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Tag Archives: South Kaibab Trail

July 28, 2016

10 Tips For Getting a Hard-to-Get National Park Backcountry Permit

In Backpacking, National Park Adventures, Paddling, Skills   |   Tagged backpacking skills, Bright Angel Trail, California, California backpacking, California national parks, Capitol Reef National Park, Capitol Reef National Park backcountry permit, Denali National Park, Denali National Park backcountry permit, Everglades National Park, Everglades National Park backcountry permit, family backpacking, family hiking, family paddling, Glacier National Park, Glacier National Park backcountry permit, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon National Park backcountry permit, Grand Teton National Park, Grand Teton National Park backcountry permit, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park backcountry permit, Half Dome, High Sierra, John Muir Trail, Kings Canyon National Park, Kings Canyon National Park backcountry permit, Mount Rainier National Park, Mount Rainier National Park backcountry permit, national park backcountry permits, North Cascades National Park, North Cascades National Park backcountry permit, North Kaibab Trail, reserving a hard-to-get national park backcountry permit, Rocky Mountain National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park backcountry permit, Sequoia National Park, Sequoia National Park backcountry permit, South Kaibab Trail, Teton Crest Trail, Wonderland Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone National Park backcountry permit, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite National Park backcountry permit, Zion National Park, Zion National Park backcountry permit   |   2 Comments

By Michael Lanza

The first time I backpacked in Yosemite National Park, more than 20 years ago, I applied months in advance for a permit to start at the park’s most popular trailhead, Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley—and I got it. I had no idea at the time how lucky I was. I’ve since been shot down trying to get permits for popular hikes in parks like Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Glacier. But I’ve also learned a few tricks for landing coveted backcountry permits in those flagship parks—which all receive far more requests for permit reservations than they can accommodate. Continue reading →

June 6, 2016

The 15 Best National Park Dayhikes in the West

In Family Adventures, Hiking, National Park Adventures   |   Tagged Angels Landing, Arches National Park, Best national park dayhikes, Bryce Canyon National Park, California, California hiking, California national parks, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Cascade Pass, Chesler Park Trail, Cohab Canyon Trail, Delicate Arch, family hiking, Garnet Canyon, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, Grand Canyon South Rim hikes, Grand Teton National Park, Grandview Trail, Granite Park Chalet, Half Dome, High Sierra, Hiking Bryce Canyon, hiking Grand Teton National Park, hiking Half Dome, hiking Wyoming, Horseshoe Mesa, John Muir Trail, Logan Pass, Lower Yellowstone Falls, Mist Trail, Montana, Mount Rainier National Park, Navajo-Queens Garden Loop, Nevada Fall, North Cascades, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Peek-a-Boo Loop, Sahale Arm, Sahale Glacier Camp, Skyline Trail, South Kaibab Trail, Southern Olympic Coast, Southern Utah hiking backpacking, Strawberry Point, Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Third Beach, Toleak Point, Upper Yellowstone Falls, Upper Yosemite Falls, Utah, Utah parks, Vernal Fall, Washington hiking backpacking, West Rim Trail, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone North Rim Trail, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Valley, Zion National Park   |   4 Comments

By Michael Lanza

America’s most stunning landscapes are protected within our 59 national parks, and some of the finest corners of our national heritage can be reached on dayhikes. Many can be done by kids and novice hikers. I’ve spent a few decades exploring most major U.S. national parks, making numerous trips to popular ones like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Grand Teton, and Zion. From the thousands of very scenic miles I’ve hiked over the years, I’ve assembled here a list of the best dayhikes you can walk in our parks. Continue reading →

