Blue skies and blue water of Bowman Lake

A Weekend with Glacier Institute

What is the Glacier Institute? A 501(c)3 nonprofit, The Glacier Institute provides educational programs for visitors to the Glacier National Park area. The organization uses field-based activities to help participants learn more about the area’s ecology and anthropology. Current courses are listed here. My Visit Whenever I visit a new National Park, I love to …

Beautiful day at Flathead Lake

Whitefish and Kalispell, Montana – Glacier National Park Base Camp

Disclaimer Honestly, I spent almost all of the time that we were staying in Kalispell in Glacier National Park. There were a couple days when Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed due to weather, so I was forced to hang back and check out these towns. Was not disappointed! Airbnb Wall of Wonder Our Airbnb was a …

Rawr!

Bozeman, Montana – National Parks Crash Pad

Bozeman, Montana was sort of an accidental stop on our trip. We wanted to stay near Yellowstone National Park or Grand Teton National Park, maybe Jackson Hole, but at the peak of summer tourist season we just couldn’t find the right place for us. Bozeman seemed like the best town that was reasonably close to …

Pronghorn in Lamar Valley

Doing the Impossible: How to see Yellowstone National Park in a Single Day

Can you see Yellowstone in a day? Most say no, I say YES! The Fire If you’ve been following along with our trip, you’ll know that our planned trip to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park got all kinds of messed up because of forest fires. Sure, it’s inconvenient, but when you head …

Snake River at the end of Schwabacher Road

Grand Teton National Park in a Single Day

Despite your best plans, nature always wins. We had planned a trip departing from our Airbnb in Bozeman, Montana to Grand Teton National Park, then spending the night camping at the border of Grand Teton and Yellowstone, and exploring Yellowstone the following day. Well, Mother Nature had other plans. A forest fire evacuated our campground …

Selfie at the Sugarloaf Ski Lift

Cecret Lake & Sugarloaf Peak, Alta, Utah | 52 Hike Challenge | Hike 32

The last hike of my time in Utah! 52 Hike Challenge Hike #32 was a big one – hiking in Alta first to Cecret Lake, then up towards Sugarloaf Peak. The most challenging of my entire year-long challenge and wish I could do it again! Cecret Lake Pronounced like “secret.” It’s not much of one. …

We completed the Mighty 5!

Landscape Arch Trail, Arches National Park, Utah | 52 Hike Challenge – Hike 30

We did it! We hit The Mighty 5 in our time in Utah! I know this isn’t an actual accomplishment but…it felt like one to me. Although it was kind of miserable, we managed to get a hike in at Arches National Park. This was Utah park #5 and my 52 Hike Challenge Hike #30 …

Lisa Falls - and me!

Little Cottonwood & Lisa Falls Trail, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah | 52 Hike Challenge – Hike 31

For Hike 31 of my 52 Hike Challenge, Eric and I decided to hike Little Cottonwood Canyon, not far from where we were living in Salt Lake City. We decided to tackle Little Cottonwood Creek Trail. When we finished we noticed another trail to a waterfall just across the street and decided to tack that on, …

Upheaval Dome, Canyonlands National Park

Upheaval Dome, Canyonlands National Park, Utah | 52 Hike Challenge – Hike 29

When deciding which hikes to do with our limited time at Canyonlands National Park, we couldn’t pass up a quick walk out to the rim of the Upheaval Dome. Scientists and geologists debate what actually caused this geologic anomaly in the relatively stable area and it became my Hike 29. The Upheaval Dome The showstopper feature …

The landscape will humble you. Nothing but a tiny little speck, but loving every minute.

Grand View Point, Canyonlands National Park, Utah | 52 Hike Challenge – Hike 28

If the Grand View Point Trail doesn’t knock your socks off, I believe you’re bound to be bored with everything else on earth. This was Hike 27 of my 52 Hike Challenge, and what a great way to kick off the second half of this project. The day started with an incredible sunrise that I …