A Caney Creek Wilderness (almost) traverse

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Michael R

It was a bit more than 10 years ago that I hiked the Caney Creek/Buckeye loop. I finally returned to hike that again along with the western part of the Caney Creek Trail, this time collecting data for a new map. I’m reminded why this trail is a favorite of many.

There had been some rain recently so I was expecting the creeks to be up a little and wouldn’t be surprised if I couldn’t cross the Cossatot River at the far end. I underestimated how much water could be in Caney Creek, however, and how that would impact the 13 crossings I would encounter.

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Ozarks Keystone Trail, recon 4

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Michael R

My 4th trip to Norfork Lake was just a dayhike to collect data for the last bit of built trail that I hadn’t already covered: from the Barren Creek trail head north 3.3 miles to the Arkansas-Missouri state line.

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Ozarks Keystone Trail, recon 3

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Michael R

It was my third trip to Norfork Lake to hike and collect/verify map data for the Ozarks Keystone Trail (OKT), but this time I was backpacking with TC & RC. We covered the area from the Barren Creek trail head to Bidwell Point (north to south), leaving just 3.6 miles of finished trail north to the state line for a future visit. In addition to the OKT we did a round trip on the spur trails in the Seward Point unit of the Norfork Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for about 22 miles in all.

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Buffalo River Trail work

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Michael R

Although construction of the Bufalo River Trail (BRT) is on hiatus, the trail crew has continued its semi-annual gatherings and is now doing repairs & maintenance in the upper river area between Boxley and Pruitt.

The next session runs Oct 19-25. The announcement has more information.

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Redstone and Marble Colorado

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Michael R

Redstone is a quaint little town with a lot of history, nestled in the Crystal River valley of west central Colorado. Marble is an even smaller town just a few miles south with a pretty rich history of its own.

After leaving Colorado National Monument, RC and I managed to arrive at Big B’s at lunch time. It was our second time there, with the first being after a backpacking trip in the West Elk Wilderness 3 years ago. It’s a great stop, even if you have to go a little out of your way. TC & PDC met us there, coming from various adventures in Utah to join us for the rest of the trip.

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Colorado National Monument & McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Michael R

RC & I spent about 2 days around Colorado National Monument (CNM) and McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, just south of Grand Junction, Fruita, and the Colorado River. It was my first time being that far west in Colorado so there was a lot of new scenery for me. It’s a semi-arid canyon lands ecosystem so much different than being up in the Rockies. The area is criss-crossed by trails but we would be mostly sightseeing on this visit, with only a couple short hikes. Still, we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see. The area is a wonderland for those interested in geology or paleontology.

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Mt Magazine Trail

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Michael R

It took me a long time to get to it, but I have finally hiked the Mt Magazine Trail. I did the 10.5 miles between Cove Lake and the state park campground as 3 out-and-back day hikes instead of backpacking. I hiked all the trails on top of Mt Magazine again over a couple days in January, and the trails around Cove Lake too, so I’ve been able to collect a lot of data for a new set of maps for the area.

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Ozarks Keystone Trail, recon #1 & #2

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Michael R

I’ve spent about 6 days over the last 2 weeks enjoying some mild weather while hiking a big part of the Ozarks Keystone Trail that runs along Norfork Lake in north-central Arkansas. A primary goal was to gather data for a new map but I was also interested in seeing some new territory. There are abundant lake views but sometimes the room available for the trail between the Corps boundary and the lake is quite small so you also get views of homes adjacent to the boundary. I imagine there was a lot of pressure to keep the boundary as “tight” as possible to maximize the value of adjacent real estate.

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Ouachita Trail section 6 – AR-27 to AR-298

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Michael R

It was my fourth time hiking this section but the first time in about 7 years so much of it felt new. It was my first time hiking any section of the OT with somebody else as I was accompanied by friends TC & PDC.

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A new generation of maps

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Michael R

Over the last couple months I have created an entirely new base layer for my maps using newer USGS digital data to replace the ancient scanned paper topo maps I was originally using. I now have total control over what is on the map and how it looks, though I have mimiced the styling of the USGS National Map.

The new look is much cleaner, more attractive, and should be much more usable. I have refreshed all of the maps I publish here (except 2 that are in progress) and as always, they can be downloaded, printed, and distributed all you want at no charge.

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