A Backpackers Guide to the Universe: How to plan an extraordinary camping experience 2 / 6

This post is going to address what I think most people are really looking for when they ask about how I plan and select these trips. If you’re new to backpacking or have always tagged along on other people’s adventures you may look at a map of the natural spaces near you and wonder how on earth you can pick a spot.  Furthermore you may wonder how and where you would camp, find water, and make sure you’re abiding by all local, state, and federal laws and regulations. 

No worries! I’ll take care of that here in this section.  This will be a longer section as we’ve got a lot to cover, but first let’s go over the answers to our questions from the last post, as those questions will help us determine the location and give us other things to consider when selecting a site. 

Remember, while I don’t usually break down my trip into multiple planning sessions I am actively planning a trip using this blog series and will be linking some videos in posts to come. 

If you’ll recall from last time our questions were:

Initial Planning Questions:

  • What date am I targeting?
  • What is the weather typically like at that time of year?
  • Are there chances for precipitation?
  • Is this a location where you are comfortable hiking and camping in non-stop rain.
  • Is this an active time for wildlife, and if so which types?
  • What is the purpose of this trip?
  • Am I inviting others to join?
  • How many people would I want to have on this trip (this may impact where you can go)?
  • Do I anticipate needing any new or additional gear for this outing?

Short form answers to these questions:

  • Date:  Nov 1-3, 2024
  • Weather: Typically amazing, but it has rained, been cold, and been very windy on several different trips during this time of year. 
  • Precip? – Yes, always a possibility
  • Comfortable in the rain here: Yes, there is no such thing as bad weather – just the wrong gear.
  • Active wildlife:  Yes, at this time of year Bears are out and gathering food. 
  • Purpose of trip:  Fitness, personal challenge, connect with nature
  • Inviting Others? Yes, although if forced to do Solo, I’m ok with that.
  • How many people max? – 4 others
  • New Gear needed? – Probably not. 

I want to make a quick note about the date I selected for this trip. Yes this is my “annual backpacking weekend,” but why? It’s simple, this is the best temp weather you can get anywhere, humidity is low, temps are around a high of 65-70 F during the day and get down to around 35-45 at night, absolutely perfect camping weather.  Another reason I prefer to camp in colder temps is that the parks are less crowded, there are less bugs and snakes, leaves have fallen giving you better views from the ridgelines, there are fewer people, and there are less people around.. In all seriousness, it is a great time to be outdoors. 

As you can see, these responses will only make it easier as I begin to narrow down my selection.  In order to narrow my list down further I’ll now need to ask myself (or my group) some questions about their specific trip preferences.

In order to select the right trail for your excursion you’ll want to have an idea about the following:

  • How far are you willing to drive?
  • Will you need four wheel drive to access the trailhead?
  • How many miles in total do you want to hike on this trip?
  • How many miles will you need to hike on days 1, 2, and 3?
  • Are there plenty of camping options?
  • Will you need any specific gear to backpack in this area (bear canister, gps locator, etc)
  • What type of points of interest?
  • Will you have access to water or need to pack water?

Let’s just talk through a few of these questions. How far to drive? For me that depends on the length of trip, for a two night backpacking trip I’m willing to drive up to 3.5hrs to the trailhead, for a day hike I prefer to keep it within 2.5hrs, but for the right experience I’m willing to go a little further. Will I need Four Wheel Drive? Maybe, it’s something to consider as you pull up directions to each trailhead. 

How many miles total and per day of hiking?  Ok, now we’re really starting to dial in what sort of trip this is.  Something to consider – not all miles are equal – a mile in the Linville Gorge may take as much effort to complete as 3 miles at your local park. What does the elevation profile look like? Are there a lot of rocks you’ll have to scramble over? These factors along with weather will impact how many miles you can expect to complete per day. 

What about your camping options?  Well if you’re planning a trip in most State or National parks you’ll probably need to reserve a campsite, so  you’ll need to narrow down the max size of your group, location, and date a few months before your trip.  If you are using this guide to plan a family or car camping trip you’ll probably want to give yourself even more lead time as sites in the front country definitely book up quicker than those in the backcountry. If you’re looking to plan a trip in a location that is listed as a National Forest or Wilderness area you may still need a permit, we’ll look at the specifics for each option as we continue through this section. 

Also I like to pair together my points of interest, water, and camping options when considering the pros and cons of a particular location. 

Planning The November 2024 Backpacking Extravaganza.

So to answer my own questions, I’m willing to drive up to 3.5hrs to a trailhead, I may need four wheel drive, but that’s no problem. I’d like to have a trip total around 15-30 miles depending upon terrain.  I prefer to break up my trips so that I’m doing around 40% of my total mileage on days 1 and 2, so that I can get out and hit the road on day 3. You can’t always plan it like this, so you have to be flexible. Even if camping in a National Forest where you may not need a reservation you should definitely only camp in designated camping areas and be mindful of leave no trace policies.

