For some reason I decided to hike the entirety of the Adventure Hiking Trail in southern Indiana in 1 day. And, I did, without consequence, except that I'm walking a bit goofy today.

Had business in Kankakee, IL the night before. Drove out to O'Bannon Woods afterwards. Ate Wendy's new Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger, because fuck it, I'm burning it all off tomorrow anyhow (well, except for the resulting arterial plaque, that shit probably ain't never leaving my system). Had them substitute the spicy, crispy chicken patty for the beef. Spent the night in my car at the Rock Creek TH off Rt 462. Read most of The Complete Maus using the headlamp I thought I was going to need to finish up the next day's hike. Wrapped myself in a Warbonnet quilt. Floated off to sleep.

At daybreak I drove over to the bathrooms at the RV campground. Used the facilities, and stole some toilet paper (didn't need it). From there I checked in with the ranger, then parked at marker 309, also off 462. For this trip I used a NF daypack, 3 liter camelbak, 1 liter smartwater bottle, brought a LHG rainjacket (it drizzled on and off, but the tree canopy proved to be a good enough umbrella), a battery pack, cable and headlamp. The only food that was brought was a half-full jar of peanut butter, a block of cheese, and a couple of granola bars. I wore a merino tee , a hooded peloton 97, an old pair of Prana Zions, my favorite running socks and the shoes my feet love the most these days, Runventure 4s.

Carrying or caching water is imperative, since there are few natural water resources that you would want to purify at this time of year. Even if you plan for a longer trip than I, in which you take your time, take in the scenery, and walk down to the rivers, I highly doubt it would be suggested to purify water from either the Ohio or Blue Rivers unless it was an emergency. The few sources of water I might purify were slight. Standing water near the spur trail to the Iron Bridge. A trickle of a creek counterclockwise before the logging re-route, a natural spring either in between Old Forest Rd and 462, or between Indian Shelter and Old Forest Rd (I can look this up if asked). The inability to carry less water by intentions of purifying, leaves a mess of empty water vessels everywhere, and not only at road junctures. I opted to carry 4 liters. 1L was in a smartwater bottle so I could mix in some Zipfizz.

The terrain will be familiar to anyone with a little experience hiking southern Indiana forests. Tall deciduous trees, leaf-covered, rooty paths. Occasional rock underfoot. Many dry stream beds to cross. Personally, I much prefer Indiana forests pre and post tick season. The ranger said she has already had a few on her this year, which prompted me to take a small bottle of repellent that was already in my car, but I didn't see any. Pre and post tick season also means there are less leaves obstructing distant scenery, and more to see out on. In general, on trails such as the Knobstone, there are seldom features to anticipate, except for a favorite hollow or ridge, and the experience is more of that enclosed forest hiking. But, a fair amount of the AHT offered river views, which gave my hike a less sheltered feeling, and more to look forward to.

Like the Knobstone, the AHT has plenty of climbs and dives, without the use of switchbacks. However, we are at least infrequently granted mercy with a few switchbacks. On such a cool, moist day, this at least reminded me to consistently hydrate. In a few places the trail gets a bit messy where it overlaps with singletrack. Overall, I felt it is a well maintained trail (except for the amount of empty water vessels).

I was able to keep about a 2.8 mph clip. It was a Friday, and I only crossed paths with 6 others who were also hiking the AHT. 2 duos were going clockwise, and 1 duo counterclockwise. There are many shelters, both for picnic-ing or overnight-ing, which were decently maintained, and offered a nice place to air out my feet as I snacked. With the extra sunlight, I was able to finish the hike around 7pm without needing to use the headlamp, allowing me to stuff my face in nearby Corydon. A supplier of mine recommended eating at The Overlook, but it closes early, especially for a Friday (I think it is Amish owned).

Hey there! I am an industrial design student and am currently researching hiking and backpacking with the goal of designing modular outdoor gear. If you are willing, please fill out this survey about your experience backpacking! It would be super helpful for my project. Thanks!!

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On Nov 10th, u/wevebeentired, u/vivaelteclado and myself gathered at the highway 21 trailhead for the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail. We left two cars and took one car to the highway A trailhead and started hiking from West to East.

