Hiking here and there

Places I like to go hiking... I try and write up our hikes on my blog but it's tough to keep up. If nothing else I try and put up a short summary on Live Trails.

Links are provided to (mostly) official sites.

...in Canada

Well, close to Vancouver...

1. Garibaldi Provincial Park: Elfin Lakes, Garibaldi Lake, Black Tusk...
2. Lynn Headwaters Regional Park: Lots of nice low-level hikes, some impressive old tree stumps, and the suspension bridge is free!!
3. Stawamus Chief Provincial Park: the home of climbing in BC, superb views from atop the Chief
4. Cypress Provincial Park: great views of Vancouver and the Howe Sound
5. Grouse Mtn: the Grouse Grind is well-named and is best avoided. The BCMC trail is quieter.
6. Mt Seymour Provincial Park: completing the triumvirate of North Shore peaks
7. Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park: the North Cascades mountains are spectacular and Elk Mountain (not actually in the park) is the place for summer wild flowers
8. Manning Park: mmmm, ridge walks...
9. Strathcona Provincial Park, on Vancouver Island: who knew that the Island was so mountainous?
10. Mt Robson Provincial Park: the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies
11. Cathedral Provincial Park: beautiful lakes and amazing views
12. Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park: a complete unlogged watershed — true wilderness
13. Joffre Lakes Provincial Park: lakes of unbelievable colour!
14. Juan de Fuca Provincial Park: beautiful beaches and more
15. Golden Ears Provincial Park: magnificent views from the golden eyries
16. Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park: the Matterhorn of the Rockies!
17. Cape Scott Provincial Park: beautiful beaches, frigid seas
18. Tetrahedron Provincial Park: superb cabins maintained by the Tetrahedron Outdoor Club, the cabin on Mt Steele is in an inspired location
19. Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park: fire-scarred but tougher than it looks, with exceptional spring wildflowers
20. The amazing, overwhelming beauty of Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks
21. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve: endless beaches and stunning remnant rain forest

...in the USA

1. Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest: alpine ridge walking while staring at Mt Baker
2. Shenandoah NP: our nearest good hiking when we lived in the US
3. Rocky Mountain NP: Can you say stunning between gasps for oxygen?
4. Arches NP: Wow!
5. Bryce Canyon NP: Hoodoos? We doos! Or we did in 1999...
6. Grand Canyon NP: Grand is an understatement.
7. Monument Valley, Navajo nation: Hiking in the desert at 2 pm is a daft idea even in October... (Navajo Nation Parks home page)
8. Yosemite NP: Spectacular!
9. Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP: Biiiiig trees
10. Death Valley NP: Don't get low on petrol here....
11. Hawaii volcanoes NP: watch where you tread (the lava's kinda warm!)
12. Joshua Tree NP: desert, rocks, and those eponymous trees
13. Assateague Island National Seashore: OK, not really for hiking but there are miles of beautiful sandy beaches...
14. Various state parks in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania allow you to tread sections of the Appalachian Trail.

...in the UK

1. The Lake District: all-time favourite place to go walking.
2. The Yorkshire Dales: up hill and down dale. It's all great.
3. The Peak District: no moorland like it...
4. The North York Moors: ...except this lot...
5. Calderdale and South Pennines: ...and some of this.
6. The New Forest: Ah, heathland (not moorland but looks similar). Not as many trees as you might expect.... Grew up here so it has a particular appeal. (Bet you didn't know there's a village in the UK called Canada :-)
7. North Downs Way, Kent: Pretty, I guess. Coastal bit is very nice, except for the Channel Tunnel entrance...
8. Cornwall: Beautiful coastline, but the undergrowth frequently gets in the way :-)
9. Snowdonia National Park: visited once on a school trip in 1985. Must go back!!

...in Australia

1. The Blue Mountains: with arguably the best Grand Canyon walk anywhere. (Other Blue Mountains links: UNESCO World Heritage Site; Blue Mtns conservation society)