Mt Magazine, Arkansas High Point

Mt Magazine, Arkansas' High Point

We camped the night somewhere off of a dirt road in the Ouachita National Forest on the lower slopes of Mt. Magazine.  We had driven far on the prior day, and when we saw the dirt road turning of the pavement, we took it.  It was a road just like any of the others, but since night was falling quickly, and it wasn't someone's driveway, it met our needs.  We bumped across the ruts, easing our way onward, as we scouted out a few possible campsites, finally determining that the first one we had passed looked the best.  I pulled the car forward and backward into a 10-15 point turn, finally succeeding in turning around and avoiding getting stuck in the thick undergrowth.  I woke up a few times during the night, once to the soft patter of rain on the tent, another time to the harsh sound of a truck's engine brake is it descended the tight curves on the highway below us.  I drifted back to sleep until the early morning glow of dawn dissipated the last chance for rest. 

Mt Magazine Trailhead

We packed up quickly, my wife and kids to avoid the rain that was once-again threatening, and me to stay warm in the crisp morning air.  I'd successfully packed everything we needed for the trip, but we were several hours from home when I realized that I'd left my jacket on the couch in the living room.  Oh well, I've concluded that you need to forget or leave something on every trip, this time I was the lucky one.  Me without a jacket was much better then the time my brother left his shoes, or the time I forgot the bug spray.  A chilly hour or so every morning was tolerable and I knew I could always be a little more active to ward off the chill.  After we were all loaded, we drove up the road to Mt Magazine State Park, and found a pavilion we could cook breakfast under and stay out of the drizzle.   After a warm bowl of oatmeal, and the happiness that comes from a full stomach, we packed up our cook stove, and went to the small museum at the entrance to Mt Magazine.  It was a small museum with a large gift shop.  We wandered the exhibits, grabbed a few maps and brochures, then drove up the road to find the high point of Arkansas. 

What a view!

There's a scenic drive, campground built by the CCC, an amphitheater, and a lodge and cabins at Mt Magazine, in addition to the hiking trails.  We were out to climb the highest point in Arkansas, so as we drove around, we kept our eye out for the trailhead.  We found the trailhead quite readily, but the parking was a wide spot across the road, along another road that came and t-boned with the main loop through the park.  We drove on, and wound our way around Mt Magazine as we waited for a short break in the weather.  Finally it looked like a clearing in the rain so we pulled in, loaded up, and set off on our hike. 

Arrowheads at Mt Magazine State Park Museum

There are three different trails that will lead to the top of Mt Magazine/ Signal Hill.  Most commonly, the hike is completed as a loop hike, going counterclockwise from the trailhead.  We rushed up the trail, noting that spring was several weeks behind the lower elevation trails we had been on earlier in the week.  I thought it was about 2 weeks slower then the lower elevations, approximately one week for every thousand feet of elevation it was over the surrounding hills and valleys.  After 15 minutes of hiking, with the kids hiking the trail under their own power and on their own short legs, we made it to the top.  It's not a hard hike, and it's quite enjoyable.  We'd been at the top for about 3 minutes when a kindergarten class started trooping in, out on a field trip.  We quickly took our pictures, then stepped aside for the 5 year olds to gather into the clearing at the top of Arkansas.  It was fun to see them out having a great time.  Hats off to their teachers for taking them hiking!  We turned around, and hiked back to the car, just a few moments before rain droplets started up again.

Nearest City: Paris, AR
Location: 16878 AR-309, Paris, AR
Time Needed: 30+ min
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Arkansas State Park Website

Guadalupe Peak: Night Hike to the Top of Texas

East Face Switchbacks from the Pine Springs Campground

A few years ago just as I was finishing grad school in Colorado, I was offered a job in San Antonio.  The job in San Antonio never materialized, but it did lead to a great opportunity that brought us to Utah, and then to Arizona.  While I was gearing up for the job in San Antonio, I did a little bit of research on Texas and learned about Guadalupe Peak.  I filed it away and thought it would be fun to someday visit and climb to the top.  When we planned our trip to Carlsbad, I knew it was the ideal opportunity to climb Guadalupe Peak as well.  I also knew that I didn't want to climb it with the kids (a hike up Frary Peak in 2012 convinced me of this). I ran the idea of hiking it at night by my wife and she gave the ok.  So, I started some lunchtime training on the treadmill at work, maxing it out at a 15% grade and going for up to 45 minutes of my hour break.

We dragged into the Pine Springs Campground about 4:30 on a Thursday afternoon.  The drive between Hueco Tanks and Guadalupe National Park being the right time and duration for the kids to get a good nap in on the way.  Surprisingly, the campground was about 75% full.  We found a site that required a short walk of about 100 yards to get to, paid our $8/night fee, and started hauling in gear.  We set up camp, ate dinner, and wandered around a little bit.  I got everything ready for the hike then it was time for bed.  I set an alarm for midnight then dozed off.  I ended up waking up before the alarm due to some other campers wandering around outside.  I knew that getting back to sleep was not an option since I was ramped up and eager to go, so I kissed my wife then crawled out of the tent- taking care to not wake the kids.  A short hike to the trailhead, then I was on my way! 

