To Do in 2026

punkwood

punkwood

luddite
Joined
Apr 2, 2025
Messages
58
It is with honor that I carry on the "To do" posts maintained by @LarryBoy for the past several years, and others before him.

As the years roll on and our lives become increasingly digitized it is always wonderful to find people still enjoying the great outdoors. I don't have much planned, but it is inspiring to read about plans that others have. I will post about my one upcoming trip below.

So, what does the year have in store for you?


Previous years:

2014: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2014.2671/
2015: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2015.3896/
2016: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2016.5420/
2017: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2017.6450/
2018: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2018.7301/
2019: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2019.8240/
2020: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2020.9026/
2021: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2021.9543/
2022: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2022.10079/
2023: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2023.10571/
2024: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2024.10994/
2025: https://backcountrypost.com/threads/to-do-in-2025.11516/
 
As for me, I relocated to Mexico City 1.5 years ago from Arizona with my partner and we expect to be here another 2-3 years. Camping is not really a part of the culture here and backpacking and hiking seem to work differently. We've not really fallen into the groove with these activities here yet and I miss them dearly. Beyond that, it takes a bit of effort to get outside of a city this enormous and to any locations where such activities are done. Quite different than Arizona, where we hiked weekly and aimed for a car camping or backpacking trip monthly, but we intend to figure out some good options this year.

That being said, we are visiting Arizona at the end of January during which time we will set off on a short two night trip in the Superstitions with a group of friends who go back 25+ years, eight of us total. Half of the group are new to backpacking, the other half are varying degrees of seasoned. I may post up a trip report if I think to document it well enough. It should be rather cold at night and there is definitely potential for rain. I am very much looking forward to it.
 
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I don't have many lofty goals for 2026--I accomplished a lot in 2025 that I didn't even specifically set out to do, so after the last year there's not much else I can think of that I need to do. In late 2024 and early 2025 I stopped drinking, started exercising (treadmill and dumbbells) every day, and completely changed my diet. I lost about 85 pounds and got into the best shape I've ever been in, doing the longest hike of my life with ease by July of last year.

So now I've just been maintaining my fitness level and doing hikes every weekend. I turn 50 in 2026 and my only real goal is to stand on King's Peak on my birthday. I've hiked to the highest point in 27 of Utah's counties, leaving only Gilbert Peak and King's Peak, and I plan to finish them in the coming year.

Other than that, these are a few things I'd like to do:
  • Explore more of Arches National Park
  • Hike all of Muddy Creek from I-70 to Lone Tree Crossing
  • Hike Young's Peak & Nelson Mountain (Wasatch Plateau southwest of Ferron) from the east
  • Backpack to the point of Bowknot Bend (west of the saddle) for a quick overnighter
  • Hike to Marsing Ranch along the Price River
  • Hike up Rattlesnake Canyon (up the Green River in Gray Canyon)
  • Kayak the San Rafael River from Fuller Bottom to the Buckhorn bridge (or, if the river doesn't flow enough this year, backpack it)
  • Hike more peaks in general
  • Take my dogs on more trips
 
Udink said:
In late 2024 and early 2025 I stopped drinking, started exercising (treadmill and dumbbells) every day, and completely changed my diet. I lost about 85 pounds and got into the best shape I've ever been in, doing the longest hike of my life with ease by July of last year.
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Serious congratulations, that's huge. I have to imagine it goes a long way in the mental health department as well.
 
For the first time in several years I don't have a spring trip down to Utah's canyon country on the books, and I'm still not sure exactly how to feel about that. March/April of years past has taken me to the Maze, Coyote Gulch, Neon Canyon, Death Hollow, and along about 100 miles of the Tonto Trail, and it feels kind of odd to not have that occupying brain space at this time of year.

I'll put in a permit request for Yellowstone again this year, and if I get lucky again, I'll put a trip together for late July, ideally. A Slough Creek trip up north is still on my bucket list, and I'd guess that's where I'd head this time around if I get a permit. If I don't, though, I plan to block off that same time frame for a trip into the Winds (where I've not been in two years) with Bonneville Lakes on the shortlist.

