A Paved Road So Compelling, We Asked Ourselves “Why Hike When We Can Ride?”

Though hiking is our focus in life, we occasionally take a break from the backcountry to go road cycling. Riding is an effective way to stay fit when trails are snow covered but paved roads remain dry.

Choose the right road, and cycling can be just as scenic as hiking—perhaps more so, if you factor in how far you can ride in a day and how much scenery that distance allows you to appreciate compared to a day on foot.

During our recent foray to Tucson, Arizona, we brought our road bikes. Sure, winter hiking is superb there. But while driving to trailheads in the Santa Catalina Mountains last winter, we realized the highway climbing from Tucson up 9157-ft (2792-m) Mt. Lemmon is a world-class road ride on par in every respect with Mont Ventoux, of Tour de France fame. We had to try it.

Lemmon is the highest and largest massif of the four sky-island mountains surrounding Tucson. Sky Island means an island of forest in a sea of desert. Lemmon towers over Tucson, and the highway (skyway, is more like it) affords views of other, prominent sky-islands including Tanque Verde Mtn (nearby SE), Rincon Peak (distant SE), and Mt. Wrightson (SE).

The road has many names. Most people call it the “Mt. Lemmon Hwy.” Some call it the “Catalina Hwy.” And it’s now officially the “Sky Island Scenic Byway.” The mountain was named in honor of botanist Sarah Lemmon, who in 1881 was lead to the summit by Native American guides.

The ride is spectacular, exhilarating, challenging. It’s a constant, serpentine, cliff-side ascent above canyons, beneath hoodoo pinnacles, ultimately into a grand forest. It climbs from sand to ice, from saguaro cacti to ponderosa pines, from snakes to bears. Views are frequent, often panoramic. And the pavement is perfection: smooth, with a slender-but-adequate shoulder providing a margin of safety. In all of North America, very few roads offer such magnificent cycling.

As for vehicle traffic, cyclists can relax on the Mt. Lemmon Hwy. The road is so sinuous, it’s difficult for motorists to drive dangerously fast. If you ride here midweek, you’ll encounter only light vehicle traffic. And if you ride here on a weekend, when vehicle traffic increases markedly, you’ll be among many other cyclists strung out along the entire route, so motorists will be alert to your presence. Plus, Tucson is a bike-friendly city where—generally—cyclists are expected and accepted. In that regard, Tucson is refreshingly European.*

The Mt. Lemmon Hwy was completed in 1950 after 17 years of construction. It was awarded the Arizona Engineering Excellence Grand Award for Context Sensitive Design in 2005, because it deftly preserved the tumultuous terrain and delicate environment.

We’ve cycled Hwy 1 along California’s Big Sur Coast, the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies, and Utah’s Hwy 12 from Escalante to Capitol Reef National Park via Boulder and Torrey. All are premier rides. But Mt. Lemmon is our favorite.

In December, 2009, Team Radioshack trained for the 2010 Tour de France on Mt. Lemmon. No wonder. Winter weather here is so consistently sunny and warm that you can usually ride in shorts and short sleeves. Only if it gets windy higher on the mountain might you need tights and a wind shell.

Our first day on Mt. Lemmon, we cycled 14 miles (22.5 km), gaining 3,500 ft (1067 m) from elevation 3050 ft (930 m), to Windy Point Vista, at 6560 ft (2000 m). Pedaling at our loping, “scenery first” pace, it took us about one hour and 40 minutes, plus 20 minutes for stretching and refueling. Bear in mind, we stopped and gawked at all the vista pullouts. We recommend you do, too, even though your bike already grants you a vastly better view than is possible from a car.

Going that slow was a joy. We were constantly captivated by the views and astonished by the highway itself. In some places, only if you tilt your head way back will you see the highway almost directly above you. Yet only a few, brief sections of pavement qualify as “steep.” Languorous switchbacks keep the ascent mercifully gradual.

The 14-mile, downhill blast is ecstatic. From Windy Point Vista, we probably pedaled no more than a dozen crank revolutions (in the vicinity of Green Mtn trailhead). We arrived at our parked car within 35 minutes.

We were back on Mt. Lemmon a week later. This time we covered 20 miles (32.2 km), gaining 4150 ft (1265 m) to the Palisade Visitor Center at 7200 ft (2195 m). The 20-mile, downhill blast: 50 minutes. Emotional effect: a strong, lasting desire to return to Tucson and ride Mt. Lemmon again and again.

