
Pickem Mountain Loop, Norton VA
Sunday reached a high of 45° which just meant it was a great day for a hike! I'd originally planned to put…
Sand Cave and White Rocks via the Ewing Trail
For Thanksgiving I decided to do a hike that has been on my bucket list since I moved here. Unfortunately, due to…
3 Waterfall Hikes in VA and TN
Here are 3 local(ish) hikes that I completed over the last month or so. Margarette Falls Trail, Cherokee National Forest Margarette Falls…
Hole in the Wall, Hubbard Springs, Virginia
NOTICE!! Access to this trail from the Virginia side has been posted with "No Trespassing" signs. Some assholes decided it'd be a…
Cape Sebastian State Park, Gold Beach, Oregon
Here's a quickie! A beautiful hike with Teddy near Gold Beach — 2.5 miles round trip, about 700 feet of elevation gain…
Barklow Mountain West Hike and Sisters Rock, Oregon
It's been a slow summer for exploring, but here are two spots: a rugged drive up to the Barklow Mountain West lookout…
Catalina State Park, Tucson AZ
It's been a while since the last update! A planned stay in the White Mountains got cut short, and I ended up…
Floras Lake State Park and Blacklock Point, Oregon
An undeveloped state park near the Cape Blanco airport hides trails to Floras Lake and Blacklock Point through coastal forest and blooming…
North Island Trail Viewpoint, Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor
A quick jaunt down to the Boardman State Park area turned up a short, easy trail to fantastic sea-stack views — and…
Blue Lakes Trail, Ridgway, Colorado
A spontaneous trip to the Telluride area turned up the Blue Lakes Trail in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness — a stunning turquoise…
Native Lake Trail, Leadville CO
A late-start, stormy hike along the Continental Divide near Leadville, Colorado, down to Native Lake - with sprawling alpine meadows, small tarns…
Off Trail, Cottonwood Pass, Buena Vista CO
When the trails around Cottonwood Pass were too crowded, a steep off-trail scramble - just 2 miles but over 2,000' of gain…
Kroenke Lake Trail, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, CO (and Ptarmigan Lake revisited)
A revisit to Ptarmigan Lake (with clouds of mosquitoes to match the beauty) followed by a first-time hike to Kroenke Lake in…
Alpine Tunnel and Lost Lake
A snowy hike back up the Alpine Tunnel Trail - complete with a 45-degree snow crossing and yellow-bellied marmots - followed by…
Avalanche Trailhead - Colorado Trail, Buena Vista CO
A steep climb up the Colorado Trail from the Avalanche Trailhead - 3.65 miles one way with 2700+ feet of elevation gain…
La Plata Gulch Trail, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness CO
A hike partway up the La Plata Gulch Trail - the approach to La Plata Peak, Colorado's fifth highest at 14,336'…
Little Cochetopa Creek Trail, Salida Ranger District CO
A lightly used trail along Little Cochetopa Creek toward the Continental Divide - a rough 4WD road in, a cattle-trampled trail, dead…
Pass Creek Lake, San Isabel National Forest CO
A climb to Pass Creek Lake, a small treeline lake full of leaping native trout, in the San Isabel National Forest…
Graham Gulch Trail, Twin Lakes CO
A wrong turn off the Graham Gulch Trail led to a beautiful basin above treeline near Twin Lakes, Colorado - blooming wildflowers…
Rich Creek & Rough and Tumble Loop, Buffalo Peaks Wilderness CO
I found myself back in the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness area again on Monday. I had been there before but I had hiked…
Lake Ann, Winfield CO
Lake Ann, located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, is a spectacular alpine lake surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks. It's about a 6.4…
Poplar Gulch Trail, Saint Elmo CO
Poplar Gulch lies just outside historic Saint Elmo, a ghost town with many original buildings. The trail begins at the base of…
Taylor Park Reservoir, Gunnison CO
Taylor Reservoir was created in 1937 by the Taylor Park Dam and is surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks. It's about an hour…
Four Mile Creek Trail, Buffalo Peaks Wilderness CO
