The Nonsense of W&J

We really enjoyed our visit to the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Although we only stayed three days, we completed two amazing hikes and tented for the first time in a national park campground.

How We Managed Our Visit to Rocky Mountain National Park:

1. Book a campground
2. Get there early
3. See the sunrise while hiking and avoid the crowds

Our Hikes:

1. Nymph, Dream, & Emerald Lakes and Lake Haiyaha
2. Andrews Glacier & Tarn that we didn’t complete

Timed Entry Pass

2024 was our first year we had to book timed entry passes for some national parks.  Arches and Rocky Mountain National Parks both required timed entry passes to enter the park during certain times of the day.

Arches National Park was pretty straightforward.  If you were entering the park between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. between April 1 – October 31, 2024, you had to purchase a timed entry pass for $2.

We would wait until the day before we wanted to visit, get on the Recreation.gov app at 7 p.m. and book a pass for the next day.  Easy peasy.  Although you have an hour from the initial time of the pass to enter the park, we always showed up right at the beginning of our time.

However, Rocky Mountain NP is a little more confusing.  Firstly, it has two different areas with different entry pass times.  If you are visiting any area besides Bear Lake Road, you must have a timed entry pass to enter the Park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.  You can enter the park before these hours or after these hours without a timed entry pass.

Our hikes were, unfortunately, on the Bear Lake Road, and has its own timed entry system.  Bear Lake Road reservations are required to enter the Bear Lake Road Corridor between the hours of 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The timed entry passes for the Rocky Mountain National Park are also valid for 2 hours.  So, if you purchase a timed entry pass for 8 a.m., you have from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to enter the park with your pass.  However, I will say, if you are entering at the Bear Lake Road, 8 a.m. is probably too late to find a parking spot at the trailheads.  You will probably have to catch the shuttle.

Glacier Basin Campground

Because our planned hikes were in the Bear Lake Area, and we knew the trailheads would be very busy, we decided to book four nights at the Glacier Basin Campground.  Your timed entry pass is included with the booking of the campsite.  So, we could avoid purchasing timed entry passes separately.  Also, it was easier for us to wake up early to park at the trailheads.

We have the America the Beautiful Annual Pass and we should have been able to book the campsite for half price.  However, I was trying to book it on my Recreation.gov app and, for some reason, it wouldn’t accept the numbers on the back of the card.  If you intend on booking this campground, please make sure you receive the half-price discount from your card.

The campground is very noisy.  I believe quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.  We went to bed around 8 p.m. every evening because we knew we were getting up at 4 a.m.  However, our neighbors banged around until 9:30 p.m. every evening.  The campground is the quietest during the day when everyone is out exploring.

If you are staying at the campground, like us, to arise early for hiking, be aware it is not quiet.  We realize we are an anomaly as we go to bed really early for our morning hikes.  But, we also know we are not the only ones!

Generators can be run between the hours of 7:30-10 a.m. and 4-8:30 p.m. However, some sites do not allow generators.  When we arrived, we spoke with the ranger on duty checking us in.  We asked a lot of questions as this was our first national park campground.

There is a solar shower in the D Loop at this campground.  After smelling ourselves, we probably should have checked it out after hiking.  But, we didn’t.

Our Hikes

The two hikes we wanted to try were the Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake and Lake Haiyaha trail and the Andrew Glacier and Tarn Trail.

Our first hike of the four lakes we began at the Bear Lake Parking Area & Trailhead.  We knew both of our hikes were in popular destinations and the parking lots would fill up fast.  Although there is a shuttle stop right across from the Glacier Basin Campground, we decided to get up early to find a spot.

We arrived at both parking lots around 4:30 a.m. and there were already vehicles in the lots.  I don’t know if you will be able to find a spot after 7 a.m.  Because of the timed entry system, we expected a lot of traffic before the 5 a.m. timed entry requirement and we were not disappointed.

Our Four Lake Hike

Our hike to the four lakes was gorgeous.  We didn’t start out on the trail until after the sun had risen.  However, I imagine watching the sunrise at one of the lakes would be amazing.  Although we enjoyed Dream Lake and Emerald Lake, our favorite was Lake Haiyaha.

You must do some rock scrambling when you arrive at Lake Haiyaha.  I am not going to lie, rock scrambling is not my favorite type of hiking.  But the absolute blue glacier water of the lake is worth climbing over the big boulders.

