Timpanogos Cave, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, June 2022 Nestled high above American Fork Canyon in northern Utah’s Wasatch Range, three limestone caves—connected today by man-made tunnels—are the prime attractions of Timpanogos Cave National Monument, a popular park in the Salt Lake City/Provo area. Discovered around the turn of the 20th century, the three caves were …
Continue reading Timpanogos Cave Trail & Cave Tour (Timpanogos Cave National Monument, UT)
High Peaks Trail, Pinnacles National Park, March 2022 So jagged, sharp, and forbidding are the towering spires of central California’s Pinnacles National Park that there is no road able to bisect it, leaving visitors to drive up to the base of the breccia wonderland—and then hike the rest. The High Peaks area, easily the centerpiece …
Continue reading Juniper Canyon Trail to High Peaks Loop (Pinnacles National Park, CA)
Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, January 2022 Why settle for Twentynine Palms when you can see Fortynine? While the exact count is likely no longer quite right, Fortynine Palms Oasis is one of five desert fan palm oases in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. Here, secluded in a rugged canyon just south …
Continue reading Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail (Joshua Tree National Park, CA)
Rattlesnake Canyon, Joshua Tree National Park, January 2022 Rattlesnake Canyon in southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park is a rough-and-tumble, off-trail route that is well-known and advertised in Joshua Tree guidebooks—although perhaps it should not be. Despite its short length—the entirety of Rattlesnake Canyon upstream from the trailhead is less than two miles—the canyon floor …
Continue reading Rattlesnake Canyon (Joshua Tree National Park, CA)
Flatiron and Siphon Draw, Superstition Wilderness, January 2022 Described as “one of the state’s top ten hikes to experience” and one of the “best hikes near Phoenix,” Flatiron in Arizona’s Superstition Wilderness offers an exceptionally scenic vista, but most hikers will remember it for its challenging and unique ascent: a seemingly endless scramble, including one …
Continue reading Flatiron via Siphon Draw Trail (Superstition Wilderness, AZ)
King Canyon Trail, Saguaro National Park, January 2022 Wasson Peak (4,687') is the highest point in the Tucson Mountains, a small range of cactus-dotted heights situated just west of Arizona’s second largest city. Reaching the summit is one of the more popular hikes in Saguaro National Park’s Tucson Mountain District, but the nearly 8-mile loop …
Continue reading Wasson Peak Loop (Saguaro National Park, AZ)
Arch Canyon, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, January 2022 Stenocereus thurberi, or organ pipe cactus, is the primary draw of the park bearing its name. But visitors to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southwestern Arizona are also rewarded with sweeping views of rugged mountain landscapes, broad valleys, and a Sonoran desert ecosystem with plants …
Continue reading Arch Canyon (Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, AZ)
Scorpion Canyon Loop Trail, Channel Islands National Park, September 2021 Scorpion Canyon is a usually dry drainage that cuts through the northeastern section of Santa Cruz Island, the largest island in California’s Channel Islands National Park. This moderate-to-strenuous hike follows the lower reaches of the canyon before rising steeply to a landscape of high chapparal …
Continue reading Scorpion Canyon Loop Trail (Channel Islands National Park, CA)
Potato Harbor, Channel Islands National Park, September 2021 The largest island in California and most visited destination in Channel Islands National Park, Santa Cruz Island spans more than 61,000 acres in the Pacific Ocean. Sporting only a modest visitor center, campground, and kayak company—with no restaurants, stores, or other concessions—exploring Santa Cruz Island is a …
Continue reading Cavern Point – Potato Harbor Loop (Channel Islands National Park, CA)
John Muir Trail above Woods Creek Junction, Kings Canyon National Park, August 2021 Note: This is the third in a series of five posts describing the John Muir Trail (JMT), a scintillating, multi-week hike through California’s Sierra Nevada that extends more than 200 miles from Yosemite National Park in the north to Mount Whitney and …
Live and Let Hike 