This week, I was going through some old files on my computer and ran across a document with some of my siblings’ compositions we’d written for school in the early 2000s. This document contained several reviews of parks we’d recently…
Flat Tops Hiking Around the Causeway: So Lovely!
Ah, the Flat Tops Wilderness Area! Where else in the US can you hike for miles across unspoiled, grassy flatlands, see pristine mountain lakes, look over cliffs that make your stomach flip, see Basque shepherds and their sheep, and have…
Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint: A New Angle on an Old Arch
One day, I was reading a touristy book. These usually aren’t down my line of things to do on a trip, but occasionally a good trail is mentioned. In this particular book, there was a photo of Delicate Arch from…
Pioneer Park: A Place to Explore Utah
What do you do when you’re suddenly stuck in a strange town because your vehicle has broken down? Whenever possible, I try to make lemonade out of our lemon – or as I said when we were stranded for three…
Off-Trail Hiking to a Flat Tops Mountain: Pyramid Peak
We like to have a destination in mind when we’re hiking. It’s for sanity, mostly. We all know that if we can just “walk until we decide to turn around” we’ll never turn around until we’re way further from the…
Day-hiking Coyote Gulch: Waterfalls, Arches, and Solitude
Near Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument there is a wash that turns into a canyon, and through this canyon runs a small, perennial stream. The canyon (which goes under the name of Coyote Gulch) also hides several…
The Wilds of the White Sands
Many people think of White Sands National Monument as a place to spend an hour or less driving the scenic drive and enjoying the peacefulness of the sand – or a place for kids (and kids at heart) to have…
Dry Fork Slots, pt. 2: Spooky Slot
In last week’s post, I talked about Peek-a-Boo Slot (one of the Dry Fork Slots), one of the prettiest slot canyons I’ve ever seen. This week, I’d like to continue that post by talking about another really interesting slot canyon…
Dry Fork Slots, pt. 1: Peek-a-Boo Slot
On a recent trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (May 2013), I hiked again one of the first hikes that drew me to the region: The slot canyons of the Dry Fork of the Coyote Gulch (Dry Fork Slots). Walking…
Deserted View of the Tetons on Mount Leidy
Last summer, while hiking in the Tetons, I needed a short hike with a nice view. Deciding that the description of Mount Leidy fit nicely, we set out on an adventure. The road was both worse and better than expected,…