There may be no other trail in the US quite like the one to Hidden Valley, high on the side of Mt. Shasta in California. The trail begins as a fairly normal one, passing through forests up to a stone…
Terrifying Trails of the Western US
Hiking any trail can have its frightful aspects – walking away from civilization and the comfort of your car and into the unknown wilds of who-knows-where (not to mention scary stuff like spiders, snakes, bears, wolves, and sheer drop-offs). But…
Cape Kiwanda: Sand Dunes & Rock Formations
It’s crowded, it’s dangerous, it was cloudy, and it’s about as touristy as the Oregon Coast gets. But somehow I totally enjoyed visiting Cape Kiwanda along the Tree Capes Scenic Loop off of US-101 south of Tillamook, OR. Maybe it’s…
Lava Beds Cave Loop – Explore!
Who would be crazy enough to visit the lowlands of Northern California in the middle of July? Someone who really wanted to visit NorCal, I guess! Last summer we took a little detour through California on our way to the…
Beverly Beach Hike: Lighthouses, Volcanic Rocks, and More
Have you ever thought how nice it would be to walk along the Oregon Coast? To hike a stretch of beach without high rises and hotels and restaurants and just enjoy its sand, uniquely shaped rocks, sheer cliffs, and an…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Southern Utah
Southern Utah packs so much beauty into a small area. Arches, rock formations, turrets, towers, spires, mountains, canyons, cliffs, meadows – there’s so much to see, and often so little time to do it. So here are some of the…
Exploring the Punchbowl: Above and Within
A highlight along the Oregon coast last summer would be exploring the area around Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area north of Newport. The area isn’t really that big, but low tide explorations are exciting (especially with the tide coming back…
Hug Point: Wayside Beach with a Waterfall & Sea Cave
I really like the Oregon Hiker’s website. Because although most the driving directions are from Portland (and it’s rare I’m coming from that direction), the trail descriptions tend to be complete, there are pictures and sometimes maps, and it’s great…
Exploring the Big Crack in Lava Beds
How about a little bit of adventuring? It’s awesome to follow trails, but every once in a while, it’s also really fun to adventure: no trail, no social trail, just a map and a willingness to venture into the unknown.…
9 Terrific Day Hikes in the Wind Rivers
The Wind River Range of Wyoming is truly spectacular. Snow-capped peaks, jagged cirques, lovely meadows, alpine lakes, it’s a view junkie’s paradise. But day hikes of any reasonable length are hard to come by; the area is known as a…