Spring has sprung, and that means that summer is right around the corner! For those who know me, it probably comes as no surprise that I’ll be taking a big hiking trip this summer.
With just a couple of months until summer, I am in the final stages of planning my summer of 2021 road trip, and I figured I would share some of what I have planned. Maybe it will be an inspiration for you and give you some ideas, or maybe you’ll just think I’m crazy!
I’m definitely a planner when it comes to travel, so I like having everything really well laid out (which is funny to me because I’m not really a planner in other parts of my life!). I’ll include all of the places I’m staying along with the hikes and other things I plan on doing. Hopefully they can serve as a place to start if you’re looking to plan your own trip!
Planning Ahead
It might seem early to have all of this planned for the summer, it’s only March after all. However, I’ve actually had my whole summer planned with tons of stuff booked for months!
I have learned the hard way that not booking things in advance leaves you watching other people do the things you want to do, staying in the places you want to stay, and experiencing the trip you wanted to take!
For example, many reservations for campgrounds in national parks and national forests open exactly 6 months ahead of time. For lesser visited areas, you don’t necessarily need to book that far ahead, but for the popular spots, the often fill up the day reservations are released!
Take for example campgrounds in Yosemite National Park. It has been a dream of mine for years to camp in Yosemite Valley. The idea of waking up and looking up thousands of feet at rock formations like El Capitan and Half Dome each morning sounds absolutely amazing! Not to mention the miles and miles of world class hiking available right there.
I woke up at 6:45 am one morning to make reservations to camp in Yosemite Valley earlier this year. When I refreshed my computer at exactly 7 am, all of the sites were already booked. My problem was I just refreshed the home page, the people with the know how had already selected their campsite, and in fact had 5 already pulled up in case one was booked!
Safe to say, if you were not logged on at 7 am, you didn’t get a spot, and even if you were, it was no guarantee! Planning ahead for a trip like this is crucial, and it can be a lot to try and plan all of this out! I started the planning process back in the fall, and made my first reservations around Christmas! Even still, I didn’t get reservations for everything I wanted, but it’s still going to be awesome!
Stop 1: Backpacking the Hetch Hetchy Loop
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I’m a little nervous about starting the summer off with a multiple night backpacking trip, but I figure why not jump right in! The Hetch Hetchy Loop is a 26 mile hiking loop that I plan on completing over the course of 3 days. I’ll be carrying everything I need through the Yosemite backcountry, and camping out for a couple of nights!
This will be my first multi-night backpacking trip, so I’m pretty excited for it! It’s not overly long, and I’ll only need to hike about 8-10 miles per day, but it should be a nice break-in for the legs to start the summer!
Stop 2: Staying in Yosemite
After a short 2 night backpacking trip through Yosemite, I’ll be spending the next 10 days or so staying in and around Yosemite! It’s definitely my favorite national park, and when I was planning I actually found a bunch of stuff that I’ve never done before. Even though I’ve been to Yosemite a few times already, I’ll be mostly doing brand new stuff!
My girlfriend Loralei will be joining me for the first part of this segment of the trip, so that will be super fun! We’ll be staying in a tent cabin at Yosemite Bug just outside the park boundaries. I’ve never stayed in this type of tent before so it should be fun! Imagine a square side tent with a wood frame and canvas forming the walls furnished with beds and other furniture and that’s what we’ll be in!
After Loralei leaves I’ll still have a few days in Yosemite, and for those few days I’ll be camping in my own tent! I’m still not sure where I’ll be staying those days (it’s basically the only thing I don’t have figured out and it’s kind of stressing me out!) but I’m deciding between a walk in campground within the park, or booking a campsite outside the park in advance!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Yosemite:
Stop 3: Backpacking the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
After a long stay day hiking in Yosemite, I’ll be embarking on a pretty big backpacking trip. The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is a massive canyon in the remote northern reaches of Yosemite. This rarely visited part of the park is a big time backpacking area, and it’ll be by far the biggest backpacking trip I’ll have been on!
The trail is about 60 miles, and I plan on completing it over the course of 6 days. Not including small side trips, I’ll be hiking about 10 miles per day through awesome wilderness! It’ll be a challenge to get up each morning and hike everyday, I usually take some off days, and rarely hike 6 days in a row!
I’m excited for the challenge, and can’t wait to push myself and try something new!
Stop 4: Bishop CA
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After finishing my second backpacking trip, I’ll be heading to the small town of Bishop California for a little R and R! I’ll be staying at the Eastside Guesthouse in Bishop, a hostel with dorms and private rooms. I have nothing against shared hostel rooms, but I got a private room for a few days. It’ll be nice to have a bed!
I’ll probably take my first day in Bishop as a rest day. Coming off a 6 day backpacking trip I’m sure I’ll need it! After the rest day, I’ll have a couple of days in Bishop to hike in the area. I’ve stayed here before, and this area of the Eastern Sierra Nevada is one of the best hiking and climbing destinations in the country!
