In the main part of Badlands National Park, I only know of one long trail that is maintained: the Castle Trail, which can be stretched to 10.8 miles (17.4 km) RT hike. However, for hikers who don’t want quite such…
Saddle Pass Trail: Beautiful Views of Badlands
Badlands is beautiful from the road – no doubt. But if you really want to see the Badlands, you’ve got to get out and experience it. A great trail to do this on is the 0.7 miles (1.1 km) (RT)…
Tuff Canyon: For the Children and the Geologist
Need a hike to do with children in Big Bend National Park? Love geology? Just want a fun little hike? Tuff Canyon on the road to Castolon fits the bill. Although it’s not as well-known as other trails in the…
The Best Hikes in Big Bend
After having visited Big Bend numerous times over the past several years, I thought I’d share what I’ve found to be the best hikes in Big Bend National Park, and which trails are overrated. Then, I thought, What if someone…
Fun on The Chimneys Trail, Big Bend
The Chimneys. They’re just rocks sticking out of the ground – nothing grand in the southern area of Big Bend National Park. Yet it’s quite an interesting destination. For one thing, there are petroglyphs on one of the Chimneys. I’m…
Whale Rock: What a View!
Whale Rock isn’t a long hike. Whale Rock isn’t a hard hike. Whale Rock isn’t even difficult to drive to. So why I haven’t heard more about it from day-hikers is beyond me. The trail is fun (you get to…
Beautiful, Beautiful Bonneville Pass
How could I ever have missed a hike as pretty as Bonneville Pass? All I can say is that Wyoming must have been holding out on us—I had no idea the state had views like this, let alone so close…
Truckhaven Rocks: Views, Scrambles, and Geology!
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has many things that most places don’t, but Truckhaven Rocks sticks out in my mind. Why? Maybe it’s the desolate scenery. Or the eerie silence. Or the fact that it’s usually deserted. Or the lack of…
Views of Lower Yellowstone Falls: Red Rock Point
Usually, the park maps and brochures at a given national park are really good. Most of the time you can just use the map to get around the park, from hiking to camping to deciding where to watch wildlife. This…
Beacon Rock: A Maze of Railings & Catwalks!
In the Columbia Gorge is an awesome monolith, considered by some to be the largest in the world next to Gibraltar. Actually, it’s the remains of an old volcanic plug. From most vantage points up and down the Gorge, the…