This week we’re celebrating a huge milestone: 30 years of traveling together as a family! Back in 1995, we set off to do what they said couldn’t be done (you don’t just cross the continent with kids ages 7, 5,…
Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Canyonlands… and a Lot of Off-Trail Adventures!
If you read my last post, you’ll know that we were in the middle of Death Valley, following routes instead of trails and having a marvelous time hiking off the beaten path. We were about to have even more excitement…
Exploring Petrified Forest and Death Valley – With Very Few Trails!
I recently returned from an amazing trek across the country! We drove nearly 6,000 miles, hiked around 160 miles, and saw some truly amazing scenery both by foot and by van. Of course, we also slept under brilliant stars, watched…
Newspaper Rock in Petrified Forest National Park
In the middle of Petrified Forest National Park is a small viewpoint. It’s not remarkable except that it sits on the clifftop above boulders literally covered in petroglyphs and rock art. These aren’t just the normal squiggles or stick figures;…
Photos from Every Visit to the Grand Canyon!
I’ve been to the Grand Canyon more than any other national park. I’ve also almost died in the Grand Canyon more times than in any other national park, but maybe we’d better not dwell on that in this post! Instead,…
The South Kaibab Trail
I finally did it: I hiked the South Kaibab Trail rim to river to rim! It’s been a dream for so many years that it’s hard to imagine that it’s now a memory, too. And it was everything I hoped…
Rock Art at the Puerco Pueblo
Petrified Forest is known for the Painted Desert and its petrified wood. However, beyond those worthy features are a few other things to see. Puerco Pueblo is the remains of an ancient civilization that once lived in the area, and…
Wheelchair Accessible Trails and Views in Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon is my most-visited National Park – with good reason! The views are spectacular and generally easy to access. The good news is that most of these views are also wheelchair accessible or accessible to the mobility impaired. In…
The Route to Billings Gap Overlook
After our success on the Wilderness Loop in Petrified Forest National Park, it made sense to try out one or two of the other “official routes” in the park (they’re not really trails, but they’re also usually pretty easy to…
Official off-trail Views from the Blue Forest Route
After the Wilderness Route, the Blue Forest Route was my favorite hike in Petrified Forest National Park during my visit last fall. The good news? It’s much shorter and much, much easier to follow than the Wilderness Route. So as…