The Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is an awesome feat of engineering. The road itself twists and turns its way up the side of a mountain, then across the tundra and down the other side, giving drivers—or…
High on the side of Mt. Shasta: Green Butte
I love top-of-the-world feelings. When you’re high up above everything else around you, it gives you a feeling of being so high, so free, and the views are usually quite good as well. One place in northern California that you…
Awesome Views in Rocky Mountain from Flattop Mountain and Hallett Peak
On a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park last summer, we decided to hike up Flattop Mountain on our last day in the park. We’d already hiked Lily Mountain and the Ute Trail, but hoped to see some more stunning…
Wyoming’s Black Hills Fire Tower: Warren Peak
When researching Warren Peak in Wyoming, I read two different accounts, one that said the trail was 13 miles long, the other which said the trail was 6 miles long. Either they were talking about a different Warren Peak, or…
Alpine Scenery to Stun You at Mt. Baker’s Twin Lakes
A beautiful location to visit if you’re anywhere near the Mt. Baker Highway is the Twin Lakes, located near the town of Glacier. The turquoise lakes surrounded by high mountain walls are quite the destination unto themselves, whether for a…
Cooper Spur: Highest Trail on Mt. Hood
Have you ever seen Mt. Hood? It is a well-known landmark, especially in its home state of Oregon. Many people come every year to climb it, and thousands of others to admire its shapely appearance. One of the best ways…
Nevada’s Only Glacier & Bristlecone Pine Forest
Nevada has only one glacier. I’ll admit that I didn’t think it had any, although the state does have a few mountain ranges running through it. The one-and-only is situated below Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in Great Basin National…
Owl Point…or Not
In late September of this year, I found a description of Owl Point in northern Oregon that looked like a great hike to take. Pictures taken from the point offered awesome views of Mt. Hood, and the trail was only…
St. Mary’s Glacier: Southernmost Glacier in the US
Not far from I-70 near Idaho Springs in Colorado lies a small lake. That’s nothing terrifically exciting, as Colorado has lots of small lakes, but the exciting thing about this destination is the glacier that rises above the lake. St.…
Experience Volcanic Remains Up Close at Newberry
There is one terrific thing about Newberry National Volcanic Monument: the volcanic features here are really cool, and you can actually experience them without signs saying, “Say out! Stay off! Unsafe! Fragile!” Some of the areas are like experiencing another…