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 …
Continue reading Cottonwood Creek Trail to Melody Falls (Bureau of Land Management, WY)
Pine Creek Falls, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, August 2024 The real reason for my foray into Yellowstone National Park the previous day was to eventually end up at Pine Creek Campground in the Absaroka Mountains. Here I planned to spend the hike and take on the challenging 9.5-mile hike to Pine Creek Lake the following morning. But …
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Wraith Falls, Yellowstone National Park, August 2024 After spending much of the afternoon on the nearby Bunsen Peak Loop, I had a little time left in the day for a short walk. After recharging at Mammoth Hot Springs, I ventured partway east on Grand Loop Road and settled on this brief jaunt. In a park …
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Upper Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park, August 2024 After a change of plans that required us to leave Glacier National Park a day early, we were left with only ½ day in the Two Medicine area, a lesser-visited alternative to very popular Many Glacier. Unlike in Many Glacier, we opted for the boat tour …
Continue reading Twin Falls & Upper Two Medicine Lake (Glacier National Park, MT)
Grinnell Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park, August 2024 Now on Day 9 of the cross-country excursion, we finally caught a break with the weather—a clear morning in the paradise of the Many Glacier section of Glacier National Park. It came with a catch, however—or two. For one, my hiking partner wasn’t feeling well enough to …
Continue reading Grinnell Glacier (Glacier National Park, MT)
Wahclella Falls, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, August 2024 On the morning of day six of the cross-country trip, we were still in northern Oregon an popped in for a short hike in the Columbia River Gorge before tracking eastward… Not to be confused with nearby Wahkeena Falls, the stem-and-loop hike described here features …
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Wiesendanger Falls, Wahkeena - Multnomah Falls Loop, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, July 2024 After three days on the Oregon coast, day five of the cross-country adventure brought us to Portland, Oregon—where we happened upon the annual convention of the National Parks Travelers Club—and ventured out on some hikes in the nearby Columbia River …
Continue reading Wahkeena – Multnomah Falls Loop (Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, OR)
Mist Falls, Kings Canyon National Park, July 2024 Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia’s adjacent sister park to the north, boasts skyscraping mountains, majestic granite formations, serene valleys, and spectacular wilderness best explored on a multi-day backpacking trip (such as the Deadman Canyon Loop, Rae Lakes Loop, or John Muir Trail). But for those without the …
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Tokopah Falls, Sequoia National Park, July 2024 Visitors to California’s Sequoia National Park come for the namesake trees but stay for the miles of epic, rolling granite (see, for example, my previous post on the Deadman Canyon Loop). Hikes into this granite wonderland tend to be long and strenuous, but one can get a short …
Continue reading Tokopah Falls Trail (Sequoia National Park, CA)
Thousand Island Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, August 2023 Rising prominently above California’s Mammoth Lakes area, the Ritter Range boasts a clutch of spectacular peaks and majestic alpine lakes best reached on a multi-day backpacking adventure. The largest of the lakes is Thousand Island Lake, set in a basin below iconic Banner Peak …
Live and Let Hike 