I wanted to climb Wheeler Peak. It’s not just that I liked the pictures others had taken from the top – I figured climbing the highest point in New Mexico would be fun. It would be an accomplishment. It would…
7 Best Day Hikes in Colorado’s Flat Tops Wilderness
Colorado’s Flat Tops Wilderness is an overlooked gem. Overshadowed by more prominent mountains to the east (Rocky Mountain National Park) and south (Rockies; think Aspen, Glenwood Springs, etc.), the “busy” parts of the wilderness see several hundred visitors each year.…
Sneak Peak: Southwestern Variety at its Finest
I just got back from another hiking-adventure trip across the western US! It was different than any before, even as we visited old and new sites across Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and even Utah and Wyoming. There were high…
17+ Epic Lake Day Hikes (You’ve Probably Never Heard Of)
Or, more accurately, Epic Lake Day Hikes in the Western US You Haven’t Heard Of But Should Visit ASAP I may be a view junkie, but lakes have never held a special appeal to me. Well – they did…
Lassen Swimming Hole in Butte Lake!
Have you ever wanted to swim in a lava flow? Not in the lava, I mean, but in water among the remains of the hardened lava rock? It’s a big thing in Hawaii to swim or at least walk…
Lakes & Peaks: Duck Pass
If you can do one trail near Mammoth Lakes, CA, Duck Pass certainly should rank high on your list of possibilities. The trail passes by several lakes between mountains before ascending to an 10,800ft. pass overlooking the valley you just…
10 Best Day Hikes On & Around Mt. Hood
Mt. Hood may be an icon of northern Oregon, and its Timberline Trail may be epic with backpackers, but it also offers some great day hiking. The scenery can be a bit varied, too – waterfalls, lakes, meadows, rock scrambles,…
Beautiful Keuka Outlet Trail!
I posted a few weeks back about biking the rails to trails Ontario Pathways between Goose Street and Phelps, NY. After we’d loaded up all the bikes in Phelps (not to mention chowed down on the delicious lunch one of…
Climbing the Cinder Cone in Lassen
There are certain trails in certain parks that you return to, whenever you happen to be in the area. Such for us is the Cinder Cone in Lassen National Park. Most of the trail isn’t all that difficult (except for…
Hiking the Virginia Lakes to K19 Viewpoint
The Virginia Lakes! They are beautiful, especially early in the season when they are surrounded by snow. But at any time of the summer or fall they are a destination well worth visiting – near enough to Yosemite National Park…