter’s Twist” – supposedly a tough, rough road. Of course, we wanted to drive it. It was indeed rough, with a couple of really difficult wash crossings with steep, high banks. The only victim of the crossings, other than our nerves, was one running board that got bent on one of the boulders while crossing one of the deeper washes. There are several hiking routes ranging from one mile to over eleven miles within the park, but we will have to return another time for some of those.
Final Thoughts
If you enjoy the desert, and you want an off-the-beaten track adventure, head to Buffington Pockets, Gold Butte National Monument, and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. Here, you will experience isolation and extreme quiet, get away from civilization, and see scenery that few people get to enjoy.
Need to Know
Information
No permits are needed for any of the areas discussed above. There are no established campgrounds or facilities and there is no way to resupply provisions, supplies, or food / water. We double checked tires and carried a spare.
Getting There
Colorock Quarry in Buffington Pockets is accessed by exiting I-15 at exit 75, toward Valley of Fire State Park and the Bitter Springs Backcountry Byway. After just over three miles, the byway continues straight, and the road to Valley of Fire goes off to the left. Continue for about four miles, then turn right at the Colorock Quarry sign. From there it is about 3.5 miles to the quarry. (If you have time while in the area, be sure to visit Valley of Fire State Park. It's spectacular!)
Gold Butte National Monument is south of Interstate 15 and east of Lake Mead. Leave the interstate at Exit 112 onto Nevada 170 for 3.1 miles, then turn right onto Gold Butte Backcountry Byway. The road is semi-paved to Whitney Pocket, which is about 25 miles from the interstate. Beyond that point, a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle is needed.
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument can be accessed several ways. From Gold Butte National Monument (Whitney Pocket area), go east on Pakoon Spring Road to road #101 or 111. From St. George UT, go south on either road #1009 or 1069. From Highway 389 between Pipe Spring National Monument and Fredonia UT, go south on Antelope Valley Road toward Tuweep, then turn west into GC-PNM. Once you are in the monument, choose your own adventure.
Best Time to Go
Spring and fall would be ideal. Summer will be very hot, while winter weather will be quite variable.
Maps and Books
The Arizona Strip Visitor Map shows recreational information for the Arizona Strip Field Office, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and surrounding areas (Grand Canyon, North Kaibab National Forest, etc). There is a good map of Gold Butte and part of Grand Canyon-Parashant on a kiosk in a parking area near Whitney Pocket. I took several photos of sections of this map (it has road numbers on it which were very useful). The Delorme Nevada Atlas and their Arizona Atlas can be helpful for getting to these areas. For information on other hiking opportunities close by, see the Hiking Nevada as well as the Hiking Arizona Falcon Guides.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 57 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.