Category: Day Hikes (Page 1 of 14)

This was the first time exploring Snow Canyon State Park (one of my favorite places in the United States!) after rain. I went specifically looking for pools after a day of rain – the lifeline for animals and insects in the desert. It was a wandering, meandering type of day, not specifically hiking, but taking time to just notice reflections and angles and tiny footprints in the sand. Mindfulness.

I also stopped at a lookout far above Snow Canyon, looking down onto the incredible canyon with fantastic views of the magical rock formations that make up this beautiful place.

I’ve seen photos of Red Reef Trail several times, and decided to explore. The trailhead starts at the Red Cliffs Campground, and meanders on a well-maintained trail up into a canyon with beautiful cliffs surrounding. A short side trail leads to a large pool.

Continuing on the trail, the canyon narrows and finally ends in a pool with walls on both side. Moki steps are dug into the right side of the wall. Moki (moqui) steps are hand and toe holds carved into sandstone surfaces. I decided that turning around at this gorgeous pool in the canyon was just right for me. Some day I might head up the moki steps… some day.

From the campground there are several other beautiful areas to walk, a short hike to dinosaur prints, and a great place to wander and just be with nature.

I love the Taylor Creek Trail at Kolob Canyons, part of Zion National Park. But today I decided to try something different, and instead hiked the South Fork canyon. Kolob Canyons is the “other” part of Zion National Park, accessed from I-15, not through the main Zion canyon entrance at Springdale, Utah. It’s well worth a drive and a hike, it’s a stunning area.

South Fork canyon is used quite a bit by rock climbers, and I had a good conversation with a few people along the trail who were planning on climbing. I was in a meandering mood, so didn’t go far, but had a lovely day just taking in the scenery. At one point I saw the largest insect I’ve ever seen, and after showing photos to people was told it was a Jerusalem cricket. Crazy!

Emerald Pools is hike I had not been on before at Zion National Park. A day after good rain in December, I decided to finally add it to my list. Looking at the trail map and reading other reviews, I chose to take the shuttle bus one stop above the standard route, and hiked the Kayenta Trail instead to get to Emerald Pools. So glad I did, the Kayenta Trail has some of the best views of Zion Canyon!

Waterfalls were flowing because of rain the day before, and were just beautiful! It was muddy in parts, and the hike up to the Upper Pool has many many uneven rocky steps, but well worth it to get there. I loved being able to walk behind some of the falls!

Third time through the subway, this time from the bottom up (2nd time with this route). It’s a permitted hike, and we were fortunate enough to get a permit last November. Weather was chilly but perfect. This is perhaps one of the top 3 most physically-demanding hikes I’ve ever done. Using a single walking pole made of dowel or wood (not standard hiking poles) is by far the best piece of gear for this hike. Either Five Ten water boots (if you want more support) or mesh trail runners (like we wore) are the best footwear. Waterproof shoes are useless as most of the 9 miles R/T is IN the water itself.

It starts with an easy jaunt through some desert scrub, then a steep, rocky, and long descent into the Left Fork North Creek canyon. This is not for the faint of heart or anyone with vertigo. Many sections require holding on with both hands navigating your way down the trail slowly, slowly.

Once at the canyon floor, North Fork Creek itself is the trail. There are sometimes visible side trials, but much of it is just picking your way through the water and boulders as best as you can. It’s a full body workout that is amazing. My average backpacking speed is about 2 miles an hour with a full pack on. My speed on this hike is 1mph or less because it’s a slow but beautiful navigation through the canyon before reaching The Subway.

The Subway itself is incredible, and worth the effort to get here. It’s impossible to show the scale of it through photos. It was ridiculously slippery and wet, we saw many others slip and fall (without injury). Inside The Subway is surreal, with pools of water that look like hot tubs, and other rock formations that are out of this world. After exploring inside as far as possible without going into the water itself, we stopped and had lunch before slowly heading back down canyon.

In the canyon is a wonderful set of dinosaur prints as an added bonus.

My knees were NOT happy with me at all after this hike. I had trouble walking at all the next day. But that is a problem with my knees, not the hike itself. It is well worth a trip to do this hike if a permit is available for any able-bodied person who craves an amazing adventure.

Candy Cliffs / Yant Flat in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve north of the St. George area in Utah is a gem, a lot like stepping into a landscape designed by Dr. Seuss.

The road to the trailhead is a beautiful dirt road, but to be avoided if it has rained, or if rain is in the forecast. The first section of the hike is a slog through deep sand, but so worth it once you come out to the cliff area. Swirls of colored sandstone in all shapes and sizes invite exploration. Be warned though, the cliffs are very real and would be deadly, so use caution and don’t get too close to the edge!

This is a place to take your time, explore, wander, find a beautiful place to land for a picnic lunch, and pretend like you’re a character in a Dr. Seuss book for a day.