Buffalo Peaks Wilderness encompasses 41,232 acres and it gets it's name from the 2 - 13,000+ foot Buffalo Peaks that are there…
Cottonwood Pass Skyline Hike, Cottonwood Pass CO
A short but spectacular hike along the Continental Divide Trail from the top of Cottonwood Pass - windy 360-degree views of the…
Ptarmigan Lake, Cottonwood Pass CO
A 6.4-mile round-trip hike from Cottonwood Pass to Ptarmigan Lake (12,154'), through dense pine forest and flowery meadows dotted with small ponds…
Lakeside to InterLaken, Twin Lakes CO
Here's a cool bit of history: This easy 4.4 mile hike, which skirts the lakeshore and winds through aspen forests with beautiful…
Denny Creek to Hartenstein Lake, Buena Vista CO
Lake Hartenstein is within an easy distance from downtown Buena Vista and is accessed by the Denny Creek Trailhead, one of the…
Alpine Tunnel, Saint Elmo CO
A hike along the old railroad grade to the collapsed East Portal of the historic Alpine Tunnel - once the highest railroad…
A Hike, a Drive, and a BBQ
Today was a busy day: an easy hike, a beautiful drive, and good food and beer! *laughs
Davis Meadow Trail, Buena Vista CO
Here's another trail from "The Local's Adventure Guide to Mellow Mountain Trails - 27 Fun Day Hikes in Salida and Buena Vista"…
Chalk Creek - Colorado Trail South, Buena Vista CO
I've been doing a few easy hikes since I got here last week but I decided I really needed to get a…
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
I've been making a few trips up to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (About 200-300 miles round trip - depending on what dirt…
Grandview Trail #66, Dixie National Forest, Utah
Sometimes you end up in the most beautiful places - strictly by luck.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park isn't actually a canyon, it's a group of 14 huge natural amphitheaters that have been eroded into beautiful…
Proctor Canyon, Dixie National Forest, Utah
Today was a little 4-wheel driving adventure that started at Proctor Canyon (Dixie National Forest) and up over the Paunsaugunt trail then…
Red Canyon, Dixie National Forest, Utah
For the next 2 months I'll be in Hatch, Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and…
Wasson Peak, Tucson AZ
This is a beautiful hike in Saguaro National Park West. I took King Canyon Trail (3.5 miles, one way) to the top…
Panther's Peak, Tucson AZ
I haven't posted anything for a little while but life's been a bit unsettled.
Lowell Lake State Park, Londonderry VT
The Lowell Lake State Park in Londonderry, Vermont is a lovely secluded spot. Enjoy the 3.5 mile trail around the lake or…
Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park, ME
In 2014, while I was staying in New Hampshire, I took off for 10 days to travel up to Maine. I hadn't…
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, Franconia NH
The Cannon Mountain Tram is a great way to see magnificent views of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The 80-passenger cable…
Saguaro National Park, Tucson AZ
I was fortunate to find a privately owned RV spot on the west side of the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona…
Coronado National Forest, Sonoita AZ
I stayed briefly in Amado Arizona before heading up to Tucson for a winter. I only visited the National Forest for one…
Willow Heights Trail, Big Cottonwood Canyon UT
The Willow Heights Trail is short (1.5 miles round trip), but steep (600' elevation gain). You climb through an aspen grove that…
Olympic National Park & Mount Rainier, WA
While staying at the Riverside RV Resort in Brookings Oregon I decided to go on a tent camping expedition to Olympic National…
Picketpost Mountain, Superior AZ
Picketpost Mountain is a stunning mountain that rises nearly 2,000 feet from the town of Superior, Arizona. It's a stand alone mountain…Feeling lucky?
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Hit shuffle and let the blog pick a trip for you. Hikes, road trips and everyday stories going back to 2006.
Ptarmigan Lake, Cottonwood Pass CO
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