Posts Tagged ‘Hiking’

March18

5 Undervisited National Parks That Deserve Your Attention

By: JoAnna

It seems like just yesterday when we packed away the Christmas stockings and rang in the new year, but it honestly isn’t too early to start thinking about where you’re going to travel for your summer vacation. I am, of course, a strong believer in the good ol’ fashioned cross-country American road trip. If that’s your style of travel as well, check out these five undervisited national parks that deserve your attention as you trip from East Coast to West Coast and back.

5 Undervisited National Parks That Deserve Your AttentionDeath Valley National Park, California / Nevada

Though breath-catching hot in the summer, Death Valley is an expansive and impressive national park worth visiting. The lowest, driest and hottest place in North America is home to an amazing array of terrain, ranging from dry salt beds and sand dunes to peaks that top out at 11,049 feet. Visitors can check out many of the park’s sites within easy driving distance, but to get a feel for all the park has to offer venture off grid with a hike into some of the country’s most unusual landscapes.

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March15

Hiking in Virgin Islands National Park | St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

By: JoAnna

Hiking in Virgin Islands National Park | St. John, U.S. Virgin IslandsBefore our cruise ship docked at St. Thomas, we knew we wanted to escape the island. Of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas is known as the touristy one, cluttered with duty-free jewelry shops, kitschy markets selling t-shirts and lots of traffic.

No thank you.

So we hopped the first ferry over to St. John, where most of the land is protected as Virgin Islands National Park and a lot of the surrounding water is considered Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. The difference between St. Thomas and St. John was immediately obvious.

St. John is green and covered with trees, and the visitor’s center is just a couple minutes walk from the ferry station. There is a great round-trip, approximately 4-mile trail that leaves from the ranger station. We opted to go counter clockwise up the Caneel Hill Trail then down the Water Catchment Trail, along Honeymoon Beach and back to the ranger station via Lind Point Trail.

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Posted in: Do, Go12 comments

July28

Deciphering the Secret at Bryce Canyon

By: JoAnna

Deciphering the Secret at Bryce CanyonAt the Grand Canyon, you stand at the edge, peering into a gaping hole, the splendor of the canyon sweeping before you. At Badlands National Park, the unforgiving precipices exist as far as the eye can see. In Yosemite National Park, the waterfalls and cliff faces surround you.

When I travel to national parks, it is usually obvious why I’m supposed to be impressed. There is a moment of catching my breath, of blinking once again … just to make sure I’m seeing what is really in front of me.

Not so with Bryce Canyon National Park.

The afternoon we arrived in Bryce, we decided to drive to Rainbow Point, the southernmost area of the park accessible by car. I stood at the lookout, trying to be impressed. Okay … there were a few distinct rock formations with a funky orange color, but so what?

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Posted in: Contemplation, Go, Roads Scholars 200912 comments

July9

That Guy … or, My First Day in Yosemite Valley

By: JoAnna

(Note: This was written Thursday, July 2.)

That Guy ... or, My First Day in Yosemite ValleyWhen I first travel to a national park, I have little choice but to be That Guy. I don’t know the lay of the land, I am unfamiliar with the famous landmarks and I yearn to learn about the biggies that make a park worthy of national park designation.

Hence my day as That Guy in Yosemite Valley. An estimated four million people visit Yosemite National Park every year, and most of them squeeze into the approximately two percent of the park that makes up the Yosemite Valley. To say that Yosemite is too crowded is an understatement. The bad news is that being That Guy requires taking my place among those four million in that two percent worth of space.

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Posted in: Do, Go, Roads Scholars 20095 comments

July6

King’s Canyon: Worth Every Step

By: JoAnna

Kings Canyon: Worth Every StepKing’s Canyon National Park, California.

It’s a far cry from Yosemite National Park in the north and even Sequoia National Park to the south. If you want to experience it, you have to work for it. Traveling to national parks like these are nearly always worth the long and arduous trip.

The road into King’s Canyon is closed through the winter, and it’s easy to understand why. The narrow, winding road balances precariously on the steep banks of the Kings River as it snakes its way back into the far reaches of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

From our campsite in the General Grant’s Grove area, it took us nearly an hour to reach Road’s End. We passed a few lonely businesses — a cave, a gas station, something posing as a sorry little lodge — and only a few cars. Road’s End consists of a large parking lot of few cars, a lone ranger station, a number of backcountry hikers getting ready for long-term adventures and a handful of hard-core day hikers.

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Posted in: Go, Roads Scholars 20091 comments

June16

I Love Las Vegas: Ice Box Canyon at Red Rock Canyon

By: JoAnna

I Love Las Vegas: Ice Box Canyon at Red Rock CanyonGet out of Las Vegas with a moderately challenging hike in Ice Box Canyon at Red Rock. Hiking in Red Rock Canyon is a popular activity in Sin City, but you’ll need a car to get you there. Once you reach mile marker 8 on the 13-mile loop drive, though, you’ll need to rely on your legs to get you any further.

The Ice Box Canyon hiking trail begins innocently enough, with a few stray rocks cluttering the trail. The trail meanders here and there through desert scrub. Like many of Red Rock’s trails, it’s not always obvious where the trail is exactly, but follow the footprints left in the dirt and you should be okay.

This particular trail is popular with climbers, and you’ll soon see why.

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Posted in: Do, Go, I Love Las Vegas1 comments

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