If you’ve ever read the Ideas on Free Camping page of my website, you know that I much prefer free campgrounds to campgrounds that charge a fee. Part of this is due to the size of my group (many campgrounds…

If you’ve ever read the Ideas on Free Camping page of my website, you know that I much prefer free campgrounds to campgrounds that charge a fee. Part of this is due to the size of my group (many campgrounds…
I’ve been to Craters of the Moon National Monument several times, and it’s got to be one of the best volcanic areas in the US. For miles, it seems, there is nothing but cinder cones and lava fields. And the…
I visited Hovenweep National Monument inside of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument several years ago, but didn’t find it too exciting. Others in my group liked the square towers and round towers, but I guess I thought I’d seen…
One of the best volcanic parks in the country has got to be Craters of the Moon National Monument in central Idaho. Fields of all kinds of hardened lava stretch in all directions, with just enough craters to give the…
Several years ago, we were driving down a small highway in Montana looking for a place to eat lunch. A roadside sign that said “Kootenai Falls” caught our attention, so we pulled into the parking area. We were rewarded, too:…
In Southern Utah there is a fin—or a butte—or a mesa—whatever you want to call it—that sticks up almost out of nowhere just north of the Lake Powell Dam. We visited the fin while searching for Skylight Arch, which I…
In a previous post, I talked about Bisti National Wilderness, where you can wander for miles without any trails to keep you from experiencing the formations. However, after my most recent jaunt across the Wilderness, I realized that there is…
Have you ever seen a moqui marble? Most people have never even heard of these phenomena, let alone seen them. Yet they are a fascinating piece of geology, and they are just cool to look at. Even if you’re not…
The Den trail is an adventure without being impossible for the average hiker. It is also a way to experience the Chihuahuan Desert, and to get an idea of the real personality of the desert part of Big Bend National…
Imagine a vista that looks like a cross between Bryce Canyon, The Slots (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park), drip-castles we made out of watery sand at the beach, and something totally other-earthly. Something you’ve seen in a movie about another planet. …