Give yourself some time to sit and really take in this lake.  We could not get over how gloriously blue it was.  A couple of young men, braver than we were, jumped in for their cold plunge.  Although one said, “how refreshing,” the other young man did not say too much but tried to put on his clothes quickly!

We took our epic lunch spot for the day at this beautiful lake.  We just enjoyed sitting, enjoying the lake, and taking in the surrounding views.  However the lake itself is the real reason to visit this area.

If you don’t want to hike the other lakes, but only see Lake Hiayaha, you can also reach the lake via the Glacier Gorge Trailhead.  Our second hike to Andrews Glacier and Tarn also begins at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead.  You can also hike to Alberta Falls, Timberline Falls, and Sky Pond from this trailhead.

Andrew’s Glacier and Tarn

So, you can imagine, this parking lot also gets full quickly.  For our second hike, we decided to begin the trail in the dark and hike during the sunrise.

Wow!  We began hiking around 5:30 a.m. or a little before.  Before we reached Alberta Falls, we were already experiencing some of the amazing effects of the sunrise over the trees and on the rocks.  The sun rise was still occurring when we reached Alberta Falls.

I would not change that moment for all the world.  To witness Alberta Falls in the glowing pink of the sunrise while the rocks around you reflect that color was one of the prettiest sights we can remember.

If you are hiking this trail, and if possible, begin the hike in the dark and see the sunrise.  It will be a forever memory that you will not want to forget.  Also, there is not a crowd at this time of day.  We were by ourselves for most of the hike.  The hikers who had started before us were hiking to other areas to view the sunrise.

Alberta Falls is in and of itself gorgeous.  We were taken aback by the amount of water that flows at this waterfall.  And the large, surrounding rock makes it stunning.  We recorded it on the way back, as it was too dark for the GoPros during the sunrise.  However, by then, there were crowds everywhere.

While hiking to Andrews Glacier, you also get to hike around The Loch.  Oh, my goodness, this lake took our breath away.  When you arrive at the lake, you can see the waterfall on the far distant rock wall, with snow or ice above it.  On the day we hiked, a mist was gently rolling down the mountains towards the lake.  We had to sit and take in its beauty before continuing.

For most of our hike, we followed the same trail as the Sky Pond Trail.  In fact, we were the only ones hiking to Andrews Glacier.  Although we did meet one young woman hiking back who had watched the sunrise from there.

The trail for Andrews Glacier separates from the Sky Pond Trail after The Loch.  We had to make a right at the fork towards the Andrew Glacier Campground.  The next sign we saw on the trail only officially marked the campground.  However, someone had carved an arrow pointing to the left that said Tarn.  There is another blue arrow on the rock when you turn to the left for the Tarn.

We did not make it to the Glacier and Tarn, which is the small lake below it.  However, we hiked with views of a glorious meadow up the hill.  We had to climb over some large boulders.  But we had talked with the young lady hiking down earlier, and she had told us to stay to the right.

We followed her advice, staying to the right while climbing over the boulders up the hill.  We climbed over a beautiful stream that led down into the valley, with blooming wildflowers on the hill.  It was gorgeous.

Finally, we reached the real rock-scrambling portion of the hike.  We could see the top of the mountain where the glacier and tarn were located, but we could not see them ourselves.  The climb to the top required hiking over loose rock.  Windell was already feeling the effects of the altitude.

Although I wanted to see the Glacier, I did not want us to hurt ourselves or hike on all fours just to reach a glacier and lake.  Besides, the hike was already amazing.  We saw Alberta Falls in the sunrise, The Lock with a waterfall, and the hill and valley with a stream and wild flowers.  We were extremely content with our amazing adventure.

Rocky Mountain National Park

We really enjoyed our two hikes in the Rocky Mountain National Park, and we are glad we visited it.  Booking the Glacier Basin Campground for a few nights made it easy for us to arrive early and park for our hikes.  Be aware that the park fills up fast!

Arriving early, hiking during the sunrise, and seeing some of the amazing features made this trip worth the cost of the campground and the drive.  Although it was not our favorite national park, we really enjoyed this short side trip.

No one ever said we were the sharpest knives in the drawer.  And traveling through Arizona in July and August supported this fact.  While planning our truck camping adventure for this year, we originally planned to visit Arizona, Utah, and Colorado while sleeping in the back of our truck.  We thought we would be more flexible in our travels and adventuring without the camper.

