Browsed by
Tag: wildlife

Midagahara and Murodo on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Midagahara and Murodo on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Chubusangaku National Park

Comments 0 Comment

One of the top tourist attractions in the Japanese Alps is the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート). Located in northern Chubusangaku National Park (中部山岳国立公園, Chūbusangaku Kokuritsu Kōen), the route takes visitors on a journey through the mountains. The trip involves multiple modes of transportation such as bus, trolley, and cable car. Highlights of the Alpine Route include the snow corridor, hiking trails, the Midagahara wetlands, Kurobe Dam, volcanic features, and scenic views. Each stop along the route has its own personality…

Read More Read More

Exploring Kamikochi and Mount Yake

Exploring Kamikochi and Mount Yake

Chubusangaku National Park

Comments 0 Comment

While our misadventures in Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi were over, the rain from Typhoon Prapiroon continued. But it was time to head to Chubusangaku National Park (中部山岳国立公園, Chūbusangaku Kokuritsu Kōen). We’d be spending almost a full week exploring the park, which encompasses the Northern Japanese Alps, so there are many opportunities for hiking and backpacking. Our first hike would be to Mount Yake (焼岳, Yakedake), an active volcano, near the town of Kamikochi (上高地, Kamikōchi). Located in the southern part of…

Read More Read More

Chesler Park and Joint Loop Trail

Chesler Park and Joint Loop Trail

Canyonlands National Park

Comments 0 Comment

Time flies when you’re having fun, and sadly it was the last day of our trip to Canyonlands National Park. We had completed a 4-day backpacking adventure in Salt Creek Canyon, followed by a much needed one-day break. On our last full day in Utah, we decided to check out Chesler Park, a dayhike in the Needles District. We planned to hike the 10.2 mile lollipop loop called Chesler Park and Joint Loop Trail. It features spectacular views and a…

Read More Read More

Backpacking Salt Creek Canyon

Backpacking Salt Creek Canyon

Canyonlands National Park

Comments 4 comments

In 2018, we enjoyed exploring the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. But we wished we had been able to visit other areas of the park too. So, the following year, that’s what we did. After researching, we decided on a four day, three night backpacking trip through Salt Creek Canyon in the Needles District. Salt Creek Trail has a lot of draws and is located in one of the more remote areas of the Needles District….

Read More Read More

False Kiva Trail

False Kiva Trail

Canyonlands National Park

Comments 1 comment

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…

Read More Read More

Arches: Landscape Arch Closeup at Devils Garden
Devils Garden and Primitive Loop Trail

Devils Garden and Primitive Loop Trail

Arches National Park

Comments 2 comments

This is the big one – the longest maintained trail in Arches National Park. The one with the most arches. And the second-most crowded (beat only by Delicate Arch Trail). Devils Garden Trail is a full-day hike, and worth every minute. The featured arch on the hike is Landscape Arch, the longest in North America. There are also six other main arches, a large obelisk called Dark Angel, and a few other formations that aren’t as well advertised. The trail…

Read More Read More

Tower Arch Trail

Tower Arch Trail

Arches National Park

Comments 0 Comment

After getting set up at Devils Garden Campground and checking out the visitor center, we went on our first hike in Arches National Park. We chose Tower Arch Trail, in Klondike Bluffs, the northwest section of the park. The 2.5 mile trail is named after the titular Tower Arch at the end. Along the way is a well known rock formation called the Marching Men, which looks exactly like it sounds. Compared with most hikes in the park, this one…

Read More Read More

Backpacking White Rocks via Nicholson Hollow

Backpacking White Rocks via Nicholson Hollow

Shenandoah National Park

Comments 2 comments

We don’t go backpacking too often in the middle of summer (travels aside). But we had a free weekend, and we wanted to test out some new gear and get in shape for an upcoming trip to Glacier NP. So it was back to Shenandoah National Park for a quick one-nighter. Initially we wanted to hike Jeremy’s Run, one of our favorite backpacking routes in the park. In reading some trip reports, it seemed like the trail could be laden…

Read More Read More

Shenandoah: Chimney Rock View on Riprap Trail
Riprap and Wildcat Ridge Loop Trail

Riprap and Wildcat Ridge Loop Trail

Shenandoah National Park

Comments 0 Comment

Surprisingly, this was our first hike in the southern section of Shenandoah National Park. Before this, the furthest south we had travelled in the park was Bearfence Mountain. Most of the well known hikes are in the central and northern districts. And while we consider Shenandoah our “home park,” driving there from Northern Virginia can take a while. We spent a weekend at Big Meadows Lodge, and planned to hike Riprap and Wildcat Ridge Loop Trail, one of the most…

Read More Read More

Crater Lake: View from Garfield Peak Trail
Garfield Peak Trail

Garfield Peak Trail

Crater Lake National Park

Comments 0 Comment

On our final day in Crater Lake National Park, we checked out of Crater Lake Lodge, and simply walked to our trail. Garfield Peak Trail begins just off of Rim Village Drive adjacent to the lodge, though we wouldn’t reach the trailhead sign for 0.2 miles. With easy access from the lake’s south rim, the trail is convenient and popular. Garfield Peak was named after James Rudolph Garfield, who was Secretary of the Interior when the park was established in…

Read More Read More