Maquoketa Caves Loop (Maquoketa Caves State Park, IA)

Natural Bridge, Maquoketa Caves State Park, August 2024 After nearly spending nearly three weeks out West, it was, alas, time to get on my way across the country to complete my move from the San Francisco area to Washington, DC. From South Dakota, I drove down to stay with a friend in Iowa City, Iowa …

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Natural Bridge Loop (Natural Bridge State Park, WI)

Natural Bridge, Natural Bridge State Park, July 2022 Nestled in the unassuming woods northeast of Leland, Wisconsin, a sandstone bridge some 35 feet long and 25 feet high constitutes the largest natural arch in the state. Just below the aperture is the impressive Raddatz rock shelter, named for the family who once owned the land …

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Wiregrass Canyon (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, UT)

Wiregrass Canyon, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, May 2021 Highly weathered and rimmed with chalky hoodoos, natural arches, and tafoni, Wiregrass Canyon is an intriguing side drainage in southern Utah’s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The relatively-accessible canyon eventually empties into Glen Canyon and (what’s left of) the reservoir at Lake Powell. Those wishing to …

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Natural Bridges (Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, OR)

Natural Bridges, Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, January 2021 As if the secret beaches, spectacular cliffside vistas, and crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean were not enough, Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor on the southern Oregon coast also boasts a number of natural bridges—iconic archways carved by the sea. The Natural Bridges viewpoint—at …

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Thunder Rock Cove Loop (Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, OR)

Thunder Rock Cove Loop, Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, January 2021 Southwest Oregon’s Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor features some of the finest stretches of shoreline on the Pacific coast of the United States, and the short-but-spectacular Thunder Rock Cove Loop traverses one of its most picturesque pockets. The brief circuit skirts towering …

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Natural Bridge (Death Valley National Park, CA)

California’s Death Valley National Park sports many natural archways, but there is none more prominent than the natural bridge in Natural Bridge Canyon, which slices through the Black Mountains south of Furnace Creek and Artists’ Drive. The natural bridge is easily accessible by way of a short trail, with roughly 80 feet in elevation gain. …

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Skull Cave (Lava Beds National Monument, CA)

Lava tubes, cavities in the earth once filled with flowing lava, are the principal attraction of northern California’s Lava Beds National Monument, which boasts the greatest concentration of them in the United States. Reaching as wide as 60 feet in diameter, Skull Cave is one of the area’s largest lava tubes and offers one of …

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Rock Bridge Trail (Red River Gorge Geological Area, KY)

Kentucky is not a state known for its hiking opportunities, per sé. But a trip through Kentucky’s Appalachians may surprise you with its natural beauty. Perhaps chief among the must-sees is the Red River Geological Area, a beautiful tract of land administered by Daniel Boone National Forest, situated around an hour east of Lexington. Judging …

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Capitol Gorge Trail, including the Tanks (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)

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 …

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