Everyone HAS to have a links page, and I guess we are no exception. Since we are ALWAYS in the process of developing this page, you can consider it "under construction," and we will save you from having to download the animated gif file with the little guy shoveling.

  
Hiking and Backpacking Sites
  • Thermophile.org - This is the famous and incomparable Sarah Boomer website. Lots of detailed stories about hiking and rafting in the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, and other key areas, as well as international travel. Sarah is such an outstanding writer that even if you are not interested in the topic, it is fun to read.
  • Dorfworld's Backcountry Trips Section - A sometimes irreverent look at hiking and personal life. Always interesting, with great photo links.
  • TwoHikers.org's SmugMug Photo Web site - Our very own photo site, features self-propelled travel - both hiking and backpacking. See what TwoHikers are up to when they are not preparing looooonnggg trip reports.
  • Hiking/Walking's Home page - An opinionated and highly descriptive guide to some favorite hiking locations in the US and Switzerland. The site focuses on day hikes, with maps and elevation profiles and a LOT of information.
  • The Scottish Highlands Walking Site  The single best hiking site I have ever come across. We used it for planning our Scotland trip. Maps, detailed descriptions, GPX files. Even recommendations for B&B's
  • Canyoneering USA - Lots of canyoneering descriptions and photos - for the experienced desert rat
  • Walking with Wired - "Wired," aka Erin Saver, is an ultralight backpacker who, by her mid-30's, had already covered North America's Triple Crown of hiking, and as of mid-2015, had survived the infamous Hayduke Trail. You won't believe her blog.
  • Yeti's 2009 Continental Divide Trail Journal - Ever hear: "I'm too old to hike"?? Yeti, aka Jim Fulmis, blows that myth outta the water, for sure. And follow his travels on his 2010 trip across the Pacific Northwest Trail here.
  • Mamaw B's 2012 Appalachian Trail Journal - Another "You're NEVER too old to hike" example. Mamaw B, aka our friend Barbara Allen's quest to hike the AT. You GO Girl!!
  • Grand Canyon Explorer - Bob Ribokas' definitive site for Grand Canyon hiking, and one of the sites that really inspired us to start TwoHikers.org
  • Hiking in Colorado - Steve Fry's definitive and sophisticated site devoted to many of the self propelled pleasures of this truly high country state. A wonderful set of links are included.
  • Washington Trails Association - If you are headed to Washington State to go hiking, you gotta check out this website first. A wealth of current reports and up to date trail information.
  • Hike Wild Montana - If you are headed to or live in Montana, this is the Montana Wilderness Associations growing interactive hiking information web site. It's complete with trail descriptions, photos, directions to the trail heads, and in some cases, GPX files of the actual route. We KNOW it's a great site, because we contributed some of the hikes.
  • Oregon Hikers - A great place to start if you need information or ideas about hiking in Oregon.
  • Dave Ball's Hiking Track web site Want to hike in SW Montana near Bozeman? Need a GPS Track of the route? The site ain't fancy, but he has a LOT of data, including lots of GPS tracks.
  • Appalachian Trail 101: The Complete Guide For Beginners A treasure trove of information to help you plan a thru-hike of the AT. But consider doing such only after you have done enough backpacking to feel comfortable with a long distance hike.
  • Hike & Cycle.com The parent website of the article above. Not totally complete, but few sites are, and this site has a lot of information on it.
  • The Ultimate Hiking Guide - OK, it may not be the ULTIMATE, but it is probably a good place to start if you need some basic information about hiking. To a beginner, some of the trips described in TwoHikers.org can sound pretty hard-core. If so, give this dating related site a try.
  • The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Hiking - Another "Ultimate" Guide for beginners, but when I was beginning (before there was the internet), I read way more than ONE book. Some good information on footwear and an excellent video on the use of bear spray. Watch this if you are going into grizz country.
  • Tips for Hiking with Kids - Want to get started hiking with your kids and actully have them ENJOY the experience? It is likely worthwhile to take a quick look at this website, to ensure that you are doing the right things. I think you could safely skip the suggestion for carrying walkie-talkies, because if you are in grizzly bear country, you should probably stay close together. And remember that young children are often less interested in the big views, and more interested in the small stuff.

SW Montana and Yellowstone Area Webcams and Weather

  • The Bozeman Basecamp Web Cam - Tired of webcams that look like the photo was taken thru a fogged shower door? Need to SEE what the weather looks like on the west side of Montana's Bridger Range? Try our very own Bozeman Basecamp Web Cam.
  • The Balldt.org High Resolution Web cam - Want a screen-filling view of in super high definition of the Bridger Range? Check out the images on the Baxter Meadows Webcam.
  • TwoHikers.org's Basecamp Weather Station - Sure you can get the official weather for Bozeman, Montana, except that the weather station is located in Belgrade, Montana at the Bozeman-Yellowstone Airport Airport. Given the heterogeneity of Gallatin Valley weather, it would seem that if you want to know what the weather is on the western front of the Bridger Range, check out the Basecamp weather station, located on the back (south facing) deck of the Basecamp.
  • The Balldt.org Weather Station - Another Davis weather station located 4.4 miles SW of the Basecamp.
  • The Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful Web cam - A classic, and great for checking up how the weather looks before you head to the interior of the park.

Digital Mapping Resources

  • Google Earth - If you have not used this yet, you can not possibly imagine what you are missing. Imagine the earth revealed: color photos, and oblique views make this must have software for anyone who has even a moderate speed internet connection. As a friend and colleague from the University of Kentucky confessed to me, the first time someone showed this to him, he was up until 2 am playing with it. So fair warning.
  • Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - Maps for practically everyplace on the Planet
  • The Washington State Geospatial Data Archive - A wealth of data to be had for the click of a mouse.
  • Libre Map Need a free USGS quad for most states? Hey, just go to this site and download it for free. Way cool.
  • The Utah Geospatial Data Repository - Another treasure trove of digital mapping data. You have to register now, but worth it.
  • Acme Mapper This site could replace the need for a GIS viewer for the Lower 48 Dates. It integrates Google Maps, Google Earth, USGS topo quads, and USGS Digital Ortho Photo Quads. Way cool.

Wilderness Advocacy Groups - think of the lack of opportunities for solitude without them

  • The Montana Wilderness Association Working unceasingly to help preserve Montana's wild heritage. And a local group, the Madison-Gallatin Chapter, right here in Bozeman.
  • Montanans for Gallatin Wilderness A loosely knit group of conservationists, fighting hard to work for Wilderness designation for the Gallatin mountain range in SW Montana.
  • Tennessee Chapter's Harvey Broome Group (Knoxville) No doubt they had plenty of help, but without the leadership of this group, there simply would be no Wilderness in the Cherokee National Forest.
  • The Smoky Mountains Hiking Club While ostensibly a club devoted to hiking, in fact, the wilderness advocacy of this group has been critical in preventing further deterioration of this country's most popular National Park. In addition, they are responsible of the maintenance of the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  • Foothills Land Conservancy Doing what the Nature Conservancy does on a local scale, protecting land the American Way: buying it. We wished that the general population were sufficiently enlightened to protect special places without resorting to this, but it is better than losing these places to development.
  • The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance - Any group that has been hung in effigy in Escalante, Utah HAS to be doing something right. One of the most passionate and articulate protectors of Utah Wilderness.