However, our plans did not work out.  Although we loved all the cool things we did in Utah and Wyoming, we hated truck camping.  So, we decided to pick up our travel trailer in Colorado and head to Arizona for some of our planned adventures.  Traveling through Arizona in July and August was a whole experience unto itself that we hope to never repeat.

Although it was blazingly hot, we did see some bucket list things and have some fun in Arizona.

Our Traveling through Arizona:

1. North Rim Grand Canyon
   • Bright Angel Point Trail, .5 miles
   • Uncle Jim Trail, 4.7 miles, 730 feet elevation
2. Navajo National Monument
3. Tuba City Dinosaur Track
4. Antelope Canyon
   • Upper Antelope Canyon
   • Lower Antelope Canyon
5. Sedona
   • Devil’s Bridge Hike via Dry Creek Road, 3.9 miles, 521 feet elevation
   • Subway Cave Hike via Boynton Canyon Trail, 7.1 miles, 1100 feet elevation

Boondocking and Campgrounds:

1. Kaibob National Forest – Lots of free camping per our Campendium App
2. Navajo National Monument – free paved campsites, maximum stay at one time 7 days
3. NavajoLand Tuba City R.V. Park – less than $40 a night with full-hookups, AARP discount
4. Thousand Trails Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ – super friendly staff who helped us out a lot

Why We visited Arizona in the Heat of Summer

Although we knew it was hot, we started traveling through Arizona in July.  We had already booked tours for both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon and we didn’t want to cancel them. So, after our tours we decided to continue traveling in Arizona to the Thousand Trails in Cottonwood.  There are a couple of hikes that we really wanted to do in Sedona.  Originaly, we planned to stay only a week in the heat and then book it back to Colorado.

Our plans took a nose-dive when our truck wouldn’t start at the campground.  Luckily, the Ford Dealership is only five miles away from the TT campground and we easily had it towed.  Lucky enough (or maybe unlucky as our truck is not that old), the repairs were all covered by warranty.

However, this unexpected curve-ball meant we had to stay in the heat for three more weeks, a month in total at the campground.  We are not used to this level of heat during the day!  When you Full-Time RV, you have more choice about climates.  So, we had become accustomed to milder climates.  Needless to say, we had to adjust our daily routine while sitting in Arizona.

For the entire month we sat at Cottonwood, we hiked early in the mornings.  Then, we sat in the camper with the Air Conditioner on all afternoon.  After 6 p.m., it cools down enough again to enjoy being outside.

The Stunning Places We Saw in Arizona

The North Rim Grand Canyon

Arizona has some amazing geological features and remnants of ancient life.  We finally saw the Grand Canyon at an age when we could both remember it!  We did not travel to the South Rim, but we did visit the North Rim.  A few people we met recommended the North Rim as it is less busy.  We completed two hikes that we enjoyed immensely at the Grand Canyon.

Bright Angel Point Trail

Our favorite hike on the North Rim was the Bright Angel Point Trail.  It is accessible right past the Lodge.  The views on this trail took our breath away.  Returning from the Bright Angel Point Trail, we also took the Transept Trail a little ways to walk out to some more amazing overlooks.  I believe the Bright Angel Point Trail is currently closed for some repairs.

Uncle Jim Trail

While at the North Rim, we also hiked Ken Patrick Trail to the Uncle Jim Loop Trail.  The parking lot for the Ken Patrick Trail is also the parking lot for the North Kaibob Trail.  Vehicles longer than 20 feet are not allowed in the parking lot, so we had to find some side parking around this area.

We walked clockwise on the Uncle Jim Trail.  The best views of the Canyon are towards the end of this trail if you also hike clockwise.  We stopped for our epic lunch spot while taking in the view.  This trail surprised us with the views at the end.

One thing you do need to be aware of on this trail is the horses and mules.  You will be walking through the wastes left behind.  Although not ideal, we didn’t let it spoil our fun.

We did have on our list to also hike the North Kaibob Trail to the Supai Tunnel.  However, our boondocking site was forty minutes away in the Kaibob National Forest and we decided to save this trail for another trip.  I believe there is dispersed camping closer to the park but we really like our cell service.

While visiting the North Rim, we did see buffalo.  They crossed the road right in front of the truck.  This made the adventure even more incredible.  Can you ever get tired of seeing buffalo or bison?

