It must have come as a surprise to early pioneers in the area northwest of present-day Washington, DC—where the Potomac River is mostly calm, wide, and still—to find a sudden, powerful plunge impassable by boat. Owing to a geomorphologic break extending 900 miles along the Eastern Seaboard, Great Falls tumbles 76 feet in less than …
Continue reading Great Falls Overlooks (Great Falls Park, VA)
Most outdoor types in the Washington, DC area will know the famously rugged Billy Goat Trail on the Maryland side of Great Falls. Across the river, however, is an equally—if not more—scintillating loop hike around Virginia’s Great Falls Park, featuring stunning vistas of the namesake falls and Mather Gorge, as well as a lovely meander …
Continue reading Great Falls Loop, including Difficult Run Trail (Great Falls Park, VA)
Interstate 70, a principal artery for long-distance travelers across the United States, covers 2,153 and crosses nine state lines between Utah and Baltimore, Maryland—and most of the route, admittedly, is less than scintillating. After all, America’s mega-highways were built primarily for ease of travel, not to catch scenic views. There are a few spots where …
The mostly level and shady Capitol Gorge Trail continues up the narrow canyon where the scenic Capitol Gorge Road ends. A geological cousin of nearby Grand Wash, Capitol Gorge also played a central role in the area’s human history. For nearly 80 years, despite its extreme narrows, the canyon was the only reliable transit point …
Continue reading Capitol Gorge Trail, including the Tanks (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Some places have great stories, and popular hiking destination Cohab Canyon in Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park is exactly one of those places. For the Mormon faith’s remaining polygamists in Utah, the late 1800s were a trying time: the state had just consented to the Edmunds Act, which bans the practice. Federal law enforcement officials …
Continue reading Cohab Canyon 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)
(Note: This is the first 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 nearby Brimstone Gulch and the Dry Fork Narrows.) In the American Southwest, slot canyons are, simply put, an addiction. So …
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)
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