Situated 27 miles up the unpaved Hartnet Road from Utah Highway 24, the Upper South Desert Overlook is a remote viewpoint in the northwest reaches of Capitol Reef National Park. For those completing the 60-mile Cathedral Valley loop drive, Upper South Desert is often the second or third stop (after quick jaunts to the Lower …
Continue reading Upper South Desert Overlook Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
The Waterpocket Fold, a massive wrinkle in the Earth visible in its entirety only from space, stretches north-south for nearly 100 miles through Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park. Despite its considerable length, however, this colorful sea of Jurassic and Triassic era rock is only sliced through in a handful of places. Fewer still, the number …
Continue reading Oak Creek Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
(Note: This is the third post in a series of three, highlighting four neighboring slot canyons—all within walking distance of the Dry Fork Trailhead in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The other two posts feature Peekaboo & Spooky slot canyons and the Dry Fork Narrows.) Each year, thousands of adventurers flock to beautiful Peekaboo and …
Continue reading Brimstone Gulch (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Though just a short walk from Peekaboo, Spooky, and Brimstone Gulch in Utah’s Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument, the Dry Fork Narrows are often overlooked. Situated at the base of the steep descent from the Dry Fork Trailhead, however, this ½-mile slot canyon is both easily accessible and easily navigable. Unlike its nearby cousins, the narrows …
Continue reading Dry Fork Narrows (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Less than 10 miles from the heart of Colorado Springs, it’s hard to beat the accessibility of central Colorado’s North Cheyenne Canyon Park (a.k.a. North Cheyenne Cañon Park). In fact, the 1,626-acre park is owned and managed by the city of Colorado Springs itself. The canyon cuts sharply into the evergreen-studded Front Range and boasts …
Continue reading Silver Cascade Falls Trail (North Cheyenne Canyon Park, CO)
The East Canyon Trail is the longest—and probably the least visited—trail in Colorado’s Castlewood Canyon State Park. The rugged path weaves east along slickrock rims from the Bridge Canyon Overlook, descends to the canyon bottom, and forms a short circuit around the East Canyon Preservation Area, which protects a variety of flora and fauna in …
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At 2,571 feet above sea level, California’s Mount Tamalpais (known affectionately by locals as “Mt. Tam”) offers splendid vistas of Marin Peninsula and the San Francisco Bay area, as well as Bolinas Bay and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Mount Tamalpais State Park—comprising far more than just the mountain’s three peaks—also boasts more than …
Continue reading Dipsea Trail – Steep Ravine Trail Loop (Mount Tamalpais State Park, CA)
Visible from just outside the Visitor Center, the cragged hunk of ochre-colored Wingate sandstone known as “the Castle” is one of Capitol Reef National Park’s iconic landmarks. The monument’s blocky façade—the only surface seen by the vast majority of visitors—disguises a far more rugged northern face, an eroded cluster of spindly fins and needles. An …
Continue reading The Castle Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
One of the principal advantages of hiking in Canyonlands National Park’s Needles District is the abundance of loop hikes. At 7.2 miles, the moderately strenuous Big Spring Canyon to Squaw Canyon loop is one of the shortest. While arguably not the most scintillating hike in the Needles (that distinction belongs to the jaw-dropping Chesler Park …
Continue reading Big Spring Canyon – Squaw Canyon Loop Trail (Canyonlands National Park, UT)
The 0.9-mile trail to Hickman Bridge is Capitol Reef National Park’s most popular hike, and it is easy to understand why. The trail is well-marked, well-maintained, and conveniently located (less than two miles from the Visitor Center) and features fantastic views of the Waterpocket Fold, as well as, of course, the majestic natural bridge itself. …
Continue reading Hickman Bridge Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Live and Let Hike 