You’re a hiker who rides? Mt. Lemmon is one of those rare places where you might prefer a bike beneath your bum instead of a pack on your back.

Getting There

Drive to the junction of Sabino Canyon Road and Tanque Verde Road. This is in NE Tucson. Udall Park is on the SE corner. Reset your trip odometer to zero here, then proceed E on Tanque Verde.

1.2 km (0.75 mi) Bear left on Tanque Verde Road, where right leads to Wrightstown and Pantano Road.

4 mi (2.5 km) Turn left onto Mt. Lemmon Hwy.

7.3 mi (4.5 km) Park on the right, just beyond milepost 1, at 3050 ft (930 m).

The Ride

0 mi (0 km) Milepost 1, at 3050 ft (930 m).

5.7 mi (9.2 km) Molino Basin rest area, at 4370 ft (1332 m).

9 mi (14.5 km) Thimble Peak Vista, at 5320 ft (1622 m). Here you can peer W, across Bear Canyon—the largest drainage in the Santa Catalina Mtns. Seven Cataracts Vista is shortly beyond, followed by three long switchbacks. Soon enter a forested canyon. Beside you is a creek drainage harboring sycamore trees.

12 mi (19.3 km) General Hitchcock campground, at 5920 ft (1805 m). It’s closed (gated) during winter.

14 mi (22.5 km) Windy Point Vista, at 6560 ft (2000 m). A spectacular vantage. Public toilets. In the next couple miles, you’ll pass Geology and Hoodoo vistas.

17.6 mi (28.3 km) San Pedro Vista. The Galiuro Mtns are visible E.

20 mi (32.2 km) Palisades Visitor Center, 7200 ft (2195 m). Pass a water faucet and public toilets on the right, just before arriving.

25 mi (40.25 km) Village of Summerhaven, 7840 ft (2390 m).

*Here’s another, exceptional ride in Tucson. Drive to the East section of Saguaro National Park. From the visitor center, cycle the 8-mi (13-km) Cactus Loop. Do it twice. The scenery is good, the pavement smooth, and the midweek vehicle traffic is nil.

"Not today."

“I don’t want to. Not today, at least.”

Very rarely do I feel and think that. But it has happened. Halfway up a mountain, even.

In the past, I’ve ignored it. Pushed onward, upward.

But I recently learned that heeding this impulse can be wise and rewarding.

Wishing my companions strength and success, describing to them my new, alternate plan, I peeled away from the group and began traversing rather than ascending.

Suddenly, it felt like a dance instead of a chore. Creative rather than submissive. More energizing, less depleting.

I began an unanxious traverse, following my bliss, ultimately looping back to the trailhead having discovered a new cross-country route.

Walking the Earth, I was reminded, should be impulsive. An act of inspiration. Not a colour-strictly-within-the-lines duty.

Turn-around points. Veer-off points. I watch for them with more awareness now, just as I do cairns.

– Craig

Snow Canyon, just outside St. George, Utah, is one of our all-time favorite places to camp. We describe it in detail in our guidebook: “Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country.” It’s Trip 1, on page 34. So on our recent migration south, from Canmore, Alberta, to Tucson, Arizona, we camped here and explored the area yet again. We brought our road bikes and cycled the dedicated path heading north out of the State Park, then looping back to the park via the city. We cycled the bike path from the park, east to Kayenta, where we looped through trophy-home neighborhoods in a gorgeous, high-desert setting. We hiked the trails (covered in our book) within the park. We enjoyed it all, even though we’d done it before. But this time we did something new: We rambled off-trail on the slickrock at the head (north end) of Snow Canyon. We discovered superb “slickwalking” terrain, where we roamed—climbing, traversing, descending—for hours. If you’re a strong hiker, capable of navigating cross-country, and comfortable on steep terrain, we urge you to try it. The photos we’ve posted here (click once to enlarge, click a second time to enlarge fully) are a testament to the beauty and intrigue that await you. The last photo attests to the appeal of the campground setting. Bear in mind, all these photos were shot in December. As for how to approach Snow Canyon’s optimal slickwalk terrain, begin on the Whiterocks trail, follow the north fork into the slickrock draw, then begin ascending. Or hike west on the Lava Flow trail, then veer off trail, northwest, at the point nearest the slickrock. If you’re capable, this is all the directional advise you’ll need to begin hours of freelancing. If you feel the need for more directional assistance, you’re in over your head and should keep to the established trails. As always when hiking in Utah canyon country, take care not to step on the fragile, cryptobiotic soil. … Walk on!

