u/northhiker1

Start date is September 3rd, Cottonwood Pass

Getting started on planning my itinerary and looking for any all advice and recommendations

This will be my Wife and I longest backpacking trip but have done a few in the past, most recently the TRT

We're typically good for 14-16 miles a day but have done up to 20

Day 1 Cottonwood Pass to Rock Creek (13.8mi, 1600ft)

Day 2 Rock Creek to Crabtree (7.3mi, 2000ft)

Day 3 Crabtree to Whitney and back to Crabtree (14.8mi, 3800ft)

Day 4 Crabtree to Tyndall Creek (8.6mi, 1400ft)

Day 5 Tyndall Creek to Lower Vidette (12.8mi, 2200ft)

Day 6 Lower Vidette to Independence (9.4mi, 2200ft)

Day 7 Zero in Independence

Day 8 Independence to Middle Rae Lake (12.1mi, 3800ft)

Day 9 Rae Lake to Lake Marjorie (15.6mi, 3600ft)

Day 10 Lake Marjorie to Lower Palisades Lake (11.8mi, 2000ft)

Day 11 Lower Palisades to Star Camp (15.2mi, 2300ft)

Day 12 Star Camp to Evolution Meadow (15.5mi, 1700ft)

Day 13 Evolution Meadow to Marie Lakes (16.3mi, 3000ft) stop halfway at MTR to pickup resupply

Day 14 Marie to North Fork Mono Creek (14.4mi, 1800ft)

Day 15 North Fork to Purple Lake (13.2 mi, 3700ft)

Day 16 Purple lake to Reds (13.8mi, 900ft)

Day 17 Zero Day

Day 18 Reds to Garnet Lake (13.9mi, 3700ft)

Day 19 Garnet to Lyell Canyon (13mi, 2200ft)

Day 20 Lyell Canyon to Upper Cathedral (14.2mi, 1300ft)

Day 21 Upper Cathedral to Happy Isles (17mi, 700ft)

So I kept everyday under 4000ft to not over do it

We are on a time crunch for work and have to get done in 21 days. Think it would be better to leave the car at Tuolumne Meadows, finish there and Day hike TM to Happy as long as time allows?

Have a backpacking pack and need 2 of the straps sewn.

Tried calling and leaving a voicemail with Nimbus but unsure if they are still in service as the website is no longer up

Any other recommendations? Or anyone here?

Thanks!

Wife and I will be attempting one of these starting June 25th and wondering if anyone here would prefer one over the other during this time

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Looking at snow maps it appears TT is or probably will be completely snow free by time. So biggest obstacle will be river crossings

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Sawtooth Loop has 2 or 3 areas of snow. One small area of 12 inches, other areas less than a foot and with this current warm weather good chance a lot more melting. Looks like biggest obstacle will again be river crossings and some recent reports of a lot of blow downs blocking portion of the trail

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Any thoughts or recommendations?

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Thanks!

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Wife has the last 8 days of June off so trying to figure out a good 4 or 5 day backpacking trip we can do. We live in North Idaho close to the boarder of Spokane but are willing to drive upto 12-14 hours away

One thought I had was The Timberline Trail but it seems like it may still have a ton of snow

I also thought the Mineral King Loop but there is no available permits and not sure i want to drive 18 hours to risk a walkup lol

Any other thoughts?

Also if anyone wants to join feel free to respond. We're trying to get ready for a JMT this September to trying to do a bunch more backpacking

Thanks!

A little odd request but im appealing my property assessment that I just received from Kootenai for 2025 value

Its way off. I know my chances of winning are not great but still need to try.

Problem is in your appeal you need to provide 5 comps from 2025 in your area that support your appeal and Idaho is a "do not disclose state" so regular people dont have access to that info

So far i got one comp that greatly supports my appeal. Its from my old neighbor who was a great guy and sold in 2025 (closed 12/2025). Same exact house as mine literally. Same builder, same built date, same street, even same color as mine lol. His was actually nicer as he had more customized landscaping and such. He sold his for $35k less than my assessment from Kootenai County

Anyway anyone here can help me out?

Thanks!

My wife and I just finished the Zion Traverse Trail. I'm sharing some information because some of the information we received (even from the rangers) was not quite accurate. (Disclaimer: Everyone's water needs are different; please carry as much as you need to be safe).

We got to the Zion Wilderness Permit Desk at the Visitor Center the day before our hike, about 30 minutes before they opened for the day. We were informed by the ranger that Beatty Spring and Wildcat Spring were flowing and that Cabin Spring was a trickle; all other springs were dry. Given that it was a weekday, most campsites at LaVerkin were available. We chose site #10 because the ranger said Beatty Spring was very close by. We were able to get a Wildcat dispersed camping permit. The West Rim area was already filling up, as that was going to be Friday night of Memorial Day Weekend so only sites #9 and #5 were available; we chose #5 because it is significantly further along the trail. We left a gallon of water as a cache at the Hop Valley trailhead.