Since we had to go into Zion National Park to pick up our permit for The Subway on the following day, we decided to make a hike out of it as well. We explored a new area we noticed in a guidebook called Many Pools, and it was a gem! From the main Zion Canyon, heading east through the Zion-Mt.Carmel Tunnel is a small parking area on the side of the road that is un-signed. Because this is not inside of the main canyon, there is no shuttle here and anyone can drive it once inside the park boundaries.

From there we spent the day exploring a beautiful side canyon / water drainage where there are dozens of pools that collect rainwater as you travel up the canyon. There is no official trail, just following the pools up the slickrock, and turning around whenever you want to head back to the car. We would definitely go back again!!

It’s been several years since I’ve been to Grand Park at Mt. Rainier. We decided to brave the crazy amount of bridge/road closures and venture out there anyway. (I won’t talk about the ridiculous amount of time it took us to get home because of detours, bridge closures, and traffic – suffice it to say it’s a darn good thing Grand Park is so beautiful to make up for it.)

Grand Park is accessible from the Sunrise area of Mt Rainier, or via forest service roads near Lake Eleanor. It’s a long and not-fun slog from Sunrise, the Lake Eleanor route is my favorite. This place is notorious for mosquitoes in summer, so fall is my favorite time once they’re gone for the year.

The views from Grand Park are stunning: Mt. Fremont Fire Lookout, Skyscraper Mountain, Little T, Willis Wall, Steamboat Prow, and Tahoma/Rainier herself, with a massive flat meadow as the backdrop.

This is a place where we choose to spend time just being: not hike > see the view > turn and go back. It’s a place for solitude, quiet, and contemplation. It’s a place for sitting, drinking tea/coffee, having a leisurely lunch, and sometimes reading (though let’s be real, the views are such that I bring a book but never actually keep my eyes on the pages).

Like many areas at Mt Rainier, there’s more than one way to get there. It’s possible to get to Upper Crystal Lake via Highway 410 near the White River entrance, a steep 3-mile uphill slog through unattractive scrubby forest with virtually no views for the first 2.5 miles. Though longer, I much prefer starting from Chinook Pass on Hwy 410, going past Sheep Lake, up and over Sourdough Gap, to an incredible viewpoint above Upper Crystal Lake. This route is much more scenic, and easier on the knees by a long shot.

We were fortunate to have done this hike before the bridge closure on Highway 410, which now requires a 38-mile detour to bypass and is a traffic nightmare. From Chinook Pass, it’s an easy walk to Sheep Lake, and wildflowers were in full bloom. We also found several spots with ripe huckleberries – bonus breakfast!

From Sheep Lake it’s a gradual climb up to Sourdough Gap, stopping to look behind at Naches Peak, down to Sheep Lake from above, and Mt Adams in the distance.

From the Gap, it’s a short hike along the PCT to the side trail that leads to a beautiful view above Upper Crystal Lake, with one small spot just big enough to fit 2 backpacking chairs for 2 people with tea and coffee.

The return hike to Sourdough Gap, down to Sheep Lake, and back out at Chinook Pass is so much easier on my knees than the shorter and steeper route. If it’s not hazy, there is a spot near Sourdough Gap where it’s possible to see Mt Adams, Mt St Helens, and Mt Hood (in Oregon). If the weather cooperates, this is a 4-volcano hike! We had a bonus marmot on the return to the car as well.

The Black Hills area of South Dakota is a gem!  There is so much to see and do here: Hikes, bison and other wildlife, rocks and minerals, beautiful scenic drives, national monuments, and world-class caves to explore. This area definitely requires more than 1-2 days. It’s also a rock-hounder’s heaven! Custer State Park, in my humble opinion, could easily be a national park. It has multiple lodges and campgrounds, and is massive. This is another place to see bison.

The trail around Legion Lake is an easy 1-mile walk, perfect for a short movement break after a long car ride.

Sylvan Lake can be crowded, with a lodge, gift shop, restaurant, kayak rentals, and many many tourists. The walk around Sylvan Lake is beautiful, with views in every direction. This is a wonderful place to see the rock formations that are so unique to the Black Hills area. Unfortunately part of the trail was closed for repairs and construction while I was there, but I was able to do a short walk around part of it.

Black Elk Peak – I wasn’t able to hike to Black Elk Peak and the Harney fire lookout tower on my previous trip, so that was first on my agenda. It’s the highest point in South Dakota. Fortunately the day I hiked it was not too hot, it would be miserable and unforgiving in heat. On long hikes I believe in starting ridiculously early in the morning to avoid crowds, I’m so glad I did! There are multiple ways to get to Black Elk Peak, from the Sylvan Lake area or the Cathedral Spires area. From Sylvan Lake, the first part of the trail is not very steep, but it gradually climbs higher. At the base of the peak, the trail gets creative, climbing up metal stairs and tunnels to reach the top.

