Deep within the Shawnee National Forest, approximately 30 minutes outside the small town of Harrisburg, Illinois in Saline County, sits a pretty cool-looking rock formation that resembles the face of an old woman (or man). Part of the Stoneface Research Natural Area of the Shawnee National Forest, it’s in a lesser known area home to …
If you’ve watched the comedy Tropic Thunder, then you’ve seen the jungles of Kauai, Hawaii. This movie was entirely filmed on this island, and after kayaking down the Wailua River and hiking to Secret Falls, I fully understood why the producers chose Kauai as the “Vietnam backdrop”. As we worked our way down the river, …
Of all the preserves and parks in Phoenix, the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve is by far the closest to my house. It’s super accessible and the only problem with getting to explore this vast preserve has been the scorching Phoenix summer heat (and working full time, but that’s a different story). I was able to get …
Rainbow Falls Trail. As far as hikes go, hiking within the Great Smokey Mountain National Park was a wonderful and beautiful experience. I didn’t get to hike inside this famous National Park with the famous hazy mountains either time I previously visited, and I certainly wasn’t passing up the opportunity a third time! While staying …
Continue reading Hiking in Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
The Narrows. Lovers of Zion National Park know the name well. If you’ve heard of this majestic park, you’ve likely heard of The Narrows. It’s one of the park’s most well-known hikes, alongside Angels Landing and Temple of Sinawava, which, unfortunately, also makes it one of the most popular. The first time we visited Zion …
This is NOT Mount Charleston behind us; it is Echo Cliff. Only 35 miles and approximately 45 minutes outside the armpit of Nevada known as Las Vegas (Las Vegas: Overpriced & Overrated.), Mount Charleston is perched high above the bland desert, its own little mountainous retreat. Located within the Spring Mountains range in the Humboldt–Toiyabe …
Continue reading Spring Mountains, Nevada: An Escape from Sin City.
Located in the McDowell Mountains in the upper Sonoran Desert, right outside of Scottsdale, Arizona, sits the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy; an independent, nonprofit conservation. Created in 1991, it’s a massive area of around 30,580-acres, making it the largest urban preserve in the entire United States. The conservancy was birthed in 1990 by 13 preservationists and …
Continue reading Tom’s Thumb Trail at the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy.