Very frequently, when I leave the traditional trails behind on a whim, it would have been better for me to stay on the traditional trail. Not always, of course – I’ve found some very fun and interesting stuff along the…
French Spring above the Maze District
French Spring is one of the minimal number of attractions to see along NP-633 (the road between Hans Flat and the top of the Flint Trail) in the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park.* It’s one of the more difficult…
Official off-trail Views from the Blue Forest Route
After the Wilderness Route, the Blue Forest Route was my favorite hike in Petrified Forest National Park during my visit last fall. The good news? It’s much shorter and much, much easier to follow than the Wilderness Route. So as…
Photos from Rochester’s Lilac Festival
It’s almost time for the annual Lilac Festival in Rochester, New York! The 2024 dates are May 10-May 19, and at least at this point, it seems like the forecasters have been about right for the lilac blooms. If you…
Golden Stairs Trail to the Fins Trail to Lou’s Spring
A few days ago, I wrote about hiking down the Golden Stairs Trail and (almost) into the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. After we had descended to the Dollhouse Road, we decided that we 1) hadn’t had enough adventure…
Death Valley’s Hole in the Rock Spring
On our way down into the valley from Daylight Peak last fall, I stopped at the Corkscrew Peak Viewpoint to hike to Hole in the Rock Spring. I wasn’t expecting much – desert springs are more often jungles of brush…
Great Allegheny Passage: Salisbury Viaduct to the Mason-Dixon Line
The Great Allegheny Passage is most famous as a rails-to-trails – and it deserves its fame. By connecting seamlessly into the C&O Canal Path, bikers can travel all of the way from Pittsburg, PA to Washington, D.C. pretty much without…
Driving the Fayette Station Road & Views of the New River Gorge Bridge
If you want a unique and personal perspective on the New River Gorge Bridge, you really need to take the Fayette Station Road from one side of New River Gorge to the other. This was the road – the only…
French Cabin in the Maze District
There isn’t a whole lot of hiking on top of the Orange Cliffs in the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, but there are a few things to see (mostly overlooks, which are well worth seeing in their own right). …
Longbow Arch near Moab
There are so many free and fun trails around Moab, Utah. Trails that are often overlooked because they’re not in the national parks. Some of these (like Corona Arch) are becoming fairly popular in their own right, but others take…