Taum Sauk gpx CalTopo file

We had great weather for this trip, daytime highs in the upper 50s or low 60s and nighttime lows in the mid 30s. No rain. One thing we quickly discovered on this trail was the tread, it was challenging. Lots and lots of rocks of various sizes and many of them were not anchored to the ground very well so they moved as you stepped on them. To add to the challenge we had a thick covering of newly fallen leaves, so seeing the rocks was a challenge. Most of us move between two and three miles per hour on easy tread, our speed was below 2 miles an hour for this trail due to the rocks and the leaves and the unstable footing. You had to watch almost every step on this trail.

Day 1: highway A trailhead to Goggins Mountain Trail intersection. 9 mi. We were quickly introduced to the frequent ups and downs and the unstable footing of this trail. We also quickly discovered the beauty of the trail and the great views from the glades. We were unsure of the water supply on this section of the trail so we hiked out with two or three liters each. Fortunately at mile marker 6 what was listed as a spring behind a "house" had great water and we were able to get enough for our dry camp for the evening. The "house" is being generous, it was more of a falling down horizontal shed, but the spring itself was flowing strongly and was a beautiful classic mountain spring, popping right out of the rocks. Our campsite for the night was behind a glade and we had beautiful views of the sunset and the Milky Way that evening.

Day 2: Goggins Mt trail camp to Taum Sauk Creek camp. 17.5 mi. Up at 6:00, on trail by 7:00. A cold start to the morning. The first part of the day spent in the Johnsons Shut Ins State Park. Most of the trail was well-blazed but some important intersections were not marked at all. The turn to cross the Black River had no marking whatsoever. We overshot it and had to check our GPS to backtrack and find the crossing location. The Black River Valley was beautiful and the crossing was slippery and cold. After the Black River crossing we eventually hit the Scour which is the site of flash floods from a reservoir up the mountain which occasionally overflows and scours the valley. You could see the strength of the water cascading down the mountain and scouring everything in its path. We grabbed some water and stopped on the hillside for a nice sunny lunch. The rest of the afternoon was beautiful hillsides and lovely views across the rolling valleys. We pulled into camp along the Taum Sauk Creek right at sunset.

Day 3: Taum Sauk creek camp to highway 21 trailhead. 8 mi. All of us had long drives to get home this afternoon/evening so we were eager to get back to the cars by noon. We were up at 5:30 and on trail by 6:30. This section had some huge rock outcroppings including the Devil's Tollgate and the Mina Sauk waterfall which unfortunately was dry. My right knee was killing me today and we opted to take a brief road walk between the Ketcherside fire tower (just past mm 30) and the Russell trailhead. The other two continued on trail and I road walked back to the highway 21 trailhead.

This was a great trail with a good challenge and wonderful views across the Ozark Valleys. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good weekend trail.

Pictures

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I am hoping to take my son on a hike and float trip in 2 weeks. Maybe like a 15 mile hike, then float back to the start, or near it at least. I don't own any rivercraft, but have been rafting and kayaking on class III/IV. My son is 10, and is a strong swimmer, but I don't want to take him on anything aggressive. Does any know of a good hike that would take me to a put-in where I could rent a raft or canoe that I could take back to the start and would be picked up by the place I rented it from? I would prefer places in Wisconsin, UP, or Indiana, but I would take suggestions in Missouri and Illinois. I posted in the r/rafting community, but am also posting here in hopes of receiving good hiking recs that also have a float component. Thank You

I'd like to get out for a weekend jaunt somewhere in October or early November. Would any of you be interested in doing a group hike? I'm open for locations. Throw out some ideas!

Hi everyone! We’re a university student-run startup from Montreal that aims to develop an all-new, effective, and eco-friendly mosquito repellent. We’d love it if North American campers and hikers could share their thoughts and feelings towards the current repellents they use. We’ve created a quick 5-minute survey linked below and would be grateful to hear from you! As well, feel free to leave your thoughts below :) Thank you so much in advance!

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The US the Appalachian trail on the east coast and the Pacific Crest on the west. It’s time the was another major trail (or 2) through the center of country.

Single wall tents and condensation

What’s ur guys experience with single wall tents and condensation while camping in the Midwest? I want to get the Durston x mid pro to drastically lower the weight of my pack but I’m just worried how bad the condensation will be with a single wall tent in the humid Midwest.

I have 10 days I can take off for a backpacking trip. I'm in SW wisc area. I'm willing to drive 8 hours. I biggest worry is mud. I haven't had much enjoyment in the spring on the superior hiking trail or maah daah hey trail. Pictured rocks and isle royale have been enjoyable for me in the spring. But I'm open for other ideas.
TIA

I'm headed to Madeline Island, WI for a family get together over the 4th of July week and I was kicking around the idea of doing a quick overnight on one of the other islands. Has anyone made a trip to Stockton Island or Oak Island? Any advice/tips?

