Your friendly guide to national parks, road trips, and all things outdoors
Arches National Park is the first national park I ever visited way back in 2015 and it was my favorite for a while because of that. But then I started going to a lot of other parks and it fell lower in my ranking (but still fairly high, not top 5 though) because it was…
Continue reading ➞ Tower Arch Trail: The Second Best Trail In Arches National Park
I figured I might as well do my other Shenandoah post now, too, so today we're looking at all the things to do in Shenandoah besides hiking! There isn't as much as some of my other lists, a lot less short and easy walks, but there's still plenty to keep you busy. There are surprisingly…
Continue reading ➞ 12 Great Things To Do In Shenandoah National Park That Aren’t Hiking
Shenandoah National Park. One of the best national parks to visit in the fall, for sure. It helps that Skyline Drive (the scenic road in Shenandoah) is connected to the incredible Blue Ridge Parkway but even without that, it would be one of the best places to see leaves change in the US. I'm actually…
Continue reading ➞ Know Before You Go: Top Tips For Visiting Shenandoah National Park In The Fall
I've had seeing Mesa Verde in winter on my national park bucket list since I visited the park in 2017. And i sort of got to do that in December! I say sort of because we went for the Luminaria and it was just sort of snow-raining while we were at the top and we…
Continue reading ➞ Top Tips For Visiting Mesa Verde In Winter
The first few times I visited Canyonlands, I liked it but I didn't love it. But now, after finally getting to hike more than the Mesa Arch Trail, I love it. And while I wasn't usually limited to one day in Canyonlands, I know a lot of people are. So that's what were doing today:…
The main trail I wanted to do in Canyonlands during out week in Moab in December was the Murphy Point Trail. Sometimes called the Murphy Point Overlook. And now I think it's one of my favorite easy hikes in Utah. The meadow-y landscape We did the White Rim Overlook Trail before this and ended up…
Continue reading ➞ Murphy Point Trail: Probably My Favorite Hike In Canyonlands So Far
One of my goals in Utah was to do more in Canyonlands National Park. I still haven't done enough there but I finally did a couple more hikes, one of which is the White Rim Overlook Trail. I didn't really have plans to hike the White Rim Overlook Trail but we stopped at the parking…
Continue reading ➞ White Rim Overlook: Canyonlands Underrated Easy Hike To Incredible Canyon Views
I liked Death Valley, but I almost think I like it more just looking back at it? I enjoyed it when I was there but I also felt underwhelmed by it? It's weird. But I think of it more fondly now than I did there. Is there anywhere you just felt OK about while you…
Continue reading ➞ 40 Photos Of Death Valley That Will Convince You To Plan A Trip There Right Now
Saguaro National Park is amazing and the west side of it is the best. I love it. There are so many great hikes on the west side of Saguaro and you'll be able to do a lot of them. Today, I'm going to help you plan the best one day in Saguaro west possible. It's…
Continue reading ➞ West Is Best: How To Make The Most Of One Day In Saguaro West
It's been a while since I shared a not hiking post so I decided today is the perfect day to share my post about things to do in Joshua Tree besides hiking! I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting all that much to do in Joshua Tree other than hiking, but there is quite…
Continue reading ➞ 20 Awesome Things To Do In Joshua Tree That Aren’t Hiking
There are so many great stops on Bad Water Road and awesome things to see in Death Valley and it's super easy to get away from the crowds in the parts closer to Furnace Creek. We had just one full day in Death Valley and I knew there would be a lot of driving since…
Continue reading ➞ 7 Great Stops On Bad Water Road (+6 Other Awesome Things To See In Death Valley!)
Before my most recent trip to the Grand Canyon, I had been there twice and both times I was underwhelmed. Or maybe overwhelmed because I cannot fathom the size of the canyon. And I still can't fathom the size of the Grand Canyon but the view at the end of the Shoshone Point Trail really,…
Continue reading ➞ Shoshone Point Trail: The Grand Canyon Hike That Won Me Over
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