What is your favorite backpacking trail?

[Kzzjkk]

Just got back from Buckskin Gulch and was blown away. I figured I'd list some of my favorites and ask others to do the same. Might get some good ideas for my next hike. My tops:

1. Kalalau Trail, Napali Coast, Kauai
2. Buckskin Gulch, UT
3. West Fork, Sedona, AZ (after the maintained trail ends)

[joebartels]

I haven't done much backpacking, these are my favorites

1) Isis Temple, Grand Canyon
2) Deer Creek - Thunder River Loop, Grand Canyon
3) About anything Superstition Wilderness

[FOTG]

@Kzzjkk
1. John Muir Trail
2. Colorado Trail
3A-anything in the Primitive Blue Range
3B-Eastern Supes

[Tough_Boots]

3B-Eastern Supes

whoah! all the way down at 3B... you've changed, man. You've changed. ;)

[toddak]

Putting Arizona backpacking on the same list as the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas, that's just not fair.

[chumley]

1. John Muir Trail
2. Colorado Trail

Not to go all Escalante on you, but can you really rank trails 1-2 if you haven't finished hiking them yet?

Two stars!!
;)

[FOTG]

@chumley
Not to go all FOTG on you, but you are fountain cleanser bag, find someone else to troll on

[Kzzjkk]

Deer Creek looks really cool. I'll have to do some more research on that one for sure.

I've also been looking into Zion for some hikes; the narrows, subway, angel's landing. And maybe the lost coast in California. I know this is Hike Arizona, but I'm always looking for something different.

[cactuscat]

@Kzzjkk
Zion is amazing!
The Narrows, Angel's Landing, Emerald Pools, and Pine Creek are some of my favorite places ... I have yet to succeed in trying to obtain a Subway permit.

[Kzzjkk]

Yeah, the wife and I were thinking about Zion for a 4~5 day. Take day hikes from a base camp to check out all we can (minus the backpack). I guess the Subway is just lottery? Looks harder to get than the wave. (Been trying that one for several months with no luck). Need to add Emerald pools to the list too. I thought emerald pools was the subway....Just starting to look into Zion and obviously need to do more homework. We've been hiking a lot of mediocre spots; Workman's creek, wet beaver creek, west clear creek and stuff like that. Horton Creek (lots of creeks - hate hauling water), Blue River and Araviapa were pretty cool, but after seeing stuff like buckskin and Kalalau, I'm getting a little more picky. Some good suggestions on here. My 'to hike' list is getting longer. Thanks for the input.

[toddak]

We've been hiking a lot of mediocre spots; Workman's creek, wet beaver creek, west clear creek and stuff like that.

Hmm, this must be a typo, as it's not possible for the word "mediocre" to be used in reference to Wet Beaver and West Clear creeks.

[Kzzjkk]

Could be the areas where we went. Especially clear creek, where I only went a couple miles. Maybe the proper term would be areas that are 'less spectacular than others in my opinion.'

Any hike is a good hike......Unless you're eaten by a bear or something.

[azbackpackr]

I haven't chimed in because I haven't been doing much backpacking lately. Have to say, wherever anyone else isn't, and whatever trail never ever makes anyone else's bucket list, that'll be my first choice. (I'm only sort of kidding.)

I've told this story before: Everyone I knew from Tucson, where I used to live, always wanted to hike Bear Wallow Wilderness every summer. The trail there was beaten in deeply by horse packers and hikers, full of poison ivy, and it was rare you'd have it all to yourself. At some point, I found out about Fish Creek, one drainage to the north. I went there and I was floored. It was like Bear Wallow. It had a creek, and old growth forest. It had a faint but useable trail running through it all the way to the Black River, and none of it on the Rez. At the River, there was a nice campsite, and you could turn north from there and find a swimming hole. And far less poison ivy. I told people about it, but they still only wanted to go to Bear Wallow, because that's what they had HEARD of. No matter what I said, they scheduled their trips for Bear Wallow.

Then the Wallow Fire started, in Bear Wallow Wilderness, from a campfire from two backpackers who lived in Tucson (I didn't know them, though) and burned a little of Bear Wallow, but very quickly roared away from Bear Wallow Creek, up and over the ridge and down into Fish Creek. Fish Creek took the brunt of the fire in its first days.

One day a couple years after the fire I tried hiking up Fish Creek from the Black River. I got about 1/8th of a mile in, to where I could see upstream a ways. I turned back. I will never go there again.

So much for having favorite places. Mine is gone, at least for my lifetime.

[chumley]

My favorite place is Tucson.

[azbackpackr]

@chumley
Oh, phooey!

[big_load]

At some point, I found out about Fish Creek, one drainage to the north. I went there and I was floored. It was like Bear Wallow. It had a creek, and old growth forest. It had a faint but useable trail running through it all the way to the Black River, and none of it on the Rez.

Fish Creek was really nice. There was just enough trail to know which side to be on, but almost not enough to seem like a trail. It came pretty close to seeming like undisturbed wilderness.

[sneakySASQUATCH]

Owl Creek Fish Creek loop in Grand Gulch Cedar Mesa area Utah. There are a lot of options in this area and you can't go wrong.

[big_load]

Owl Creek Fish Creek loop in Grand Gulch Cedar Mesa area Utah. There are a lot of options in this area and you can't go wrong.

I still haven't exhausted all the possibilities off of Snow Flat Road. I've been saving those, maybe for this fall.

[sneakySASQUATCH]

@big_load
Hit me up a trip back is long overdue. Mccloyd Canyon connects into this canyon.

[big_load]

@big_load
Hit me up a trip back is long overdue. Mccloyd Canyon connects into this canyon.

I'd like to see the lower parts of that one, if the bouldering isn't too bad. I almost considered trying to come up from Comb Wash.