If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love the rock formations, the arches, the canyons, the scrubby desert; it’s all lovely in a very rustic sort of way. …
12 Epic Hikes in the Western US, Pt. 2
This is a guest post from one of my group members. She’s young, fun-loving, and is apt to tell you that she spent her first 3 birthdays hiking the wildernesses of the US, so she’d be just as happy to…
Return to Beautiful Bonneville Pass
When I first hiked it in 2012, Bonneville Pass was one of the most peaceful, lovely places I’d been to in Wyoming outside of the Tetons. So when we were going to be driving through the area again last summer,…
8 Epic Hikes in the Western US, Pt. 1
Today, here’s a guest post from one of my group members. He’s young, loves awe-inspiring views (especially over peaceful or spectacular valleys), and is generally quiet until he really has an opinion. Then, world watch out! (And I should know…
Day Hiking the Cirque of Towers Overlook
It’s a total of 8.3 miles to the Cirque of Towers Overlook in Jackass Pass, above Big Sandy Lake in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. That’s way too long to plan a dayhike for me. Way too long. But…
Day Hiking Big Sandy Lake in the Wind Rivers
It’s a long trail to Big Sandy Lake. Five whole miles, in fact. But the trail is more or less flat, and it really isn’t that far. (At least in my mind. My feet said otherwise at the end of…
Alternate Views of Famous American Wilderness Areas
Ever wondered what the Grand Canyon looks like from a small distance away? The Tetons from the less-visited western side? Canyonlands from the other side of the canyon? The Statue of Liberty from New York Harbor? So many famous places…
A Day Canoe Trip in Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park has been one of those places I’ve always thought about going, but could never figure out a good reason to. For one thing, you really need a boat to see it (at least during the summer months),…
12 Trails that Require Hands & Knees, River Crossings, and Other Adventures
Getting to the most rewarding views can be hard. In fact, it can be very difficult. Sometimes we just have to leave the comforts of a defined trail behind to cross the waist-deep rivers, scramble up scree and talus on…
Hole in the Rock: Scramble to Lake Powell!
I was shocked the other day when I found out that I’d never done a post on Hole in the Rock, at the end of Hole in the Rock Road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (one of my favorite parks…