USA Top Hiking Trails

Besides camping, hiking is a great pastime for Americans but where to find the top USA hiking trails.

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of excellent hiking tracks in the USA, but which are the top of the list?

This article dives in to show you five of the very top hiking trails in the US.

Please note that these are MY personal favorites.

Your hiking style may differ from mine but I can assure you that if its quality scenery and a great hike you're after, you won’t be disappointed with these locations.

Hiking Trail 1 - Breakneck Ridge Trail

This trail is located in Hudson Highlands State Park in NY. It is 9.6 miles at full length and starts at river level and ascends along a knobby ridge until you reach a beautiful lookout.

Hiking Trail 2 - Glacier Gorge

Located in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, Glacier Gorge contains spectacular scenery including alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls and amazing wildflowers.

This is one of America's top hiking trails and a must see.

Hiking Trail 3 - Mount Whitney

Mount Whitney is located in California and involves the highest peak in the United States.

The views here are unparalleled!

Hiking Trail 4 - Appalachian Trail: The Pinnacle

The Pinnacle part of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania boasts the best views of this entire hike.

You'll also have great views of Hawk Mountain, the Lehigh Valley, and Blue Rocks.

This particular hike involves some vigorous climbing followed by a gentle dirt road descent.

Hiking Trail 5 - Conundrum Hot Springs

The Conundrum Hot Springs are in Colorado and are a fantastic undeveloped wilderness location.

Depending on when you go hiking here, you may even be all alone.

You'll experience beautiful clean mountain air, waterfalls and bright flowers.

This is truly one of the most beautiful spots in the United States!



Photos Credit - Kimba

Different Types Of Camping Knives Perform Different Functions

Camping knives can be used in many ways, that depend on what plans you have and where you go. For example, if you’re in the woods, camping, you can use a knife to cut food, trim trees, but it depends on its size if you can do it. Most people use a single knife for all the tasks, instead of carrying different ones with them, so you have to pick your knife carefully.

You can use knives that have serrations to cut loafs of bred, but they’re not as good to cut branches from trees. Others will use their camping knives to fillet fish, as task that is more complicated if the blade is serrated. And while some prefer using folding blades because they are safer to carry, others prefer fixed blades for their knives.

If you’re the type that prefers folding camping knives, you should use one that has lock-back, so the blade doesn’t close while being used, and hitting your fingers in the process. You need both hands to close a blade if they have lock-back, but at least it will not close by accident.

Do Not Carry Unprotected Knives

You already know this probably, but you should keep your camping knives in a sheath, if they’re not the type that fold. It might seem like common sense to you, but accidents happen all the time because people stab or cut themselves because they carried a knife in a pocket or in the backpack. You need a sturdy sheath, so it’s not cut by the blade of the camping knives.

There is also a safe way to keep the sheath on your belt. You need to be able to bend or stoop, so it should be on the side. At the same time it should be close to the front, so it can be easily accessed. While carrying it, you should pay attention not to get it hung up in passing brushes.

You can use camping knives any way you like, but you still need to keep them sharp and clean all the time. That’s true even if you don’t cut food with them, because a blade can become weak if tree sap dries on it. Don’t clean blades over open fires, as it can lose strength and snap during use.

Arriving Home After Outdoor Camping

Arriving Home After Outdoor Camping.

The ride back home after outdoor camping may be psychologically arduous.

The allure of a hot shower and relaxing home bed become irresistible.

Before fulfilling that desire, one has to complete the following chores after coming back from the outdoor camping trip:-

Unpacking the camping gear

• Unload the gear
All the gears to be unloaded from the car, truck or camper and separated out the used one in the camping trip.

• Empty the Cooler
The cooler to be emptied and all food removed to be packed in the refrigerator. The cooler to be rinsed and allowed to dry.

• Store food items
All the food items carried back home to be put into the pantry, cupboard or refrigerator.

• Wash the dishes
The dishes to be washed and it is a good sanitary practice to do so even if it was washed at the camping site.

• Dispose of trash
The car or truck to be cleaned of any debris along with any trash left out.

• Do the laundry
Before washing the clothes , it is better carry the same outside your home and shake out the camping clothes and bedding especially the kids clothing.

• Stow away the camping gears
Shake out all the gear and if any camping gear is wet , set it out for drying first before packing it for storage. Mildew is much easy to prevent than it is to remove.

• Reminisce
If any pictures have been taken during the trip, they are to be sent for development.

Camping Gear to be stored :- The following are the final tips before you put your camping gear away for storage

• The Checklist to be referred
One should take care of the inventory of the gear before storing. And, take note of any broken gear that needs repair, missing items that need to be replenished or items that one wants to add to the list for future sojourn.

• High and Dry
Storing properly at a higher place , the gear will remain rodent and insect free. By keeping it dry helps avoid mildew.

• Avoid freezing
Any moisture left in the materials will cause damage from expansion when freezing. Some materials even when dry may crack in cold temperature. Storing gears at temperatures below freezing point to be avoided.

• Food smells
Food smells attracts rodents and may quickly ruin the gear chewing through it. To get rid of these troubles, the way out is to air out the gear as much as possible and also wash all gear materials that smells of food .

• Batteries to be removed
To avoid corrosion, it is advisable to remove batteries from any gadgets and store them separately.

Next time you go for outdoor camping, follow these "back home tips" when you get home.

Some Interesting Aspects Of Outdoor Camping

Some Interesting Aspects Of Outdoor Camping.

One can have nice family reunion and have lot of fun in outdoor camping.

Obviously, one has to plan out properly. One must explore state by state campgrounds available in state parks and national forests.

Also, there are some private campgrounds that may be having facilities more to someone’s liking.

After identifying the campground, one should contact them through all possible means like email, fax, phone and postal mail to ensure proper reservations.

It may take some time in the complete exercise and patience to make it a successful venture.

Some people desires to remain totally isolated in outdoor camping where he doesn’t want to see any other person except his partner or small group with whom he will be moving and even wants to remain devoid of any man made objects.

For getting such experience, one has to show some ingenuity, do some map reading, equip himself with proper gadgets and on hand experience to handle them properly and even repair them to tolerable extent.

But, above all, he should have that indomitable jest to go for such trip which may get irksome at any point during the trip. Some tips for the voyage are:

• A national park or forest has to be picked of choice.

• After choosing the destination, one should get a topo map for the area that you intend to visit which may be even the back country of a national park.

One may get these topo sheets at the visitor’s center of the park or at the regional forest service office. On the website also one may browse to see such topo maps but downloading normally is not feasible.

• Basing the topo map, one should plot a course to an isolated spot to use as a base camp. From the base camp as a epicenter, the day’s trip to be planned. One must learn to identify fire roads on the maps. One may find such fire roads in national parks which are very useful for driving.

But, one must have proper type of vehicle for such terrains. Of course, one may make such trips on foot also which has to be spread to longer time period and sometime the return journey becomes really tedious on foot.

• One may camp anywhere in the national park. Fire rules and “leave to trace” ethics are to be followed strictly.

• For camping in back country, one need to take permits which can be obtained from park visitor center.

With proper care, skills and gear, this type of outdoor camping can be the most rewarding experience of all.