It’s hard for me to unreservedly recommend the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I know people who love it, and I know others who appreciate the older-national-park experience (like all the parks used to be when I started traveling…
The Best Day Hikes in Chiricahua National Monument
The first time we visited Chiricahua National Monument, we thought we must have entered a rock-formation-wonderland. We were used to the red rocks of Utah (Bryce and Arches have long been favorite national parks), but this was a totally different…
The 8 Best Day Hikes in Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is definitely one of the overlooked national parks of the Continental US. It’s a bit out of the way – those coming from NorCal might have to take the “Loneliest Road in America” to get there…
17 Arches Across the West (you probably haven’t heard of)
There’s something about the gracious span of an arch that takes our breath away. The gravity-defying feat is eye-catching at worst, and enthralling at best. Many people know about famous arches and natural bridges, like Delicate Arch or Landscape Arch…
The top 15 Pages on Anne’s Travels in 2018!
It’s the end of 2018 (where did the year go?) and we get to look back for a bit and see what the internet thought was the most interesting (or useful?) posts and pages on Anne’s Travels were over the…
The 6 Best Day Hikes in Arches National Park
Arches National Park is one concentrated lot of sandstone – filled with arches, rock formations, and incredible views. Unlike many national parks, where you might drive an hour just to get between one hike and the next, Arches is small…
5 Best Day Hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park
Rock Formations. Hoodoos. Creamsicles. Ever since our first visit to Bryce Canyon in 1997, it’s been one of our favorite parks in southern Utah, over Zion, Cedar Breaks, and Capitol Reef. It gets crowded these days, but it’s…
Pressing On When Failure Looms
One day many, many years ago, we were fleeing wildfires in the west and the smoke that blew in to obscure the view, wrinkle the sinuses, and create some of the most glorious sunsets I’ve ever seen. Sunsets aside, views…
Indian Rock: Day Hiking Yosemite’s Only Arch
On our recent visit to Yosemite, there were a few “must do” hikes on my list along the Tioga Road, namely, Cloud’s Rest and North Dome. Actually, the dome didn’t interest me as much as a photo I had seen…
Sneak Peak: A California Trip through Desert and Snow
Well, I just got back from a fantastic trip to California! We saw the desert, and we saw snow (lots of snow!), not to mention some truly fabulous views of mountains, cliffs, slot canyons, salt flats, and the beautiful NorCal…