I’d visited the Mojave National Preserve once before and I distinctly remember loving the Rings Loop. But, it’s only a mile and a half long and we had all day to explore. While perusing the map, as I do, I noticed a peak nearby called Barber Peak. I looked up a few trip reports online and it looked like a short but steep and interesting scramble. I described the route to Aaron to get his advanced approval and he agreed to check it out with me.
Our hike began by descending the “rings,” which are metal loops attached to the narrow canyon walls with straight pins. It almost feels like you’re on a playground or obstacle course. It seemed like rungs would make more sense, but whoever decided to build this trail decided wobbly rings would do the job.
Descending the rings
We quickly left that excitement behind and wound our way through the canyon. Upon exiting, we needed to find a break in the cliffs to our right to get to the horseshoe-shaped ridge making up the top of Barber Peak. It was quite obvious which way to go because there was basically only one way. We climbed up a series of ramps leading up, up, up among the cactus- dotted rocks towards the blue sky. Despite being December, it was HOT as ever. We took many breaks to drink water and rest. If any opportunity for shade presented itself, we took advantage of that too.
I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of my desert flowers showing off. Several species of buckwheat, some asters, some wishbone bush. Even the cacti, which was not in bloom, was fun to see. There are so many interesting plants that thrive in this dry habitat.
Whitestem paperflower, a member of the aster family
Once we gained the ridge, it was pretty easy going. The scramble turned into a ramble. We picked our own paths through the grasses and burned trees, looking for late blooming flowers and unusual cacti. At the summit, we paused to enjoy a snack and take in the views. Then, we turned to descend the other end of the horseshoe to make a loop out of it. There are advantages and disadvantages of loop routes. The main advantage is the novelty you get from crossing fresh terrain with every step. The main disadvantage is that you don’t have any experience with where you’re going. It is typically easier to route-find on your way up something than on your way down, so there’s a little extra effort involved with picking your way down a new line when you could just turn back and reverse the tried-and-true way you came. But novelty is my favorite thing so…on to the loop!
Looking down the ridge, our approach ridge on the left
Everything looked more daunting from the top. What we could not see from our vantage point is that that our descent route would drop from one cliff band to the next via an unknown series of passages. Sometimes it was easiest to follow the ridge proper, other times it made more sense to bypass to the left or to the right. Often, it took a few tries to find the best route. All that routefinding slowed us down, and by the time we were almost at the bottom I was pretty over it. It was deceptively challenging and mentally taxing. Once we got off the peak, we made a beeline back to the canyon that led to the rings; we would not make a complete loop!
Typical landscape in the Mojave
Overall, it was an absolutely beautiful day and we had the mountain all to ourselves. I enjoyed the quiet, sunshine and endless fields of cactus. And I know what feels annoying in the moment is all but lost in the memories. That experience builds up over time to make me a more skilled navigator in the future and helps me become more resilient when facing challenging terrain.
I’m starting this blog series with the region of the US that I know the most intimately: the Pacific Coast. My intention with this hike roundup is to offer a suggestion of one place to go in each state, not because it’s the “best” hike (impossible), but because I like it and I think it showcases something interesting in that state. It is in my nature to challenge what people think is normal and expected, so you’re likely to find lots of surprises on this list. I guarantee you that few to none of these selected hikes will be in the top Google searches for each state.
I have personally done each of the featured hikes and I’ve linked to the blog I wrote about it at the time. Note that I’ve spent way more time in some places than others, so my suggestions are heavily biased based on what I’ve had the opportunity to do. Not all of these hikes will be accessible to every single person or in every season. That’s the nature of the outdoors. But if you cannot personally experience all the hikes on the list, I hope that you will enjoy the photos, stories and observations I have gathered and shared with you!
One more thing: dividing the United States into cohesive regions is…impossible. I have chosen to use the official Census Bureau Designated Regions and Divisions. For the larger regions, I’ve broken them into multiple blog posts. Without further ado, here are the first five hikes on the list, plus links to my experiences in each of these places. Let’s see what Pacific Coast hiking is all about!
Alaska
Alaska is bigger than what most of our brains can understand. How to sum up Alaska in one word? Impossible. Here, you’ll find old growth forest, endless tundra, undulating coastlines, 24 hour sunlight and a vast diversity of people and culture. You’ve got to make an effort to get up to Alaska, and I think it’s well worth the trip. Here’s one hike that stood out to me.
