ADVENTURE LIKE A LOCAL: K’esugi ridge hike

A choose- your-own adventure backpacking trip from our Boardroom, Stephan L.

The highlights:

Location: Near Denali National Park

Time of Year: Summer

Duration: 1-4 days

There's a handful of exit/entry points to the K'esugi Ridge Trail. Check out the map, decide how many nights you want to spend up there, and from there lock in your start and end trail heads.

The full trip:

Drive your car up to your end point. (It's recommended to hike north to south.) Walk the short distance to the highway, and hitch hike north to your starting point! When I did it, it took two short hitches with about 30 minutes waiting total. The trail itself: beautiful views, beautiful camping, plenty of mosquitoes, and very much in bear country. The vibe: it feels more remote than it is. Although you're never more than a few miles from the highway as the crow flies, it feels very deep in the back country.

Highlights: Views of Denali from the Northern end of the trail.

Recommendations: bring extra socks for when you get wet. A reliable GPS will save you plenty of hassle.