Everest trek + regional hikes
Adventure options are popping: a 15‑day Everest Base Camp itinerary via Gokyo Lakes and Cho La Pass is being promoted for iconic high‑pass landscapes, and domestically Southern Indiana trails from easy Mount Saint Francis to the challenging Knobstone are highlighted for varied hiking. Good reminders if you want high‑altitude ambition or quick Midwest trail trips this season. (x.com) (x.com)
Cho La Pass sits at about 5,420 metres (17,782 ft), the high glacier saddle trekkers cross when linking the Gokyo Lakes route to the Everest Base Camp trail. (en.wikipedia.org)) Typical 15‑day Gokyo–Cho La–EBC itineraries begin with a Lukla flight, hit Namche Bazaar for acclimatization, reach Gokyo Lakes (around 4,790 m), cross Cho La between Thagnak and Dzongla, then continue to Gorak Shep/Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar (about 5,545 m) for summit views. (gokyotreksnepal.com) (en.wikipedia.org) Permits required for this circuit include Sagarmatha National Park entry and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit, with TIMS/permit procedures and fee updates listed in current 2025–26 trekking guides and agency advisories. (mountainroutes.com) (himalayanrecreation.com) The Cho La crossing can require glacier travel equipment (crampons/ropes) on slippery moraine, and packages that bundle the 15‑day itinerary with guide services typically list prices in the US$1,100–1,600 range depending on season and group size. (basecamptreknepal.com) (gokyotreksnepal.com) Mount Saint Francis’s sanctuary trails form a short, family‑friendly loop of roughly 1.9–3 miles around a lake near Floyds Knobs, and the property’s trail network sits on nearly 400 acres maintained by the Mount Saint Francis center. (alltrails.com) (mountsaintfrancis.org) The Knobstone Trail is managed by the Indiana DNR as the state’s longest natural‑surface footpath—running roughly 58–60 miles from Deam Lake to Delaney Park through Clark, Scott and Washington counties—and is characterized by steep, narrow ridges and sustained elevation changes that make it southern Indiana’s most strenuous long‑distance hike. (in.gov) (hoosierhikerscouncil.org)
