Oregon National Historic Trail, Wyoming
Guernsey Trail Ruts: [September 1992] A short hike up a steep hill leads hikers to the impressive Oregon Trail Ruts, one of the best preserved remnants of a crude network of rutted traces worn deep by pioneer wagon trains. At this site, the Oregon Trail crossed a ridge of soft sandstone, which allowed for the track to be worn to a depth of five feet in places. The ruts are so deep in this area because the geography of the landscape dictated that practically every wagon that went west crossed this ridge in exactly the same spot, creating the impressive results you see before you.
NBH Tip: Immerse yourself in the rich history of this unique area, try to imagine what it was like for the pioneers to cross this hostile land—stand in the ruts and reflect on their hardships, for they are the reason you hiked to this special place.
Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona
Montezuma Castle: [July 1997, June 2007] Sheltered in a limestone recess high above the flood plain of Beaver Creek in the Verde Valley of Arizona, rests on of the best preserved prehistoric ruins in North America—Montezuma Castle. A 0.3 mile paved trail takes the hiker on a leisurely walk to view the 5-story, 20-room cliff dwelling known as Montezuma Castle, a misnomer since the dwelling is neither a castle nor associated with the Aztec emperor Montezuma. Rather, the dwelling was built by Sinagua Indians over 600 years ago. The cliff dwelling is not accessible to climbers, so the closest view you get is from the paved nature trail where you can look up at the ancient ruin. This allows for great photographs, but that is about the extent of your exploration—not much to do, but definitely worth a visit.
NBH Tip: Montezuma Castle is just one of a number of well-preserved ancient dwellings in Arizona, including the Wupatki, Aztec, Salinas, and Tuzigoot National Monuments—if you have time, hike them all.
Montezuma Revisited:
Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona
The Ruins Loop Trail: [July 1997] Tuzigoot, remnants of one the largest pueblos built by the Sinagua people, looms high on the summit of a long ridge 120 feet above the Verde Valley. In order to view the ruin up close, you need only hike 0.3 miles along the Ruins Loop Trail, a paved self-guiding trail complete with wayside exhibits that describe the natural and cultural history of the site. The trail is steep, and even though it is paved, it is not recommended for wheeled devices. Tuzigoot, Apache for “crooked water”, is an ancient pueblo of the Sinagua that was built around 1100 AD. At one time, the pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures—quite impressive.
NBH Tip: Please keep in mind that the walls of the Tuzigoot ruins are fragile and climbing or sitting on the walls is prohibited—we encourage hikers to stay on the trail for their safety and for the protection of the cultural resources.
Tumacácori National Historical Park, Arizona
Tumacácori Self-Guiding Walk: [July 1997] Tumacácori National Historical Park in the upper Santa Cruz River Valley of southern Arizona is comprised of the abandoned ruins of three ancient Spanish colonial missions. The three missions comprise separate units of the park, Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi, San Cayetano de Calabazas, and San José de Tumacácori, with the latter being the only one accessible without reservation. It is easy to spend several hours walking around the grounds of the Franciscan Church and the garden, a replica of the original mission garden that displays native Sonoran Desert plants, as well as several plants introduced by the Padres, such as rosemary, thyme, myrtle, olive, and monk’s pepper. In addition, a fig tree is descendent of one of the original fig trees brought to the mission by Father Kino. Further exploration of the grounds reveals spectacular examples of mission life and of the desert southwest. We especially enjoyed walking around the baroque 1800’s mission, with its ornate façade, cemetery, and living quarters.
NBH Tip: Be advised that temperatures can reach 100 degrees or more from May to September.
Bodie State Historic Park, California
Bodie Ghost Town Self-Guiding Walk: [September 1993, August 2002] One of our favorite places to spend a day when visiting the Sierra Nevada area is Bodie State Historical Park. You can easily lose several hours exploring and hiking around this authentic ghost town, especially if you are a shutterbug. A hike through old Bodie floods the senses with nostalgia and visions of life in the old west, a time when street fights, stage holdups, and killings were the norm. Visions of these infamous occurrences are made easy, thanks to the state parks of California for keeping this gold-mining ghost town in a state of “arrested decay.” To aid in your hike, pick up a Bodie Guide, which explains the 69 marked posts found along the walk, each number corresponds to a paragraph and a number on the map within the booklet. There are so many brilliant historical buildings located in Bodie that choosing favorites is no easy task, but we will say that we are rather fond of the Methodist Church, the Cain Residence, Chinatown, The Standard Mill, the Bodie Bank, the Morgue, and the Fire Station. Whatever your favorites, you will be sure to love a hike down the old dirt roads of Bodie!
NBH Tip: Bodie truly is in a state of “arrested decay,” so watch where you place your hands and feet as broken glass, rusty nails, and shards of wood can be anywhere. Furthermore, late afternoon light is the best time for getting that perfect photograph and local photography clubs occasionally offer tours where they get access to the park after hours, including access to the inside of buildings that are closed to the general public.
Bodie revisited 2002:
Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Paris, France
Cimetière du Père Lachaise: [April 2000] You could call it a pilgrimage, or maybe just curiosity, but one hike we had to make while in Paris was to the grave of Jim Morrison—lead singer of The Doors. His final resting place is in Paris’ most prestigious cemetery, which is set on a wooded hill overlooking the city, and anyone hiking the grounds of this famous landmark can attest to the gothic beauty of the graveyard architecture. In addition to rock’s legendary bad boy, other celebrities also claim Père Lachaise as their final resting place. Among the famous you will find the writer Balzac, the composer Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Sarah Bernhardt, and Edith Piaf, and each grave is worth a visit. The spectacular funerary sculpture make this cemetery a worthwhile and intriguing place for a leisurely trek, we even enjoyed it despite the dreary rainy atmosphere, in fact, the weather actually added to the mood. After hiking around the grounds, along old cobbled pathways, we finally located Morrison’s grave (located in division 6) and paid our respects under the watchful eye of a security guard. If you make this trek, keep in mind that the famous bust of Morrison that once adorned his grave has since been replaced with a nondescript, bland headstone—so don’t expect to be visually awed.
NBH Tip: Père Lachaise is located on Boulevard de Ménilmontant. For tourists, the best Paris Metro stop is the "Philippe Auguste" on line 2 which is convenient for the main entrance. The stop called "Père Lachaise", on lines 2 or 3, is a back entrance. At the main entrance, be sure to pick up a map which shows the locations of the more famous gravesites.
Highgate Cemetery, London, England
Highgate Cemetery: [March 2000] Highgate Cemetery, a 37-acre gothic Valhalla, houses over 52,000 graves—850 of which are notable, including Karl Marx, Douglas Adams, George Eliot, Michael Faraday, and George Wombwell. The cemetery is separated into an Eastern and Western section—the Western Cemetery being accessible by tour only. We reserved our spot on the tour, arrived at the wrought iron gate, and then entered the eerily overgrown realm of the dead, complete with angelic figures, Egyptian promenades, and beastly guardians. We followed our guide down a charming woodland path that eventually delivered us into the gaping entrance of Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon—a large neo-Egyptian mausoleum complex. The entire Western Cemetery was once under siege by nature, but thanks to a voluntary group called the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, the highlight of Egyptian Avenue has been restored to its Victorian grandeur. As you continue hiking the grounds, you will not cease to be amazed by the exquisite architecture found at every turn within this necropolis. Celtic crosses, a resting lion, a faithful dog, and numerous heavenly angels defy the vines and brambles, each struggling for a visual existence confirmed only by the living. When we completed our tour of the Western Cemetery, we made a beeline for the Eastern Cemetery just across the road—you are allowed to enter this section unescorted. Free from the confines of a tour, our trio explored this younger and less ornate section, passing the final resting spots of Karl Marx and George Eliot. Despite the fact that the Eastern Cemetery lacks the more complex architecture seen in the Western Cemetery, our visit was punctuated by an unexpected highlight. As we were hiking through the maze of graves, I happened to pause and look down a tombstone lined path just in time to see the perfect graveyard guardian looking back at me—a beautiful black cat! I quickly knelt down, framed the shot with my camera, pressed the shutter and then watched as the cat disappeared into the woods. This single shot remains one of my favorite photographs of all time.
NBH Tip: It is advisable to reserve your space on the tour in advance, and you can do so by calling 0208 340 1834 while in the London area. For more information, visit the official Highgate website at this link—Highgate Cemetery.
Western Cemetery:
Eastern Cemetery:
San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico
San Juan National Historic Site Walking Tour: [January 2007] This impressive historic park includes forts San Cristóbal, San Felipe del Morro, and El Cañuelo (currently closed to visitors), plus bastions, powder houses and three fourths of the city wall. These spectacular historic structures were built by Spanish troops beginning in 1539 and spanning almost 250 years, despite the long construction time, you can easily visit the entire site in a single day. We began our hiking tour at San Cristóbal, made our way down Calle Norzagaray—about 0.25 miles along the city wall, ending with a tour of El Morro. The two forts, and portions of the city wall, provide the hiker/photographer with endless opportunities for amazing vistas—particularly photogenic are the old sentry towers that claim the sapphire blue Atlantic Ocean as their backdrop. Within the confines of the forts you can explore the many tunnels, towers, plazas, and batteries—highlights for us included drawings of ships left by imprisoned sailors on the walls of San Cristóbal, stacks of mortar shells and bronze cannons complete with detailed engravings, the impressive six levels of defense at El Morro, which is both a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Site, and the San Juan Cemetery (adjacent to El Morro and visible from its ramparts).
NBH Tip: If you have rented a car while visiting Puerto Rico, we suggest parking at San Cristóbal—get there early to claim one of the few spots, and then hike to El Morro. After touring El Morro, continue your exploration with a stroll along Paseo del Morro, and a walk through Puerto Rico’s crown jewel—the cobblestone streets and plazas of Old San Juan. From Old San Juan it is just a short hike back to your car.
Fort San Cristóbal:
City Wall:
El Morro:
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