aggiehiker92's Logbook

Stats
Total Log Entries: 2 (Rank: 282nd)  [List Them]  [Map Them]
Total Distance: 30.00 Miles (Rank: 107th)
Average Distance: 15.00 Miles

Average Rating: 4stars (4.24)
Average Difficulty: 3stars (3.29)
Average Solitude: 3point5stars (3.70)

Earliest Log Entry: 9/3/2006
Latest Log Entry: 9/5/2006

Average ratings are based on the published values and not the values entered in your own log entries.

Photos
View from on top

The view from McKitterick Ridge was outstanding. It is hard to get to, but well worth the view and solitude. [McKittrick Canyon Trail]
Log Entries
Outstanding place to hike, grandeur amazing
Guadalupe Mountains National Park - 9/5/2006  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 4stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 15.00 Miles Duration: N/A
I took my three older boys (12,8,6) on the trails from Dog Canyon Campground to McKitterick Canyon Visitor's Center with an overnight stay at McKitterick Ridge Primitive Campground, about halfway. The weather was in our favor; it quit raining the night before we hiked out, which made for some beautiful wildflowers along the trail. The trail up from Dog Canyon is a steady climb; we gained about 1900 feet in elevation before stopping for the night. The trail is good, and though strenuous, the views make up for the pain and suffering. The next morning, we hiked solid switchbacks for roughly 4 miles, dropping a whopping 2,600 feet in elevation before we reached the Grotto in McKitterick Canyon. Made a nice place for a lunchbreak. Large flagstone picnic tables are there, and McKitterick Creek flows nearby with clear, cold water (be sure you filter or treat it, and only use what you need). The hike from the Grotto to the Visitor Center is level and well maintained. Seven or eight creek crossings make for wet shoes if the creek is running high, as it was after the rains. Otherwise, the creek normally runs beneath the outwash gravel for most of the trail. As this is a desert, the most important thing to carry is water, and plenty of it. The recommended amount is 1 gallon per person per day, and I promise that you will use every drop of it, even when the weather is cooperative and cool.
Outstanding hike in the Fall, great overnighter.
McKittrick Canyon Trail - 9/3/2006  [View Log Page]
Rating: 4stars Difficulty: 4stars Solitude: 5stars
Distance: 15.00 Miles Duration: N/A
I took my three older boys (12,8,6) on their first overnight backpack experience. What an experience it was!!! The weather was wet for 2-3 days prior, so when the clouds lifted, it made for very nice hiking weather. We started at Dog Canyon Campground and hiked to McKitterick Canyon Visitor Center. Nothing fun about lugging 30 lbs of water uphill, but the view was worth it. We steadily climbed some 1900 feet to the Mckitterick Ridge Campground, then the next morning, decended into the canyon RAPIDLY (2300 feet in 4 miles) on switchbacks like no other I've seen. Glad to do it downhill. Great views!!! The trick to this hike is to arrange for transportation at the pickup site. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is truly a jewell in an otherwise harsh environment. The biggest hinderence is the lack of water in the backcountry, but oftentimes McKitterick Creek is running in the back parts of the canyon. This is a VERY limited resource, so use it sparingly and always filter or treat it.