June is a little bit early in the season, so there might be snow on some of the higher elevation trails, but I think I should be able to access most of what I want to do. I’ll have two days to hike in Bishop, and I have a couple of hikes I’m really excited about. The Big Pine Lakes trail is one of the most picturesque in the country!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Bishop:
Stop 5: Mammoth CA
After a few days in Bishop, I’ll be driving a few miles up the road north to Mammoth. When I was first planning this trip, I had wanted to do another backpacking trip, but unfortunately, I didn’t get the permit. So, when I decided to head to mammoth, I was a little late in making reservations, and I was only able to get a campground reservation this day, otherwise I wouldn’t be staying in Bishop.
Mammoth along with Bishop lie along the Eastern Sierra Nevada, and to me this area is by far the most underrated hiking destination in the country. Anything you can find in Colorado you can find here, and the weather is way nicer!
I’ll be camping at Coldwater Campground just outside Mammoth. Some of the hikes I plan on doing actually leave right from the campground, so it should be a pretty awesome place to stay! I’ll have four full days here, so I’ll probably hike three, and have one rest day!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Mammoth:
Stop 6: Great Basin National Park
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It’s finally time to leave the Sierra Nevada and the blue skies of California! Usually, I do the drive from California to the Rockies all at once, but I figured I would slow down this time and spend some time hiking in the desert of Nevada!
One of the least known national parks in the U.S. is located in eastern Nevada. Great Basin National Park is an oasis in the desert. With high altitude peaks, the climate is much cooler than the surrounding desert and the environment is much greener!
The reason I am stopping here is to summit the nearly 13,000 foot tall Wheeler Peak! One of the highest mountains in the state of Nevada, this mountain would fit in in any of the big mountain ranges in the US, but here it rises abruptly out of the surrounding desert.
The hike isn’t actually that hard, as there is a trailhead at about 10,000 feet. However, since the Sierra’s in California get more snow than the mountains here, this will likely be my first opportunity to get this high up. It will be a great acclimatization hike before I get to the high peaks of Colorado!
The one annoying thing about Great Basin is finding lodging. The park is in the middle of nowhere, so there aren’t really any towns with lots of lodging or other amenities. Camping is also a challenge because the campgrounds within the park are walkup only, so you have to hope you can get a site, and camping outside the park takes you down into the desert, which I’d rather not have to do! So hopefully I can get a spot!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Great Basin:
Wheeler Peak Trail via Stella Lake Trail
Stop 7: Telluride CO
After leaving Great Basin, I’ll be heading into Colorado and the Rocky Mountains. While the weather kind of sucks in the Colorado Rockies (it storms like every afternoon), I keep coming back to Colorado because there is just so much hiking to do!
I try to visit new places in Colorado each time I’m there, and fortunately there are tons of awesome mountain towns in the state. Previously, I’ve stayed in Breckenridge, Estes Park, Winter Park, Aspen, and Durango, so this time, I’m starting somewhere that I’ve only passed through, Telluride.
Telluride is a small mountain town in the southwestern portion of the state. Located in the San Juan Mountains, Telluride has tons of amazing hiking, epic roads, and great climbing. The San Juans are the most rugged and severe mountains in Colorado, so the views here are about as good as they get!
In addition to doing a couple of hikes, I’m planning on trying something new, a via ferrata. Italian for “iron road,” via ferratas were first created in World War One in Italy so soldiers could traverse the steep mountains of northern Italy and gain height advantages over their enemies.
Today, via ferratas are an adventure activity that is growing in popularity throughout the world, and a few have been created in Colorado. Obviously, the via ferratas were not made for World War One. People just think they’re cool and fun, but the experience is just as cool!
Imagine strapping into a harness and walking along sheer cliffs, across wire bridges, and on metal rungs hundreds of feet off the ground! Sounds awesome (and a little terrifying), but it’s actually super safe because you are always strapped in and connected to a safety wire or bar. Can’t wait to try something new!
Hikes (and via ferratas) I’m Planning to do in Telluride:
Bear Creek, Wasatch, and Bridal Veil Trails Loop
Sneffels Highline and Deep Creek Loop
Stop 8: Leadville CO
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After Telluride, I’ll be going to another town that I passed through but haven’t spent much time, Leadville. Leadville is the highest elevation city in America at over 10,000 feet above sea level! That’s almost 2 miles for those of you who don’t want to do the math.
Not only is Leadville at a high elevation, the mountains around Leadville are also at extremely high elevations. The mountains here are many of the highest in the Rockies, and the two highest mountains in the entire Rocky Mountain Range are within sight of Leadville. I’ll be in Leadville for 6 full days, and I plan on spending those 6 days climbing as many of the high mountains around Leadville that I can!
The highest category of mountains in the United States are “14ers.” A 14er is a mountain that is more than 14 thousand feet above sea level. These are the very biggest mountains in the lower 48, and can only be found in Colorado, California, and Washington.
Colorado has the greatest number of these high peaks, and there are a total of about 53 in the state. I say about because there are some disagreements over technicalities in classifying mountains!
