Transept Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, May 2021 At the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, much of the visiting population spends the bulk of their time in the narrow wedge of land that includes the campground, Visitor Center, and Grand Canyon Lodge. Surrounding on three sides by precipitous drop-offs to the canyon below, this area boasts …
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Bright Angel Point Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, May 2021 Arizona’s magnificent Grand Canyon National Park has a lot going for it, although perhaps creative naming conventions is not one of them. One of the most ubiquitous names for various features in the park is “Bright Angel”: south of the Colorado River, the popular Bright …
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Point Imperial, Grand Canyon National Park, May 2021 The deep incisions and multihued colors of northern Arizona’s Grand Canyon have captivated visitors for thousands of years, inviting spectators to reflect on their smallness in the midst of such massive grandeur. Today Grand Canyon National Park receives more than 5 to 6 million visitors each year, …
Buckskin Gulch, Paria Canyon - Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, May 2021 Stretching for more than a dozen miles through south-central Utah, the dark, undulating narrows of Buckskin Gulch are a sight to behold, a wonder of the American Southwest. Considered to be the longest slot canyon in the world, Buckskin Gulch is part of the Paria …
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Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, Yosemite National Park, April 2021 At 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America* and an iconic destination in California’s Yosemite National Park. The entire height from base to crest can be tackled via the very strenuous Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, one of the most challenging day hikes …
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Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, April 2021 At 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls is widely heralded as the tallest waterfall in North America* and an iconic destination in California’s Yosemite National Park. During its high-water season in spring, the roar of the two-tiered falls can be heard across Yosemite Valley, while hikers in close vicinity …
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Carlon Falls Trail, Yosemite National Park, April 2021 Starting just outside Yosemite National Park, the Carlon Falls Trail is off the usual tourist track but features a lovely, 30-foot waterfall along the South Fork of the Tuolumne River. Mostly level as it hugs the north banks of the river, the trail climbs abruptly near the …
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Merced Grove, Yosemite National Park, April 2021 While Mariposa Grove is the most spectacular of the bunch, Yosemite National Park also sports two other small groves of giant sequoias, the world’s largest trees. Tuolumne Grove near Crane Flat receives a steady stream of visitors, but the lesser-visited Merced Grove is arguably more impressive. To reach …
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Tuolumne Grove, Yosemite National Park, April 2021 Giant sequoias, close cousins of coast redwoods, are the largest trees (by total volume) on earth and grow naturally only in 75 groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. Three such groves can be found in Yosemite National Park: Mariposa, Merced, and Tuolumne. Situated …
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Foresta Falls, Yosemite National Park, April 2021 It is a testament to the spectacular bounty of waterfalls in California’s Yosemite National Park that terrific Foresta Falls is routinely neglected by visitors in favor of even taller and higher-volume waterfalls nearby. In perhaps any other park, the 60-foot Foresta Falls would be a centerpiece, yet the …
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