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Hiking in the Canyonlands Needles District
Canyonlands National Park is a rugged wilderness of buttes and mesas that sprawls outward in a tapestry of oranges and reds. The Canyonlands Needles District is one of four distinct areas within the national park. It is an oft-forgotten wonderland of stone pillars that jut skyward like blunted needles. Among the area’s towering rock garden, it conceals some of the best hiking trails in the American Southwest. Although it isn’t as heavily trafficked as other areas in Utah’s Mighty 5, the hiker’s paradise boasts bewitching vistas, diverse topography, and unforgettable…
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Driving the Scenic Highway 12 in Utah
After visiting Capitol Reef’s Strike Valley, Dan and I found ourselves racing along Utah’s Highway 12 in order to catch a return flight to Seattle. Our path to the Salt Lake City Airport followed the Burr Trail to Boulder, then veered right—ascending a hair-raising road up Boulder Mountain, toward Torrey. Though spectacular views turned our heads every which way, the scenery sped by in a blur. I tried to snap photos of the moving landscape, but failed to capture its majesty through the car’s dusty windows. Then and there, we…
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Things to Do in Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is an otherworldly fairyland of elegant beauty and shocking colors. Renowned for its rock formations that pierce the sky like rust-colored stalagmites, the canyon’s ethereal desertscape is nothing short of breathtaking. Bryce’s spire-clad environment is utterly unique and unforgettable. A sculpture garden of pastel daggers, the national park is a photographer’s dream and one of the most iconic landscapes in the American Southwest. I reckon it is impossible not to stand in awe of the park’s sandcastle-like hoodoos, delicate fins, and cavernous amphitheaters. THINGS TO…
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Things to Do in Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park may be only 50 miles from downtown Las Vegas, but it feels world’s away from the city’s casino-flanked strip. Throughout the park, the stillness of nature replaces a constant whirl of slot machines, and age-old rocks tell the stories of those who once called the area home. The Valley of Fire lies amidst a seemingly endless expanse of parched grey rock. Covering nearly 46,000 acres of the Mojave Desert, the state park is a place where Nevada’s barren landscape puts on a dramatic and colorful…
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Driving the Mount Baker Scenic Byway to Artist Point
Artist Point lies at the end of the Mount Baker Scenic Byway, near Washington’s border with Canada. A striking viewpoint of epic proportions, it boasts a 360 degree canvas of picture perfection. Artist Point’s craggy snow-clad mountains puncture the horizon in all directions. Looking southward, Mount Baker’s snow-clad cone looms above the forest. To the east, the peaks and valleys of North Cascades National Park disappear into the distance. Northward, Mount Shuksan’s lopsided dome acts as a magnet for photographers and artists. Beneath their elegant winter regalia, these dazzling mountains…
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11 Scenic Waterfalls in Washington State
When I close my eyes and think of Washington State, rainfall is one of the first things that comes to mind. The northwesternmost corner of the continental US is notoriously wet and dreary. For most of the year, a thick grey cloud hovers over the state’s western half. It ejects bucketfuls of water each winter and ensures that there are never too many consecutive days of sunshine. As a Washington resident, I find myself complaining about the rain all the time. I lament that it precludes me from enjoying the…
