The hikes that begin from the Mt. Baker Highway in northwest Washington State have got to be some of the most spectacular in the Continental US. There’s something about Mt. Baker’s cone, Mt. Shuksan’s rugged profile, and all the other…
Up the Cleft in the Rock: Table Rock
I don’t go to New England much. I’m not exactly sure why; maybe I’m spoiled by the mountains west of the Mississippi, or maybe it’s just so hard to find free (or even cheap) places to camp that trips to…
Cooper Spur: Snow, Ice, and Rocks
Sometimes we just have to do a hike twice. It’s just that epic; that worth redoing that we’ll drive 100 miles out of our way just to do a single hike again. Such is Cooper Spur, high on the side…
10 Best Things to Do in Niagara Falls
Sometimes I forget about the nice stuff near home. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. I just don’t think about it because I’ve seen it enough times that my thoughts are on faraway places like the Tetons and the…
Celebrating 20 Years of Family Vacations
This week we’re celebrating 20 years of traveling together across the US! Wow! It’s been an exciting adventure together, and all the more exciting that we’re still (more or less) able to travel all together in the big green van…
The 6 Best Day Hikes in Grand Canyon (South Rim)
Grand Canyon National Park tops our list for the number of times we’ve visited a park. At last count, between the North Rim, South Rim, and Toroweap Area, we’ve visited a total of 10 times – more than any other…
Pictures: Lake Ann Trail to Swift Creek
We really didn’t need to hike another trail. We’d already hike most of the best-of-the-best around the Mt. Baker Highway, including Ptarmigan Ridge, Heliotrope Divide, Artist Ridge, and Skyline Divide. Still, it was supposed to be rainy in North Cascades…
Sahale Arm Revisited: Incredible Views!
If you could only do one long hike in North Cascades National Park, I’d recommend the trail up to and along Sahale Arm. It somehow manages to get some of the best scenery in the Cascades into one 13.4 mile…
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…
The Mist Clears Away: A Stroll at Ruby Beach
We arrived at Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park very early in the morning. We hadn’t slept nearby – after hiking Third Beach the day before, all we wanted to do was find a place for supper and then go…