Your friendly guide to national parks, road trips, and all things outdoors
There are affiliate links in here. Last year I got the National Geographic Secrets of the National Parks book. I didn't really look through it until I was home recently. When I was looking through it to get ready for our trip to Zion, I saw a hike I hadn't heard of before. That hike…
Over the last few years, I've visited Zion National Park quite a few times. I've been to the main area of the park and down Kolob Terrace Road, but I hadn't been to Kolob Canyons yet. I didn't actually realize it existed until a few months ago. Crazy, right? Well, this trip it was our…
As you know, I was just in Wisconsin for about a month for the holidays. I had all these plans to do all kinds of fun stuff in the area and then it was freezing cold, like below zero the majority of our time there. So all those cool things I wanted to do have…
Continue reading ➞ Hiking Canyon Overlook Trail In Zion National Park
Capitol Reef is one of my favorite national parks so far. It has tons of awesome hiking. It's super close to other awesome parks. It has delicious cinnamon rolls and ice cream. And it's highly overlooked. I just wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from my visits, my favorite posts from the park,…
Continue reading ➞ My 11 Favorite Pictures From Capitol Reef National Park + Tips For Visiting
Badlands National Park is awesome in the summer, but I wanted to see it in the winter, covered in snow. Now that I've seen (almost) all the parks between Utah and Wisconsin in the spring or summer, it's time to see them in the winter. Everything just looks so different with a layer of snow.…
Continue reading ➞ Badlands Below Zero: Tips For Visiting The Badlands In The Winter
There are affiliate links in here. As you all know, or in case you don't, I love visiting and exploring the national parks. There are some that get tons of love like Yellowstone, Zion, and Grand Canyon, but I want to share a little bit about some of the lesser visited parks I've been to…
I loved Congaree National Park. I may have even put it in my top five. That's a tough list to make, but I think it's up there. I loved seeing all the bugs and other critters. I love the cypress trees with their knobby knees. I loved the boardwalk trail. All of it! We only…
Ahh, I finally have my pictures from the Smokies ready and I've been so excited to share them, and there's a lot of them, so I decided to share the best of the fall colors all in one post. Don't worry, you'll see them again, I just wanted to share these together. After all, it…
Continue reading ➞ The Best Of The Fall Colors From Great Smoky Mountains National Park
It's been a goal now for the last couple years to visit five new national parks a year. So far, it's gone well! And in total, I've been to 19 out of 59. Not too shabby. I've also been a lot more into learning about the parks. The Switchback Kids podcast is one of my…
There are affiliate links in here. After a few days in the Carolinas, we finally made it to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The first night we just drove through from the Blueridge Parkway to Gatlinburg. At first, I wasn't super excited about it, but that changed the next day when we went in to…
Continue reading ➞ Three Hairy Bears In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
It's no secret I love exploring the National Parks in the US. I've learned a thing or two on those trips to know how to better use my time in the parks. It can be a little overwhelming knowing how to utilize your time most effectively without being super stressed while fighting the tourist hoards.…
Continue reading ➞ How To Make The Most Of A Trip To A National Park
The first day my parents were visiting we had a solid plan: take Burr Trail all the way to Burr Trail Grill in Boulder then go to Capitol Reef to see the Pioneer Register again (they hadn't seen it yet) and pick apples in the orchard at Capitol Reef, finally! I wanted to pick fruit…
This June we decided to go to Nevada. But, where in Nevada? Not Vegas, we knew that. Maybe Great Basin National Park. How far is that? It's only six hours? And we have three days off this week? Ok, Great Basin it is. A few pictures of alpine lakes and word of some of the…
Continue reading ➞ Bristlecones And Alpine Lakes In The Nevada Desert
There are affiliate links in here. I finally did it! I finally hiked The Narrows! See, this is a big deal for me because as most of you know (or are about to learn) I do not like water activities. I like being on water, but not in water. Very different things. I managed to avoid going into…