The Matilija Wilderness in Southern California is indeed a wild place.
I recently did a 2 night backpacking tip of the North Fork Matilija Creek Trail in the Matilija Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. I wasn’t looking to do a lot of miles on this trip and even what I intended to do was cut short due to how difficult the trail is to follow.
Texas is nearly devoid of public land. No public land means backpacking opportunities are scarce in the Lone Star State. Even though Texas has multiple State Parks, most are no more than a few square miles in total size. At any given State Park you could hike the entire trail system in a day leaving no real opportunity for backpacking. Luckily we have two National Parks in the Western mountains (yes Texas has mountains) and a small group of National Forests in the East. Together they offer some of Texas’ Best Backpacking Trips.
“Be careful up ahead! I fell in on the floating bog bridges.” What did that guy just say? The FLOATING bog bridges? As we would soon find out first hand the trail between Feldspar Lean-to and Lake Arnold is prone to flooding. Scratch that…has become a permanent 5-10 foot deep swamp. Some years ago ADK trail crews attempted to build bog bridges to get hikers across. But as water continued to rise the bridges have started floating and disintegrating.
In honor of National Parks week (April 20-28) Test your knowledge with our National Parks Quiz. How well do you know your national parks?
What do you look for in a sleeping bag? For me there are four main features that determine the quality of a sleeping bag. In order of importance. Warmth, Weight, Size, Cost. Okay maybe cost is up a little higher in importance than I’m letting on. After all I have always relied on budget sleeping bags and have never bought a bag over $150.
Are you interested in getting free gear? Who isn’t? Below is a list of all the Outdoor, Camping, Backpacking, Hiking,…
We heard that Lake Colden was a popular place to set up camp. And since Adirondack state park limits backcountry camping to designated spots and shelters we wanted to make sure we grabbed a spot before they were all gone….
Awhile back I got tired of carrying my small drawstring chalk bag during bouldering sessions. At the gym I prefer bouldering over ropes due to the community that always seems to develop around a boulder problem. With that in mind I decided I needed a chalk bucket that I could share with that community as well.
I have spent most of my time hiking in the West. And I will admit in the past I have…
On our second Day (click here for day one) in California we woke up absurdly early to head to Yosemite…