Navajo National Monument

We knew nothing about the Navajo National Monument.  We actually discovered this little gem by accident while traveling through Arizona.  When we pulled up our Campendium app to find a place for the night, and this national monument campground popped up.

The Navajo National Monument has a paved, free campground that you can stay in for seven days.  Although the sites are not level, they do provide heated restrooms and trash receptacles.  We ended up staying at this campground for three nights, relaxing and exploring the park.

On our second day we visited the Visitor Center, bought some postcards and chatted with the employee for a while.  We hiked the three self-guided trails in the Monument.  The Sandal Trail is 1.3 miles roundtrip.  At the end of the trail, you can see the Betatakin Cliff Dwelling.  It is better to see these cliff dwelling in the afternoon, as later in the day, the sun exposes the cliff dwelling.  Whereas in the morning, the dwelling is in the shadows.

The Aspen Trail is .8 miles, but it is a little steeper.  We really enjoyed this trail and the views of the canyon.  The Canyon View Trail, also .8 miles, would have better views if they allowed you to walk across the rock to really see the Canyon.  However, debris was placed to disallow walking on the rock.  So, we behaved ourselves and hiked back.

If you are traveling through Arizona, Monument Valley, you might want to stop in at the Navajo National Monument.  Check out the cliff dwelling, talk to the friendly employees, and stay the night in the campground.

Antelope Canyon

Originally, we were apprehensive about the tours we booked for Antelope Canyon.  Because we did not know if we would ever return to the area, we booked both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon Tours.  We heard horror stories of being crowded like cattle into the back of trucks to visit the Slot Canyon and walking through the canyon squished like sardines.

I am not going to lie.  We were herded into the back of the truck for the Upper Antelope Canyon Tour.  The ride to the slot canyon was very bumpy, and I did say “moo” at one time as we laughed at our predicament.  However, once we arrived, our guide was amazing.

She made sure we had plenty of time to see the Slot Canyon, while not running into any other groups.  She took pictures and explained different features of the Canyon.  We were pleasantly surprised by the tour.

There is only one thing that bothers me about slot canyon tours; guides always point out rocks saying they look like something else.  All the slot canyons we visited are gorgeous and you are excited just to be in them.  I don’t need to see a giraffe in the rock. But I assume other people like that kind of thing.

The Upper Antelope Slot Canyon is beautiful.  It was worth being packed into the back of a truck.  However, the Lower Antelope Canyon blew us away.

We booked our tower for the Lower Slot Canyon with Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon Tours.  We were still led by a guide.  However, you walk straight from the tour building down to the Canyon trail with no bumpy ride.

We both thought the Lower Antelope Canyon was prettier and more of a slot canyon than the Upper Antelope Canyon.  We believe that the amazing pictures we associate with Antelope Canyon must have been taken in the lower Slot Canyon.  This canyon tour is also cheaper than the Upper tour.

If you do visit Lower Antelope Canyon, though, be careful!  As usual, I bumped my head on a rock because I was talking and not paying attention.  If you can only do one tour, book the Lower Antelope Canyon tour.  You will not regret it.

Sedona

Cottonwood, Arizona is only a half an hour away from Sedona, Arizona.  If you research amazing things to do in Arizona, you probably will run across a lot of unforgettable hikes in this area.

Because our truck breakdown was a major one, the Ford Dealership kindly lent us a car for over a week.  So, instead of lamenting our situation, we decided to go hiking.  Now, there are a few things I must warn you about hiking in Sedona.

Firstly, it gets hot quick.  If you are not used to heat, go early in the morning.  By ten a.m., the heat is miserable.  We started our hikes around 6:30 a.m.

Secondly, hiking in Sedona includes some climbing over slick rocks.  For me, it meant crawling up some of the rocks on all four or scooting down on my butt.  Just be aware.  On every hike we did, I climbed on all fours in at least one portion of the hike.

The Devil’s Bridge Hike

To access the Devil’s Bridge Trail, you must park at the Dry Creek Parking lot located at GPS 34.89042, -111.82074.  If you have a 4×4 or UHV, you can drive all the way to the trailhead.  If not, you can park in a parking lot and hike the Dry Creek Road to the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead.  You will need to buy a day pass or display your America the Beautiful Pass at the parking lot.

