When I visit Lava Beds National Monument, it’s so that I can spend a day of exploring caves. These are not the spectacular, stalactite/stalagmite and cave formation type of caves – they’re lava tubes, left over from when molten lava…
Exploring the History of Nuttallburg
Did you know that you can visit old coal mining camps in New River Gorge National Park? The most famous of these camps is accessed via the Kaymoor Miners Trail on the Fayetteville side of the gorge (not far from…
Brandywine Falls via the Stanford Trail & Gorge Trail
If you’ve ever seen photos of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you’ve probably seen one (or both!) of the two famous waterfalls in the park: Brandywine Falls and Blue Hen Falls. My first and foremost plan when visiting the park for…
Fantastic Views on the Gooseberry Trail
Every once in a while, a hike that you thought would be nice turns out to be fantastic. That’s how you want it to be, and such was our hike on the Gooseberry Trail and then off-trail to an overlook…
Genesee Valley Greenway-Lehigh Valley Trail Loop in Rochester!
Back in 2014, I took my first bike trip on the Genesee Valley Greenway. It was a fantastic ride between Mt. Morris and the Brookdale Preserve just south of Rochester, New York. We passed through farmland, crossed plenty of creeks…
Exploring Corkscrew Canyon
I read about Corkscrew Canyon on the internet. There was an old mining area, they promised, and a slot canyon. There was no trail, but it was pretty easy to walk up an old road. Alas, more research told me…
Trip Report: Cuyahoga Valley & New River Gorge
Would you believe that there are national parks within a few hours of my childhood home that I’ve never visited? They just never seem to fit into any trip: Too far away for a day trip, too close as a…
Views of Rainbow Canyon from Father Crowley Vista
Father Crowley Vista, also known as Rainbow Canyon Overlook, is little more than a nice parking area and a couple of primitive restrooms on the Darwin Plateau between the western border of Death Valley National Park and the Panamint Valley. …
The Big Bend Road in Letchworth
A few years ago, a couple of us were riding our bicycles on the Genesee Valley Greenway through Letchworth State Park. As a side-trek, we ended up on the Big Bend Road in the state park. It was fun, so…
Devils Hole, Whirlpool, and Niagara Gorge Railroad Grade
One of my favorite hikes I did around New York State last fall was the Whirlpool Trail Whirlpool State Park (though it might as well be in Niagara Falls State Park given how close it is to the falls –…