Are any of you folks interested in doing a group hike to the Maah Daah Hey Trail in western North Dakota? The Maah Daah Hey Trail is 145, mi through the Badlands of North Dakota. It's a really unusual place for wildlife and geography. I'm hoping to go in late April or early May to go before the bugs and the heat. The trail is multi-use but apparently there aren't a whole lot of people using the trail.

Let me know if you are interested.

Mdhta.com

Hey. I'm going to be heading up to a beautiful section of the Ice Age Trail in Taylor County Wisconsin on October 14th. I'm planning to do an out and back of about 60 mi. Two partial days on Friday the 14th and Monday the 17th and two full days on the 15th and 16th. If you'd like to join me, comment below.

GPX file at bottom of this post

Hello all,

As described in the title, I am planning a thru-hike of the Kansas portion of the ADT. My biggest logistical hurdle - besides water - seems to be camping location. From what I've researched, designated campgrounds are few and far between; the same can be said for towns, especially the further west you go. Dispersed camping is illegal in Kansas.

Does anyone have any advice or experience in regards to this? Many thanks.

I'm thinking of going up to the Yankee Springs Recreation Area in Michigan to do a segment of the North Country Trail, first weekend of June.

I haven't seen much about it online, as far as campsites and water availability. Has anyone done that section and can offer some insights?

We're meeting at 3:00 p.m. Friday at the Alta Springs Road parking area. We'll hike the Harrison Hills segment and part of the Parrish Hills segment. This is an out and back route.

GPX file

We received some really good information about trail conditions on the sections of the Ice Age Trail that we were planning to hike on May 20th through the 22nd. I made some calls to the trail coordinators and the Medford Ranger station and talked to them about trail conditions. They all agreed that portions of the trail that we were planning to hike on are going to be quite wet and muddy. Long slogs through standing water and mud are not good for morale or the trail.

We've come up with two options to change the location of the hike.

Trade River > Straight Lake > Straight River, maybe McKenzie Creek.

OR

Harrison Hills.

The Trade River segments are not available online, so I will attach some PDFs from the guidebook here:

Trade River guidebook

The Harrison Hills entry for the guidebook is here:

Harrison Hills guidebook

When you open the guidebook PDF, On the left column look for page 8 and 9 for maps. Go down to page 11 for a description of the Harrison Hills segment.

If you are planning to go on this trip, please add a comment below and let me know which segments of trail you would like to do.

I hope to see you on the 20th.

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The IAT also has an online trail map viewer. The link for that is below.

Web trail map viewer

I am planning to hike the Maah Daah Hey Trail in western North Dakota (Medora is the closest town) starting Memorial Day weekend and looking for potential hiking partners. I have been to the area but never hiked this trail. It is 144 miles through the ND badlands with long dry stretches and lots of rattle snakes 🐍 . The shuttle could cost up to $500 and can be split by up to 4 people. I might see if I can get us a ride on one end or the other to save half. If this excites you and the pace/mileage (see below) is in your range let me know, I would love to discuss it further.

Details:

Hiking 144 miles ~17,500 ft gain I plan to average around 20 miles and 2,500 ft per day. 7 or 8 days depending on the timing with the shuttle. We can resupply around mile 45 in Medora so probably 5 day max food carry. Water seems to be the biggest challenge. It might be a matter of stringing together 20 mile dry stretches between campgrounds.

https://caltopo.com/m/HJ2LG

Travel I will be driving from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You could fly into Bismarck (closest) or Fargo or Sioux Falls which might have cheaper flights and I can pick you up. The trip will probably end up being 10 days total with travel. I can be flexible within a few days on either side but it needs to be the week of Memorial Day

Me I am 33. My pronouns are he/him/his. I am married with two small children. Please don't murder me. Creepers, con-artists, and Nickelback fans need not apply.

My dog and I are heading out to do the AHT loop this weekend for our first multi-night backpacking trip! I was wondering if anyone has been out there recently and knows the water situation? I'll have 4 liters total capacity, and plan to cache water in 3 spots. Is this too much water to carry?

