The 5.5-mile ramble down Sulphur Creek Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park has been held dear by residents of Utah’s Wayne County for decades. Rising visitation to Capitol Reef—as well as the advent of the Internet—has led to a wider audience, and the popularity of this wet and beautiful hike has risen dramatically in recent …
Continue reading Sulphur Creek (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
The half-day out-and-back to Lower Calf Creek Falls is the most popular hike in the Escalante Canyons area, and with good reason. Not only does the colorful and beautifully-framed 126-foot chute make for a blissful destination, but the journey itself is an experience: the trail meanders through a fantastic stretch of canyon, complete with varying …
Continue reading Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Less frequented than its national park neighbors (e.g., Bryce Canyon, Zion, Capitol Reef), Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM)—managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—is an enormous, 1.9-million-acre maze of cliffs, sinuous slots, and sandstone canyons in the heart of southern Utah. The park’s most popular spot in the Escalante Canyons area is undoubtedly Lower …
Continue reading Upper Calf Creek Falls Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
It’s hard to say which part of central Colorado’s Castlewood Canyon State Park is better: the steep and narrow upper, eastern gorge – or the broader, deeper expanses of the western section. Why not try both? Hikers hoping to explore the canyon from end-to-end can embark on a roughly 6-mile, 3-hour figure-8 that combines five …
Continue reading Castlewood Canyon East-to-West Hike (Castlewood Canyon State Park, CO)
As visitors will know, the “hike” to Chasm Falls is not much of a hike at all. Rather, it is a pleasant place to quickly stretch your legs (and get your heart pumping on the return ascent) on the drive up lovely Old Fall River Road. At the bottom of the short trail, visitors can …
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While the views of Horseshoe Falls and lower Fall River Valley are undoubtedly pleasant, perhaps the most intriguing part of this short hike is the story behind it: the gut-wrenching Lawn Lake flood of 1982. On a seemingly auspicious morning in July of that year, the 26-foot high earthen dam spanning the Roaring River several …
Continue reading Alluvial Fan Trail (Rocky Mountain National Park, CO)
Ouzel Falls is a nice waterfall. But it is the 2.7-mile journey there that makes this hike spectacular. The Wild Basin district, much farther south than the Bear Lake area, is refreshing for its (relative) dearth of crowds, rushing cascades, and majestic views of Longs Peak and Mount Meeker to the north. Ambitious day hikers …
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Despite constituting the most popular hike in the park, what Alberta Falls lacks in solitude it compensates with beauty. Just 0.8 mi. up the trail, roaring Glacier Creek catapults 25 feet at the falls as it cuts through Glacier Gorge. A leisurely hiker can reach Alberta Falls in about 30-45 minutes, as the 220-foot ascent …
Continue reading Alberta Falls (Rocky Mountain National Park, CO)
Live and Let Hike 