White Sands National Park is the newest National Park, designated such in 2019. Before then it was a National Monument. Some 275 square miles of dazzling white gypsum sand dunes shift and settle in the Tularosa Basin a short drive from Las Cruces. The park is surrounded by White Sands Missie Range and could be …
Once again, we put our National Park pass to use and visited Dripping Springs Natural Area. It’s Bureau of Land Management and normal $5 but they accept the park pass so it was no charge for us. We spent the afternoon hiking around and checking out the area. First, we hiked out to the namesake, …
Pontiac Ridge Our first hike of the year was short but sweet. We hiked Pontiac Ridge which was four miles with 1300′ of climbing so basically two miles up and two miles back. What a gem! Once you get past the last row of houses it’s all wilderness and absolutely beautiful. After a quick descent …
We’re camped at the edge of wilderness so there is a giant area where bikes aren’t allowed. We took another day to hike up to Fremont Saddle and along the Cave Trail in a big loop. The loop was a around 6.5 miles with 2,000′ of climbing with all our add ons. The hike up …
Wave Cave Hike After a big ride on the Arizona Trail we needed a day off the bike. We slept in, had pancakes, and picked a short hike by where we are camped. Wave Cave is a 3 mile out and back hike on the southwest side of the Superstition Wilderness. It’s rated as moderate …
Horton/Highline/Derrick Trail Hike We enjoyed our ride up on the Mogollon Rim and decided to do a hike in the area too. The loop went up Horton and Highline and down Derrick Trail. It is 9.5 miles with 1,814′ of climbing. This area is neat with pine, oak, alder and maple tree forests. It’s wild …
Petrified Forest National Park in NE Arizona was set aside back in 1906 to protect one of the largest petrified wood deposits in the world. We spent a day driving around to all the pullouts and hiking to see all the awesome sites. I’ve detailed some highlights below. Giant Logs Trail We started at the …
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is about 84,000 acres entirely on the Navajo Nation in Northeast Arizona. The monument was authorized in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover. Early Puebloans, ancestors of the Hopis, built cliff dwellings high in the sandstone alcoves and the canyon has been a sacred refuge to the Navajos for centuries. The …
Jug Handle Loop Jug Handle Loop is a mostly dirt road loop up by Dead Horse State Park in Moab. The loop is 37.5 miles with 3,247′ of climbing, mainly up Shafer Trail. We started the loop just off the split from 313 and Long Canyon Road. The gravel road into Long Canyon Road turns …
We put our Annual National Park Pass to use again and went to Arches National Park while in Moab. The area was a National Monument to begin with back in 1929 but upgraded to a National Park in 1971. The park has over 2,000 arches!!! It’s a really popular park, really popular. So, we waited …