[Montrose, CO, July 23, 2022] This trip began with a half marathon we had signed up for just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. There are 3 other national parks in Colorado, so I was really struggling to decide which way to extend this trip. Since I wanted to see some of the classic mountain towns in Colorado, I eventually settled on a clockwise loop via Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Aspen and… Read More
I lived in Virginia in the early 2000s and never made it to the only national park in that state. I was excited to finally make it to Shenandoah earlier this year. With only 1 day to spend in the park, I wanted to make the most out of it. This post will help you do just that. How to Get There Shenandoah is over 100 miles long. Skyline Drive runs the… Read More
How to Get There Capitol Reef is located in south-central Utah, in the heart of red rock country. If you’re visiting this park on its own (like I did), the closest major airport is Salt Lake City, about 3.5 hrs away. You can also add it to a Zion/Bryce itinerary (Bryce is only 2 hrs away) or an Arches/Canyonlands itinerary (Canyonlands is only 2.5 hrs away). Technically, this is a 3.5 day… Read More
[Capitol Reef National Park and Hankville, UT – Mar 26, 2022] For my second day in the park, I rearranged my hikes a bit based on info I got from the ranger at the visitor center the day before. A big part of my schedule hinged on getting to Gifford Homestead around 9 am when they opened. I intended to have their pies for breakfast! I also wanted to get their cinnamon… Read More
Big Bend National Park is in southwest Texas and includes the entire Chisos mountain range and a large swath of the Chihuahuan Desert. Due to the remote nature of Big Bend, two of the days are travel days and two of the days are fully spent in the park. Fear not, the two travel days allow you to explore plenty of things along the way! Should you have more time, consider adding… Read More