During our recent weekend getaway to sunny Arizona, we spent some time in both the western and eastern sections of Saguaro National Park. Much of what I read online focused on the western side of the park / Tucson Mountain District. I think people prioritize that side because of the big cacti forests: While similar …
Continue reading Morning Hikes in Saguaro National Park’s East Side
After an incredible morning hiking to Seven Falls in the Sabino Canyon area, we made our way toward the west side / Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park. I had originally thought we'd spend the afternoon hiking in this area, but our long morning hike and a transition to cloudy skies had us altering …
Continue reading Exploring Saguaro National Park’s West Side
As we were outlining our 2021 travel plans, especially in the months before we were able to get vaccinated against COVID-19, we decided to once again prioritize visiting national parks and other sites where we could spend our time outdoors. This took us to: Joshua Tree National Park (California)Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)Montezuma Castle National …
The weather has been rainy and windy lately, but we decided we'd hit the trail this weekend anyway. If we wait for nice weather at this time of year, we'll never get outdoors! We pulled ourselves out of bed and set out for Mt. Rainier on Saturday morning in the pouring rain. We kept telling …
We spent Labor Day weekend driving from Fairbanks to Denali National Park and then onto Anchorage before flying back to Seattle. Although this added some expense - one-way rental cars are not cheap! - I'm glad we did it this way so we had the opportunity to experience both cities and the very different experiences …
Continue reading Things to Do In and Around Denali National Park
Our final morning in Denali National Park we decided to hike the Mt. Healy Overlook trail, a 5-mile, 1,700 feet of gain hike to a viewpoint at 3,500 feet. We added some mileage to our hike by starting the the Denali Visitor Center campus parking area and catching the Taiga Trail over to the Mt. …
Continue reading Hiking the Mt. Healy Overlook Trail in Denali National Park
When we booked our trip to Alaska to explore Denali National Park, we really wanted to go as far into the park as we could. We were visiting too early in September for the road lottery, where you can try to get permission to drive your personal vehicle beyond Savage River, so our only option …
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Heather's Compass 