You can easily find your way to Devil’s Bridge with all the signs and other hikers enroute.  The most difficult part of the hike to the Devil’s Bridge is climbing the rocks towards the end.  However, it is well worth a little rock scrambling to walk out onto the arch and feel that sense of accomplishment.  While you are there, take the short hike to the bottom of the bridge for a different perspective.  You will enjoy it!

The Subway Cave

The Subway Cave has been on our bucket list for a few years now.  Being inside the cave and looking out at the splendid scenery is exactly how it looks in the internet pictures.

To access the Subway Cave trail, we parked at the Boyton Canyon Trail Parking Lot, GPS 34.90767, -111.84904.  The parking lot is located in the Cocino National Forest.  You must purchase a day pass or use your America the Beautiful Pass.

You hike the Boyton Canyon Trail for two miles until you turn right at a large Alligator Juniper tree.  The side hike to the cave is easy to find and chances are, you will meet other hikers also hiking to the cave.  The most difficult part of this hike is definitely the entrance of the cave.  If you do not want to hike around the edge of the cliff, be prepared to do some crawling up the cave entrance.

To crawl up the entrance of the cave, we started on the left side with the crevice.  You can find a few footholds on this side.  However, the crevice narrows and you have to switch to the right side of the entrance.  Windell had to push me up by my butt a few times.  To come back down, we schooched on our butts down the original right side without the crevice.

Other hikers are super helpful and will pull you and push you to get into the cave.  Or, you can walk along the cliff side to enter it.  Either way, you must get up into that cave because you will be amazed.

Cathedral Rock Hike

Okay, open disclaimer here.  We did not complete the Cathedral Rock Hike.  Firstly, I incorrectly thought we were hiking to the Church of the Holy Cross.  But we were not.  It was actually located across the valley.

There are some amazing views from this rock, and we decided to attempt it.  However, when we reached the point of scaling through the crevice with small footholds, we both quickly gave up.  Remembering our difficulties in scaling the Subway Cave entrance, we decided only the most epic view would be worth trying to come down that small crevice.

So, we hiked around the rock on a different trail to see some views and headed back to the parking lot.  Sometimes it is good to know your limits.

Soldier Pass Trail

After our failure of trying to hike Cathedral Rock, it was still only seven in the morning.  So, I thought, heck let’s try the Soldier Pass Trail to the Hidden Cave.  We had heard from other hikers that the trail and the cave were both worth seeing, although the sacred pools were dry.

We headed to the small parking lot at GPS 34.8843, -111.78377.  However, the parking lot is closed Thursday thru Sunday, and you must take the shuttle.  On the rest of the days, the gates do not open unil 8 a.m.  When we arrived, there was already one car waiting for the gates to open.  If you want to hike early, your best option is probably the Sedona Shuttle from the Possee Grounds Park and Ride.  The first shuttle is at 7:00 a.m. and arrives at the trailhead is 7:08 a.m.

However, as we sat at the closed gates at the trailhead, we looked across at each other.  We didn’t want to start a Sedona hike at 8 a.m. in the heat.  And we had already finished our two bucket list hikes.  So, we headed back to the campground to sit in some AC.

Thousand Trails Campground at Cottonwood, Arizona

Because our truck required major repair, we had to buy an extra week while staying at this Thousand Trails Campground.  We had no idea when we would be able to leave Arizona.  The employees at the Campground were very friendly to us and worked with us to ensure we had a place to stay.  We appreciate all of their help.

Luckily, the campground has a lot of hiking paths that kept me busy early in the mornings.  I could continue exercising and we had plenty of cell service with our signal booster.  So, we sat tight until our truck was fixed, taking some time out to make videos, do online classes, and write blogs.

Heading North to Cool Off

After traveling and sitting in Arizona for over a month, our truck is finally fixed.  We appreciate the amazing sights, canyons, and hikes we have enjoyed.  But we are ready for cooler weather!

We learned a lot about ourselves this year.  Firstly, we don’t like truck camping.  We are not those people who want to shower and poop outside for any extended period of time.  We are a little too spoiled by programmed coffee and a bidet.  However, we are glad we found this out about ourselves before we tried it in Alaska or Canada, where our little camper was not nearby to give us relief.

The second item we discovered is that we are not nearly as fond of the desert scene as we are of oceans and snow covered-mountains.  Yes, there are lots of geological features and landscapes in the desert that you will not find other places.  And if you enjoy seeing dinosaur tracks and ancient pueblo cliff dwellings, this area of the U.S. is perfect.  However, after a summer in the desert, we are ready for cooler temperatures and some ocean adventures.  Our plans for the next several years do not include any red rocks or cactuses.

