Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: South Rim Overlooks Montrose, CO | 05/02/21 On my way home from Montrose, I wanted to stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Of Colorado's four (4) National Parks, Black Canyon was the only one I hadn't yet visited, so it was a high priority. Since …
Continue reading Black Canyon of the Gunnison: South Rim Overlooks | Colorado | 05/02/21
Ouray Perimeter Trail | Uncompahgre National Forest Ouray, CO | 05/01/21 | 6.36 miles | 1,763' gain Allie and I decided to spend our only full day together in Ouray; hiking, eating, and warm spring soaking. We'd both done a bit of hiking around town but neither of us had completed the Ouray Perimeter Trail, …
Continue reading Ouray Perimeter Trail | Colorado | 05/01/21
Big Dominguez Canyon | Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Whitewater, CO | 04/30/21 | 5.71 miles | 215' gain Shortly after our Texas/New Mexico trip, my friend Allie moved to western Colorado for her new job in Telluride. While it sucked that she was now six hours away, a fun bonus was that I could come …
Red Mountain Loop | Red Mountain Open Space Wellington, CO | 04/18/21 | 7.78 miles | 899' gain I've come to enjoy my winter hikes at Red Mountain Open Space. This would be my third visit and the last one needed to have hiked every trail. Most people probably wouldn't think to head to the …
Mahogany Loop | Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Wellington, CO | 04/08/21 | 8.59 miles | 704' gain After returning from an awesome trip to Texas and New Mexico, I was back to the grind of work and bland winter hiking. I was ready for green grass and colorful flowers, and sick of the endless brown …
Dripping Springs Trail | Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument Las Cruces, NM | 04/04/21 | 3.99 miles | 1,187' gain We decided to take it easy on the last day of our trip; sleep in, hike a little, and then slowly make our way back down to El Paso for our 6pm flight. …
Continue reading Dripping Springs Trail | New Mexico | 04/04/21
After an incredible morning at Carlsbad Caverns, we set out on a 3.5-hour drive across New Mexico to our second National Park of the day; White Sands. Home of the world's largest gypsum dunefield, White Sands is also adjacent to the Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range. In 1945, the world's …
Continue reading White Sands National Park | New Mexico | 04/03/21
After a big day in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Allie and I continued on to Whites City, NM, our hotel, and a much-needed hot meal. We were excited to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the morning. It was only upon our arrival to our hotel that we learned that we should have pre-purchased tickets …
Continue reading Carlsbad Caverns National Park | New Mexico | 04/03/21
After our trek to the Top of Texas, we had very little time left to explore what else Guadalupe National Park has to offer. We decided to visit two accessible historic sites on the way to our hotel, neither of which require much walking, perfect for our tired feet. Our first stop was "The Pinery" …
Continue reading Historic Sites of Guadalupe National Park | Texas | 04/02/21
Guadalupe Peak (8,751') | Guadalupe Mountains National Park Salt Flat, TX | 04/02/21 | 9.82 miles | 3,044' gain Although 2021 started out slow (with no traveling and very few exciting hikes), April started with a bang and I haven't slowed down since. On a whirlwind three-day trip, Allie and I road-tripped around Texas and …
Continue reading Guadalupe Peak (8,751′) | Texas’ State High Point | 04/02/21
