Did you know that you don’t need a timed entry ticket to visit Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park? The access road is located just outside of the entry gates to the park, proper, so no timed entry ticket is…
Eye of the Whale Arch + Exploring Whale Canyon
Arches National Park is known for being overrun, but there are ways to get away from the crowds. Visit very early in the morning, or go in late November-February, and while you might not have the popular areas to yourself,…
Undine Falls – from Two Vantage Points!
There are two ways to see Undine Falls in Yellowstone National Park. The first is the official overlook, which requites virtually no hike and has a lovely view of the falls. The second is to start at the Lava Creek…
Shafer Canyon Overlook
The very first “hike” (such as it is) you’ll drive past in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park is the Shafer Canyon Overlook. It’s a quick walk down to the edge of the canyon, where you…
Logistics for Hiking the South Kaibab Trail
They say not to hike the South Kaibab Trail rim to river to rim in a day. And having done it, I’d say they’re wise to advise against it. But since some of us are in excellent physical condition, very…
McNeil Point and Up Cathedral Ridge
Some of you may remember when I tried to get to McNeil Point in Mount Hood National Forest back in 2016 via the Mazama Trail. That didn’t work out very well, as the clouds socked in the entire meadow and…
The Waterfall in Lower Monarch Canyon
I’ve had my eye on Lower Monarch Canyon ever since I first read about it back c.2021. A perennial waterfall in the desert reached via a desert walk and hiking up a canyon? Yes, please! The Monarch Canyon Waterfall in…
Walking Plymouth Harbor to Jenny Grist Mill
When I was in Massachusetts a few weeks ago, we spent an evening in Plymouth. The town is fairly commercialized, but I still found green spaces to wander. Actually, we started the evening with seafood platters at Wood’s Seafood (according…
See the “New Wave” on the Beehive Trail
I went to the Beehive Trail outside of Page, Arizona, because someone online called it the “New Wave.” It was billed as a place where you can see formations like the famous Wave, only you don’t need a permit. Well,…
Hiking the Harvard Campus
When I was visiting Boston a few weeks ago, a friend asked if I’d like to walk around the Harvard campus. Yes, please! It turned out to be a lovely way to spend the later part of a hot summer…