Hikes We Completed:

• Figure-8 Combination, 6.4 miles, 1575 feet elevation gain, strenuous, this hike combines three hikes: Queen’s Garden,
  Navajo Loop, and the Peekaboo Loop
• Natural Bridge Overlook, short walk to overlook, Mile 12.25 of the 18 mile Southern Scenic Drive

Hikes We Missed:

• Mossy Cave Trail, .8 miles, 150 feet elevation gain, easy
• Fairy Land Loop Trail, 8 miles, 1900 feet elevation gain, strenuous

Visiting Bryce Canyon

We originally bypassed Bryce National Park to arrive earlier at Zion.  However, while driving through the area and seeing the gorgeous colors in the rocks, we knew we had to return and visit this national park.  This is a park you must visit to see the hoodoos, the irregular columns of rocks.  The hoodoos have layers of colors that make them jaw-dropping beautiful.  Cameras do not do it justice.

If you are an early riser or enjoy sunsets, Sunrise Point at Bryce Canyon is said to be an amazing spot to sit and watch the sun glide over the hoodoos.  Unfortunately, as we were truck camping without our RV, we did not arise and pack up early enough or stay late enough to see this phenomenon.  However, this is on our list when we return to Bryce Canyon.

When you visit the park, also check out Sunset Point.  It is in the same parking area as Sunrise Point and many trailheads.  Sunset Point offers some of the most famous and breathtaking views of Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos. Per the NPS. gov website, “Nowhere are the colors of Bryce Canyon’s rock better displayed than from Sunset Point”.

Hikes in Bryce Canyon

Originally, we planned to hike the Queen’s Garden Trail, the Navajo Loop Trail, and the Peekaboo Loop Trail separately.  However, after reading about the Figure 8 trail that combines all three trails into a more challenging trail, Jessica wanted to try it.

The Queen’s Garden Trail is a lovely trail that begins at Sunrise Point.  You hike through hoodoos and rock archways.  Simply walking from the parking lot to the trailhead you have astounding views of Wall Street and the colorful hoodoos.  Although we enjoyed our hike through Queen’s Garden, Peekaboo Loop blew us away.

The Peekaboo Loop was our favorite part of the Figure 8 trail.  The overlooks as you hike up provide you with the most gorgeous views of the hoodoos.  We still remember the beauty of this trail.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of horses and mules on this trail.  We had to stand aside a couple of times to let them pass and then sidestep the remains of the animals.  Otherwise, this is a must do hike in Bryce Canyon.

The Figure 8 Combination Hike ended with the Navajo Loop Trail.  We won’t lie.  We were tired by the time we reached the end of this trail.  However, this trail has impressive and unique rock features not found on the other trails.  The Navajo Loop also contains the park’s most famous hoodoo: Thor’s hammer.  At the end of the trail, we stopped at a huge area between the rock to cool down before attempting the Wall Street switchbacks.

While in the park, be sure to stop at mile 12.25 along the Southern Scenic Drive.  You will want to see Natural Bridge, which is a majestic arch at Bryce Canyon.  The arch is huge and well worth the stop to see.

Dispersed Camping

While visiting Bryce Canyon National Park, we boondocked at Tom’s Best Spring Dispersed Camping in the Dixie National Forest GPS: 37.728, -112.2487.  Right off Highway 12, you turn onto a gravel road.  As we were only in the truck we turned into the first right for smaller designated campsites.  However, larger rigs can continue further down the gravel road for a campground with larger sites.

We enjoyed this campground and would easily leave our little travel trailer unattended.  It is quiet and no one bothered us.  In fact, the couple in the Class A parked at the first campsite came over to say hi and introduce themselves.  The campground is about half an hour away from Bryce Canyon.