The hiking when I am in Leadville is going to be pretty intense, and all of the hikes I’ll be doing gain at least about 4,000 feet, some more. Not only will the trails be hard, but I’ll be over 10,000 feet the entire time, so it’ll definitely be a challenging 6 days! My preliminary plan is to hike 5 of the 6 days, but we’ll see how it goes!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Leadville:
Mount Massive Trail (via South East)
Stop 9: Estes Park CO
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After Leadville, I’m heading to the town of Estes Park outside Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes is one of the most popular mountain towns in Colorado, and I have been here a couple of times before, but there’s a ton of great stuff I still want to do!
The real reason I am going to Estes Park is to climb Longs Peak. Longs is one of Colorado’s most hiked 14ers, and has a really interesting climb to the summit! It’ll be one of the biggest hikes of my summer, but I should be in great shape after Leadville!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Estes Park:
Mills Lake, Black Lake, Frozen Lake Trail
Stop 10: Red Lodge MT
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After a long stint in Colorado, I’ll be heading north to Montana. I’ve been to Montana before, but I feel like everytime I look closer, I find something else that I need to see. I think it’s safe to say Montana is filled with hidden gems just as awesome as anything in Colorado!
I’ll be driving from Estes Park in Colorado north through Wyoming to a small town called Red Lodge in southern Montana. This small town is located just north of Yellowstone National Park. The road between Yellowstone and Red Lodge is called the Beartooth Highway, and is one of the best roads in the country (like seriously)!
Red Lodge is in the Beartooth Mountains, a subrange of the Rockies. This rugged range lies just to the north of Yellowstone and from what I’ve seen, contains some of the prettiest scenery in the country! Considering I hadn’t even heard of this awesome area a few months ago, I’d say it’s relatively unknown!
I’ll be spending 5 full days camping in Red Lodge, and I’ll probably hike for 4 of them. Can’t wait to see a totally new part of the country!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in the Beartooths:
Quinnebaugh Meadows and Sundance Lake via West Fork of Rock Creek Trail
Stop 11: Glacier National Park
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After 5 days in the Beartooths, I’ll be heading north almost to the Canadian border to Glacier National Park. Glacier is my second favorite national park after Yosemite, and I’m pumped to be going back this summer! There are so many trails in Glacier that I want to do, and you really can’t see it all in just one visit!
I’ll be staying just outside the eastern side of the park in St Mary for 5 days. I’m hoping to hike all 5, but if I end up doing one or two really tough days I may need a day off!
One of the things I really want to do in Glacier is called the Skyline Experience. Part hiking trail, part hopping between rocks, this route goes off trail and climbs 3 mountains while following the ridges between them. I’m not sure if I’ll do it this summer or not. I definitely don’t want to do it alone. There aren’t any official measurements of the route, but based on the information I can find, it’s around 20 miles with about 7,000 feet of climbing. Would certainly be a tough day!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Glacier National Park:
Avalanche Lake via the Trail of the Cedars
Dawson Pass and Pitamakan Pass Loop
Stop 12: Mt Rainier National Park
The final segment of my trip will take me to Washington State. I’ll leave Glacier and drive to Mt Rainier National Park. It’ll be one of the longer driving days of the summer, but Glacier is actually surprisingly close to Washington.
I’ve wanted to visit Washington State for awhile, and COVID kind of shut down my planned stuff last year. I’ll only be at Mt Rainier for a couple of days, but getting a close look at the largest volcano in the US is something I’m looking forward too!
I’ll be camping just outside the national park for a couple of nights, so hopefully the Pacific Northwest is dried out for the summer by that point!
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Hikes I’m Planning to do in Mt Rainier National Park:
Wonderland Trail to Panhandle Gap
Stop 13: Leavenworth WA
After a short stint in Mt Rainier, I’ll be driving to a town called Leavenworth in Washington to meet up with the rest of my family. We rented a condo in the town, and will be spending a week there.
It’ll be really nice to get to sleep indoors; I won’t have slept indoors for about 3 weeks, so having a bed (or a pullout couch) will be a welcome change!
Leavenworth seems like a really cool town, and we’ll probably do a bit of hiking mixed in with some other stuff too. There’s breweries, vineyards, rafting, and all sorts of other fun stuff to do, so it’ll be a good way to finish the trip!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Leavenworth:
Canyon Crest Trail to Rat Creek Ridge Trail
Stop 14: Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument
After leaving Leavenworth, I’ll have one or two days to kill before I have to be back home, so I’m planning on making a quick stop at Mt St Helens.
If Mt St Helens rings a bell, that’s because it was the massive volcano that erupted back in 1980. The volcano is still active, and there is activity in the crater that was created during the eruption, but for now there isn’t too much danger!
If I’m totally shot and don’t have another night in a tent in me, I could see myself driving home a day early and skipping Mt St Helens, but we’ll see how it goes!
Hikes I’m Planning to do in Mt St Helens:
Mount Saint Helens Summit via Ptarmigan Trail
It’s definitely safe to say that I am looking forward to the summer, and I really cannot wait to get back into the mountains! Living on the road for 2 months can be tough, and certainly provides a unique set of challenges (especially when doing it all in a 2 seat sports car!), but there’s something about being on the road that I love.
If anyone is planning on being in or around some of the same spots I’ll be in, let me know and we can meet up!
I’ll have tons of trip reports and hiking and travel recommendations coming up after the summer, so make sure to stay tuned to hear all about everything in detail!
