Hiking the Mountain West
The mountains of the American West offer hiking opportunities unmatched anywhere in the world. There may be more amenities in the European Alps, and wilder places in the Caucasus or Patagonia, but the U.S. and Canadian mountains are vast and offer enough for a lifetime of hiking adventures.
The big mountain chain of the west is the Rocky Mountains. Actually a series of connected mountain ranges, the Rockies reach above 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) on many summits – Colorado has the greatest collection of “14ers,” with 54 of them. Many are relatively easy walks, others require advanced technical mountaineering and rock-climbing skills.
The next big mountain range west of the Rockies is the Sierra Nevada (John Muir’s “Range of Light”). This jagged range has the most consistently spectacular mountains we’ve ever seen. To the west of the Sierras – running from Southern California through Oregon and Washington are the Coast/Cascade Ranges. Although technically distinct, the two ranges pretty much run along the same course up the Pacific Coast of North America.
The Cascades and Rockies also extend into Canada, and there are many other mountains in western Canada. Finally, Alaska is well represented with the highest mountain in North America – Denali (or Mt. McKinley). Except in the foothills, hiking in Alaska is not for the untrained.
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Guidebooks, outfitters, and other resources abound. We have more than a dozen hiking guidebooks to Colorado on our bookshelf, probably twice that many to California, and every state in the West is as well represented – there is great hiking in every state west of the Great Plains. Even most of the big cities of the West have nearby accessible options. We’ve hiked in quiet woods and up significant mountains outside Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Denver, Salt Lake City, and many other large cities of the West.
For day hikes, we recommend trail shoes or hiking boots, a rain shell any time of year, water, and a day pack (with sunscreen, food, first-aid supplies, maps, compass, whistle). And make things easy for yourself and your friends and family by letting someone know where you’re going and when you expect to be back.
The high mountains of the West sometimes don’t open to hiking until May or June, depending on winter snowfall. And in the fall, some areas may be snow covered as early as October. Some regions require hiking permits (especially for overnight backpacking, but that’s another activity and another story), but usually day hiking does not require any special permits or permission. Any local shop selling maps or guidebooks should have information on regulations. Finally, although much of the West is public land, respect private-property signs. (But don’t worry much about unsigned fences. In the west, there’s a saying that: "Fences are for cows, signs are for people.")
All photos © Kenneth & Francesca Hulick
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