Trails Illustrated: Winter is the Time for Planning

[R]

Okay, since it is the shortest day of the year, I decided to get out the Trails Illustrated maps and create a list of trails I want to do in the coming year or two. Maybe you who live closer and have been on a number of these could help me prioritize? Here are some trails that I haven't hiked and look interesting based exclusively on what I see on the maps...

MOAB SOUTH:
-Trough Springs Trail(from Hatch Point)
-Jackson's Trail
-Hidden Valley Trail
-Hunter's Canyon Trail

CANYONLANDS - ISLAND IN THE SKY:
-Alcove Springs to Zeus and Moses
-Lathrop Trail
-Wilhite Trail
-Gooseberry Trail
-Syncline Loop, maybe to the Hardscrabble Bottom

MOAB NORTH:
-Porcupine Rim Trail
-Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory Bridge
-Fisher Towers Trail
-Tower Arch Trail (Arches)

SAN RAFAEL SWELL:
-Cow, Calf and Pine Canyons
-Wild Horse Canyon to the Window
-Ding Dang
-Crack/Chute Loop
-Anything else in the Swell, since I have only been there once.

Ideas, thoughts, warnings or invitations are all welcome.

(Co-posting in Hiking and High Pointing.)

-Richard

[moabfool]

Awesome man! Thanks for playing, come back soon.

I will have to disagree though. Winter is for skiing, peak bagging, and snowshoeing in to hotsprings. I may even take a few days and go up into the Uintahs, avoiding avalanche prone areas of course.

There is time to plan though. My summer planning includes: backpacking in Glacier National Park, a trip to Havasupai, and a week in NYC, along with the numerous weekend sprints to red rock country that keep my spirits high, my income low, and my screensaver fresh.

I'll have to ask some friends how Hunter's Canyon was. I hear there's a great arch up there but not much of a trail. I've been going to Moab for 14 years and I still haven't seen some of the stuff that's on your list. Tower Arch, Eye of the Whale, and Fisher Towers are all on the list. I had never even been to Corona Arch 'till last fall. I've been busy mtn biking and Jeeping and have never really gone hiking.

Since you're asking for warnings: Some of those Moab area trails are jeep roads and really aren't that good of hikes, especially if you're looking for solitude and quiet.

[R]

Come on, y'all! Help me out? Do you think I should repost this with the subject line "HOT TEEN ACTION!"??

[R]

Fine, I'll just hike them all then!

[Sombeech]

I wish I had more feedback for ya. I just haven't really hiked down there yet.

[Scott P]

All those hikes are good and great for winter and very easy and good for all ages. Upper Pine Creek has been almost completely destroyed by motorcycles and ATV's, but the lower end is still nice. Porcupine Rim is more a bike trail, but you could hike it too.

We just finished the Negro Bill to Morning Glory arch with my two and four year old a couple weeks ago. Below are some pics (see lower down):

http://www.summitpost.org/album/250917/Arches-NP-and-Negro-Bill-Canyon-December-9-10-2006.html

We're (the kids and wife) doing Hunters Canyon not along after I'm back from the Andes.

[tanya]

Upper Pine Creek has been almost completely destroyed by motorcycles and ATV's, but the lower end is still nice. .


:ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

[Scott P]

It's true. It's bad enough that MK's book on the Swell has named it "ATV Trashed Valley" on all the maps.

[tanya]

It's true. It's bad enough that MK's book on the Swell has named it "ATV Trashed Valley" on all the maps.

I hate to see land destroyed like that. I know many are working on doing that here. :ne_nau:

[DiscGo]

SAN RAFAEL SWELL:
-Cow, Calf and Pine Canyons
-Wild Horse Canyon to the Window
-Ding Dang
-Crack/Chute Loop



I love the San Rafael Swell and I have done all of those hikes this last year (at least once). I have the GPS coordinates if you need them, and I definitely recommend doing those hikes.

Little Wildhorse is cool, but Crack canyon usually has less people.