Hikes we Completed at Canyonlands:

• Mesa Arch Trail, Island in the Sky section, .7 miles, 88 feet elevation, easy
• Grand View Point Trail, Island in the Sky section, 1.8 miles, 164 feet elevation, easy
• Upheavel Dome Trail, Island in the Sky section,  .7 miles, 108 feet elevation, moderate

Hikes We Missed but Plan to Do:

• Aztec Butte Trail, Island in the Sky section, 1.6 miles, 249 feet elevation, moderate
• Druid Arch Trail, The Needles section, 9.7 miles, 1446 feet elevation, moderate
• Peekaboo Trail, The Needles section, 10.8 miles, 429 feet elevation, strenous

Our Visit to Canyonlands National Park

We really did not expect Canyonlands National Park to impress us as much as it did.  The main reason we visited Moab, Utah, was to see Arches National Park.  However, Canyonlands is a gorgeous national park with beautiful views, arches, and cool geological features.

As usual, our first stop was at the national park’s Visitor’s Center at the Island in the Sky section of the park.  We always stops at visitor centers to speak with a Ranger and find recommendations for points of interest and best hikes.  We already planned to hike the Mesa Arch Trail and the Grand View Point Trail, but he also suggested the Upheavel Dome Trail.  He also recommended that we stop at various overlooks, including the Green River Overlook.

Canyonlands National Park has three main sections:  Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze.  We only visited the Island in the Sky section, although we have a couple of future hikes we want to try in The Needles.  However, the Maze is the most remote section of Canyonlands.  Some of the trails in this area require 4-wheel drive to access.   We don’t currently have any plans to hike the Maze area, as it requires more planning and backpacking.

Island in the Sky Area

We are unsure which hike we completed was our favorite.  We loved the hikes to Mesa Arch, Upheavel Dome, and the Grand View.  None of the three hikes were strenous and we completed them all in one day.  Mesa Arch is a cool arch with a scenic view through it.  It is a very easy hike and we enjoyed posing in front of the arch.  We then walked around, exploring and observing the different perspectives of the overlook and the arch.

However, the Upheavel Dome Trail is amazing.  We were unsure what to make of the geologic abnormality.  Per the signs we read at the dome, no one is sure how the Upheavel Dome came to be although there are currently two theories.  The two theories are the Salt Dome Theory and the Impact Crater Theory.  There are two overlooks for the Upheavel Dome.  After hiking to the first overlook, you can backtrack a little and hike to the second overlook, which is a little more challenging.  The second overlook, however, provides you with a different angle of the dome and we are glad we hiked it.

The busiest trail we hiked in Canyonlands was the Grand View Point Trail.  When you arrive at the end, you have the opportunity to rock scramble a little for some higher views.  Plan to explore the area around this trail; it has spectactular views that vary depending on which side you stand.  The Grand View Point Trail is currently closed on weekdays from August to September 2024.

The one hike in the Island in the Sky Area that we did not do that was on our list is the Aztec Butte Trail.  This trail supposedly leads to an ancient granary built into an alcove.  However, per hiker feedback, some rock scrambling is required and the trail is not well marked in places.  So, maybe it was good that we skipped it!

Canyonlands National Park is a fascinating national park to visit.  Although, Arches National Park is more popular, while staying in Moab, Utah, take the time to visit this national park and check out its cool features.

While visiting Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, we boondocked in the truck at a designated campground in Mill Canyon.   Per the Campendium app, it is Gemini Bridges Road Designated Campsites GPS 38.7114, -109.7271.  The designated campsites are past the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Track campground.  The pictures in Campendium show fifth wheels and travel trailers.  However, we did not drive up towards the rock to check out this camping, but instead drove down further on a very bumpy Cotter Mine Road to a designated site with only the truck.  The road is rough and we would not take our travel trailer to the campsites further on this road.  We did enjoy waking up the view of hot air balloons in the morning at this boondocking!

Our Favorite Hikes and Arches:

• Delicate Arch Trail, 3.2 miles, elevation gain 629 feet, moderate
• Double Arch Trail, .6 miles, elevation gain 95 feet, easy
• Landscape Arch Trail, 1.9 miles, elevtion gain 252 feet, easy
• Windows and Turret Arch Trail, 1.2 miles, elevation gain 154 feet, easy

Hikes we missed but plan to do in the future:

• Fiery Furnace and Surprise Arch Trail, 2.1 miles, elevation gain 492 feet, moderate – this hike requires a permit and a good offline map
• Devil’s Garden Trail, 7.9 miles, elevation gain 1085 feet, hard – this hike does require climbing some slick rock

Our Visit to Arches National Park

Arches National Park was our second favorite place while visiting Utah.  Arches is an amazing national park with lots of cool hikes to various arches.  The park currently enforces a timed entry reservation system to limit the number of people entering from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Although you can purchase tickets months in advance, the park releases some tickets the day before, and we had no issues securing passes the day before our visits.  You can purchase a timed entry pass on Recreation.gov.

