I know there are a bunch of "pay to play" areas on the east coast,but that's not what I'm interested in. I am trying to come up with some ideas for getaways. I'd like to do some "expedition" like trails where I can camp, enjoy the scenery a bit, maybe hike a bit and drop a line in the water. I was hoping some of you have some suggestions or experience you might be willing to share. Region doesn't matter so much, but I am hoping to get some suggestions from each coast and north of the border. I am on the east coast so those options would be great for a long weekend, while something in the midwest or Canada might be good for a longer trip. I am looking for an enjoyable experience on these trips, nothing overly technical where I need to be concerned with packing a bunch of trail spares. If you'd like to suggest multiple spots please do. Maybe make this a list of your top spots and reasoning behind the selection. Thanks.

 

I assume you already know about Wharton state park in New Jersey. Easy flat sand/dirt trails (if you stay away from areas with the deep mud holes). There are camping sites and local recreation attractions like this red lake beach, canoeing, hiking. The trails even show up on GPS systems. It's free.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandf...s/wharton.html

 

Tellico may be a good place.

 

White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park, UT. And you have all of Moab in which to play while not spending several days on that 100 mile "take-your-breath-away" sojourn. You'll require a permit to camp--contact the park. Here are a few pic's from the first few miles of the trail:

This is the top. You'll be driving down inside here:



You descend 1400 feet or so to the bottom on this narrow lip on the edge of the canyon:



Down inside the canyon (This is Highrlr):



Typical scenery:



TORN crosses Musselman Arch:



TORN in the canyon:



TORN, me and Highrlr at the Colorado River Overlook:



The coolest part about this trip is all the folks in cars who are stuck at the paved road on the top. All they can do is look as you descend into what can best be described as an E-ticket into the Grand Canyon.

Caution: It's possible to travel almost the entire 100-miles, then have to turn around and return because of rising waters/blocked road from a rockfall. So never attempt this trail by yourself, and always be prepared for a full roundtrip (gas, water, food, etc).

 

Tellico is closed. Hopefully they will reopen this year some time.

 

SW Colorado is one of the best places I've found to do the backcountry expedition thing. Telluride, Ouray, Silverton area is covered with trails, mining ruins, ghost towns, and breath-taking scenery, campsites, and rivers to fish. Peter Massey's trail guide books are a big help. Most of the trails are old mining roads "maintained" by USFS and they vary from well-graded 2 lane dirt roads suitable for cars to goat paths. Plus if the weather turns nasty or you need a good night's sleep/shower you're never more than a couple of hours from civilization although you'd swear otherwise.

It's a 24 hour drive from Alabama to the "Four Corners" area but well worth it if you spend at least a week out there. I've been several times and hope to go back this year if my income will allow it!

It would be a real stretch from PA especially if you're on the east side. Another good area for backcountry travel is the Northwoods area of Maine. Most of it is owned and controlled by the paper companies but they do allow access with permits. Just watch out for the pot holes and logging trucks - they're both bigger up there. The trucks will travel hundreds of miles from the woods to the mills without ever touching a public road so there are no limitations on weight or height. The really bad holes get marked with paint but those are just the ones the trucks try to avoid.

 

Thanks for the post Mark. The family and I are going to that area in a couple weeks and that looks like something I need to explore. We've already got the Colorado scenic byways scheduled while we are there and then we are heading for Moab to meet up with KidJeep and his crew. He has an itinerary planned while we are there, but I don't know how strict his scheduling will be. How long does it take to run that rim trail? Very technical? Overnight camping a must?

 

There are folks who run it in a day--but it must be a long day. However, you can go down after deciding on a turn-around time (leaving plenty of daylight--you don't want to drive at night, I don't think), then turn around and return. I've done that twice, now, and it's an awesome trip. The first couple dozen miles on the east side are not technical at all--heck, even a Hummer or FJ could drive this trail. There are some side trips that may be a little technical, though, but not anymore than what you're likely to see on the other trails in Moab.

 

I'd recommend checking out www.expeditionportal.com, ton's of information on trips there and it's broken up by region.