A-B Mountain: Most people get to Skagway via a cruise ship. With maybe a few hours to explore the little town, they don’t get more than a few blocks from the dock. But if you have more time to spend in this picturesque fishing village, I highly recommend hiking up A-B Mountain as far as your legs will take you. It is a brutal trail, climbing steeply up a rocky and muddy mountainside to a ridge that carries on for many miles. But if you can make it up to any of the viewpoints along the trail on a clear day, you will get a vista that will lodge in your brain for the rest of your life. This one is worth the sweat and sore legs for sure! The wildflowers along the way will help encourage you when you don’t want to take another step. This is a vantage point of Skagway that most visitors will never get!
California
California, love it or hate it. As with many states, I think California gets a lot of hate from people who…have never been there and have no idea what it’s about. California is large and diverse. If it was located in Europe, it would probably be split into at least 10 different countries. There’s so much to see and do! No one experience in California tells the whole story. You’ve got dense, moody forests along the Northern Coast; the tallest peaks in the continental US in the middle; deserts dotted with rare plants and animals in the south. Plus: grasslands, beaches, rocky shores, volcanoes and much, much more.
Catacombs Cave: What I loved most about this adventure is just *how* adventurous it was. At the visitor center, the staff recommended we purchase a small booklet with a map of the cave before going inside. Once you’re in the cave, there are no signs, no lights, no indication of where you are or how to get out. You can’t walk upright for very long, there are some confusing intersections and many passageways where you must wriggle on your belly to get deeper in the cave. We did NOT go through the smallest passages, meaning we missed about half of the cave. Still, we spent hours underground. This cave is ranked as “most difficult” among the many lava caves you can explore at this NPS managed site. If you’re not up for the Catacombs, don’t worry. There are a number of other caves to explore at a variety of accessibility levels, including a cave with a paved walkway, lighting, educational signage and ceilings that are so tall you don’t have to stoop at any point.
Hawai’i
Tourists flock to Hawai’i for lots of reasons and hiking is usually not in the top 5. However, those who do wander onto trails generally pile on to the same ones. That means, adventure awaits to the hiker who does a little research. Each of the Hawai’ian islands has something a bit different to offer, from volcano views to green sand beaches to bamboo forests and tropical botanizing. One of my favorite hikes was quite an outing that required getting muddy feet and choosing your route wisely! Note that this trail may periodically be inaccessible due to road, weather and trail conditions. Be sure to get up to date information before embarking on this or any other hike.
Alaka’i Swamp: This trail travels through a series of high elevation bogs with plants that grow nowhere else in the world. It’s an excellent habitat for weird birds and plants, so if you look and listen closely, you’re guaranteed to find some cool stuff. What I remember from this trail is how muddy and chaotic the trail was. I cannot vouch for the condition of the boardwalk today, since it was in a state of disrepair and construction when we visited in 2016. But, if you’re ready to get your feet wet, it will truly be a unique Hawai’i experience.
Oregon
Though many people assume Oregon is all waterfalls and rainforest, there are 9 ecoregions in Oregon with wildly variable climate and terrain. Much of the state is a sea of sagebrush and ponderosa pine. There are several distinct mountainous ranges that were created by a variety of geological processes. Plus the canyons, coastline, prairie, need I say more? You could spend your whole lifetime doing a new hike in the state every day and still not get the picture. Since it’s the state in which I’ve done most of my hiking, it was really hard to choose just one hike, but here it is…
Wildhorse Lake: This idyllic, high alpine lake is located in the remote Steens Mountain Wilderness in southeast Oregon. I’ve chosen this hike in an effort to encourage both native Oregonians and travelers alike to get way out to the east side. Only accessible for a few months of the year, Wildhorse Lake lies in a basin below the summit of lonely Steens Mountain. During the summer, the area surrounding the lake explodes in a profusion of wildflowers. It’s a magical, magical place. Though the hike itself is only a few miles roundtrip, it requires descending over 1,000 vertical feet on a steep trail down to the lake. But once you’re there, you can relax and read a book, poke around the wildflower fields, take a nap, eat a picnic and savor the peaceful quiet that you can only find in such a faraway place. Its distance from any major city and lack of amenities will keep this place fairly quiet for now. Go take a look while it’s still off the beaten path.
