My wife, son and I did a 2-day, 1 night backpacking trip to the Wheeler Geologic Area. My son was carrying about 30 lbs in his pack and I was carrying about 40 lbs. The trail has several long up and downs, both of which can be demanding physically at this elevation. We camped at the base of Wheeler Monument, which provided a phenomenal view. On Day 2, we hiked up, over, and around on the Wheeler Loop (~3.3 miles), then broke camp and headed back (8.25 miles) to our start point at Hanson's Mill CG. The trail is well-marked and maintained, although we had lots of blowdowns that we had to contend with. There are a few good water sources along the way, including one large creek ( which has to be crossed by stepping on rocks).This hike was hard, mostly because of the weight we were carrying, but the destination is absolutely beautiful and worth the effort.