I hiked for a short while only guided by the light of the moon, but then thoughts about cougars and a friend who almost stepped on a rattlesnake while hiking at night convinced me to pull it out and turn it on.   Mentally, I had divided the hike into 4 sections: The east face, the south side of the canyon, on top of the ridge to the campground turnoff, then the final push to the peak.  The first 1/4 mile was brutal.  It always is on every hike as I seek to establish a good hiking pace.  Along the way small bits of light along the trail blinked at me- the spiders were out doing their hunting.  I felt good other than burning lungs, and after a while reached the point where the east switchbacks were done as I rounded the bend to the south side of the canyon wall.  Hiking at night has some great advantages.  It's quiet, it's not crowded, and you avoid the heat of hiking during the day.  It also has some drawbacks, namely being that you miss out on the fantastic views that you have in the daytime.  Pretty much all of my hike looked like the picture above- a small area illuminated by my headlamp, surrounded by darkness.

The north side of the shoulder of Guadalupe Peak doesn't have the switchbacks that the east face does and also has some pines and evergreens.  I pressed on, occasionally pulling out my camelbak for a quick swallow of water.  I could rest when I was done, but I wanted to hurry on.  I kept wondering about when I would make it to the top of the shoulder and finish the second part of my hike, but the trail never crested the ridge, and before too long I was at the turnoff to the campground.  I had estimated wrongly- the trail would be best divided into three sections.  I didn't mind because it meant that I only had a mile left to go.  Shortly after the campground turnoff, I crossed the famous bridge.  The bridge spans a small dropoff along a cliff, and happens to be the highest bridge in Texas.  I pulled out the camera for a quick picture and quickened my pace.  The trail soon zigzagged before me, steadily climbing to the top. 

I finally reached the summit of Guadalupe Peak an hour and 40 minutes after I started hiking.  4.2 miles and 3000 feet in elevation.  It was a brutal pace, but it sure was nice to get to the top!  The top is 8,749 feet above sea level.  It's marked by a unique monument placed by American Airlines.  I sat down, signed the summit register, and had a quick handful or two of dried fruit.  It was amazing looking off in the distance at the lights, but the pictures didn't turn out.  I thought about the last long solo hike I had done to an airplane crash site in Utah. 

Looking at the monument, it was pretty self promoting.  American Airlines placed it to commemorate the stagecoach drivers who helped open the west and made a comparison to themselves.  The wind was blowing pretty steadily, so rather then ponder the plaque at the top, I strapped my backpack back on and started back down the trail.  The elevation dropped rapidly as I passed familiar landmark after familiar landmark.  My knees were pretty tired by the time I turned the corner onto the east face, but by then the lights in the campground below beckoned me onward.  As I decended, the spiders once again started to appear here and there along the trail.  I hadn't noticed their lights blinking as I was higher up.  I staggered to the trailhead and checked the time.  It took me 3 hours and 5 minutes to hike Guadalupe Peak round trip.  It was a blistering pace, but I made it!  I stopped by the water spigot and dumped some cold water on my feet to cool off the hot spots.  It felt great finally taking a break.  I pulled my wet socks back on, didn't bother tying my shoes, then staggered down to the campground and my tent.  I checked in with my wife with a hug and a cuddle and was out until morning. 

Nearest City:
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: The National Park Service says to plan on 6-8 hours roundtrip.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Kid Friendly: No
Additional Info:

Harney Peak

Harney Peak has been on my "to do" list for quite a while. I finally made it up to South Dakota to hike to the top. It was a fantastic hike. We did a loop hike from the Sylvan Lake trailhead to Harney Peak, then back via the Little Devils Tower trail past the Cathedral Spires. Round trip doing the loop is about 6 1/2 miles.

Harney Peak is the highest point of the Black Hills and the state high point of South Dakota. It is also the highest point between the Rocky Mountains of North America and the Pyrenees of Europe.

The trail is well defined, and winds its way through forests of pine, aspen, and birch. It also skirts the base of several granite pillars.

The views along the way are pretty impressive and left me wanting to travel off the trail to see up close some of the spires.

About half way to the peak, the trail enters the Black Elk Wilderness. Government regulations require each group to get a free access pass at the wilderness boundary. We filled out our pass (bringing your own pen or pencil may be a good idea), and proceeded onward.

Right at the end, you have several sets of staircases to climb.

