Off You Pop!
A hiking and adventure podcast for people who want to take on the best one‑day hikes in the United States. Off You Pop is the official podcast of BlisterPop Adventures, home of the US21 — a curated list of the most iconic single‑day hiking routes in America.
We cover everything from national park hikes, long‑distance day hikes, and high‑elevation routes to gear tips, training strategies, trail psychology, and real‑world logistics. Each episode breaks down a major hiking route with detailed guidance, safety insights, and immersive storytelling to help you plan your next adventure with confidence.
If you’re searching for the best hikes, hardest day hikes, bucket‑list trails, or expert hiking advice — this podcast is your starting point.
Keywords: best hikes in the US, hardest day hikes, national park trails, hiking tips, adventure planning, long‑distance day hikes, US21, BlisterPop Adventures, hiking routes, outdoor podcast.
Episodes
52 episodes
Story Pop: Mt Houghton A Journey through a Stratovolcano
Mt. Houghton hides in plain sight above Tahoe — a quiet summit north of Mt. Rose that most hikers pass without ever knowing what they’re walking on. But this mountain is no ordinary Sierra bump. It’s the eastern flank of a stratovolcano whose c...
Story Pop: Pen Y Fan Horseshoe - 10 Peak Loop
The Pen y Fan Horseshoe isn’t just a loop — it’s a ridge layered with deep time, old kingdoms, strange folklore, and some of the most evocative place‑names in Wales. In this episode, we open the Horseshoe as a story stack: a Devonian desert tur...
Story Pop: Mt Fuji - The Trial of the Blossom Princess
In this episode, Philip takes us through one of the most demanding single‑day traverses on Mount Fuji: a full ascent from the Subashiri 5th Station, a complete loop around the crater rim, and a long descent all the way to the Gotemba 5th Statio...
Story Pop: Snowden (Yr Wyddfa) - King Arthurs Final Resting Place
In this episode of Off You Pop, we climb Snowdon — Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales, by the sharp volcanic rise of the PYG Track, traverse the legendary fortress‑ridge of Y Lliwedd, and descend through the ...
Story Pop: Snaefell, Isle of Man - Barely A Mountain
In this episode of Off You Pop, we climb Snaefell, the highest point on the Isle of Man, starting with a hand in the Irish Sea at Laxey and rising through mining history, Norse naming, Victorian engineering, and the open moorlan...
T5: Tahoe 5 Peaks Challenge - Participant Walk Through
In this episode, I break down the Tahoe Five Peaks Challenge — five summits, fifty miles, and a full day moving through the high country around Lake Tahoe. I walk through each peak, the terrain, the pacing, and the mental shifts that happen as ...
Story Pop - Scafell Pike, Lake District "Middle Earth"
In this episode of Off You Pop, we head into the volcanic heart of the Lake District for one of the most dramatic ways to reach the roof of England — the ascent of Scafell Pike via Mickledore, followed by a quiet, perfect...
Story Pop: Ben Nevis, Scotland - The Venomous Mountain
In this episode of Off You Pop, we head to the top of the UK for the story behind Ben Nevis, the 4,413‑foot volcanic giant that dominates the Highlands. This isn’t the tale of my climb — that part comes later. This is the...
Story Pop: Slieve Donard, NI - Revenge of the Calleach
In this episode of Off You Pop, we head to the east coast of Northern Ireland to explore the story behind Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains at 2,790 feet.This is the world that shapes the climb: ...
Story Pop: Carrantouhil, Ireland's Iconic Bucket List Hike that should 100% be on Your List
In this episode of Off You Pop, we head into the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks for a deep dive into the mountain behind the mountain — Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest peak at 3,407 feet, and its gateway shoulder, Cnoc na Toinne ...
Fizzy Pop: The Instagram Experiment in Ranking Hiking Difficulty
What makes a hike “hard”?Why do some routes feel impossible to one person and casual to another?And why did our Instagram difficulty experiment got 300,000 views and exploded into a storm of opinions, contradictions, and zero usable dat...
