There are members of my group who have wanted to hike the Pueblo Alto Loop for about 23 years. That was when they saw a photo of Pueblo Bonito on the cover of their AAA road map and decided to…
Honan Point: Best Views on Grand Canyon’s North Rim
I’ve always thought the views from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to be better than the views from the North Rim. Part of it is that the North Rim is more picturesque, so looking at it from the…
Sneak Peak: Southwestern Variety at its Finest
I just got back from another hiking-adventure trip across the western US! It was different than any before, even as we visited old and new sites across Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and even Utah and Wyoming. There were high…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Yellowstone & Grand Tetons!
Yellowstone and Grand Tetons are a concentration of epic views and fascinating phenomena. In Yellowstone, water boils out of the ground to create colorful pools, waterfalls race with thousands of gallons per minute, steaming water spouts into the air, and…
Walking the Zion Narrows
I first did the Zion Narrows in 1997. Or, should I say, I first set foot in the Virgin River in 1997, and we went around the first bend and turned around. The kids were too young; one of the…
5 Best Day Hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park
Rock Formations. Hoodoos. Creamsicles. Ever since our first visit to Bryce Canyon in 1997, it’s been one of our favorite parks in southern Utah, over Zion, Cedar Breaks, and Capitol Reef. It gets crowded these days, but it’s…
12 Best Day Hikes in Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton has to be one of my favorite national parks in the US (along with North Cascades and a whole lot of others!) Those Alp-like jagged peaks, snow-flecked even in August, alpine lakes, lovely meadows, the unique meadows and…
The Grand Canyon and the Grandeur of God
This post courtesy of one of my group members. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon about a dozen times. I can enjoy looking at from the rim for hours, as I have done—But the longer I stare from above, the…
Sinks Canyon – Better in August
I’ve discovered something: Sinks Canyon – where the river literally disappears underground and reappears, two hours and about a quarter mile later – is much more interesting in August than in June. ‘Way back in June 2003, we…
10 Places to Go Exploring in the Western US
Trails are nice, trails are great. I like trails (especially trails that lead to and through spectacular views!) But there comes a time when the inner anti-establishment in us all decides it would like a bit of freedom – and…