There is so little information on the web about this scenic yet obscure hike outside Bicknell, Utah that even its name is in doubt. According to National Geographic’s 1995 “Trails Illustrated” map of the area, it is called the “Durfey Canyon Trail,” though it is unclear whether a “Durfey Canyon” even exists. Meanwhile, one website …
Continue reading Durfey Canyon / Boy Scouts Trail (Fishlake National Forest, UT)
There is perhaps no better word to describe the hike to the top of Meeks Mesa than epic. Though the 2.2-mile trail lies just outside the western boundary of Capitol Reef National Park (it is on Fishlake National Forest land), it is arguably equally as, if not more, scenic—and the strenuous climb of more than …
Continue reading Cooks Mesa and Meeks Mesa (Fishlake National Forest, UT)
Less frequented than its national park neighbors (e.g., Bryce Canyon, Zion, Capitol Reef), Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM)—managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—is an enormous, 1.9-million-acre maze of cliffs, sinuous slots, and sandstone canyons in the heart of southern Utah. The park’s most popular spot in the Escalante Canyons area is undoubtedly Lower …
Continue reading Upper Calf Creek Falls Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
It’s hard to choose a favorite among the multitude of fantastic hikes in Capitol Reef National Park, especially as there are a handful of front-country and backcountry trails I have yet to explore. Yet the subjective leader to date may be the stunning Fremont Gorge Overlook Trail, an underrated and oft-forgotten 4.6-mile out-and-back beginning just …
Continue reading Fremont Gorge Overlook Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Peering down at Highway 24 or the Visitor Center from Rim Overlook or atop Navajo Knobs will give you a very different perspective of Capitol Reef National Park than the average visitor. The predominant view in the park is to look up—up at canyon walls, up at ancient petroglyphs, up at the Wingate sandstone cliffs …
Continue reading Rim Overlook and Navajo Knobs Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Though America remains the focus of Live and Let Hike, why not do a brief write-up on a short hike I completed last month from much further afield? Despite its petite size, the mountainous European nation of Slovenia presents considerable hiking opportunities, boasting access to the southeastern fringe of the world-famous Alps. Arguably the most …
Continue reading Mala Osojnica & Ojstrica (Lake Bled, Slovenia)
Boojum Rock, August 2013 For a change of pace, let’s take a break from the Rockies and explore a new favorite trail of mine out East…just minutes from Boston’s Orange Line in the eastern district of Middlesex Fells Reservation. Don’t let this trail’s relative height (just around 300’ at its peak) and proximity to a …
Continue reading Rock Circuit Trail (Middlesex Fells Reservation, MA)
Live and Let Hike 