Story Pop: Mt Lola - A Lesson in Shoulder Season Snow
Mt. Lola is the quiet giant of the northern Sierra — a broad‑shouldered summit rising above Cold Stream Meadow, shaped by glaciers, wind, and time. In this Story Pop episode, we step into the shoulder‑season window when the mountain changes cha...
Story Pop: Sweet, Sweet Chocolate Peak, NV
Chocolate Peak sits above Reno like a quiet dare — a short, steep, heat‑exposed ridge that looks like a warm‑up but climbs like a test piece. In this Story Pop episode, we head up the Jones Creek side to see what this unassuming Nevada peak has...
Story Pop: Fuller Lake to Cone Peak, NV - The Art of the Scree
This Story Pop takes you from the quiet of Fuller Lake to the volcanic summit of Cone Peak — a short Nevada climb that delivers more lessons per mile than almost anything in the Carson Range.We start in the forest, moving through the old...
Guest Pop: Jason Perkins - A Veteran's Journey to Healing
Jason Perkins — U.S. Army veteran, cofounder of Blisterpop, and the guy who helped shape the soul of this brand — sits down to talk about the part of service most people never see: the quiet fight that happens after the uniform comes o...
Story Pop: Petersen Mountains, NV - How a Moderate Mountain Can Become a Hard One
Petersen Mountain is supposed to be a moderate Great Basin peak — a clean ridge, a steady climb, a local’s summit. But mountains don’t care about reputations. They care about conditions, weather, and the line you choose.
Story Pop: Tule Peak, NV - A Short Scrappy Volcanic Ascent
Tule Peak doesn’t look like much from the basin floor — a quiet volcanic rise above the sagebrush, a radio tower, a ridge, nothing dramatic. But the Great Basin loves to hide its teeth, and the moment you start climbing, Tule Peak reveals what ...
StoryPop: Cactus to Clouds - The Day I Climbed From Desert to Sky
Cactus to Clouds is one of the most dramatic vertical journeys in the United States — a 20‑mile, 10,795‑foot ascent from the desert floor of Palm Springs to the granite summit of Mount San Jacinto. In this Story Pop episode, we step out of the ...
StoryPop: Mt Tohakum - The Mountain You Never Heard Of
Mt. Tohakum is the high point of Nevada’s Lake Range — a remote, volcanic sky‑island rising straight out of the Black Rock Desert. In this Story Pop episode, we take you on a 10.5‑mile out‑and‑back with 4,500 feet of gain to a summit that once ...
Story Pop: 10 Ways to Die on the Trail, and How Not To
Most hikers don’t get hurt because the mountains are dangerous — they get hurt because the mountains are honest. In this episode, we break down the 10 real reasons people get into trouble on the trail, using the US21 as our guid...
US21 Bigelow Pop - Bigelow Traverse
The Bigelow Pop is a wild, quietly powerful ridgewalk above the lakes of Maine — a 16–18 mile traverse across the Horns, Avery Peak, West Peak, and Cranberry Peak. In this episode, we take you from the soft morning forest of East Flagstaff Road...
US20 Pemi Pop - Pemigewasset Loop
The Pemi Pop is a full‑day circuit through the wild granite heart of New Hampshire — a 28–32 mile journey across Franconia Ridge, Garfield Ridge, South Twin, Guyot, Bond, and the iconic fin of Bondcliff. In this episode, we walk the entire loop...
US19 White Mountains Pop - Presidential Traverse
The White Mountains Pop is a full‑day march across the roof of New England — a 20+ mile traverse over the granite spine of the Presidential Range. In this episode, we take you from the dark forest at Appalachia Trailhead to the wind‑scoured sum...
Story Pop: Mt Whitney - A Quick Pop Up the Tallest Mountain in the Lower 48
In this personal, cinematic Story Pop, Philip takes you inside the day he climbed Mt. Whitney — the highest peak in the Lower 48 — in just 10½ hours with three friends, a September weather window, and a chance encounter with a man known ...
Story Pop: El Cajon, CA - A Live Journey to the Summit
El Cajon Mountain is one of the steepest, most deceptive, most psychologically demanding day hikes in Southern California — and in this live journey episode, we take you onto the rollers, and up the spine of a mountain that never stops taking a...