canyonlands national park

The 5 National Park Hikes on My Bucket List

Yesterday I wrote about my 5 favorite National Park hikes that I have completed. It brought back a lot of great memories. If you missed it, check out these favorite hikes here.

Today I am writing about the Top 5 hikes I want to hike. Without further ado, here we go!

1) The Narrows in Zion National Park. This is a 16 mile hike literally in the Virgin River flowing through a slot canyon with walls as high as 1000 feet. It requires a permit to hike. I was able to get a taste of this a few years ago and have wanted to come back and hike the entire Narrows ever since.

2) Cascade Pass in North Cascades National Park. I’ve wanted to hike in this National Park ever since seeing it out of an airplane window. Cascade Pass is a great day hike with panoramic views of peaks and glaciers.

3) The Teton Crest Loop in Grand Teton National Park. This 30 odd mile hike would include some backcountry camping in the heart of the Grand Tetons. As beautiful as the Grand Tetons are from Jenny Lake, I bet it’s even more gorgeous up in the Tetons. This trail requires a permit.

4) The Peekaboo Trail in Canyonlands National Park. From Grand View Point in the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands, I was able to gaze into the ruggedly beautiful Needles section and I’ve wanted to go there ever since. Bonus is this 10 mile trail through classic Canyonlands landscape is only accessible by 4 wheel drive!

5) Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Possible the most iconic and photographed hike in the National Park System. It’s also dangerous and incredibly difficult. I keep telling myself it can’t be scarier than Angels Landing, but I think it may be. 14.2 miles via the Mist Trail and all those famous waterfalls and then up those steel cables to the summit of half dome. This one requires a permit also.

One thing that makes it difficult to get these hikes all done is that most of them are only open in the summer and require a difficult to obtain permit. The limited hiking season (and limited vacation time) means it will take a few more years for me to hike all of these.

I’d love to hear what National Park hikes are your favorites or are at the top of your bucket list. Let me know in the comments. Thanks! rk

Ten Reasons to Visit Southern Utah in 2018

Southern Utah is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Southern Utah is home to five National Parks along with multiple National Monuments and State Parks. Here are ten reasons to go visit Southern Utah in 2018.

#1: Arches – Utah has the greatest concentration of arches in the world. It even has a National Park named after Arches.

#2: Hoodoos – Hoodoos are skinny spires of rock. You can see a bunch of them at Bryce Canyon.

#3: Canyons – Canyons are beautiful. Canyoneering through them is great fun. The Narrows in Zion National Park is a great one to start with.

#4: Hiking – There are thousands of miles of trails in southern Utah through the desert, canyons, and mountains. Angels Landing in Zion National Park is recognized as one of the most thrilling in the country.

#5: Stargazing – The dark skies of southern Utah are perfect for seeing the Milky Way.

#6: Riding the Rocks – Whether rock crawling in a Jeep or biking on the slick rock around Moab, you can get your adrenaline rush in southern Utah.

#7: Exploring History — Canyonlands National Park is a great place to see Dinosaur Fossils and Petroglyphs.

#8: Lake Powell – Boating through the lake to see remote arches and flooded canyons is a ton of fun.

#9: Orchards – The orchards of Capitol Reef National Park have 3100 trees of dozens of varieties. It’s free to pick and eat as well!

#10: Backcountry camping – Some parts of Canyonlands National Park and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument are days away from civilization. It’s a great place to get away from civilization.

The Seven Natural Wonders of the Continental United States

Everyone has heard of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, right? I thought it would be interesting to look at the Seven Natural Wonders of the United States. Since I haven’t made it to Alaska or Hawaii yet, I will narrow this down to the Seven Natural Wonders of the Continental United States. Each of these places is magnificent and has been protected by our National Park System

Crater Lake – Crater Lake, located in Oregon, is the deepest lake in the United States with a depth of 1949 feet. When measured by average depth, Crater Lake is the deepest in this hemisphere and 3rd deepest in the world. Crater Lake was formed when a volcanic caldera filled with water over hundreds of years. This lake is also known for its extreme water clarity.

Crater Lake (photo credit to guest photographer and friend, Katie)

The Everglades – The Everglades are the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Covering 1.5 million acres in southern Florida, this area is also known as a river of grass. The Everglades used to consist of over 3 million acres before much of the area was drained for farmland in the early 1900’s. This area is home to alligators, manatees, and the Florida Panther.

The Giant Sequoias and Redwoods – These enormous trees in California are the tallest and largest trees in the world. These two species are closely related. The Redwoods can reach heights of 375 feet and diameters of 25 feet. The Giant Sequoias can reach heights of 275 feet and diameters of 30 feet. These trees truely must be seen to be believed.

Redwood trees in Muir Woods 15 minutes north of San Francisco

The Geothermal Features of Yellowstone – Located in northwest Wyoming, Yellowstone is an unearthly place. The first explorers of the area brought back tales of exploding geysers, colorful pools of hot and poisonous water, and boiling mud that were not believed. We now know that this area sits upon a super volcano that will one day destroy much of North America when it erupts again. In the meantime, it is a beautiful and mesmerizing place to visit.

Hot spring in Yellowstone National Park

Death Valley – The commonly held image of Death Valley is of a swelteringly hot wasteland. While it is true summer temps here can top out at 130*F, there is a lot to be amazed at here. Badwater Basin in the center of the park is a giant salt flat and at 282 feet below sea level is the lowest point in North America. Telescope Peak rises directly behind Badwater Basin to a height of 11043 feet. The only population of the rarest fish in the world exists in Death Valley. There are less than 200 Devil’s Hole Pupfish left.

