Crater Lake is a very scenic place in the Rockies that is unusual in being much easier to get in to than to get out from.
This was part of a trip with RC to the Pagosa Springs area that involved a bit of day-hiking at Chimney Rock National Monument, the Windy Pass Trail, and the West Fork Trail while camped at the West Fork Campground (USFS), then culminating in a one-night backpacking trip to Crater Lake.
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After Capitol Reef and Arches, the final stop on the “Mighty 3 of 5” tour for RC, TC, and I was Canyonlands National Park southwest of Moab. Canyonlands is a huge area – the biggest of the Mighty 5 – and bigger
than Capitol Reef and Arches combined. I suspect it could take months, if not years, to explore everything here but we had just one morning.
After Capitol Reef NP, the next stop on the “Mighty 3 of 5” tour for RC, TC, and I would be Arches National Park north of Moab. On the way however, we made a small detour to Goblin Valley State Park for a quick look-around and a short hike.
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I spent some time at 3 of Utah’s “Mighty Five” with TC & RC, starting with 3+ days (April 6-9) at Capitol Reef NP. We saw only a small part of the whole thing yet it was a pretty representative sample. There was no backpacking or tent camping this time – we enjoyed the relative luxury of a cabin at Thousand Lakes RV Park in Torrey instead, complete with full bathroom and kitchen.
Torrey is just a bit west of the park boundary and about 10 miles from the visitor center, and makes a pretty good base to explore the area. There are a variety of B&Bs, cabin rentals, campgrounds, restaurants, gas station, and a grocery store with the basics.
Continue readingThis past spring Friends Of the Ouachita Trail added 2 new shelters at the east end of the trail – a very welcome addition! The Red Bluff shelter at mile 196.2 (4.4 miles east of the AR-9 trail head) is a repurposed hunting cabin. The Scott Tarvin shelter at mile 210.2 (about 2 miles west of the Lundsford Corner [AR-300] trail head) is brand new and the same design as the other new builds. I’ve added these to my maps.
Staunton State Park is relatively new, covering about 4000 acres southwest of Denver and is accessible via US-285. I recently spent 4 days there with JH & DH and besides getting in some hiking, we found ourselves in the middle of a pretty wild story.
Continue readingNational Geographic/Trails Illustrated is now distributing 2025 editions of maps #232 & 233 for the Buffalo National River. If buying retail, make sure to check the copyright year.
Continue readingThe North Sylamore Creek Trail between Gunner Pool and Blanchard Springs was seriously obstructed by a March 14 tornado and the Blanchard Springs to Allison segment was obstructed by flood debris that accompanied that storm. Thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers from the Ozark Highlands Trails Association, some of the obstruction is gone.
Continue readingWith another nice 70-degree day in the forecast I saw a chance to finish the hike I started at the end of December ’24, when high water levels encouraged me to turn around at crossing #11 (of 13) of Caney Creek.
Continue readingThe weather forecast had a couple days with highs around 70 coming up and it seemed like a great opportunity to take care of one of the things that’s been on my to-do list way too long: a return trip to Cossatot River State Park and Natural Area. The main objective was to collect my own data for the map to replace the lower-quality data I was using. The 70-degree highs I expected turned into low-80s realities and that made conditions pretty unpleasant for me on the trail but I pressed on and got the job done.
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Michael R - The Compulsive Hiker
 | Allen Nixon on Eagle Rock Loop |
 | Michael R on Ozark Highlands Trail – Lake F… |
 | Jennifer C on Ozark Highlands Trail – Lake F… |
| Michael R on Staunton State Park, Colo… |
 | Carol on Staunton State Park, Colo… |
The Compulsive Hiker 