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Hiking to Druid Arch – Canyonlands National Park, Utah
A few years back, we visited The Needles district of Canyonlands National Park for the first time. Unfortunately, with just one day there, we were forced to make a choice: hike all the shorter trails or hike one 11+ mile (17.7 km) trail. We opted for the former as it would allow us to see… Continue reading
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Hiking Devils Garden Loop – Arches National Park, Utah
One really nice thing about Arches National Park is that many of the arches are easily accessible. A couple can be seen from the road, and a handful of others can be reached via a short, relatively flat and easy walk. But way up in the northernmost reaches of the park is a trail to… Continue reading
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A comprehensive guide to Arches National Park
When I was a kid, there were a couple girls in my school whose families would head to Moab, Utah every single year for spring break. I never really understood the allure of returning to the same place over and over again when there are so many other things to see, but in retrospect that… Continue reading
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Hiking in Moab – Corona, Bowtie, and Pinto Arches
We weren’t able to get the full week of Thanksgiving off work this past year, so instead of our typical weeklong trip, we stayed closer to home, opting for a four-day weekend in Utah. We’ve been to Moab before – multiple times, in fact – but despite those previous visits, there were still three hikes… Continue reading
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A guide to visiting Yellowstone National Park in the winter
I’m in the process of doing a complete overhaul of my old Yellowstone National Park posts because, well, they’re old and in dire need of an update. Given my many visits to the park over the years, it’s a large undertaking. We’re also headed back to Yellowstone this coming summer, so I’m going to wait… Continue reading
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A winter snowcoach adventure in Yellowstone National Park
As mentioned in a couple previous posts, this past Christmas we eschewed traditional gift-giving in favor of travel. Specifically, an overnight trip into the heart of Yellowstone National Park. Despite visiting many times, a winter overnight was something we’d never done, largely due to the expense. Only the northernmost road in Yellowstone remains open to… Continue reading
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Snapshots from the sky: Colorado to Montana
I know I said a couple weeks ago that posts about our Thanksgiving roadtrip to Utah were upcoming – and they are – but I’ve decided to shake things up a bit and talk about our Christmas trip to Yellowstone National Park first. For the last few years, my family and I have repeatedly found… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Geneva Creek Iron Fens
Fall in Colorado has become a nightmare. From mid-September through early October, the Colorado mountains are painted with large swathes of yellow, interspersed with the occasional bursts of red and orange, as our many aspen groves and a handful of other trees and bushes begin to change color. It’s no New England autumn, but it’s… Continue reading
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A year in review: 2024
Everyone always says time moves faster as you get older, and I feel like I’m really starting to understand what that means. How is it possible another year is almost over? As I put this post together and look back over the past twelve months, I’m simultaneously enjoying reminiscing about our adventures but also wishing… Continue reading
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Colorado Bucket List: Pikes Peak Cog Railway
For people who live in Colorado, particularly those who hike regularly, I’m not necessarily sure this is a bucket list item. It wasn’t ever on ours. But for visitors, or for those who want to get up into the mountains but don’t have the means to do so via other methods, perhaps the Pikes Peak… Continue reading
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On Top of Utah: Kings Peak
Alternate post title: Finally. After being forced to cancel this trip at the last minute due to weather on two previous Labor Day weekends, I was approaching this year’s trip with the expectation of having to cancel again. But, as they say, third time is the charm! Kings Peak – elevation 13,528 ft (4123 m)… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Pawnee Pass
As you know if you’ve followed me for a while, my to-do list of Colorado hikes seems to constantly get longer rather than shorter. Some of these hikes in particular have been on my list for years and we’ve just never gotten around to them. So at the beginning of last summer, I made a… Continue reading
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Colorado Backpacking: Cascade Creek Trail to Mirror and Crater Lakes
First things first: there are a whole bunch of Crater Lakes in Colorado. This post is about the one on the west side of the Indian Peaks Wilderness near Lake Granby. For info on hiking to the Crater Lake near Aspen, see this post. For info on hiking to the Crater Lakes in the James… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Booth Lake
After two relatively calm summers in terms of wildfires, I’d forgotten just how much smoke could wreak havoc on hiking plans. Then, the Front Range had its driest start to summer in over 100 years and within 48 hours, multiple fires flared up in the foothills. In addition to forcing hundreds of people to evacuate,… Continue reading
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Colorado 14ers #15-16: Grays and Torreys Peaks
When we moved to Colorado, I made a rule that I was never waking up earlier than 4:00am to go hiking. Unfortunately, these two 14ers are so popular that if I was ever going to climb them, I might be forced to break that rule. It was one of those moments where I was forced… Continue reading
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Colorado State Parks: Rifle Falls and Rifle Gap
Last week, I wrote all about our weekend of peaches, hiking, and wine in Palisade, Colorado. The town is a decent distance west on I-70. We don’t head out this way too often, so we decided this was a good opportunity to make a stop along the way at a place that has been on… Continue reading
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A long weekend in Palisade, Colorado
This year, we didn’t have the vacation days to swing a two-week roadtrip, so instead we settled for a much more low key – but still fun – belated anniversary three-day weekend in Palisade, Colorado. Palisade is a small town on Colorado’s Western Slope, best known for its wineries and peach orchards. It’s a town… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Niwot Ridge
I’ve long since lost count of how many times my hiking plans have been thwarted by weather. After bailing on this hike once due to a high probability of – strangely – early morning thunderstorms, my friend and I were able to reschedule for a couple weeks later and, this time around, the weather cooperated.… Continue reading
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Visiting the lesser-known parks and monuments in the Four Corners area
As you’ve been reading about for the last month, this summer’s eight-day roadtrip took us on a loop from Colorado to northwestern New Mexico and then across the border into northeastern Arizona. The largest chunks of time were spent in the four parks and monuments I’ve already covered, but we also made a few shorter… Continue reading
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A driving tour of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona
If you’ve seen Forrest Gump, you’ve seen Monument Valley, at least from a distance. But seeing it onscreen isn’t the same as being there in person. And I’d wanted to visit Monument Valley in person for a really long time! From Canyon de Chelly, we headed north toward our final campground of the trip. Like… Continue reading
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