I know it’s kind of early to be thinking about Thanksgiving. I mean, we still have our holiday memories still lingering around in our heads. But, if I may, I wanted to plant a tiny seed, an idea to file away for the future. How about celebrating Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon with your family? … More How About Celebrating Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon?
I’m not sure how I’m going to convince you to go bike riding at the Grand Canyon, but I’m going to try. Because…I think if you can spend some time cruising along the rim trails while being regaled by the ever changing views, you will just love it like we did. On a bike you … More Biking the Grand Canyon Trails
After a night at Mojave National Preserve we were on our way to the Grand Canyon! The nice weather on our drive made us hopeful that the forecast was wrong and it would be beautiful and sunny when we arrived. Just when we started believing in Thanksgiving miracles, we saw them! The massive rain clouds that … More Grand Canyon National Park
A number of years ago, we accidentally discovered that the week before Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times to travel. We had made a trip to Arizona to visit family and as an afterthought we decided to visit the Grand Canyon. That trip has remained one of our most memorable and special national park trips simply … More Mojave National Preserve
Day 3 of our Lassen trip started out with us deciding to cut our Lassen trip short (just by a day). Although we were thoroughly enjoying our time in Lassen, the house move weighed on our minds. Before heading home, however, we were going to make the most of the day by taking a driving tour through the … More Driving Tour of Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park is truly a unique and awe-inspiring place worthy of National park status, yet the number of visitors to this park remains relatively low. Perhaps it’s due to the remote location of this park with no other famous attractions nearby, as well as the limited time the park is accessible. Although Lassen … More Lassen Volcanic National Park, Day 2
Location: Lassen Volcanic National Park Directions: 50 miles east of Redding on Hwy 44 (to the Northwest entrance of the park) Campground: Manzanita Lake campground (amenities included camp store, pay showers and laundry, kayak rentals), $24/night, reservable through recreation.gov 6 months in advance Fees: Park entry fee $20, Campground fee $24/night Date traveled: July 2016 … More Lassen Volcanic National Park, Day 1
I am not an expert on travel or national parks by any means, but having traveled around the holidays for the last 4 years, I wanted to share an observation that we made. That is, the days before the major holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, the parks are very sparse. Like ‘everyone is busy getting ready for the holidays so no one … More How to Navigate a National Park Visit During the Holidays
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California. Off of Canyon Road/Fortynine Palms Canyon Road via Hwy 62 Hike: Fortynine Palms Oasis hike, a hike to an oasis surrounded by palms (and back) Length: 3 miles, round trip Time: 2-3 hours Level: Moderate, no shade on trail (shade at oasis) Elevation change: 300 ft (300 ft climb … More Fortynine Palms Oasis Hike in Joshua Tree National Park
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California Campground: Indian Cove, at the end of Indian Cove Road off of Hwy 62 Campground ammenities: Pit toilets, water available at Indian Cove Ranger station 2 miles from campground Campsite: # 73 Reservations: recreation.gov, 6 months in advance (Oct-May). No reservations during summer months (first come, first serve) Campsite … More Joshua Tree National Park
Location: Yosemite National Park, California (Yosemite Valley) Bike trail length: 8 mile loop through Yosemite Valley from Yosemite Lodge at the Falls to Mirror Lake and back. (The Yosemite NPS site says there are over 12 miles of bike trails in Yosemite) Time: 1-3 hours depending on the number of stops Season: Spring My absolute, all-time favorite … More Yosemite Valley Bike Ride in the Spring
Location: Pinnacles National Park, California Hike: Loop trail through Bear Gulch and High Peaks (Moses Spring Trail to Bear Gulch Cave Trail to Rim Trail to High Peaks trail to Condor Gulch Trail then back to the Bear Gulch parking lot) Distance: 6.1 miles (6.5 miles if you add exploring trail off shoots) Duration: 5 … More Hiking Pinnacles National Park
Location: Pinnacles National Park Directions: east side entrance – off of Hwy 146 via Hwy 25 (32 miles south of Hollister, CA and 29 miles northeast of King City, CA) Campground: Pinnacles campground, $23/night, open year round Park entrance fee: $15 Date of visit: April 2016 With three days of rain in the forecast, we left … More Springtime in Pinnacles National Park
Day 4: Exploring the area south of Furnace Creek Location: Death Valley National Park Points of Interest: Artist’s Drive, Golden Canyon, Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point Hike: Golden Canyon (1 mile, one-way, up to Red Cathedral Junction, start at Golden Canyon parking area) Lodging: Furnace Creek Inn Trip Date: December 2015 Final part of the Death … More Death Valley (and Star Wars) in December, part 4
Day 3: Mesquite Springs campground to Furnace Creek Inn Location: Death Valley National Park Points of Interest: Mesquite Springs campground, Mesquite Sand Dunes Campground: Mesquite Springs Campground, $12/night, first come first serve Hike: Mesquite Sand Dunes to highest dune (about 1 mile, one way) Lodging: Furnace Creek Inn Trip Date: December 2015 When I told … More Death Valley in December (Christmas Eve), part 3
