Anne's Travels

Atop some rocks near Bearthooth Pass

A while ago, I posted about a garden known as Pathway through the Bible.  When we visited this attraction, we were actually on our way to Yellowstone National Park via Beartooth Pass.  However, before we made it to Yellowstone, the charms of the pass were too much, and we stopped to enjoy its almost tundra-like beauty.  You are really on the top of the world here, with only grass and rocks, and the clouds floating above you head.  It was so lovely that, even though there’s no official trail, I thought I’d write about it for others to try.  Another nice feature was the snow that we found there…in early August!

To get to Beartooth Pass, from Billings …Read More

Tags: Lake, Mountains, scenic drives, Views

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The Lighthouse

I have to admit that most of my Texas adventures have been south of the state’s panhandle.  However, one park that I’ve enjoyed more than once was Palo Duro Canyon State Park, located only 30 miles from Amarillo near I-27.  Known as “The Grand Canyon of Texas” (although they don’t have much in common in my mind), the highlight of the park is The Lighthouse, a 300-foot rock formation that resembles a lighthouse on a cliff overlooking the canyon.  This is truly an awesome formation, and well worth visiting if you’re in the area and looking for a nice hike.  In fact, it’s the only hike I’ve done there that I would recommend, although it was so awesome that I’ve done it twice, once in November and once in April a few years later.  The trail is open to horses and bike riders as well as hikers, so there’s something for just about everyone who’s up to a 5.75 (RT) trail!

To get to the parking area for the Lighthouse, from I-27 …Read More

Tags: Canyon, Rock Formations, Valley, Views, Wilderness

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Many thanks to all of you who have faithfully followed Anne’s Travels since its creation in 2010!  I have set up a Facebook page where I’ll create a community where hikers can interact.  You can find my Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Annes-Travels/145111022280743?skip_nax_wizard=true.  Please become Like my page!

Anne

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Part of the view from Chapin Peak

From most of what you’d see of Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer, you would think that everywhere you turned you would see crowds of people milling here and there looking at the same scenery you are.  However, if you work at it, you can get off the beaten path and still see some nice things.  I accidently found one of these lesser-visited places on my last visit to Rocky Mountain.  We came in from the west side (which is unusual; usually we come in on the east side), and didn’t know quite what hike to take.  However, we saw a trail up Chapin Peak on the park map, and thought we’d give it a try.  I’m so glad we did: beyond the fewer number of people on the mountain, the views were absolutely awesome.  We could see across the Mummy Range into the Never Summer Range, as well as across the valley towards Longs Peak, and so many other ranges and so many other ranges and peaks that I couldn’t name them all.  It was beautiful!

Chapin Peak from near the Alpine Visitor Center on the Fall River Road

The trail up Chapin Peak begins …Read More

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A sulky rake and a wooden silo in Carrizo

A few weeks ago, I posted about how you could stand on the San Andreas Earthquake Fault Line in Carrizo Plain National Monument.  This week, I’d like to tell you about another of the cool features of this unknown national monument: it hosts two exhibits of farming equipment used within the last two centuries.  These exhibits aren’t what you’d normally find in a museum display, with fences around the equipment and interpretive signs that tell you what you’re seeing.  Instead, you can walk right up to these exhibits (you’re even encouraged to climb on one), and you can read about each one with the signs (visitor center) or informational pamphlet (Traver Ranch) provided.  There are old discs and ploughs, sulky rakes and chisels, threshers and tractors, an old wooden grain elevator, and even (my favorite) an old yellow crawler tractor!  It’s quite something to see these farm machines and implements in their natural environment (a dry field) instead of in a carefully manicured museum lawn.

The first of the farm exhibits is Traver Ranch, located …Read More

Tags: Historic, History, Museum, Tractor

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Irondequoit Bay from the Green Trail

Last weekend we needed an Event.  Something beyond the everyday routine that would get us out of the house and doing something together.  In other words, it was time to find a new trail to hike that was nearby.  While driving around town, we’d seen signs for Abraham Lincoln Park (formally Irondequoit Bay Park East).  “Let’s check it out,” we said.  It turned out to be a lovely stretch of forest along Irondequoit Bay (this bay stretches out to Lake Ontario east of Rochester, NY for those of you who aren’t familiar with the area).  The leaves weren’t out yet, but even once they come out you should be able to get some nice views of the bay, the south end of the Bay (to the left), and the Irondequoit Bay Bridge (to the right).  There are also several miles of trails, and we only scratched the surface of the trail system by taking a 3-4 mile (RT) hike along the White, Green, and Red trails.  It was a beautiful way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the early spring, and we even got to see some scenery that isn’t reminiscent of the Lake Plain: I climbed more hills along those trails than I’ve climbed in a long time around where I live!