Water Walkin’

One of our readers recently posed a good question: “Your guidebook, ‘Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country,’ has several photos of you guys splashing through water. We’re wondering, what’s your footwear solution for dry/wet/dry/wet terrain?”

It’s now too cold for hiking through water in the canyons of Utah. But the daytime temperatures remain comfortable for water walkin’ in southern Arizona. Last year, for example, we hiked through Aravaipa Canyon in January. We were in water constantly. And we were very comfortable.

If you have plans for a winter hiking escape to Arizona, or if you intend to shop the winter sales for water-walkin’ footwear you intend to use in Utah next spring, we thought you might appreciate our response to that question about dry/wet/dry/wet terrain. Here you go:

After years of experimenting with everything from Teva sandals, to 5-10′s, to old boots we don’t care about, to paddling socks + sandals… ad naseum, we eventually found what we think is the optimal solution.

Start with a pair of all-synthetic hiking boots. In other words, regular hiking boots that have no leather in their construction. Non-leather boots do not absorb water, so they remain light rather than become sodden and heavy. Non-leather boots are not damaged by days of hiking in water. Plus they dry much faster once you’re out of the water. Here are a couple examples:

Salomon Cosmic 4D GTX

http://www.travelcountry.com/shop/salomon/cosmic-4d-gtx-boots-mens.html?RefId=72&RefType=Affiliate

Kayland Zephyr Event

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/kayland-zephyr-event-hiking-boots-for-men~p~4057g/?filterString=search~kayland%2F&colorFamily=01

Whether you’ll be in water or not (or in and out of water), these boots will serve you well on almost any terrain. And they’re better in desert climes than all-leather boots, because they breathe a bit better and will therefore keep your feet a little cooler.

So, when you start hiking (presumably on dry ground), you wear your all-synthetic boots and your regular wool/synthetic blend socks. But in your pack, you bring a pair of thin, neoprene paddling socks (like the ones kayakers use). For example:

NRS Hydroskin socks

http://www.rei.com/product/722203/nrs-hydroskin-socks-unisex

Glacier Glove socks

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/glacier-glove-neoprene-fleece-lined-socks-for-men-and-women~p~11073/?filterString=search~neoprene-socks%2F&colorFamily=27

When you get to the point on your hike where wet feet are unavoidable, you stop, take off the dry socks, and put on the neoprene socks.

The neoprene socks will keep your feet warm, even in very cold the water. And because you’re wearing boots designed specifically for hiking, you’ll be more stable, and presumably more comfortable, in rocky, slick, mucky streambed conditions.

Plus, you’ll no longer need two pairs of boots–one for wet, one for dry. And you won’t have to choose. Sometimes you don’t know whether you’ll be hiking in water or not. All you have to do is pack that pair of neoprene socks, just in case.

It works for us. Even on multi-day backpack trips.

Happy water walkin’.

Completely revised 3rd edition due out next summer. Exciting new trails will include several originating at Sol Mountain Lodge and Mount Carlyle Backcountry Lodge

It’s been more than a month since our last post. If you were following our blog until then, we apologize for our lengthy disappearance. We spent most of that time hiking in the Selkirks, Purcells and Monashees, working on the next edition of our West Kootenay guidebook.

Constantly driving long, rough, steep, unpaved access roads to and from trailheads, and hiking daily—from mid-morning nearly til sunset—doesn’t leave time or energy for much else, certainly not blogging. Getting dinner together each night, and getting ourselves going early each morning was all we could manage.

With winter descending on western Canada, we returned to our home in the Canadian Rockies. We’re now devoting our days to mentally re-hiking all that West Kootenay terrain, condensing what we learned onto the page. The unfortunate truth: we spend twice as much time at our computers as we do on the trail. But blogging is once again possible.

So here we are. Thanks for checking in. We’ll do our best to resume posting regularly.

Though exhausting, our recent West Kootenay sojourn was a rich experience. We used to live on Kootenay Lake. After scouring the mountains surrounding our home, we wrote Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay, The Premier Trails in Southwest B.C. near Kaslo & Nelson. Though we eventually moved to Canmore, Alberta, we returned to the West Kootenay every year for backcountry research. This last stint there was the most intensive, as well as the most fruitful. The new trails and destinations we discovered are even more rewarding than those we must drop from the book due to trailhead access problems.

