Ever since I read about the Mount Chapin, Mount Chiquita, Ypsilon Mountain loop trail in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2006, I’ve wanted to hike it. I had it all planned, too: We’d go in September, before the snow fell,…
Tubing the Delaware – So Fun!
A few weeks ago, I did something I’ve always wanted to do. Something I read about most of my childhood, heard about how fun it was, even planned at one point, but never did it. Until now. I tubed the…
Hiking Up Green Mountain in Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Ok, so Green Mountain in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park may not be the most spectacular trail in the state – or even in the park – but it does have some good points. First, it’s one of…
Biking the Genesee Valley Greenway
This summer we’ve been doing daytrips closer to home. That’s not to say we won’t be taking a longer trip, as well, but it’s been a lot of fun to travel in our own neighborhood. One highlight was definitely biking…
10 Best (and worst) Day Hikes in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
I think I can safely say that Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of my favorite parks ever. There’s such a diversity of scenery (i.e., of different kinds of rock formations, badlands, etc.) and most parts aren’t extremely well-visited, so…
Queens Garden Trail & Navajo Loop: So Many Hoodoos!
There are many short trails in Bryce Canyon, and so many with wonderful views. Even if you’ve hiked the trails before, they’re worth doing again. I can’t count the number of times we’ve hiked the Queen’s Garden Trail, but it…
Holzwarth Historic Site – Worth a Summer Stop!
I’ve been to the Holzwarth Historic Site twice in my travels across America. The first time, it was called Never Summer Ranch, after the lodge and “hotel” that once stood on the site. The second time, I nearly missed the…
Willowwood Arboretum: One of the Nice Kind of Arboretums!
Arboretums are fickle places to visit. They can be very interesting, or very boring, depending on the upkeep, the flowers, and what’s in season at the moment. I’m glad to say that I’ve been treated to several arboretums that were…
The Alpine Ridge Trail: Topping Huffers Hill!
How about a short hike this week with an awesome view? Sound good to you? Because the trail up Huffers Hill (as it is informally known) is only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) RT yet offers outstanding views of the Never…
Looking Back at Family Hike Reviewing History
This week, I was going through some old files on my computer and ran across a document with some of my siblings’ compositions we’d written for school in the early 2000s. This document contained several reviews of parks we’d recently…