I visited Hovenweep National Monument inside of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument several years ago, but didn’t find it too exciting. Others in my group liked the square towers and round towers, but I guess I thought I’d seen…
Teanaway Ridge
The Teanaway region of Washington is absolutely beautiful. Snowcapped peaks rise among low-lying hills, with a cross between northern-US desert and alpine forest. As our introduction to the region, we hiked up Teanaway Ridge, a 3 mile trail up to…
Eastern Washington Lookout on Columbia Mountain
On a recent trip to Washington State, my group found ourselves in the middle of Colville National Forest, way too far from our intended hiking destination to drive there and then take the hike on the same day. Just as…
Neon Canyon: The Beeline Route
In a previous post, I talked about the Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This canyon and the Cathedral are awe-inspiring examples of the beauty of the monument, with pretty desert varnish staining the walls of…
Earl Peak: The Cascades Laid Out Below You
The view from Earl Peak has got to be one of the best in the entire Teanaway region of Washington State. Well, Bean Peak, across the valley, rivals this view, but they are quite different senses of “best”: from Bean…
Bean Peak: Views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Stewart
The Teanaway region of Washington State has some fantastic trails. I don’t mean that the trails are crazy (although that may be true, as well); the views from the trails are absolutely stunning. Not the least of these trails leads…
Top of the Old Fall River Road
The Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park isn’t open much of the year. In fact, of the five times I’ve visited the park, it’s only been open once to car travel. However, when it is open, it…
Good Views and a Fire Lookout, Too at Numa Lookout
Glacier National Park has always been synonymous in my mind with rain. From my experience, “Partly Cloudy” means “Pouring Rain All Day”. However, on our last trip to the park, Glacier redeemed itself: although it did rain two of the…
Into the Heart of the Cascades: Twisp Pass
On a recent trip to Washington State, we were longing for a glimpse of some real, honest-to-goodness North Cascade scenery. Unfortunately, the Cascades, including North Cascade National Park, were still snowed in, due to heavy snowfall and cool summer temperatures. …
Graveyard of Fallen Arches
In Southern Utah there is a fin—or a butte—or a mesa—whatever you want to call it—that sticks up almost out of nowhere just north of the Lake Powell Dam. We visited the fin while searching for Skylight Arch, which I…