Beyond that, I'm preemptively dedicating 2026 to getting back into the Colorado backcountry more often. It's right out my door, and I feel as if I've just been driving past it all the last two years to see other places further away. With two young kids (5 and 2.5), I think I've found myself having to plan so far in advance that 'big trip far away' has become my accidental M.O., and I'd like to revert back to being slightly more spontaneous and, ergo, slightly more close to home. I've got a big Holy Cross Wilderness high route on the shortlist (that I didn't get to this year), a Flat Tops route I can't wait to check out, and a West Elk Wilderness trip I've been itching to do, too.

I will add that I'm already a bit concerned about fire season next fall given how abysmal the snowpack is here at the moment, and that'll be something to monitor early and often this upcoming summer. Maybe by being more flexible and keeping my targets a closer drive to Denver I'll get the chance to do these trips earlier in the year than I'd otherwise be able to, selfishly, in the event that it all dries into a tinderbox by July.

Needless to say, I'm excited about these still-developing plans. Perhaps not having the canyon country trip on the books has let the part of my mind that conjures up summer alpine trips get an early start on 2026 already.
 
I'll maybe make it to Tuktoyaktuk.

If that fails, Svalbard.

But odds are high that I'll just end up stuck in Colorado and/or Utah, trying to make the best of the boring scenery (as @Gretchen Millward puts it).

IOW, I have absolutely no goals for the next year and will hope I accidentally end up doing something or other.
 
My goal this year is to retire early-ish.
I was supposed to for the past 4 years. I held on to help my son really become successful (more so than I ever was at it) at our business and he has been crushing it. The company is to the point where I have stepped back this past year and now it's time to make my full exit.
I will celebrate with a new solo canoe, more trips with my wife in our off road teardrop drop, more fishing......more "me stuff", while still being able to retire at a decent age, although I could have much sooner.

So it's time to tweak gear and systems, pour over maps and make plans.
 
I'll be teaching this spring, so no long trips to the Southwest in 2026. But I have most of the summer in the Sierra. I plan to spend a lot of it as a volunteer in various wildernesses--I've earned permission to pretty much write my own ticket there, so I will hike a ton of trails, identify any issues I see, fix the ones I can fix, and document the rest, And yes, there are a couple of longer trips that I would like to tackle, but they depend on many things beyond my control. The volunteering doesn't.
 
wick e. pedia said:
With two young kids (5 and 2.5), I think I've found myself having to plan so far in advance that 'big trip far away' has become my accidental M.O., and I'd like to revert back to being slightly more spontaneous and, ergo, slightly more close to home.
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I do not have children, but one of my closest friends has two about the same age as yours and spontaneity is something he can't seem to allow for himself. Unsure if it is the dynamic with his partner or the what I assume are endless variables of each day relating to caring for his children or just his own mind telling him that if he takes time for himself then he is an irresponsible parent (knowing him well enough, I feel it is this more than anything). He is keen to get into an activity like backpacking, and to be more active outside in general, yet doesn't make the time for himself in this regard. He is coming out on the trip I mentioned above in January, so I am hoping that it will spur him to carve out the time for himself to undertake more activities with friends and solo.

That's all to say that it is nice to read that you are trying to maintain some level of spontaneity even with two young children aboard. I have to imagine that doing so is the healthiest route for yourself and thefore also for your family. My partner's parents started taking her backpacking with them when she was about 2 or 3 years old, and then her younger brother when he was born and got a little older, and she was then old enough to help keep watch over him while on the trails. I know that this doesn't work for everyone, but it sounds lovely to me and I think their whole family is better off for those experiences.

