| Top 10 Adventures |
| With over 500 trails to choose from, selecting ten as our favorites was no easy task—thankfully, the ten trails listed below stand out for their beautiful scenery, magnificent opportunity for adventure, and their ability to deliver one prime hiking ingredient—fun! |
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On August 20, 2002, we set out to fulfill a goal that started as a notion nearly ten years earlier. This notion began on our first visit to California back in 1993, when we were awestruck by a peak called Mount Whitney—it was love at first sight, so to speak, and we decided immediately that if we were ever in good enough shape that we would attempt to summit that mountain. Read more |
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Arizona’s Grand Canyon—our sixth visit to this wonder of the world—our third time below the rim, but our first trek from rim to rim, and most likely, not to be our last view of its grandeur.
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On June 29, 2000, our crew planned to hike to the top of Half Dome—just three days earlier, we completed our hike out of The Grand Canyon, and now we were preparing for yet another strenuous dayhike. Our legs were still sore from the canyon, but we didn’t let that stop us—we were determined to see Yosemite's grandeur from the top of its most famous landmark. The only question remaining was who would be strong enough, mentally and physically, to actually complete the hike? Read more |
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Pictured Rocks, a beautiful area known for towering lakeshore cliffs, forests filled with wildflowers, spectacular rock formations, lakeside beaches, waterfalls, and grand views of Lake Superior, is a nature lovers paradise — finding time to see it all can prove difficult, but not if you hike the 10.4 mile Chapel Loop Trail.
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There are many beautiful and easy hikes in the park, but we wanted something truly exceptional—cue the premier Grand Teton hiking trail —the 21.4 mile Paintbrush Canyon/Cascade Canyon Loop.
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has much to offer the hiker, and one of its best features is the opportunity to see active lava flows. Now this opportunity doesn’t present itself everyday, although your odds are really good that it will, it just all depends on the temperament of Madame Pele. Lucky for us, the fire goddess had decided to show her stuff, in a big way, the day we visited the park. Read more |
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Sabrina Basin, dotted with lakes nestled below massive mountain peaks, represents the great outdoors at its best—irresistible to the eye in its picture-perfect Eastern Sierra setting. To experience all the basin has to offer—to feel the mountain breeze off an alpine lake, hear the joyful song of a stellar jay, dip your toes in a rushing creek, smell the wildflowers, rejoice in the brightly colored leaves and crisp air of an autumn day—you need to leave the highway. Read more |
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Custer State Park, one of the premiere outdoor destinations in South Dakota’s Black Hills, protects gorgeous mountain streams, sparkling Sylvan Lake, and pine forests dotted with massive granite outcrops - including the state highpoint, 7,242 ft Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak).
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Hidden in the desolate area known as the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area near the Utah/Arizona border, you will find one of the most spectacular rock formations in the entire southwest—“The Wave”. This remarkable sculptured sandstone sits in the shadow of the Coyote Buttes and is reached, not by trail, but by navigation using landmarks or GPS coordinates. Read more |
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Angel’s Landing—if you have done your research, you know this hike is not for anyone with a fear of heights. You probably also know that it is one of the most unique and thrilling hiking trails in the national park service—the trail to the top takes you along the narrow spine of a geological fin, complete with chains to help you reach the summit of this highly exposed rock formation. Read more |
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