May 20th: Start Date.

We left our car at the Visitor Center at 12p and exited the park. We walked to the Zion Brew Pub where our shuttle (who is a very kind Reddit user) picked us up at 1p. He dropped us off at Lee Pass Trailhead around 2p. The first 7 miles to LaVerkin Campsite #10 was fairly easy hiking; we reached the campsite around 6p. On the way we did pass the unnamed spring right outside campsite #7 which was right on the trail (you cant miss it because you have to cross it) and flowing well. We dropped our packs and did the spur to the Kolob Arch, which was not very easy hiking or well marked, but we did make it to the lookout for the Arch. You reach a sign that says something like "do not go further" and written on it "look up" and you can see the arch from there. In hindsight, we would have skipped it, not sure its worth the extra mile. Afterwards we tried to find Beatty Spring, and probably hiked about 1/2 mile past campsite #10 but couldn't find it. Because it was getting late, we went back to the spring at campsite #7, filled up 1L each and decided to stay at campsite #8 because it was unoccupied and looked nicer (larger, further from the stream, and flatter) than #10. My recommendation would be to try to book campsite #8 or #9 and fill up what water you need for the night at the spring by campsite #7 and do the spur to the Kolob Arch if you want, after setting up camp.

May 21st: Day 2.

We did find Beatty Spring; it is past campsite #10, probably a little more than 1/2 mile, it's unmarked. After you pass campsite #10, you cross Laverkin creek, and right after you cross, turn right and walk about 50 feet and Beatty Spring is there. (Definitely further than what the ranger made it seem, but it was flowing well). We each filled 1L to get us to Hop Valley. We descended into the canyon onto Hop Valley Trail, which is 6 miles of just pure sand, like walking on the beach, and probably the hardest part of the hike for us. There are several creek crossings. My wife and I didnt wear water proof boots and we regret this because the sand will infiltrate, even with gators. The hike out of Hop Valley was straight up but not as challenging as we were expecting. We got to Hop Valley Trailhead where there are toilets (with toilet paper and hand sanitizer) and trash cans. It was a great place to take a break and do your business. At some point you get onto Wildcat Trail. About 7-8 miles past Hop Valley Trailhead you'll come across a clearing, in the forrest to your right, with the ridge past it, and more flat camping spots along the ridge. My wife and I almost missed it, because the ranger said there is camping within 1/4 mile of Wildcat Spring. So our plan was to hike to the spring first and fill up and then look for camping. We got to the Spring, which is marked with a sign and right on the trail. It was trickling for us. But there is no camping spots within 1/4 mile of this spring. I recorded the distance and we had to backtrack 3/4 mile to the camping area. So my recommendation is when you get to the Wildcat camping area (which is pretty obvious in hindsight because of how flat it is and the clearly previously used campsites) find a suitable spot, set up camp, and then walk the 3/4-1 mile to Wildcat Spring and grab whatever water you need for the night, as you will pass it again in the morning.

May 22nd: Day 3.

We hiked out and got to Wildcat Springs again where we filtered 2L each (4L total) to get us to campsite #5 and through the night. We left Wildcat Spring around 930a, the hike to campsite wasnt too strenous, and we made it there around 230p. We figured it was too early to call it a day, so we decided to just hike out to the Grotto, which made it about a 20 mile day. The west rim had some of the best views of the trail, so definitely take your time to enjoy them. The last part of the trail is very steep downhill so take your time and take care of your knees. We didnt check out Cabin Springs, as our 2L each lasted us to the end. Temperatures for the day reached a high of 90s F. My recommendation is book any campsite on the West Rim #1-5, but fill up water at Wildcat Spring. Or if youre up for it, just hike out to the Grotto.

Any questions about the trail, let me know !

Was able to snag an Angles Landing permit for tomorrow for the after 12pm. Any advice on best time to be at the visitor center to try an avoid as much as the crowd as possible?

Thanks!

Wife and I are planning to do the Traverse May 20th-24th. Getting to the visitor center early the 19th to get some walkup permits

Wondering if anyone is interested in joining and we can shuttle cars. Or I'll have a car and can drive use and we can all chip in for a private shuttle to Lee Pass

First night will be La Verkin, second will be wildcat and last night would be west rim

Let me know!

Wife and I are thinking of doing the Traverse trail from the 20th-24th. Basically arriving early morning the 19th to secure camping spots.

Would this be a terrible time to go? I know memorial weekend is their busiest time.

Would it be unbearablly hot? We're experienced backpackers and have backpacked in 90+ weather.

Any thoughts and recommendations would be very appreciated

Thanks!