Looking to take my 13 yo son and another father/son out west next year, likely July. the boys have been backpacking since age 8. I ask any and all for suggestions. Look for 10-12 miles a day, off trail fine. We have been backpacking together for 6 years. I am a Dr, finished a 75 mile week in Sequoia/Kings in Sept . I have hiked in Sierras, Winds, San Juans, Cascades, etc. I have a some ideas but am looking for what other people would consider. The Sierras, Rockies in Coloado and the Winds may still have snow, plus the fles with snow melt. I'm thinking Idaho or maybe the Olympics. How about the North Cascades (too snowy/buggy?) PM me. Thanks

Wallowas

The Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho will be fine in July. Tons of options. If you can afford it, a Cessna shuttle can really expand your possibilities, and would make an amazingly scenic beginning or end to the trip.

e-doc, go north. The AT in Maine wouldn't be too crowded. If you go north from near Rangeley Lake, you'd hit a bunch of 4k peaks and some absolutely gorgeous hiking. 4k's you'd get: Saddleback, the Horn, Abraham, Spaulding, Sugarloaf, Crocker, South Crocker, Redington, and Avery and West (Bigelow). Three are sidetrips: Sugarloaf is .6 miles, Abraham is about a mile and a quarter, and Redington is roughly a mile. IMO, that stretch from Saddleback to Bigelow is one of the best backpacks anywhere.

If you wanna go west though, RMNP is stellar. You can do some great loops from Grand Lake.

Grand tetons or glacier national park

I always wanted to do a Rim to Rim to Rim at the Grand canyon. That might be a bit demanding though depending on how long you plan to do it in. Most poeple do it in 2 days one night.

Take a look at the Teton Crest trail. I did it this year in late July. It is just under 40 miles, the terrain is not to difficult, and the views are excellent. We didn't see to many people on the trail either.

Any of the above, and more. . . Anywhere.

dskoon wrote:Any of the above, and more. . . Anywhere.

Haha I like that place too!

If you haven't been into the Enchantments in the Washington Cascades then it is certainly worth a visit.

In Idaho the Middle fork of the Salmon river, which lies in the Frank Church, has a 78 mile trail. It passes waterfalls, Indian pictographs, and 6 hot springs. You can stay at a different one each night. This area can be busy with boaters.

The Hoh river trail is a great option in Olympic N.P. I've been there in early July and it was snow-free until the final mile or so before the Blue Glacier overlook on Mt. Olympus

Royal Basin on the East side of Olympic N.P. is a fantastic hike. It's a great option if the weather is questionable. While it still receives a lot of rain. It's amazing how much less it gets than the west side of the park.

Olympic hot springs is a great place to spend a night as well.

I started the John Muir Trail in late June last year in Yosemite Valley and didn't have any issues with snow until the high passes. Runoff wasn't really a issue either. The mosquitoes were a whole different story.

Of course conditions this time of year can vary quite a bit depending on the previous years snow pack

Here are the places I've backpacked in the West in July with my children when they were of similar age to your son:
Sierra Nevada (several trips, portions of Roper's High Sierra Route were the best), North Cascades in WA (Glacier Peak area, and other trips), Olympics (several trips of very different character), Yellowstone, and some other. We also went to Alaska and BC with our children.

xDoogiex wrote:Grand tetons or glacier national park

Looking to go to both this coming year myself

woodsxc wrote:e-doc, go north. The AT in Maine wouldn't be too crowded. If you go north from near Rangeley Lake, you'd hit a bunch of 4k peaks and some absolutely gorgeous hiking. 4k's you'd get: Saddleback, the Horn, Abraham, Spaulding, Sugarloaf, Crocker, South Crocker, Redington, and Avery and West (Bigelow). Three are sidetrips: Sugarloaf is .6 miles, Abraham is about a mile and a quarter, and Redington is roughly a mile. IMO, that stretch from Saddleback to Bigelow is one of the best backpacks anywhere.

If you wanna go west though, RMNP is stellar. You can do some great loops from Grand Lake.

I concur about Maine.

kakakiw wrote:

woodsxc wrote:e-doc, go north. The AT in Maine wouldn't be too crowded. If you go north from near Rangeley Lake, you'd hit a bunch of 4k peaks and some absolutely gorgeous hiking. 4k's you'd get: Saddleback, the Horn, Abraham, Spaulding, Sugarloaf, Crocker, South Crocker, Redington, and Avery and West (Bigelow). Three are sidetrips: Sugarloaf is .6 miles, Abraham is about a mile and a quarter, and Redington is roughly a mile. IMO, that stretch from Saddleback to Bigelow is one of the best backpacks anywhere.

If you wanna go west though, RMNP is stellar. You can do some great loops from Grand Lake.

I concur about Maine.