We have zig-zagged across the country and, boy-oh-boy, do we have some gems to share! Browse campsites, off-road trails, scenic outlooks, oddities, museums, hiking trails, and more.
You have seen Horseshoe Bend before. Whether it was some friend's vacations pictures, a slick travel influencer on Instagram, or a poster, the 1,000-foot sheer sandstone walls and symmetrically looping river of Horseshoe Bend is immediately recognizable. It's also conveniently accessible.
Monument Valley is an incredibly popular film location but few vistas are more iconic than the Forrest Gump Point along Scenic U.S. Highway 163.
Muley Point is a mecca for boondockers, overlanders, and outdoor adventurers, hovering over the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Southern Utah.
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.
Just off Interstate 80, along the border of Michigan, in the town of Elkhart, Indiana is the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum. While, as the name suggests, this expansive, two story building features both Recreational Vehicles and Manufactured Homes, we came for the RVs. And, honestly that's all you need with such an extensive collection of unique campers, from grand progenitors of vehicular camping to custom rigs constructed for movie stars.
It's hard to miss the Archway Monument in Kearney, Nebraska. The archway spans over 300-feet, covering I-80 in the heart of Nebraska. It's perfect for that spur-of-the-moment decision that defines a road trip.
I don't need to tell you this, but I will. Because, years of exceptional schooling and life experience is not a panacea against occasional brain farts. So, when we arrive in Rocky Mountains National Park and encounter a very welcome discount for low octane fuel, we give it a try. The mistake is not immediately apparent. Our truck drives well for the next day. It isn't until we turn off the highway onto a forest road while searching for the night's camping site that we know something was wrong. The engine turns off mid turn. Fortunately, we are at the side of the road...this time.
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.
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.
Driving the Shafer Trail between Canyonlands National Park and Moab is absolutely hair raising. The descent from the park's visitors center to the canyon floor is a heart stopping collection of narrow switchbacks. Better yet, the narrow trail is flanked by a sheer, 1,000-foot cliff on one side and a rock wall on the other. And if that is not enough disincentive, there is little between you and a precipitous drop other than a few tenacious sage brush.