By the way, I have watched some of your videos. Great stuff.
 
balzaccom said:
I'll be teaching this spring, so no long trips to the Southwest in 2026. But I have most of the summer in the Sierra. I plan to spend a lot of it as a volunteer in various wildernesses--I've earned permission to pretty much write my own ticket there, so I will hike a ton of trails, identify any issues I see, fix the ones I can fix, and document the rest, And yes, there are a couple of longer trips that I would like to tackle, but they depend on many things beyond my control. The volunteering doesn't.
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What are your typical Southwest haunts?
 
2026 could be another slower year for me. I had my first kid at the end of 2024 and have another coming in a couple months. Its been tough to get out a lot with kid under 1 and a pregnant wife most of the year. I do have some goals for the year though. I don't have anything specific, but I would like to get at least 10 weekend camping trips with both kids and a week long trip sometime in the fall. I would also like to get at least 1 backpacking trip in to see how it goes, even if it is only a mile or two from a trailhead. A lot of that could depend on how the new baby handles things. If they are like my first, I think I could hit those goals. My first kid has been great for hiking and camping and before the later stages of my wife's pregnancy we had gotten close to 10 weekend trips and one week and a half trip with day hikes up to 15 miles.
 
Rockskipper said:
I'll maybe make it to Tuktoyaktuk.

If that fails, Svalbard.

But odds are high that I'll just end up stuck in Colorado and/or Utah, trying to make the best of the boring scenery (as @Gretchen Millward puts it).

IOW, I have absolutely no goals for the next year and will hope I accidentally end up doing something or other.
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Maybe headed to Tuk? Sounds great now that there's a summer road there. When we drove up there with the kids, just past Inuvik was the farthest we could drive. Beautiful drive, similar to our Haul Road but without the pipeline. The road to Tuk was a winter road only. I hope to make it back there in the next 2-3 years.

Hopefully this sign is in your near future.

1767208876706.png

Or even better, this sign.
1767209196777.png
 
Tough to say for sure, I seem to be bad at planning and getting worse.

Hopefully, spring trip in May to southern Utah with a couple short backpacking trips and lots of hiking.

Really hoping to get more miles on bikes in this year. The last 3 years have been poor with 2025 having less than 500 miles recorded, which makes me quite sad. Between focusing on hiking trips and being short on time in general, I just did not have as much opportunity this year.

Other than that, it will be taking whatever opportunities come up. Would like to get back into the Winds soon. I really want to do more biking in central/western Nebraska, the bike is a great way to experience the open country.
 
punkwood said:
That's all to say that it is nice to read that you are trying to maintain some level of spontaneity even with two young children aboard. I have to imagine that doing so is the healthiest route for yourself and thefore also for your family. My partner's parents started taking her backpacking with them when she was about 2 or 3 years old, and then her younger brother when he was born and got a little older, and she was then old enough to help keep watch over him while on the trails. I know that this doesn't work for everyone, but it sounds lovely to me and I think their whole family is better off for those experiences.

By the way, I have watched some of your videos. Great stuff.
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I think my oldest will finally make it out for an overnight with me this year. At least, that's what she says right now. Part of keeping my schedule flexible enough is due to the off chance that she does, loves it as much as I do, and decides it's what she kind of wants to do for the summer. That'd be ideal!
 
wick e. pedia said:
I think my oldest will finally make it out for an overnight with me this year. At least, that's what she says right now. Part of keeping my schedule flexible enough is due to the off chance that she does, loves it as much as I do, and decides it's what she kind of wants to do for the summer. That'd be ideal!
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That would be the best outcome indeed, fingers crossed for you.
 
Rockskipper said:
I've always thought Nebraska would be great for biking. I did a little in Kansas one summer while visiting my mom's relatives, but it was way too humid (July).
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Nebraska is actually an excellent place for cycling... endless miles of backroads and if you go to the right parts of the state the scenery is sublime prairies for almost endless miles. But don't go telling too many people about that, they won't believe it anyway.
 
b.stark said:
Nebraska is actually an excellent place for cycling... endless miles of backroads and if you go to the right parts of the state the scenery is sublime prairies for almost endless miles. But don't go telling too many people about that, they won't believe it anyway.
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What do you ride?
 
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