We stumbled across the O’Leary Peak Lookout Trail while searching for a snow-free, spring hike around Flagstaff. It by no means looked epic, but it seemed like it might be a decent little outing. It was a ten-mile round-trip hike … Read More
Nestled in the Tularosa Basin beneath the peaks of the San Andres Mountains, New Mexico’s White Sands National Park is home to the largest gypsum dune fields in the world. The ultra-fine sand grains are brilliant white, shimmering like freshly … Read More
Standing at 14,410 feet, Mt. Rainier’s snowcapped summit is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Pacific Northwest. The soaring stratovolcano is not only the most topographically prominent peak in the lower 48 states – with 13,211 feet of … Read More
Located about thirty miles east of Granite Falls along the Mountain Loop Highway, Gothic Basin sits in the heart of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The fragile alpine basin is tucked between the rugged summits of Gothic and Del Campo … Read More
One of the more popular routes in the Mt. Baker Wilderness is a 6.5-mile circuit around the Chain Lakes. Circumnavigating flat-topped Table Mountain, the trail traverses subalpine lakes and wildflower meadows on the northeast side of Mt. Baker. With commanding … Read More
Located at the eastern end of the North Cascades’ High Divide, Yellow Aster Butte offers some seriously stunning alpine scenery within the northern reaches of the Mt. Baker Wilderness. With sprawling meadows peppered with tarns and wildflowers giving way to … Read More
Although our place in Snohomish was a solid four hours from the Olympic Peninsula, I wasn’t leaving Washington without at least one hike in the Olympic Mountains. One afternoon during one of my many bouts of randomly zooming in and … Read More
In the heart of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Mt. Dickerman is an easily accessible peak about 40 minutes (27 miles) east of Granite Falls. Sitting just off the Mountain Loop Highway between the trailheads for Big Four Ice Caves … Read More
The eight-mile out-and-back to Blanca Lake is one of the more heavily-trafficked routes in Washington’s Cascade Mountains. The centerpiece of the hike, Blanca Lake is perhaps the most eye-catching of the roughly thirty lakes in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness. … Read More
Located halfway between Ross Lake and the town of Mazama along the North Cascades Highway (SR-20), Heather Pass and Maple Pass sit just outside the eastern boundary of North Cascades National Park. This was our first visit to the North … Read More
