The road must eventually lead to the whole world. – Jack Kerouac
Sitting in the Bighorn Basin at an elevation of 4,200 feet is the tiny town of Shell, Wyoming – population 83. When you think of the Mountain West, ocean life is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. … Read More
Devils Tower is one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks, and rightly so – the monolith rises strangely from the prairies of northeastern Wyoming just a couple hours west of South Dakota’s Black Hills. After ratifying the Antiquities Act, a … Read More
When we came to Wyoming for our two-month stay, we’d never heard of the Snowy Range. Like a lot of people, we were familiar with Wyoming’s more visited areas: Yellowstone, the Tetons, the Wind Rivers and Devils Tower. While researching … Read More
Cloud Peak’s rugged summit is the centerpiece of the Cloud Peak Wilderness – a remote, twenty-seven-mile expanse of backcountry that runs along the spine of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. Cloud Peak’s 13,167-foot summit is the range’s highpoint, soaring handily above its … Read More
If you’re interested in exploring the vast ruggedness of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex’s million-plus acres, Headquarters Pass is a good place to start. Our trip to the pass’ apex was confined to a day trip, but this high entrance … Read More
Mt. Wright is nestled within the Sawtooth Mountains of Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front. The 8,875-foot summit sits along the boundary of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex – a sprawling, one-million-acre wilderness area that stretches for 60 miles along the Continental … Read More
If you’re interested in a longer trail in Glacier National Park that will get you away from the crowds, the hike up to Swiftcurrent Lookout is a pretty scenic option. Beginning from the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn in Many Glacier, the … Read More
Along with the Highline Trail and Hidden Lake, the ten-mile route to Grinnell Glacier is one Glacier National Park’s most popular. The trail is located in Many Glacier, in the northeastern part of the national park, and offers nice views … Read More
The eighteen-mile Dawson/Pitamakan Pass trail is tucked away in the Two Medicine area of Glacier. This quiet corner in the southeastern part of the national park has no hotels, and is well away from the hustle and bustle of the … Read More
One of most iconic hikes in Washington’s Cascades, the Enchantments trail stretches nearly twenty miles through the rugged Alpine Lakes Wilderness. To hike this unique alpine area, you have two options: (1) enter the lottery and hope to score a … Read More
We decided to hike Granite Mountain over July 4th weekend. The holiday came on the heels of a brutal, four-day heatwave the previous weekend; and trails that had still been a little dicey from an above-average snow season were on … Read More
What do you do when temperatures soar into the triple digits around the Puget Sound area? Head for the islands, of course. The last weekend in June, we watched with dismay as the region experienced a record-shattering heatwave. It was … Read More
Arguably the state’s most iconic peak, Mt. Rainier’s 14,410-foot summit can be spotted from cities across western Washington. The peak is known as Tacoma or Tahoma to indigenous tribes, meaning ’snowy mountain peak.’ Although it hasn’t had a major eruption … Read More
Mt. St. Helens was a bit of a haul from our place in Snohomish – three hours with no one on the road, and just over four at any time of day other than the hours between midnight and 5 … Read More
Being a couple of IPA enthusiasts, I’m not sure we could have spent two months in Central Washington without making a trip over to hop country. Luckily, Yakima was just a couple hours from our place in Leavenworth. The Yakima … Read More
