Category Parks

Yosemite Valley

Braving traffic to see Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Most pictures that you see of Yosemite are of and from the Yosemite Valley. This haven in the Sierra Mountains is flanked by El Capitan, Half Dome, and numerous other dramatic monoliths. It's no surprise that everyone wants to come here. But I do mean EVERYONE. Even in the fall, as we were, driving through Yosemite Valley is one extended traffic jam. Finding a parking spot is borderline Sisyphean. When we finally found a parking lot with space, we either walked or rode the bus. It's a beautiful place but the crowds are overwhelming.

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Sunrise Hiking

A sunrise hike of Bryce Canyon National Park from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point along the Queens Garden and Navajo Loop trails.

It's 5am and I lie in bed contemplating sleep. It would be so nice, but it seems to be avoiding me. To my right, Chris stirs.⁠ "Can't sleep?"⁠ Part of it is the sleeping. ⁠Part of it is the opportunity.⁠ We are parked right outside of Bryce National Park. The sun will be coming up in an hour or so. We have time to get there to see the sunrise. But it means facing the below freezing temperatures outside of our cozy bed. Even so, this very well may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.⁠ We are both tired, but even Chris doesn't grumble as we layer on ski pants, heavy coats, and dash for the truck cab. ⁠

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Lone Rock Campground

Beach camping along Lake Powel for off-road vehicles at Lone Rock Campground in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area just north of Page, Arizona.

Lone rock campground on Lake Powell is listed as a primitive campground. But primitive campgrounds don’t have running water in my book. Lone Rock does. Granted, even primitive campgrounds tend to have fire rings and solid, if unpaved, roads. Lone Rock does not. That is because Lone Rock is a beach campground and anyone that wants a scenic, lakeside site has to contend with loose sand.

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Shiprock

The Navajo people of Shiprock, New Mexico do not permit general access to this iconic site so we take a respectful shot from the highway.

Shiprock—Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings" or "winged rock" to the Navajo people—rises a dramatic 1,583 feet above the desert floor of North-Western New Mexico. These eroded remains of an ancient volcano are sacred the the Navajo who live in the area. While access to the peak itself is forbidden, the dramatic views of Shiprock make it worth a visit.

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Andrews Glacier Trail

Hiking Andrews Glacier Trail and other Bear Lake Corridor Trails in Rocky Mountain National Park

Andrews Glacier Trail is a 9.3-mile in-out hike in the Bear Lake Area of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is one of a series of iconic hikes sprouting from the core Glacier Gorge loop. The hike itself is considered so minor among the group that, in a list of 17 Bear Lake Corridor Trails, it isn't even listed. But, that's part of the reason we chose the trail. Because when everything is as awe inspiring as Rocky Mountain National Park, the popular trails are clogged with traffic and the lesser trails—only lesser in the most relative of senses—are practically empty.

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Old Fall River Road

1970 Avion C11 Truck Camper on Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountains National Park

Rocky Mountains National Park’s Old Fall River Road traverses 11 scenic miles from the valley floor to alpine heights. Built back in 1920, this road was early visitors automobile introduction to Rock Mountain National Park. Since its creation, the paved Trail Ridge Road has become the parks main thoroughfare. Yet, Old Fall River Road remains a scenic back road through the park, bypassing much of the congestion and chaos of the popular paved alternative.

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