If you’re like me, when you think of Colorado, you think of mountains. Your first thought probably isn’t about red rock plateaus and canyons. Those are some of the main features at Colorado National Monument, located just outside Grand Junction in western Colorado. During our visit to the park, we drove the scenic route through…
Pikes Peak is known as “America’s Mountain”. It is one of Colorado’s 14ers (14,000+ feet in elevation). For us, a trip up Pikes Peak is a must-do if we’re in the Colorado Springs area. We’ve driven to the top multiple times. We’ve also taken the Cog Railway to the top on multiple occasions. Both are…
We added a short drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to our visit to Shenandoah National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway begins at the southern entrance to Shenandoah. We drove out of the park on Skyline Drive and continued directly onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. We happened to come across the Humpback Rocks trailhead on Google…
On our visit to Shenandoah National Park, we walked the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail. It is located a few miles from the southern entrance to Shenandoah. The Blue Ridge Tunnel was originally a railroad tunnel. It was completed in 1858 and was in use by the railroad until 1944. The tunnel is over 4,000 ft…
New River Gorge National Park is located in West Virginia. It became a national park in 2020, making it one of the newer US national parks. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from this newer park, but it didn’t disappoint! In fact, we wish we had more time to spend there. We planned more…
Wow! I was so impressed with Shenandoah National Park! That’s not to say I set the bar low, but it far exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t disappointed by a single hike. There were amazing waterfalls, views, and mountain climbs. The area reminded us a lot of the Great Smoky Mountains, but with significantly fewer crowds.…
St. Francois is located about 45 minutes south of St. Louis. It has several trails, a campground, and a river running through it. Cooling off in the river is a popular activity during the warmer months. We’ve also seen people floating on the river in kayaks. Hiking St. Francois State Park has three hiking trails:…
Devils Tower National Monument is a unique NPS site located in northeastern Wyoming. It is also the first national monument – established in 1906! The tower is tall enough that you can see it as you approach from a distance, which adds to the excitement on the way in. While it’s not a huge park,…
Saguaro (pronounced “sah-wah-roh”) National Park is located in southern Arizona – just outside of Tucson. The park is home to the giant saguaro cacti. It is not uncommon for them grow to 40 feet tall. What I was most surprised about on our visit was not only their height, but the number of cacti in…
You may not have heard of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but you’ve probably heard of its neighbor to the north, Carlsbad Caverns. Guadalupe Mountains is about 45 minutes south of Carlsbad Caverns. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is, in our opinion, one of the most underrated national parks in the US. It’s a beautiful park with…