The rest of the questions on that list can’t be answered until I’ve made a short list. I’ve already got a few ideas in the back of my mind, but what would I do if I didn’t?  The first place I’d check is either with a friend, or on an applicable sub-reddit or facebook group.  Ok, so say you’ve done that and you’ve got a few ideas, where should you look next?  

Well I certainly wouldn’t just trust someone else’s opinion of a trail, especially online. Take that trail name, head over to AllTrails and do a quick search. Are the distance and elevation matching what you were expecting?  Do the reviews match what you read on reddit?  Take a look at the full map – are there other trails that could serve as alternate routes should you need one? 

If you’ve done all of this and feel like you still aren’t sure if it should go on your short list then I’d check YouTube next.  Do a quick search and see if there is a video of the backpacking trip you are thinking about doing. Pay attention to the details here too, what time of year was the video shot, what type of gear were they carrying, how does the trail look? All of this will help you make the right choice for your excursion.

Selecting the Right Trail:  Making a short list

Ok, so I’ve done some searching and some leg work and I’m ready to start marking down some options for this November’s backpacking trip. I’m going to put down a list of my top locations and then go through the pros and cons of each before coming up with my top choice and a solid backup plan.

My Short List:

So here is my short list! As I mentioned we are first going to select our primary excursion, then we’ll find a suitable backup if the weather, or our bodies, aren’t up to the task at hand. Our backup may or may not be on this list. 

So how do we narrow it down? Take a look at these hikes, which would you choose and why? I’m already starting to compile a bunch of pros and cons for each in my head.

My initial thoughts?

The Linville Gorge

The Linville Gorge is phenomenal but that we are climbing there in the near future and I’ve done a LOT of hiking and camping in that area in the past year. Maybe I should move on and explore new terrain. This could be a great backup plan location, I’ve also been wanting to take the kids into the Gorge for a backpacking trip. 

Standing Indian Loop

Standing Indian Loop has been on my list for a HOT MINUTE. I’ve been itching to explore this area of the Nantahala National Forest for a while.  This whole area has such a presence and energy to it, these massive grey to white boulders partially covered in vivid green moss serve as the platter to massive waterfalls and cascades. Epic long range views, a fire tower, and the opportunity to spend another 12 miles on the Appalachian Trail are all Pros. Cons would potentially be bears in that area based on the time of year, but that’s really anywhere in the backcountry. Also it’s a long drive from Charlotte, but only by an extra 20 minutes.

Fires Creek

Fire’s Creek looks to have a lot of epic views and gives you an opportunity to hike at over a mile above sea level for over 8 miles. Great view of Lake Chatuge! Would be quite a hike, excellent distance and elevation. It is also the furthest trailhead from the homestead and I’m not as familiar with the area (which is a terrible reason to not explore a place). 

Art Loeb

The Art Loeb is a legendary trail. It has an origin story like a Marvel character and while a doozy of a hike it doesn’t disappoint in views. I do believe that for a particular section of this hike I might need to carry a bear canister and I’m not hip to that. The dimensions of these canisters is a kind of a pain to manage in a backpack. I get it, I also don’t want to mess with bears in their living rooms. Finally, being a “through hike” we would need to arrange for a shuttle, around $100.

Foothills Trail

Ok, so a lot of these have been on my list for a while.  I’d be stoked to do a loop or short section of the Foothills Trail. I think the terrain would be challenging but not a relentless uphill slog for miles on end like in the NC mountains.  Lots of water and waterfalls, nice campsites, almost too many options for sections. If we do it as a through hike we’ll have to plan for a shuttle or parking at both ends, a little extra complexity but nothing terrible. 

Applying our initial criteria to this list yields great results, and I feel allows me to narrow this down to a couple of options. But I want to sleep on it, and see how I feel after thinking about each of the options I’ve researched here this evening. I think any of these trips are sure to be crowd pleasers. I have no doubt that regardless as to the choice the trail selected will have plenty of incredible scenery and wildlife to enjoy. 

Don’t Forget

Enjoying a trip like this is key, let’s not forget that it’s nice to bag peaks and complete challenging, well-known trails. But it’s better to have a weekend that is enjoyable and equal to your capabilities. It’s perfectly acceptable and expected to push yourself on the trail, but this is also your weekend, so don’t plan something too challenging that it loses it’s fun.

I’m going to think about this one for a few days and will reveal our destination in the next post which is all about Gear Selection and how it may change based on your group.