Your friendly guide to national parks, road trips, and all things outdoors
On my first visit to Saguaro, I didn't get to do the Desert Discovery Nature Trail but I wanted to. So when I went with my parents in the fall, I made sure we did it. It actually worked out that there was only one car in the parking lot so we didn't have to…
Continue reading ➞ My Favorite Short Trail In Saguaro: Desert Discovery Nature Trail
I love Capitol Reef and I'll yell it from the mountain tops. It's my favorite Utah national park and I think it will be hard to change that. While I think I've done more in other parks, like Zion, Capitol Reef just has something special about it that I love and today I want to…
Continue reading ➞ 7 Reasons Visiting Capitol Reef National Park Is Worth It
The Signal Hill Trail is a great short hike to petroglyphs in Saguaro National Park's west side. I've done this one twice and it's actually I think my favorite view in the park. It's just a dirt path taking you down to and across a wash before heading up to the top of the hill.…
Continue reading ➞ Signal Hill Petroglyph Trail: Awesome Rock Art In Saguaro National Park
One of the most popular and best easy hikes in Saguaro west is the Valley View Overlook Trail. It's not my number one trail ever but I do enjoy it! It's great if you're looking for views in Saguaro and if you like cool plants. But also, the whole park is great for anyone that…
Lately, I'm learning to love slightly longer hikes but up until recently, I've stuck with hikes on the shorter side, like four miles or less. And today is all about those short hikes in Utah I love. While there are, of course, tons of other amazing short and easy hikes in Utah, I'm focusing on…
Continue reading ➞ 20 Short Hikes In Southern Utah Not To Miss Out On
I think I vaguely knew of the Hidden Valley trail in Joshua Tree before going, but didn't really remember it. When we got to the park and saw the Hidden Valley sign, though, I knew we had to do it. It's the perfect short hike to get to know Joshua Tree taking you into a…
Continue reading ➞ Hidden Valley Trail: Joshua Tree’s Best Easy Hike
I loved Joshua Tree. We really didn't even do that much there but I liked it a lot. We stayed in Twentynine Palms which has a park entrance (it's less busy if you want to avoid the west entrance crowds) but went in on the west side by the town of Joshua Tree. We stopped…
Continue reading ➞ Hike The Short But Sweet Creosote Trail In Joshua Tree National Park
Ok, so, this post is going to look very overwhelming. And it is a lot. But it's totally doable and worth having a long day for! This is how to spend one day in Petrified Forest National Park and everything that you can see in that day. And yes, you can do all of this…
Continue reading ➞ How To Spend One Day In Petrified Forest National Park
We're finally back with another things to do that aren't hiking post! This time it's all about Petrified Forest in Arizona. I've been here twice now, once in the spring and again in the fall and both visits were great. While there aren't tons and tons of things to do in Petrified Forest National Park…
Continue reading ➞ 9 Things To Do In Petrified Forest National Park Besides Hiking
Catstair Canyon is a strange little hike. It's a short hike to stacked cars by Lake Powell, right on the side of Highway 89. I drove over this so many times last year and had no idea this existed. Wait, cars stacked under the highway? Yes. These were initially put here when the highway was…
Continue reading ➞ Catstair Canyon: Hike To Stacked Cars Near Lake Powell
I've wanted to hike to the Kanab dinosaur tracks since I found out about them last year. It's a short hike but we just never stopped for it. When my parents came to visit, I figured we'd try and squeeze it in, and we did! And boy was it something. I had absolutely no idea…
Continue reading ➞ Kanab Dinosaur Tracks: A Pretty OK Hike In Kanab, Utah
One of the places I knew I wanted to go on the little road trip with my parents was Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea. I didn't know a whole lot about it and what I thought was wrong. I thought it was an abandoned town, basically, and it sort of is but also isn't.…
Continue reading ➞ Bombay Beach: A Toxic Wasteland And Unique Art Community
The last thing I did at Petrified Forest on both visits is hiking the Agate House and Long Logs loop trail by the Painted Desert Museum. My friend Michelle from Head Along With Heart posted about this over the winter last year and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to see…
One of the most popular hikes in Petrified Forest National Park is the Crystal Forest trail. It's a short, easy hike with plenty of opportunity to see some impressive petrified logs. They're not as impressive as the Long Logs trail, but it's still a great hike. In my two visits to the park, I've actually…
Continue reading ➞ Crystal Forest Loop Vs. Jasper Forest At Petrified Forest National Park