The park has dramatic peaks, valleys, lakes and creeks to be enjoyed via car, boat, and walks. My favorite backpacking trip is to take 3 days/2 nights to complete the Cascade canyon and Paintbrush canyon loop visiting Solitude lake and Holly lake areas. While most people head up for the day into each valley, some other hikers complete the 19.5 mile loop in one day. I think that you would miss a lot rushing about to complete the long, but doable, hike before weather or nightfall catches up.  more...