Then you turn a corner and see the fire tower that was built on top of the peak.
The views are amazing, and the historic fire tower is pretty cool too. There are several rooms inside, and you can pass through the tower and decend on the far side to see an old water reservoir and pumphouse that was used when the tower was manned.

We hopped across the granite to explore several of the sub-peaks to the west of the firetower. After a snack break, we headed back to our car.

Nearest City: Hill City, SD

GPS Coordinates: N 43° 51.965 W 103° 31.900

Time Needed: half a day

Difficulty: Moderate

Kid Friendly: Long hike, steep dropoffs.

Additional Info: Plan on at least 6 miles round trip if starting and leaving from the Little Devils Tower trailhead. Otherwise, plan on further distances. The most common trailheads are from within Custer State Park ($6/person or $15/vehicle). If you don't have cash, stop at the Sylvan Lake Lodge and they can run a credit card for you.

Pawnee Buttes a.k.a. "The Wind Tunnel"

Last Thursday, Ashley mentioned that she'd been keeping an eye on the weather and that the weekend looked like it would be a beautiful one to go camping. We checked the weather forecasts again and decided to go for it. Looking over our options, we decided to try Pawnee Buttes, the Colorado icon of the high plains. Camping in the mountains would have been to cold and wet. As we researched about Pawnee Buttes, we noticed that the state high point for Nebraska was only 20 miles away, as well as the state corners where Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado all meet. We decided to go and visit them all!

We left about noon, and drove east- going for the corner and high point first. The roads were long and straight and we were mostly the only ones out there. We got about 1/4 of a mile away from the corner, and noticed the road heading there appeared to be a rut going out into a farmer's field. After hesitating for just a moment, we decided to drive down there anyway. We slowly inched our way along the ruts, and about 5 minutes later, the monument came into view. We got out and took some pictures and laughed at how random it was, then hopped back in the car to drive to the high point.
The Nebraska high point is less than half a mile from the state corner, but to get there, we had to drive a big loop around several fields. It's located on private property, but they have allowed public access. As we drove through the field to the high point, it was obvious that we were the only visitors there that day.
The monument is set on top of a hill that is virtually indistinguishable from the other rolling hills around it. Nonetheless, it is the only one with a monument declaring superiority over the others. We parked the car and climbed the last 100 feet (horizontal, not vertical) to the summit. After posing for more pictures, we hopped back in the car and continued onto our final destination- Pawnee Buttes.We arrived at Pawnee, found a campsite, set up camp, and went for a hike before dinner. After we got back, we prepared dinner, looked at the stars, and went to bed. It was about 6:30, with a light breeze.

About 7:30, the breeze picked up, so I went and took off the rain fly because it was flapping too much. I moved the car to provide a windbreak as well. Anyway, neither helped because I spent the next 6 1/2 hours waking up frequently because of the wind flapping the tent. It sounded like the tent was trying to either take off, or come apart at the seams. A time or two, I knew I could feel a breeze between my toes.
Finally about 2 AM, I had had enough of trying to sleep. This was Pawnee Buttes- not a wind tunnel! We had brought a tent to sleep in, not a kite! What good is trying to sleep when sleep is physically impossible? All the while, Ashley was peacefully slumbering. Obviously she hadn't bought the tent and wasn't worried about it. Anyway, I had had enough. I was awake, and there was no way I was going to get a good night's rest. What's a guy to do at 2 AM when he can't sleep? Fortunately, we came prepared on this trip. I crawled out from under the many blankets, put on two pairs of pants, 3 shirts, a fleece vest, a jacket, my hat, gloves, wool socks, hiking boots, and my headlamp. I gave Ash a kiss on the cheek and said "I'm going for a hike". I gave her the option of coming with me- we could go on a hike, then watch the sunrise. After learning the time, she declined in favor of the warm blankets. She still wasn't perturbed by the tent flapping in the hurricane!

Anyway, I got up and filled up my Camelbak, then set off. Three and a half hours later, I made it back to the tent. I'd hiked down to the buttes, around both of them, and other places that I'm sure I couldn't follow again. There's nothing quite like hiking when you can't sleep! I got back at 5:30, took off several of the clothing items I'd layered with, and fell asleep for an hour. Sweet bliss!

(The picture here has been removed by Ashley.)

I woke up again. This time it was 6:30- twelve hours after the whole trying to sleep business had started. There was a faint red line above the horizon to the east. I nudged Ashley awake. I was going hiking again and this time she was coming with me.

We made it to an overlook about 15 minutes before the sun came up. We watched the sky ripen into brilliant shades of red, orange, pink, yellow, and purple, and then fade again as the sun rose.

The wind was still roaring, but we'd made it through the night. The sunrise was beautiful, and Saturday had come.

Nearest City: Briggsdale, CO or Grover, CO
GPS Coordinates:
Time Needed: overnight
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: No. Not anybody friendly!
Additional Info: