Mormon Lake isn’t really a lake anymore. In fact I think it was last full In the 40s. It’s more of a marshy wetlands now, but still pretty against the backdrop of the San Francisco peaks. We spent a week boondocking in the forest down the highway about 10 minutes and hiked and rode mountain …
I hate sitting so we don’t travel long days. To break up our travel we stopped over a night at Lees Ferry. It’s sweltering hot in the summer but there was a weather break in the heat and instead, it was delightful! We even got some rain. After a short rainstorm we were able to …
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon has been on our list for awhile, but since it’s closed October 15-mid May or later, we never made it. Until now! The North Rim has a different feel than the South Rim which we visited years ago. There are far less lodging options, and no nearby town …
Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is a remote 280,000 acre geological treasure. A lot of the hiking trails in the monument require a permit because they are so popular. That’s not really worth it to me to have to hike with a bunch of people. There is still plenty of cool stuff to see out here …
Having gone south on the Arizona Trail on the Kaibab Plateau the other day, north seemed like the obvious choice for another day. This way the trail starts with a gentle climb up through the pine forest and turns to double track a couple miles in. After about 4 miles it turns back into singletrack. …
After our stopover at Navajo National Monument we drove up to the Kaibab National Forest to camp for a couple weeks. I’ve mentioned it before; we normally boondock in each spot for a full two weeks then leave to dump and refill water and find a new spot. This forest is huge and there are …
On our way out of Colorado we stayed at Navajo National Monument to do some hikes and check out the area. This monument is in the northwest portion of the Navajo Nation territory in northern Arizona and was established to preserve three well-preserved cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people: Keet Seel (Broken Pottery) (Kitsʼiil), Betatakin (Ledge House) (Bitátʼahkin), and Inscription House (Tsʼah Biiʼ Kin). The monument is …
On one of our last days in the area, I re-visited Sand Canyon in Canyon of the Ancients. Derek and I have mountain biked in this trail network before and enjoyed it. You can read that post and see pictures HERE My goal was to hike a few miles to see a cliff dwelling, some …
We don’t hike in the evenings often because mosquitos love me to death. It isn’t just mosquitos, it’s anything that bites. Cedar gnats are particularly fond of me as well. Anyway, they seem to be diminishing so we braved a sunset hike at Mesa Verde National Park. It isn’t a long hike since a slide …
After spending spring in Arizona and New Mexico, we’ve migrated back over to Colorado for the summer and are staying in the Mancos area for a few months. We’ve spent quite a bit of time in SW Colorado over the past couple decades and always have a good time. We’ve already been busy with all …