To get to the Abraham Lincoln Park …Read More

Tags: Lake, Views

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The tower at the top of Mount Greylock

Think beautiful views…think green mountains all around you…think historic structures…think memorial towers…think J. R. R. Tolkien…  Wait…Tolkien, in the middle of mountains and historic structures?  Yes, think Tolkien!  On top of Mount Greylock in the Berkshires of Massachusetts (you knew that if it was like Tolkien there had to be a “shire” in the name!) a tower was constructed to commemorate all who have fallen in war.  However, the tower, in my opinion, looks like it came out of the Lord of the Rings, or another of Tolkien’s books about Middle Earth.  One of my group members even took a picture of the tower and then put runes (Middle Earth writing) around the outside of it.  As an added bonus, Mount Greylock also offers nice views of the surrounding area and is the highest mountain in Massachusetts.  You can either drive to the top of the mountain or take a 3.2 mile (RT) trail to the summit.  I’ve never driven the road, as it was closed when I visited, but I’ll tell you about the Thunderbolt Trail that zigzags its way up to the Appalachian Trail, and from there to the top of the mountain.  It’s a steepish hike, but worth it to see the tower and the views from the top.

To get to the trailhead, from the town of Adams …Read More

Tags: Historic, History, Mountains, National Historic Site, Views

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Maidenhair Falls

Have you ever dreamed of walking through a desert canyon, discovering a stream, and then palm groves, and finally ending at a lovely waterfall?  Well, maybe not that exactly, but have you ever dreamed of a hike somewhat similar to this?  I can’t say I ever have, but I was able to discover a hike just like that on a trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.  To me, this park is best known for its groves of palm trees in an otherwise desert environment (I don’t think even Death Valley looks quite as desolate as some areas of Anza-Borrego!).  However, where there are palms, there is often water, and the trail to Maidenhair Falls has more water than many hikes in Anza-Borrego, at least when we were there in December.  The trail (route) to the falls is only 6 miles round trip and will introduce you to the environment of canyons in the state park.

To get to the parking area, from …Read More

Tags: Canyon, Valley, Waterfalls, Wilderness

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Easter Island-type formations in Devil's Garden

I love hiking.  It’s great to get out and stretch your legs, and it’s so rewarding to see a beautiful vista or interesting sight at the end of the trail.  However, there are times when it’s nice not to hike, as well.  To be able to just walk on the trail or off the trail with no real destination in mind, just enjoying the scenery in the area.  That’s the way I feel about Devil’s Garden in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.  There is no established trail, so you can simply walk around the rock formations, enjoying them or even climbing on them (within reason—you don’t want to fall and break you neck!).  The area has become popular in recent years, but there is still room to just spend some time wondering instead of hiking with a destination in mind.  The formations themselves are quite interesting, from balanced rocks to monoliths to arches.  One arch is even named—Metate Arch.  Children really like this area, because they can run and climb and enjoy themselves instead of hiking to a destination.  It’s also a photographer’s paradise, especially at sunrise or sunset when the radiance of the sun sets off the deep red and yellow hues of the rock formations.

To get to the Garden’s parking area …Read More

Tags: Arches, Dirt Roads, Rock Formations, Wilderness

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The Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove

So you’ve seen Yosemite Valley and you’re looking for something new.  Or else you’re visiting the park during the summer or fall and the famous falls aren’t falling.  Whatever the reason, you’re looking for another trail that’s different from other hikes in Yosemite National Park.  Let me give you a suggestion: try hiking around the Mariposa Grove in the southern part of the park.  This grove is filled (literally) with hundreds of sequoia pine trees, but this isn’t your average stroll through the forest.  Sequoias can grow to be monster-sized—think over 20 feet in diameter and over 200 feet tall.  Not all the giant sequoia trees reach these proportions, but the vast size of the trees and the number of them that can be seen makes this trail a worth-while stop for any visitor to Yosemite.  Highlights of the trail include walking along a fallen tree, gazing upward at the Grizzly Giant, one of the largest trees in the grove, and walking underneath one of the standing trees.

To get to the Mariposa Grove, from …Read More

Tags: Historic, Tree, Trees

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