Category: National Parks
-
We took a road trip to Colorado and after staying at the historic Beaumont Hotel in Ouray, we made a quick stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on the way to Grand Lake Lodge and Rocky Mountain National Park. Grand Lake and Estes Park both border Rocky Mountain National Park as its…
-
We took a road trip to Colorado and after staying at the historic Beaumont Hotel in Ouray, we made a quick stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on the way to Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park. The Abyssal Threshold Traveling across the Uncompahgre Plateau presents a quiet, deceptive rhythm. Rolling…
-
We took a road trip to Colorado and after staying at the historic and haunted St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve was our first stop in Colorado. Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Geological Mechanics: The dune field covers over 30 square miles, with dunes reaching…
-
First, if you came here looking for my Top 20 photos, click on this link. This first blog is about the road trip and I promise all of those will be included in the blog series. Some are below. More to come. The Case for the Highway: 35,000 Feet vs. Ground Level Sure, a flight…
-
I’m not even sure about how to write about this day. Still, months later, I fail to put it into words. It is a day I’ll never forget. It was not simply standing in front of the Statue of Liberty, baking in the morning sun during a historic heatwave in Manhattan. It was an immersion…
-
If you want to experience the absolute full-scale majesty of Yosemite in a single day—and you have the raw endurance to survive 50,000 steps, 20+ miles, and 4,500+ vertical feet (ignore the AllTrails #s)—there is only one route to take. The legendary Grand Tour loop is a monster of a day hike that stitches together…
-
Aside from the grueling, high-altitude treks that push your legs to the absolute limit, there is a distinct kind of magic found simply in slowing down and wandering around Yosemite near the valley floor. When you step off the main trails and let yourself drift through the open meadows and quiet pine forests, the park…
-
There is a legendary status attached to the Half Dome cables. For years, I dreamed of taking the boys up that iconic granite curve. In 2021, we finally packed our gear, laced up our boots, and set out to conquer the most infamous day hike in the National Park system. Before we even dive into…
-
There is a distinct moment when you drop down from the mountain switchbacks onto the Yosemite Valley floor and the sheer scale of the granite walls hits you. Standing on the flat valley floor, looking up at the monumental faces of El Capitan and Half Dome, it is easy to see why this area is…
-
As I mentioned in our San Francisco to Yosemite road trip post: “Right as you need a break from the switchbacks, you hit Groveland. We pulled into Mountain Sage Coffee to stretch our legs and get properly caffeinated. It’s an earthy, eclectic spot (some might say a bit weird but we like weird) that perfectly…