bugsy running on lone rock beach with the airstream and f-150 in the background

Tag: national parks

  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

    Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

    We visited Black Canyon while staying in Montrose in May 2016 during Big Trip #1. Where we stayed We kind of ended up visiting Black Canyon by accident! Read about our time in Montrose, CO in this post. What we did Black Canyon National Park is more about driving than hiking. We drove through the…

    Read More

    //

  • Two days in Montrose, CO (visit #1)–Big Trip #1

    Two days in Montrose, CO (visit #1)–Big Trip #1

    We visited Montrose in April 2016 during Big Trip #1. Read about our second visit in 2020 here, during Big Trip #3. Originally, we had wanted to spend a couple nights at Ridgway State Park, exploring the trails there and around Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, but the snow event that forced us to…

    Read More

    //

  • Mesa Verde National Park

    Mesa Verde National Park

    We visited Mesa Verde while staying in Cortez in April 2016 during Big Trip #1. Mesa Verde National Park does not offer extensive hiking; it is mostly about the views and tours of the ancient cliff dwellings. We did a few short hikes and one of the scenic drives, stopping at overlooks to ogle the artifacts. We did not tour any…

    Read More

    //

  • Canyonlands National Park

    Canyonlands National Park

    We visited Canyonlands in April 2016 during Big Trip #1. As we surveyed the vista at the first overlook at Canyonlands National Park, we said to each other “this is my new favorite park.” Canyonlands is enormous; we were in the main Island in the Sky section, with arches, domes, and the canyons, the magnificent canyons. We…

    Read More

    //

  • Arches National Park

    Arches National Park

    We first visited Arches in April 2016 during Big Trip #1, then again in November 2018 during Big Trip #2. Arches National Park is a geologist’s wonderland. On our first visit, we got there early, perhaps too early for good photography, but early enough to beat the crowds at our first couple stops. This is…

    Read More

    //

  • Capitol Reef National Park

    Capitol Reef National Park

    We first visited Capitol Reef NP in April 2016 during Big Trip #1, again in November 2018 during Big Trip #2, and again in October 2020 during Big Trip #3. Had you heard of Capitol Reef National Park? We hadn’t until we started researching our first Big Trip, and much like another National Park we…

    Read More

    //

  • A quick trip to Zion National Park–Big Trip #1

    A quick trip to Zion National Park–Big Trip #1

    We first visited Zion NP in April 2016 on Big Trip #1. Read a more detailed Zion post from our 2018 visit here! We visited Zion from our base in Dixie National Forest, about an hour and a half away, which meant we got up at the crack of dawn in order to catch the…

    Read More

    //

  • Bryce Canyon National Park

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    We visited Bryce Canyon in April 2016 on Big Trip #1, and again in November 2018 on Big Trip #2. Wow. Bryce Canyon National Park is incredible. Hoodoos (otherworldly red spires) rise from the canyon floor as far as the eye can see, with evergreens sprinkles around for contrast. We visited Bryce on our First…

    Read More

    //

  • Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 Corridor–Big Trip #1

    Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 Corridor–Big Trip #1

    We first visited Highway 12 in April 2016, as part of Big Trip #1. We’ve since returned to Escalante in 2018 and again in 2020, and boondocked outside Capitol Reef in 2020. The stretch of red canyon cliffs and alien rock formations along Utah Highway 12 from just south of Panguitch in the west to Torrey in the east was…

    Read More

    //

  • Five Days in Flagstaff, AZ (visit #1)–Big Trip #1

    Five Days in Flagstaff, AZ (visit #1)–Big Trip #1

    We visited Flagstaff in late March 2016, as part of Big Trip #1. Read about our second visit in 2018 here and our third in 2023 here. Flagstaff is winning the “Could you live in this town?” game, tied with Asheville, a town with which it has many similarities. It has fun, funky downtown area…

    Read More

    //