Chris Engelsman

Neat Coulee is a slot canyon in Central Montana that was formed by water erosion of the white sandstone cliffs. To get to the Neat Coulee, you'll need to do a river trip. The nearest put-in in Coal Banks Landing. You could exit the river at Hole in the Rock road, but most people continue on to Judith Landing.From the Eagle Creek Campground, it's about a .9 mile hike to the entrance of the slot ...

The hike to Cuberant Lake is 3-miles with a couple of steeper sections, but for the most part, it is a flat hike. From the Pass Lake Trailhead, you will head west on the Lofty Lake Loop Trail. On this part of the trail, you pass through meadows with Bald and Reid Peaks in the background, which is gorgeous. As you hike, you'll pass a couple of unnamed smaller lakes. At about 1.2 miles, you will ...

Mount Ascension is a popular trail in Helena. It's used for hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. It can be accessed year-round, but can get icy and slippery during the winter.  The path for Mount Ascension is a network of trails that that can be done as an out-and-back, or a lollipop trail. A lollipop trail is where the first and last parts of the trail will be the same, but you loop up ...

The Park City Rail Trail is a fantastic trail for walks, running, and biking in the spring, summer, and fall. During the winter it's groomed so you can Nordic ski, fat bike, run or walk.  Park City's historic Union Pacific Rail Trail has been paved from Bonanza Drive in Park City all the way out to Highway 248 - a distance of 3-miles. Since it's an old railway line, it's primarily flat with onl...

The Mid-Mountain Trail is unique to Park City. It's an epic trail that connects Deer Valley, to Park City Mountain Resort, and Canyons Village. Traversing at approximately 8,300 feet elevation, the trail is comprised of 13 sections and is a 22.8 mile point-to-point ride from Deer Valley to Canyons Village.  Over the course of the trail you will climb approximately 4,457 feet and descend 5,540 f...

The rock domes and slickrock around the campsites provide fun for young and old to scramble on, or simply enjoy the sunrise or sunset. Located just outside of the town of Moab Utah is the Sand Flats Recreation Area. The area is managed jointly by the Bureau of Land Management and Grand County Utah so State and Federal Park passes are not accepted.  From the town of Moab, take East Mill Creek Ro...

The CDT trail is a popular trail with thru-hikers, and is considered one of the three Crown Jewels. The Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail being the other two.  This section of the Continental Divide Trail starts 25-minutes to the West of Helena just off Highway 12 at the CDNST Trailhead at MacDonald Pass. This section of trail heads north and consists of an access trail and double t...

The Prospect Shaft Trail is a lightly used trail used to reach the summit of Mt Helena. The trail is rated as a 'moderate' trail due to its steep, loose, rocky surface. Due to these characteristics, it's rarely used for mountain biking and primarily used for hiking and trail running.  The views are incredible. Hiking up in the morning and you can catch an epic sunrise over Helena. Due to the ro...

Located just outside of Helena, the 1906 Trail starts at the Mt Helena Parking Lot. The path is wide enough to share with hikers, trail runners, or mountain bikers. Note: this is an uphill-only trail for mountain biking. It's a very popular trail due to its wide trail and awesome views from the top of Mount Helena. The 1906 is an out-and-back trail. It's approximately 1.5 miles to the top with ...

Kessler Peak is a 10,403-foot peak located in Big Cottonwood Canyon. From the top, you can see all the way to the Uintas to the East, The tram at Snowbird to the south, and the Salt Lake Valley to the west. To the north is Mount Raymond and Gobblers Knob.  Kessler Peak is the terminus and highest point of the north ridge from Mount Superior. There is nothing technically challenging about this...

Head on over to Hurricane Creek if you are looking for a great campground near Lake Wallowa. It's a forest service campground, so the fee is minimal, only $6 per night. There are no reservations, just show up, grab your spot, and pay at the kiosk. They offer three tent/trailer sites and eight tent-only sites. There are multiple vault toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables. The sites are spaced ...

Willow Springs Trail is state-owned land located 13 miles north of downtown Moab Utah. The state provides some vault toilets and port-o-lets throughout the area, but there are no designated campsites or fire rings. Along the main road, there are plenty of large flat spots that people with RV's or big trailers grab, but there are spurs with plenty of other places to choose a campsite. Since this...

Thunder Mountain Trail is one that should be on every mountain bikers bucket list. It's located just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park and passes through hoodoos, classic Bryce Canyon topography and epic views to the west.  For the first 2.5 miles, the trail meanders back and forth with little climbs and descents. At the 4 mile mark, you are rewarded with two Easter Isleesque hoodoos.  Afte...

Bull Run has a parking lot on the Little Canyon / Gemini Bridges Rd. It's a 5.5 mile downhill trail that ends at the Lower Getaway Trail. Bull Run Trail follows the north side of Bull Run Canyon and provides scenic views with a mix of slick rock, sand, and flowing trails. Most people will park at the top parking lot of the Mag7/Gemini Bridges Trail Complex next to Highway 313. From there, most ...

There are multiple trailheads to access the Pipe Dream trail in Moab. This time we chose to start at the Jackson Street parking area and rode the pipeline trail south for approximately 3-miles. This section of trail is a 2-track road that follows, you guessed it, the gas pipeline. It climbs around 730 feet with a punchy climb within the first 1/4 mile.  At the Hidden Valley Trailhead, you'll tu...

To get to Daly Canyon, just continue up Main Street in Park City. The road turns to dirt soon after the last house and a gate is closed across the road not far beyond that.  Hiking, biking, or jogging up the old road you'll have the stream to your left and about a 1/4 mile up you'll see the old Judge Mine buildings that are being preserved. If you continue farther you'll reach the base of Deer ...

Starting at an elevation of 8,960 feet at Empire Pass, the trail follows the ridge to the west. It starts off on a gravel road, but quickly turns into a single-track trail once you pass the buried water tank. For the most part, you will stay on the ridge and have great views of Clayton Peak, Deer Creek Reservoir, and Park City, but for a short time Empire Pass Ridge trail drops into the trees n...

The Mount Werner Trail starts at the Blackleaf Canyon Trailhead in the Montana front range of the Rocky Mountains. On a side note, Blackleaf Canyon is also a popular rock climbing area. On the trail, you'll walk along Blackleaf Creek, and Muddy Creek so water will be available during the hike in case you bring your filter/purifier. As you hike, you'll see magnificent views of the Bob Marshall W...

Bootjack Campground is located within California's Mount Tamalpais State Park. There are a couple of campsites within the park, but if you are driving on the Panoramic Highway from Mill Valley, this will be the first campground you pass.  The fee is $25 fee to camp, but they have bathrooms and running water. There is a total of 11 campsites which are first-come-first-served and tent only. You'l...

The trail to Duck Lake in the Uinta Mountains starts at the Crystal Lake Trailhead  and is a popular starting off point for many trails like Cliff Lake, so the parking lot fills up quickly.  Starting off, follow the signs for Long Lake. At about 1.3 miles you'll come to a junction. Follow the signs to the right leading you to Long Lake. After Long Lake, continue on the trail towards Island Lak...

Surrounding the Castle Rock Campground on the East and West sides are slot formations that have formed over centuries by wind and rain as it erodes softer earth from the harder rock. There are no designated trails, but footpaths are visible, follow them up and start exploring. This area is part of the Fremont Indian State Park, so there is an $8 day-use fee if you are not camping.  To get there...

The soaring limestone cliffs and ledges mark the Belt Creek Canyon. Back in the day, this area in the Little Belt Mountains was a haven for mining. Now, the old railroad bed serves as the main access route of Sluice Boxes State Park. Sluice Boxes State Park was established in 1970 and consists of the northern most 8-miles of Belt Creek Canyon. In the park, you can find old mines and cabins. Hi...

The Dry Fork Trailhead at the end of Weber Canyon Rd is the starting point for the hike to Round, Sand, and Fish Lakes in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. In the early spring and summer, this trail can be wet due to snowmelt runoff, but by mid-summer, it dries out and is a fantastic hike. The trail is rocky and a constant climb so you have to pay attention to your foot placement so that you don't t...

The South Shore River's Edge Trail runs along the Missouri River. The trail is rated as moderate and is perfect for hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. It's an out-and-back, so you can go as far as you like. To start, park at the South Shore Trail Trailhead (click the Get Directions link above). At the trailhead, there are vault toilets if needed. The trail goes east following the bluff...