25page

WHALE OF A TIME Albuquerque, NM E I Malpais B i g Tubes Venture into a network of caves left behind by 10,000-year- old lava flows on this 2 . 2 - m i l e d o u b l e l o o p . E m e r g e t o picnic at nearby La Ventana Natural Arch, a 135-foot-wide sandstone span-among the largest in the state (biUyl EIMapaisAttractions). Trip 10 biUy/0314BigTubes Solitude Finder Eugene, OR Horse Creek Trail Wander below Sitka spruce a n d Douglas fir on this 7.1-mile o u t - a n d - b a c k to s w i f t-moving Drift Creek. After, refuel with a n award-winning, hoppy saison beer a n d an avocado­ a n d e g g - t o p p e d burger at Flat Tail Brewing in C o r v a l l i s (flat­ tailcorvallis.com). Trip 10 biUy/0314HorseCreek Five Mile Butte Lookout, Mt. Hood National Forest, OR - How's this for winter paradise? A heated lookout tower-complete with 360-degree Cascades views-3 miles d e e p i n the woods. You'll follow closed roads from the Billy Bob S n o Park trailhead. Head 1 mile north o n FS 4430 to the junction with FS 120. Turn west a n d scale 2 miles uphill (gaining 1,000 feet) through old-growth ponderosa pine a n d Douglas fir. Turn south o n Spur Road 122 to reach your overnight destination: the Five Mile Butte Lookout, a 40-foot-tall wooden tower. F r o m t h e wrap-around porch, Looking for a touring ski to take along with you to, say, MI. SI. Helens (see below)? Something that might ascend s n o w y faces i u s t as effortlessly as i t slays them o n the downhill? Our pick: t h e DPS Wailer 99. Read more a t backpacker,com/DPSWailer99, o r see these skis in action at backpacker,com/Wailervid, Salt Lake City, U T Red B u t t e S k y line Trail Gain views across t h e city to i t s namesake lake on this 3.5-mile lollipop loop in t h e W a s a t c h f o o t h i l l s . Then, visit t h e adjacent Red Butte Gar­ den to s e e 400,000 daffodil, crocus, and iris bulbs bloom­ ing March through May ($101 adult; redbuttegarden.org). Trip 10 biUy/0314SkylineTraii see the cropped tops o f 12,280-foot M t . Adams t o t h e north a n d 11,250- foot Mt. Hood t o the west. Inside the 14-by-14-foot hut, f i n d a wood­ b u r n i n g stove (firewood i n the shed outside), propane cook stove, full­ size bed, table, a n d chairs. ( P a c k in food a n d w a t e r . ) Next m o r n i n g , t r y the E i g h t m i l e Trail loop ( a c t u ­ ally 6.2 m i l e s ) from your w i n t e r b u n g a l o w . INFO T h e lookout sleeps up t o four ($50/night); reserve at least three days ahead of t i m e at recreation.govCONTACT (503) 668- 1700; fs.usda.gov/mthood Bring Your Skis Mt. St. Helens, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, WA -N o need to choose between hik­ ing and shredding: This Cascades adventure promises both-without permit fees, quotas, or crowds. From early winter until late spring, skirt the busy season a n d enjoy both a 5J-mile, quad-burning hike and a sustained, 30-degree ski session (the equivalent o f a blue run) i n solitude. From the Marble Mountain Sno-Park, bootpack (or skin) 6 miles north, ascending the Swift Ski Trail (#244) under a pine canopy alongside the Worm Flows (ancient, hardened-lava streams from a n eruption 8,000 years ago). Don't miss Chocolate Falls, a 40-foot cascade along Swift Creek at mile 2. A t timberline, con­ tinue following wooden Signposts across open slopes to the crater rim at 8,300 feet. Avoid the cornice-the only porion of this truncated peak known to occaSionally slide-and click in to redeem your well-earned turns. Cruise 5 miles across the white tapestry back through the Worm Flows, then hike the finalJ mile across the flat trail to your car. OVERNIGHT OPTION Pitch a tent at the campSite near timberline at 4,5 00 feet (self-issue a permit at the trailhead; free before April). CONTACT (360) 449-7800; fs.usda .gov/mountsthelens TRIP DATA bit .ly/0314MtStHelens Insta Winner Join the fun with #BPmag. Crystal Brindle, 2 2 , of Estes P a r k , CO, c a p t u r e d this i m a g e o f 120-foot-tall sandstone walls in upper Antelope Canyon. Her pro t i p : "Purchase a photogra­ pher's pass to avoid crowds." Siver meda Mt Hood I t h e second-most clied glaCer pea il the world (aer Mt fji), Wth roughly 10,000 ascents annualy 03.2014 BACKPACKER 23