The upcoming 3rd edition of our Locals West Kootenay book will offer several exciting options you’ve likely never heard of. Some begin above Arrow Lake, at Sol Mountain Lodge (solmountain.com), and above the former mining boomtown of Sandon, at Mount Carlyle Backcountry Lodge (skihikebc.com). Both lodges are well known among avid, backcountry skiers. If you’re a skier who’s yet to visit Sol or Carlyle, we urge you to check these lodges out now, before they’re fully booked this winter.

But neither Sol nor Carlyle enjoy wide recognition among hikers—yet. We believe that will begin to change once we publish the 3rd edition of Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay, which will offer complete directions for three premier hikes emanating from each lodge.

For now, here are some photos from our explorations near Sol and Carlyle. We hope they inspire you to watch for the upcoming 3rd edition of Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay, The Premier Trails in Southwest B.C. near Kaslo & Nelson. It’s due out next summer.

Weather info sources that will help you plan the remainder of the 2011 hiking season:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html

http://www.skibanff.com/conditions/cams

http://www.skilouise.com/conditions/mountain-cam.php

http://www.skimarmot.com/conditions_webcams.html

Visitation to Canada’s Rocky Mountain National Parks has been declining. In an effort to reverse that trend, Parks Canada has announced it will allow the construction of a via ferrata in Banff National Park, at Mt. Norquay Ski Area, above Banff townsite.

Parks Canada does not construct new hiking trails in the Rockies. They don’t even adequately maintain existing hiking trails. (See photos below.) Yet they support what will essentially be an amusement-park attraction? We think this is ridiculous.

While hiking throughout the Canadian Rockies national parks, we’re constantly noticing areas where, if a new trail were constructed, it would soon become famous, because hiking it would be thrilling. Does anyone at Parks Canada recognize these opportunities?

A via ferrata focuses climbers’ attention on the immediate challenges it poses. A hiking trail opens hikers’ eyes, minds and hearts to the environment it traverses. Is anyone at Parks Canada aware of this difference?

Last year, we climbed some of the original via ferrata in the Italian Dolomiti. The routes were constructed during WWI to enable military troops to travel through the mountains. Re-purposing these via ferrata for peacetime recreation made sense.

Constructing a new via ferrata route where there is no such history, however, is nonsense, especially given that the Canadian Rockies’ hiking-trail potential remains largely untapped.

Yes, largely untapped. For every Sentinel Pass trail, Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit, Rockwall trail, or Skyline trail, there are dozens of prospective trails in the Canadian Rockies that would be equally engaging.

Any of them, if constructed, would boost park visitation more effectively than would a via ferrata, because they would enhance the Canadian Rockies’ long-established reputation as one of the world’s premier hiking destinations.

Any of these as-yet unrealized trails would also better serve Parks Canada than would a via ferrata, because they would direct visitors’ attention differently: not toward a manmade contrivance (safety cables strung across a cliff, which could just as easily be located in New York State), but instead toward the unique, vast grandeur of the Canadian Rockies.

That’s our opinion. What’s yours?

Put more mileage on your boots this summer. Become a more efficient hiker.

Our friends at Explore Magazine recently asked us for suggestions on “how to hike more efficiently.” They published several of our tips in the most recent issue of the magazine. But we thought you might want to read the entire list. Here you go:

efficient hiking = actually going hiking

The more you hike, the more efficient a hiker you’ll become.

Many people don’t go hiking because preparation for a hike seems like a pain. So reduce prep time. Keep your daypack packed at home. Have a drawer full of hiking food, so you can just grab and go. After a trip, once you’ve washed your clothes, re-pack your pack, so you’re always ready in advance.

Think “fuel” not “meal.” Rely on nutritional science when you’re out there. Honey Stinger Bars, Clif Builders Bars, Larabars, Genisoy bars, Power Bars, etc. You don’t need to make sandwiches or cook meals. Make your hiking-trip prep simpler, quicker. And don’t waste backpacking time cooking. You can eat great meals at home, before and after your backpack trips. When backpacking, we often hike until dark. In summer, in Canada, daylight is so long you can get nearly two hiking days in one.