May 9, 2016

My 25 Most Scenic Days of Hiking Ever

In Backpacking, Family Adventures, Hiking, International Adventures, National Park Adventures   |   Tagged Aitana Mountains, Alta Via 2, Angels Landing, Annapurna Circuit, Arizona, California, California backpacking, California national parks, Canadian Rockies backpacking, Cirque of the Towers, climbing Mount St. Helens, Clouds Rest, Dolomite Mountains, Europa Trail, family backpacking, family hiking, Glacier National Park, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon r2r2r, Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim, Grand Teton National Park, Half Dome, High Sierra Trail, Highline Trail, Hiking Mount St. Helens, Idaho, John Muir Trail, Kings Canyon National Park, Kootenay National Park, Landmannalaugar, Laugavegur Trail, Montana, Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, New Zealand, North Cascades, North Kaibab Trail, Olympic National Park, Oregon backpacking, Pale di San Martino, Paria Canyon, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Precipice Lake, Rockwall Trail, Royal Arch Loop, Sawtooth Mountains, Sequoia National Park, Sierra de Aitana, South Kaibab Trail, Southern Olympic Coast, Southern Utah hiking backpacking, Swiss Alps, Teton Crest Trail, Thompson Peak, Thorung La, thru-hiking the John Muir Trail, Timberline Trail, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Tongariro National Park, Torres del Paine National Park, trekking Iceland, trekking Italy, Trekking Nepal, trekking Switzerland, ultra-hiking, Utah, Utah parks, Washington hiking backpacking, Wind River Range, Wind River Range hiking, Wyoming, Yosemite National Park, Zion Canyon, Zion Narrows, Zion National Park   |   Leave a comment

By Michael Lanza

You’ve had days like this. Maybe it was a dayhike, or a single, exceptional day on a backpacking trip or hut trek—one so gorgeous and inspirational that it forges a lasting memory as one of the best experiences you’ve ever had in the backcountry. From iconic national parks like Yosemite, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Glacier to some of the world’s great treks, like the Alta Via 2 in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains, New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park, and Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail, here’s a list of the 25 hands-down prettiest single days I’ve ever spent walking dirt and rock footpaths. I think many of these places would make your top list, too. Continue reading →

April 26, 2016

10 Favorite National Park Adventures With Kids

In Backpacking, Family Adventures, Hiking, National Park Adventures, Paddling   |   Tagged Alaska, Alaska national parks, Angels Landing, Arches National Park, Arches National Park Devils Garden, Arches National Park Fiery Furnace, Arches National Park Windows Section, Arizona, California, California backpacking, California hiking, California national parks, canoeing the Everglades, Cascade Canyon, Everglades National Park, family backpacking, family hiking, family paddling, General Grant Tree, General Sherman Tree, Giant Forest, giant sequoias, Glacier Bay National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, Grand Canyon r2r2r, Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim, Grand Canyon South Rim backpacking trips, Grand Canyon South Rim hikes, Grand Prismatic Geyser, Grand Teton National Park, Half Dome, High Sierra, hiking across the Grand Canyon, hiking Half Dome, kayaking the Everglades, Landscape Arch, Lower Geyser Basin, Lower Yellowstone Falls, Mammoth Hot Springs, Midway Geyser Basin, Mist Trail, Nevada Fall, North Fork Cascade Canyon, North Kaibab Trail, Old Faithful, Olympic National Park, Paintbrush Canyon, Sequoia National Park, South Kaibab Trail, Southern Olympic Coast, Southern Utah hiking backpacking, Ten Thousand Islands, Teton Crest Trail, Upper Geyser Basin, Upper Yellowstone Falls, Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, Utah, Utah parks, Vernal Fall, Washington, Washington hiking backpacking, West Thumb Geyser Basin, where to see giant sequoia trees, Wyoming, Wyoming backpacking, Wyoming hiking, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Valley, Zion Canyon, Zion National Park   |   Leave a comment

By Michael Lanza

The crowning achievement of our National Park System is that we have preserved such uniquely beautiful and significant pieces of nature in perpetuity. But the payoff for America’s foresight in creating and expanding the system is a lifetime’s worth of unforgettable experiences awaiting us in these places—many of them entirely accessible, safe, and really fun for families with kids in a range of ages, from very young to teenagers. Here are 10 favorites selected from among the many trips I’ve taken. Continue reading →

April 20, 2016

Photo Gallery: Hiking Across the Grand Canyon

In Backpacking, Hiking, National Park Adventures   |   Tagged Arizona, Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon r2r2r, Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim, Grand Canyon South Rim backpacking trips, Grand Canyon South Rim hikes, hiking across the Grand Canyon, North Kaibab Trail, North Rim Grand Canyon, Roaring Springs Canyon, South Kaibab Trail, Supai Tunnel   |   4 Comments

By Michael Lanza

Whether you backpack it or hike it in one very long day, trekking across the Grand Canyon from the South Rim to the North Rim is one of our National Park System’s most scenic and aspirational adventures, in one of the planet’s most magnificent and unfathomable landscapes. For the ultra-fit and experienced, hiking across and back in a day—known as a rim-to-rim-to-rim or “r2r2r,” and comprising at least 44 miles and 11,000 vertical feet—could be the greatest single day of hiking of your life (unless, of course, you do it again). Continue reading →