Washington
Just like Oregon, Washington is a state with dueling personalities. There’s a wet side and a dry side. Everyone knows about Seattle and Mt. Rainier. But have you heard about the channeled scablands? Besides being the most popular post on my website (I cannot tell you why), it’s a really cool landscape that was scoured by the Missoula Floods tens of thousands of years ago. There’s also the gorgeous Washington coast with all its inlets and islands and rocky outcrops. The borderlands along the Columbia River Gorge. The North Cascades with towering, craggy, remote peaks and turbulent weather systems. The peaceful rolling hills ambling east towards Idaho.
Though I’ve climbed rugged peaks in remote wildernesses, raced the tides on the coast and navigated cross country in vast landscapes in Washington, one particular trail comes to mind when I think of (ironically) the evergreen state…
Klickitat Rail Trail: I love a nice rail trail. It’s such a wonderful way to repurpose a resource. The trail is currently 31 miles long. With multiple access points and a gently grade, anyone can enjoy any length of hike (or bike ride!) along this beautiful route. It traverses a variety of habitats, so you can see a number of different plants and animals along the way. Each season provides a different experience, too. Since it crosses spaces presently and historically used by people, you’ll see old rusty cars, railroad trestles, farm buildings and more.
There you have it! This concludes a roundup of just a few hikes in the Pacific Coast Region of the United States. I hope you found a few surprises on this list. Wherever you go in this beautiful part of the country, you’ll find something that caters to your abilities, interests and time constraints. I hope this article has inspired you to think a little differently about this region and perhaps check out something new the next time you’re in one of these five states. Stay tuned for the rest of the installments of this series that will take you all across the country!
After checking out of our house rental near Joshua Tree, I decided to find a reasonably quick hike to do in the afternoon. I found what I thought was a 6-mile loop in the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve. My math was pretty bad, so it ended up being just over 9. Whoops. But, no regrets, because this was a fantastically diverse, interesting and floriferous route!
I wanted to hike to the top of Chaparrosa Peak from the Visitor’s Center, then loop down via Pipe’s Canyon. Ultimately, I’m glad we did it this way because loops are always better and we got to see a much more comprehensive picture of the preserve.
Always fun to find desert flowers
We began walking through the high desert habitat that had burned in a fire 20 years ago. Husks of ghost trees stood above the shrubs and flowering plants that were clawing back to life. Tall yuccas and nolinas added some height to the landscape since the trees had not made much of a return. There was little shade, so we walked slowly in the heat.
The trail climbed up from the wash along ridgelines and bouldery hills to the top of Chaparrosa Peak. I found a summit marker, then say down to have a snack and survey the scenery. There were great views from where we sat. Most people turn around and go back the way they came, which would give you about a 6 mile route. But I was hungry for more. We backtracked to where the summit spur leaves the main route and continued in a clockwise direction.
As always, having a terrible time.
On this stretch of trail, I was delighted to find some new-to-me buckwheat species and some other wildflowers. We began descending into a gully, which offered some rare shade. It was the first of many surprises we’d encounter on this section of trail.
As we turned to enter the wash, it was just as I’d expected: a wide, sandy, sunny gap between the rocks. We’d surely just rock this straight back to the parking lot in no time. But we soon entered a dense tunnel of willows and cottonwood trees. Beneath our feet, the sand turned to mud. A small creek criss-crossed the trail. Aaron kindly loaned me a pole for balance as we navigated the rock hopping back and forth. It was like we’d entered a whole new world. Water in the desert is always so magical!
Creek!
The last stretch of trail took quite some time because I stopped so frequently to look at the flowers. The California fuchsia was probably my favorite, but I also found four types of buckwheat, globemallow, brittlebrush giant woollystar and more. I found some old stream orchid plants that were withered up from last season and I dreamed about how stunning it would be to stumble across them blooming in the desert! Again, magic is the only word I have for it!
California fuchsia lines the trail
I knew the preserve closed at dusk so we had to hurry back to get out in time. I wished we had started earlier so we could savor this place even more. It’s on my list to go back. There is another loop that starts at a different trailhead, plus all the seasonal flowers that we’d see at a different time of year. The preserve is managed by the Wildlands Conservancy, which has several properties across the west (mostly in California). They offer free public access, educational programs, camping and volunteer opportunities. It’s a great organization to know better if you live or visit any of the areas where they work. Check them out!
As we drove back into town, I couldn’t help stopping to capture the incredible sunset over the desert:
