Nairn Falls, Nairn Falls Provincial Park, September 2025 Situated along the Green River, Nairn Falls is a popular destination between Whistler and Pemberton, British Columbia, notable for its frothy, multi-tiered drop through a narrow gorge. Nairn Falls Provincial Park is easily accessible from the Sea to Sky Highway (Route 99), though the parking area fills …
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Lagoon Trail, Briones Regional Park, January 2020 Note: This is part of a multi-post series chronicling the many possible day hikes in the East Bay’s Briones Regional Park, a 1,600-acre tract nestled east of the Berkeley Hills, west of Mount Diablo, and south of Martinez and Carquinez Strait. I tackled these hikes over the course …
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Notch Trail, Badlands National Park, August 2024 A more challenging alternative to the adjacent Door and Window Trails, the Notch Trail in eastern Badlands National Park features a fun slot and ladder section and a sweeping southward view across the White River Valley to Interior, South Dakota. The ladder is sturdy but not for the …
Door Trail, Badlands National Park, August 2024 One of a trio of short trails starting from the same parking lot in eastern Badlands National Park, the Door Trail veers gently through a break in the Badlands Wall. After a wheelchair-accessible overlook, a more rugged path continues onward amidst the wild ravines, hoodoos, and outcrops, culminating …
Centennial Trail, Lookout Point Loop, Wind Cave National Park, August 2024 The main draw of Wind Cave National Park in western South Dakota, of course, lies underground. But when the caverns are closed (as they were in summer 2024), the primary attraction becomes the twisting canyons and vast prairies on the surface. This is not …
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Black Elk Peak, Black Elk Wilderness, Black Hills National Forest, August 2024 At 7,241 feet, Black Elk Peak is South Dakota’s highest point and the tallest peak in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain (formerly known as Harney Peak) was a sacred place for the native Lakota and tops a band …
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Cottonwood Creek Trail, BLM Lands (Wyoming), August 2024 After my afternoon in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, I went in search of a camping spot and settled on the modest (but free!) BLM campground at Cottonwood Creek, on the east side of Bighorn Lake. After sleeping amid the sagebrush, I ventured out in the morning …
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Barry's Island Trail, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, August 2024 Barry’s Island Trail, situated at the end of the paved road in Bighorn Canyon, was my third hike of the day and second in the park. I added a foray into the Medicine Creek/Davis Creek drainage, which was terrific but not recommended for those without …
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Rangers Delight Trail, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, August 2024 After the disappointing failed trek up to Pine Creek Lake, yours truly was in a bit of a rotten mood, but spirits were lifted after reaching Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, a charming and uncrowded park on the Montana-Wyoming border. Here I did a couple …
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Bunsen Peak Trail, Yellowstone National Park, August 2024 Heading south and east from the Bitterroot Range, I spent the night at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park and then--in a rather spontaneous move--set out for a day in Yellowstone, America’s first national park. The park, of course, is massive, so I bit off only a …
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Live and Let Hike 