Colorado Hikes: Rattlesnake Gulch Trail

When our Asheville-based friends let me know they were spending spring break in Colorado this year, we decided to add a stop in Boulder to the end of our California/Nevada road trip so we could spend a day with them. While they are avid hikers, it is not their daughter's favorite activity so we chose …

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Two Days in Kings Canyon National Park, California

After several fun and busy days in Sequoia National Park, we drove the Generals Highway north into Kings Canyon National Park for a couple additional days of time outdoors. While Sequoia and Kings Canyon are technically two separate parks, they operate as one unit so it made perfect sense to explore both during our visit. …

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Three Days in Sequoia National Park, California

We recently crossed off our final California national parks by spending several days in both Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. We began our time in Sequoia National Park and stayed in Three Rivers near the park's south entrance so we could make the most of our three days. The location was great …

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One Day in Death Valley National Park

When Brian visited Death Valley National Park 20+ years ago on his motorcycle, he remembered driving through it as quickly as possible to beat the heat. Happily our late March visit via car allowed us a more leisurely pace, although the 98 degree highs did have us wrapping up our hikes by mid-day. I underestimated …

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South Dakota Hikes: Badlands Saddle Pass Loop

I feel incredibly lucky to live an hour from Badlands National Park, which gives us the opportunity to quickly take advantage of breaks in the weather to explore this beautiful area. Such was the case last week when our January temperatures rose into the upper 50 F / 10 C for a few days. Although …

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Touring Jewel Cave National Monument

As we continue to explore things to do around our new home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, it's clear we have a lot to learn about caving! We took a guided tour within Wind Cave National Park a couple years ago that introduced us to the expansive cave networks under the hills and …

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Wyoming Hikes: Red Beds Trail

It's been a few years since Brian and I visited Devils Tower National Monument. On previous trips we primarily spent our time at the visitor center so this visit we wanted to focus our time on hiking. While many people opt for the short and relatively accessible Tower Trail that winds around the base of …

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