Our last hike in Canyonlands National Park would be one to remember. We only had the morning, since we planned to drive to Grand Junction, CO that afternoon. Our trail was a 1.6 mile out and back to False Kiva, an archaeological site tucked away in an alcove. It turned out to be our favorite hike (so far) in the Island in the Sky District. A kiva is a large, circular, underground room. They were used by the Puebloans, the…
One trail we wanted to hike in Canyonlands National Park was the Syncline Loop. It’s an 8.3 mile route that surrounds Upheaval Dome in the Island in the Sky District. The trail is long and difficult, so unfortunately we didn’t have the time to do the hike. Instead, we decided to do Upheaval Dome Trail, a short 1.6 mile out and back hike. The path goes to two overlooks with views of Upheaval Dome. We hoped it would give us…
A butte is a striking rock formation, defined as an isolated steep hill with often vertical sides and a flat top. It was time for us to hike to one in Canyonlands National Park. Aztec Butte is a 1.6-mile out and back that leads to the top of a butte, with a side trail to see some Puebloan ruins. We were particularly looking forward to the archeological features of the area. The drive to the Aztec Butte trailhead was only…
After setting up our tent at Willow Flat Campground in Canyonlands National Park, it was time to go hiking! We were in Island in the Sky, the most easily accessible district of the park. The two closest hikes to the campground are Mesa Arch and Aztec Butte. We planned to hike both, and we started with Mesa Arch Trail. If you’ve ever seen a photo of Canyonlands, odds are it was of Mesa Arch. It’s one of the most photographed…
After exploring Arches National Park for five days and hiking the majority of its trails, it was time to hit the road and head to Canyonlands National Park. There are three main districts: Island in the Sky, Needles, and the Maze. With only a couple days, we decided to focus on Island in the Sky, the most easily accessible. There is one campground in the district: Willow Flat Campground (also referred to as Island in the Sky Campground, but that’s…
Our trip to Arches National Park was an adventure. We’ve captured our favorite hikes, dislikes, what we wished we had done, and other tips. We also provide information about visitation statistics and weather which are important considerations when visiting any national park. Here are our takeaways – we hope you can use it as a planning guide for your trip to Arches. Overview Arches National Park, located in eastern Utah near the town of Moab, was established to protect the…
Spring is a great time to go for a hike and see wildflowers in Shenandoah National Park. This time, we decided on a hike to Rapidan Camp in the Central District. The camp was a summer getaway for President Herbert Hoover between 1929 and 1933. It is also important as it helped initiate the construction of Skyline Drive. In 1933, the Hoovers donated the land to Shenandoah National Park. It was later used as both a boy scout camp and…
Our trip to Crater Lake National Park was an adventure. We’ve captured our favorite hikes, dislikes, what we wished we had done, and other tips. Here are our takeaways – we hope you can use it as a planning guide for your visit to Crater Lake. We also provide information about weather and visitation statistics to consider when planning any trip. Overview A little known fact: Crater Lake is the fifth oldest national park in the United States. It was…
Crater Lake National Park was at the top of Kristin’s bucket list for a long time. We started planning a visit, and decided to include Redwood National Park, since it’s relatively close. And we ended up enjoying Redwood more in many ways. Redwood is unique because it’s not just a national park – it also includes three California State Parks: Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Prairie Creek. Managed collectively, they’re known as “Redwood National and State Parks.” The primary mission of…
Rose River in Shenandoah National Park has been on our to-do list for awhile. Several attempts in the past floundered due to laziness or something coming up at the last minute. We’d made it to Mathews Arm Campground for the weekend, so we took the opportunity to finally hike Rose River Loop. The hike is located off Skyline Drive in Shenandoah’s Central District, across from Big Meadows Campground. We decided to make a 5.1 mile loop that included Dark Hollow Falls.