Well, it’s that time of year again!  Where has 2016 gone?  I have no idea, but it’s been a good year, and I’m excited to share with you, once again, the top 15 posts from 2016.

 



 

The top performing pages are pretty consistent from year to year – The Best (and Worst) Hikes in Big Bend National Park, The Best (and Worst) Day Hikes in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, DIY Bug Screens, The Best (and Worst) Day Hikes in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Coyote Gulch, Jewell Trail, Buttermilk Falls, etc.  So as not to be a stuck record, I’ll only feature the most popular posts published in the last 18 months.  Enjoy!

15 Most Popular Posts on Anne’s Travels in 2016

The 6 Best Hikes on the Mt. Baker Highway.  Truly, the trails along this road in northwest Washington are a part of one of the most beautiful areas (ok, maybe spectacular would be a better descriptor) in the Lower 48, so I guess it’s a great top-performing post for 2016!

15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah.  The desert of Utah is another favorite wilderness of mine, and this post has some truly spectacular (and unique, and downright odd) scenery.

10 of the Best Day Hikes In and Around North Cascades National Park.  Since this includes the Mt. Baker Highway – as well as one of my favorite hikes of all time (Sahale Arm) – I’d have to say this area is absolutely worth visiting.  You might have to wait until the snow finally melts in August, but hey, it’s worth the wait.

Table Mountain – Up and Down the Face Trail.  Table Mountain just west of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming is another of those hikes that just makes my jaw drop.  Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, something other-earthly – it’s all combined into one fantastic, awe-inspiring, spectacular, blow-your-mind view.  And I’d take the Face Trail any day over the more popular Huckleberry Trail…  9.2 miles RT with 4,100ft. of elevation gain.

9 Reasons I Wear Hiking Boots instead of Sneakers.  Funny – I’d never have guessed this would have been a top-performer!  But I really do love my hiking boots…

12 Epic Hikes in the Western United States, Part 2.  Well, here’s another great collection of trails!  Chosen by a young, slightly dramatic member of the group (whose definition of “epic” is “awe-inspiring, stunning, spectacular views, and hopefully not longer than 10 miles RT”), these really are some of the best-of-the-best we’ve done.

8 Epic Hikes in the Western US, Part 1.  Not to be outdone, this is another amazing collection of trails from a very steady, quiet young group member.  “Epic” to him is long, adventurous trails with especially breathtaking, top-of-the-world views.  So be ready for some real excitement with these trails…

Day Hiking the Alaska Basin Overlook.  Really, I thought that Alaska Basin was outside the reality of a day hike, but this overlook, just west of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, proved me wrong.  With spectacular wildflower displays, top-of-the-world views, a peaceful, lovely basin below, and Teton peaks above, this is truly a hike that isn’t worth missing.  11 miles RT with 2,000ft. of elevation gain.

Dayhiking Slide Creek Falls.  Hidden deep in the wilds of the Wind Rivers of Wyoming – but still close enough to a trailhead to be a day hike – Slide Creek Falls is one unique take on natural waterfalls.  You wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it.  9-10 miles RT with 700+ft. of elevation gain.

Day Hiking Big Sandy Lake in the Wind Rivers.  Another great Wind River hike, this one is really more of a great hike because it’s the corridor to some of the most spectacular views of the Winds… the Cirque of Towers Overlook, not to mention Deep Lake (which is on my bucket list for someday!)  11.5 miles RT with 623ft. of elevation gain.

Gear Review – Coleman Single Burner Propane Stove.  Well, I got the stove because we were given a stash of gas for it.  But it works pretty well, and I’m glad someone is finding the review helpful.

 




 

15 Must Do Waterfall Hikes Across the US.  Waterfalls are nice, but I’m a bit spoiled, living so close to both Niagara Falls and Ithaca, NY.  Still, these waterfalls are epic, and well worth hiking to see – maybe my proximity actually gives me an advantage?

Stairway to Heaven – Views and Wildflowers Galore!  Again, this is an amazing hike, and not too far from the more popular sights of Grand Teton National Park!  And since it’s so easy from here to wander along the shelf to the Alaska Basin Overlook, you can kill two of these hikes in one day.  Score!  8.6 miles RT (to the top of the Stairs and back) with 1,500ft. of elevation gain.

DIY Adult Seat Belt Pillow.  This.Is.Awesome.  And it only takes beginner sewing skills.  I’ve used it multiple times on various trips, most recently on a trip I simply wasn’t getting enough sleep on, so I can safely say this is one great thing to make for yourself… or a favorite traveling companion.

Waterfalls and Fossils: Upper Darby Canyon.  Well, I would have considered the even further upper reaches of Darby Canyon – where you can look into Grand Teton National Park – to be more spectacular, but this is still worth visiting – especially if you like waterfalls or are looking for some truly spectacular fossil specimens (no collecting allowed – we’re in a national wilderness here!)  8.1+ miles RT with 1,900+ft. of elevation gain.

 

Also see The Best of Anne’s Travels in 2015 and The Best of Anne’s Travels in 2014 and the Best of Anne’s Travels in 2017.

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