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…
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.…
Cape Perpetua: Where the Volcanos Met the Ocean
If you’re going to visit just one beach in Oregon, I highly recommend it be Cape Perpetua. Why? Well, it’s already overrun, so one more visitor (or ten more visitors) won’t make much difference. Second, you get bragging rights to…
Lava Mountain: No Trail, but Awesome Views!
I suppose any trip isn’t complete until we’ve been off-trail. On a recent trip to Wyoming, though, we did a bit more than just leaving the trail behind: we did a hike that was entirely without a trail. No signs,…
Table Mountain near Mt. Baker
Ok, so maybe you can’t do Ptarmigan Ridge. You’d love to see those views, but you just can’t make such a long hike, especially over permanent snow fields. Well, don’t despair. There are two trails that give you similar (if…
Free Soak in a Hot Spring: Hot Springs State Park, WY
Ever dreamed of swimming in a thermal hot spring? Feel that it’s just too expensive to go to one of the commercial thermal swimming areas? The answer to your dilemma can be found in central Wyoming at Hot Springs State…
The 5 Best Geysers in Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin
If you don’t visit anywhere else in Yellowstone National Park, go to the Upper Geyser Basin. The Basin has the highest concentration of geothermal features in the world, not to mention the famous Old Faithful Geyser, which faithfully erupts in…
Beacon Rock: A Maze of Railings & Catwalks!
In the Columbia Gorge is an awesome monolith, considered by some to be the largest in the world next to Gibraltar. Actually, it’s the remains of an old volcanic plug. From most vantage points up and down the Gorge, the…
Day-Use Volcano: Amboy Crater
The Amboy Crater in southern California is, according to the park service, not a unique feature. It’s simply a cinder cone in the middle of a lava field. And yet, it is rather interesting. For one thing, you get to…
Great Views of Devil’s Tower: Red Beds Trail
I’ve always wondered why you’d want to go to Devil’s Tower National Monument. After all, the best views are from a ways away from the tower—like, outside the park—right? You could just drive along the highway and get a great…