Badwater Basin in Death Valley

The Arches of Utah – The highest concentration of rock arches in the world is in Utah. Arches National Park has over 2000 arches alone with thousands more spread out across southern Utah. Landscape Arch spans 290 feet. Rainbow Bridge boasts a height of 290 feet. Delicate Arch is arguably the most famous in the world.

Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park

The Grand Canyon – The Grand Canyon is the only member of this list that is also one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. It is located in northern Arizona and was carved over a millennia by the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon has a length of 277 miles, width up to 18 miles and a depth of 6093 feet. To appreciate the Grand Canyon in all of it’s glory you will want to hike or mule down to the Colorado River.

Sunrise at Mather Point in the Grand Canyon

The Ten Best National Park Gateway Towns:

The National Park gateway towns are more than just a place to grab a quick meal or a shower. Many of them have become full fledged tourist destinations of their own. Of course, as they become more hip and popular with tourists, they can lose some of the vibe that made them popular in the first place.

Any list like this is subjective of course. I have visits to several of these gateway towns scheduled in the next 60 days to possibly change my opinion and move up or down the list. Without further ado:

Honorable Mention) Key West FL: Key West is the jump off point to Dry Tortugas National Park. This town can get overwhelmed by partying tourists from the cruise ships that stop here.

10) Springdale UT: Located at the west entrance to Zion National Park, this small town is as beautiful as it is congested.

9) Gatlinburg TN: Gatlinburg is known for having the most pancake houses per capita almost as much as for being the gateway to ultra popular Smoky Mountains National Park.

8) Gardiner MT: Located at the north entrance to Yellowstone NP, near Mammoth Hot Springs. This small town feels more authentic and less tourist trap. I had some great pizza here once at Yellowstone Pizza Company.

The Roosevelt Arch as you leave Gardiner and enter Yellowstone NP

7) Williams AZ: This iconic Route 66 town is almost an hour to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. That’s a little farther than most on this list, but the Grand Canyon Railway runs daily from here to the Grand Canyon Village.

Williams AZ on a snowy day.

6) Port Angeles WA: This small seaside town is a great base to explore the massive Olympic National Park. Port Angeles also features a ferry to beautiful Victoria BC.

Olympic National Park Visitor Center near Port Angeles

5) Durango CO: This wild west town is the gateway to Mesa Verde National Park. The historic Main Street is a great place to explore.

4) Whitefish MT: Whitefish is the gateway to gorgeous Glacier National Park. Wander Main Street and visit the many coffee shops and enjoy the lively art scene.

3) Moab UT: Moab is not the gateway to one National Park, but two: Arches and Canyonlands. This small desert town on the Colorado River is popular with bikers and off-road jeep enthusiasts.

My son Grant near “Tow-Mater” in Moab

2) Jackson WY: Jackson is ideally located at the southern entrance to Grand Teton National Park. The town square with elk antler arches is a great photo op before dining in one of the many fine dining establishments.

An arch made of elk antlers in Jackson WY

1) Bar Harbor ME: This quintessential New England coastal town is the gateway to Acadia National Park. Combine fresh Maine lobster and the unique low tide trek to neighboring Bar Island for a great time. I love the vibe here.

Beautiful Bar Harbor as seen from Bar Island

Sunday Hikes: The Mesa Arch Trail

The Mesa Arch Trail in Canyonlands National Park is a nice easy loop trail that starts off the main road in the Island in the Sky portion of the park. Island in the Sky is a mesa with thousand foot cliffs on all sides. The views of the canyons that surround it are reminiscent of the Grand Canyon and possibly even more magnificent.

The trail itself is just .6 miles in length and well marked. I was able to hike this trail with several of my children right after sunrise. Supposedly there are bighorn sheep all over this park so we had our eyes out looking for them. Unfortunately, the hard to see bighorn still evaded us. At the far part of the loop we got to Mesa Arch just as the sun was rising behind it. We were able to get a picture of all us under the arch thanks to some other hikers. Mesa Arch is right on the cliff with a significant fall right behind it. Peeking through the arch down at the canyons below made our morning. We were able to quickly get back to the car and head on to the next overlook in this underrated park.

If you are in Southern Utah, don’t neglect visiting Canyonlands NP in favor of other more famous parks like Arches or Zion. Canyonlands is an amazing experience and I recommend this quick trail as well as the entire park.

I was able to spend a day in Canyonlands National Park near Moab UT recently (July 2016). Canyonlands is a massive National Park split into 3 main sections: Island in the Sky, the Needles, and the Maze. It would easily take a couple weeks to explore it all. With limited time, I decided to take in the Island in the Sky portion of the park.

Island in the Sky is amazingly beautiful and filled with those iconic views you think of when considering the Southwestern United States. Island in the Sky is a mesa overlooking 1000 foot drops in every direction surrounded by canyons and the Colorado and Green rivers. You can get a great overhead view of the Needles portion of the park on the other side of the Colorado river. Needles is full of colorful spires that reach into the sky beckoning you to come hike through. The Maze portion is far off and remote. The Maze is one of those places it takes a few days of backpacking to get to (no roads!).

When visiting Island in the Sky, make sure you leave your car and take the short hike to Mesa arch. It is gorgeous. I was able to catch it with the sun rising behind it. The trails over at Upheaval Dome and Whale Rock are a bit longer but also great hikes. Make sure you take in the overlooks at Grand Point and Green River. Both have those views where you just don’t want to blink in case you miss anything.

When leaving Island in the Sky, stop off a Dead Horse Point State Park near the entrance to Island in the Sky. It is an extra fee, but well worth it for the iconic view of the horseshoe curve in the Colorado River. The picture of me with my daughter linked to this post is actually from there. It looks more dangerous than it is! I promise.

A return trip here for hiking in the Needles section is definitely on the bucket list. I can’t wait to return.