We're pretty seasoned day-hikers and shouldn't have a problem with the mileage, but if you have any better ideas for us then please feel free to advise! I've only ever done single night trips, so I'm not as confident in the plan as I'd like to be just due to inexperience. Our plan is as follows:

Day 1 start time 4:30p

8.2 miles from Rock Creek Gap to Indian Creek, water cache @ Old Forest Rd (5.2 miles into the day)

Day 2

8.2 miles from Indian Creek to Lloyd's Shelter, water cache @ Cold Friday Rd (5.7 miles into the day)

Day 3

10.8 miles from Lloyd's Shelter to Rock Creek, water cache @ Pioneer Picnic (1.4 miles into the day)

I'm hoping to head up from Ohio this spring for a couple nights on North Manitou island. Has anyone been? I can't seem to find a straight answer on permits for backcountry camping on the island, everything is for the established sites. Just curious if we can just get a permit day of or if they "sell out" quickly. It's a bit if a drive and I'd hate to plan a trip and have it flop.

We'll use this post to get our dates figured out and coordinate this hike.

Here's a sign up sheet for those that are interested in joining. Please fill in the two weekends that you would prefer. I am guessing that the later we go the drier it will be.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1toW24NSzFOP4_MZ08ckGYLlU5NCRg3cb_Cb-FFvodBI/edit?usp=sharing

Since this will be a point to point hike we'll leave most of the cars at the finishing point and shuttle folks to the starting trailhead. That's why I'm asking how many people you can fit in your car.

I don't have a GPX file for this trip but I could put one together in the next week.

I hope to see you on trail.

Edit: It looks like the weekend of May 20th through 22nd is the favored weekend. For those that preferred a different weekend can you still make it on the 20th through the 22nd?

The longest drive for any of us looks to be about 8 hours from around Indianapolis. Is it reasonable to try to meet at the finishing point near the Spearhead Point campground in the Mondeaux Flowage around 2:00 pm on the 20th? We'll leave most of the cars there and shuttle a couple of cars to the start of the hike. It would be great if we could get hiking by 3:00 pm.

There is a parking area just past the entrance to the Spearhead Point Campground on Highway 106, also known as Campers Rd. This would be the place where we would leave most of the cars. Google Maps doesn't do a very good job getting you to the parking lot, so here are my directions. From Medford WI take Highway 13 north and then turn west on highway M. Turn right on County Road E also known as Mondeaux Dr. Turn right on Park Road also known as 1563. You'll pass a glacial spring on your left and soon hit a T in the road. Go left at the tee, this is Highway 106/Campers Road. Look for a parking area on your right. If you reach the Mondeaux Dam Lodge you've gone too far. I'll try and be there a little bit early, look for a dark blue Subaru Outback.

I'll try and finish a GPX file in the next day or two.

I was bummed that I wasn't able to make the Valentine's weekend trip. I would like to get out this spring before the bugs and I was wondering if any of you would be interested in a weekend backpacking trip to the North Country. I'm thinking of a couple of segments of the Ice Age Trail in Taylor County Wisconsin, or possibly a trip to the Porcupine Mountains in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Late April or early May are ideal times to go since the flying insects won't be out yet. There will be ticks so you will want to treat your clothing with permethrin.

Here's a link to a PDF from the Ice Age Trail: https://www.iceagetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/Backpack-Taylor-County.pdf

This is a 21-page PDF with lots of good info but the maps are on page 5 6 and 7 (maps 21f, 22f and 23f). If we started at the Highway 64 Trailhead on page 21F, headed east and finished just past the Spearhead Point campground on map 23F, we would have about 36 miles of hiking. This part of the Ice Age Trail is in the Chequamegon National Forest so we can camp anywhere we want. The trailhead is about 15 miles west of Medford Wisconsin on Highway 64.

Here's a couple of links to the Porcupine Mountains.

https://www.stateparks.com/porcupine_mountains_wilderness_state_park_in_michigan.html

https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/Publications/PDFS/RecreationCamping/Porkies_Backcountry_Campsite_Map.pdf

The Porkies are part of the Michigan State Park system so there are permits and fees for daily use of the park. There could still be considerable snow in late April and early May. If there's snow on the ground you are allowed to disperse camp, if the snow is gone you camp in designated campsites.

If you are interested, reply to this post and I will get a sign up sheet and some logistics started.

I was unable to make the recent trip to Big South Fork. I'd like to get out this spring before the bugs come. I would be looking for something within an 8-hour drive of Madison WI. A loop would be preferable but I could do an out and back also. Looking for something around 100 mi and no more than one week's time.