Never plan a dinner party for the night you’ll return from a hike. Efficient hiking means seeing and doing as much out there as you can fit into a day. So make sure you—and your hiking compadres—have nothing planned for the evening after a hiking trip. You want to go as far and see as much as possible. A 6 p.m. obligation essentially cuts a dayhike down to a half dayhike

Look ahead into the summer. Warn friends and relatives that summer in Canada is short, hiking season is precious, and you won’t necessarily be available for weddings, family get-togethers, and holiday events, because you’ll be hiking.

Stay focused. Don’t sacrifice hiking opportunities for propriety. Lots of people who love hiking don’t hike nearly as much as they want because they submit to all kinds of frivolous, social obligations.

Men… Find a woman whose desire to hike matches yours. We know lots of men who are essentially emasculated because their partners don’t share their athleticism or adventurous spirit.

Don’t invite just anyone to hike with you. Find people whose fitness level matches yours. Sure, hiking can be social, but it can be social with people who won’t slow you down and limit your range of opportunity on the few precious days you go hiking

Fitness = efficiency in the backcountry. You want to comfortably cover a lot of ground out there, so you can have big, exciting experiences. So get fit, and stay fit.

Sell your older, heavier, less comfortable gear. Buy new gear that will help you hike farther, faster, in greater comfort. Don’t cling to the old stuff. The MEC.ca online Gear Swap offers an easy way to recycle gear.

Trekking poles. Use them. Not just one, but two. And not cheap ones. Certainly not old ski poles. Or a ridiculous Gandalf staff. Get a pair of high-quality trekking poles. They’ll help you hike faster, go farther, more comfortably, with a greater sense of security on rough terrain, and with far less chance of injury.

Carry only backpacking food that requires no cooking. Pack-It Gourmet (www.packitgourmet.com) makes excellent meals that will allow you to eliminate the weight of a backpacking stove, fuel, pots, etc.

No Teva sandals! Strapping them onto your backpack so you can use them as camp shoes is nuts. They’re insanely heavy. Try racing flats, which weigh only a couple ounces.

Don’t carry a heavy, bulky water filter. Use Pristine purification droplets, which are lighter and more compact.

Plan your hike in advance (not in the car, not at the trailhead). Get the right guidebook that doesn’t waste your time — an opinionated guidebook that ensures you enjoy the greatest possible scenic experience.

We rarely receive a request to excise a particular trip from one of our hiking guidebooks, but when we do, that’s the thrust of the argument: Someone wants to keep their “secret route” all to themselves.

We understand their desire for solitude, because we prize it too. And we recognize that publishing a description of a trail or route will likely increase the number of people who hike it.

We also believe hiking makes people better people: healthier, happier, calmer, saner. The more of us who go hiking, the better off we’ll all be. And one of the best ways to encourage more people to go hiking is to spread the word about trails and routes that are particularly rewarding.

So we’re comfortable spreading the word.

Still, the “secrets” we’ve “revealed” in our books are, in fact, not secrets. All were known before we published our descriptions of them. Granted, some were not widely known, but neither were they unknown. We’re simply giving a few more people the confidence to attempt them.

For every little-known hike described in one of our books, there are many we’ve chosen not to publicize. These truly are secrets. Some were suggested to us by our hiking buddies. Others we sussed out by trial and error.

If you want to covet genuine “hiking secrets,” you can. All you need is a topo map, a compass, the skill to use them, and the will to explore and discover. Be aware, of course, that you’ll occasionally expend a lot of energy to no avail.

Usually, what prompts us to study a topo map is a canyon, ridge, or peak that catches our attention while we’re driving. We glimpse a potential route leading to a compelling goal. By scrutinizing the map, we learn whether or not the route might “go.” If we think it’ll go, we agree to come back and try it someday.

That’s what we did last week, when we finally attempted ????????? Ridge. We noticed it years ago. It’s northeast of ???????? Ridge (Trip ??, page ??, Where Locals Hike in the Canadian Rockies). Trails briefly probe the canyons on both sides of ???????? Ridge. The ridge itself is trail-less, but the crest has always intrigued us.

Now that we’ve hiked ???????? Ridge, we can tell you our opinion of it and offer directions that will help you hike it. But we won’t. We’ll leave it a secret.*

But thousands more secrets await you in the Canadian Rockies. We hope you make time to ferret out a few this summer.

*Oh, alright. We’ll give you a visual hint. Here’s a photo revealing the crest of ???????? Ridge.