The wind was so strong that I had a hard time standing upright to take photos. After exploring the tower itself, I found the small water pool behind it and almost got blown off my feet by wind. I managed to find a boulder to tuck behind as a windbreak, with expansive views across the Black Hills area, including the Cathedral Spires and Needles areas. A perfect place for breakfast and a rest.

 On the way back to the car via a different trail, I passed by the Cathedral Spires area but didn’t explore further, it was getting hot and I decided to head back to the campground. I came across a massive piece of rose quartz on the side of the trail, proof that this area is literally a *gem*. So many wildflowers blooming this time of year made me happy, and a glimpse of a juvenile gopher or bull snake made my day (I love reptiles).

         

Cathedral Spires – I had decided to give myself a rest day and take to the road on scenic drives, but of course had to stop and do the short hike to Cathedral Spires along the way. Wow! It’s a short but steep hike, very rocky in places, but once you enter the Spires area, it’s literally 360 degrees of views. It felt like it should be in Lord of the Rings. I can’t begin to say how many times I circled around looking in all directions (see pano photo), not knowing where to sit because of the views all around. This area can be accessed hiking to Black Elk Peak as well, but honestly I’m glad I did it on a separate day as it’s own hike, so I could appreciate it more. Again, photos don’t do it justice, but you get the idea.

Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road – If you don’t get car sick, it’s possible to do a huge loop of scenic drives within and outside of Custer State Park. The roads are slow and extremely twisty, with several very short and narrow tunnels, not something I’d be comfortable doing in a larger vehicle or truck. Beginning at Custer State Park, the drive along the Needles Highway (Hwy 87) offers spectacular views of the rock formations that make up parts of the Black Hills.

This is also a good time to hike up to Cathedral Spires and be awed, though note that parking at the Cathedral Spires trailhead is very limited. The Needles Eye Tunnel is a fun experience!  Stopping to look through the “needle eye” and wonder at the tall rock columns is a must-do. A stop at Sylvan Lake to wander that area and walk the loop around the lake is also recommended, it’s a beautiful area.

To continue the loop, head east on Highway 244 toward Keystone. This takes you right to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial for another stop if wanted. After Rushmore, head back toward Custer State Park via the Iron Mountain Road (Hwy 16A) through more tunnels and some extremely creative hairpin turns / pigtail bridges. At the top viewpoint, stop and look across to far-off views of Mt. Rushmore. Continuing on, you’ll connect with the east entrance to Custer State Park.

I highly recommend taking a day to make this drive if possible, it’s a stunning area. Note: This loop is not for anyone who tends to get car sick or has problems with long, narrow, winding roads.

Wind and Jewel Caves 2025

I’ve been to Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument before, and was excited to go again and try out some of the other cave tours. All entry to the caves is by guided tour only, and absolutely *fantastic* if you love caves. I had previously done one of the tours at Wind Cave (I can’t remember which one!) and the Historic Lantern Tour (highly recommended if you’re OK with ladders) at Jewel Cave. This time around was about new experiences.

Keep in mind that while I took many photos, these are places that need to be experienced in person. Photos simply cannot convey what it’s like to be hundreds of feet below ground in these incredible chambers.

Wind Cave National Park – the Natural Entrance tour includes the origin story of the Lakota People, which is fascinating. Wind Cave contains 95 percent of the world’s known boxwork, which is a type of surreal formation in many parts of the cave, as well as flowstone and many other otherworldly sights. The Garden of Eden tour covers a different section of the cave, equally as fascinating and beautiful.

This is a barometric cave, with the internal air pressure constantly adjusting to the outside conditions. The wind had picked up during our time on the Natural Entrance tour, so after coming back up to the surface I rushed back to the original cave entrance and was able to hear the sound of wind moving, like a very soft whistle. As of this year, 168 miles of the cave system has been explored, and it’s estimated that is only about 5 percent of the total based on wind and airflow studies.

Jewel Cave – The Scenic tour of Jewel Cave is wonderful (as is the Historic Lantern tour, highly recommended), but be prepared for about 750 stairs, both up and down. Jewel Cave contains a large variety of formations, crystals, columns, and flowstone “bacon” (about 20 feet tall).  Some of it glows in the dark under UV light as well. More information here: https://www.nps.gov/jeca/formations-of-jewel-cave.htm.  Jewel Cave is also barometric, and the original entrance to Jewel Cave was about the size of a softball, which was dynamited in the 1800s to open it up for exploration.

If caves are your thing, add Wind Cave and Jewel Cave to your list. Be sure to reserve your tour tickets well in advance, they sell out very quickly.