We spent a couple of days in Arches National Park, hiking and exploring arches.  Our favorite hike in Arches is the Delicate Arch Hike.  The hike is three miles and considered strenuous.  You will need water on this trail, especially during hotter weather.  However, reaching and posing under the Delicate Arch makes this hike memorable.  Do not forget to check out some amazing petroglyphs at the beginning of this trail.

During our visit to Arches, we also hiked Double Arch, Windows and Turret Arches, Landscape Arch, Broken Arch, and Sand Dune Arch Trails.  Our favorite arches, besides Delicate Arch, are Double Arch and Landscape Arch.  The short hike to Double Arch was worth seeing this amazing arch.  We enjoyed plopping a squat underneath this striking arch while we cooled down.  People climb up the interior of this arch and sit and reflect.

We had plans to hike the entire Devils Garden Trail.  We hiked to Landscape Arch.  However, after Landscape, the trail goes up the rock to Double O Arch.  Some people hiked up the rock with no issues.  However, after starting this portion of the hike, we decided it was not worth falling or hurting ourselves.  So, we hiked back down the rock and decided to be content that we had seen Landscape Arch.

Besides completing the Devils Garden Trail, we also plan to hike the Fiery Furnace when we return to Arches National Park.  You must have a permit for this hike.  You can accompany a Ranger-guided tour or apply for a self-guided exploration permit.  Per our understanding of the Fiery Furnace hike, it is easy to get lost on this hike.  There are many possible paths, dead ends, and no GPS.  This will be a compass and offline downloaded map hike when we return.

Boondocking at Moab, Utah

While visiting Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, we boondocked in the truck at a designated campground in Mill Canyon.   Per the Campendium app, it is Gemini Bridges Road Designated Campsites GPS 38.7114, -109.7271.  The designated campsites are past the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Track campground.  The pictures in Campendium show fifth wheels and travel trailers.  However, we did not drive up towards the rock to check out this camping, but instead drove down further on a very bumpy Cotter Mine Road to a designated site with only the truck.  The road is rough and we would not take our travel trailer to the campsites further on this road.  We did enjoy waking up the view of hot air balloons in the morning at this boondocking!

Traveling through the Southwestern portion of Colorado, we planned a visit to the Mesa Verde National Park to view the cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people.  However, some unexpected surprises came with a visit to this national park.

Because we were pulling our travel trailer while visiting the park, we believed we would have to camp overnight in the Morefield Campground.  The Mesa Verde National Park does not allow any trailers past the campground.  After traveling through the park to Chapin Mesa, we can understand why.  The road is very curvy and narrow.

The Morefield Campground fee is $20 per night.  If you have a Senior Pass or Access Pass, the fee is $10 per night.  However, we discovered, to our delight, a drop off parking lot for trailers right before the entrance to the national park.  The trailer parking lot is free.  Park security drive through it throughout the day and we had no issues leaving our camper.

Our second surprise about the Mesa Verde National Park is that you cannot tour the cliff dwellings without a reservation, except for the Step House per the map.  However, more on the Step House area later.  We stopped at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum to see if any tickets were available to tour the cliff dwellings.  The Ranger informed us that reservations must be made two weeks prior because they sell out quickly.  You may be fortunate to grab a ticket if there is a cancellation for the day.  But we were not that lucky.

So, if you do visit Mesa Verde National Park, and you do want to tour the cliff dwellings, be sure to register for a tour two weeks prior to when you are visiting on Recreation.gov.  Do not do what we did and just show up thinking you can tour the cliff dwellings.

Now, back to the Step House.  When we were there on July 7, 2024, the Wetherill Mesa that contains the Step House and the Long House was closed.  The Step House is the only dwelling per the national park map that you can do a self-guiding tour.  So, because we had no reservations for the cliff dwelling tours and the Wetherill Mesa was closed, we did not actually have the chance to enter any cliff dwellings.

Lomayestewa Family Dancers

One amazing thing we did get to see on our visit was the Lomayestewa Family Dancers.  The Lomayestewa Family perform traditional Hopi dances once a year in the park in July.  The cost is free.  However, the dancers do ask for donations to help with the cost of traveling.  We really enjoyed watching the young people dance while the older generations played the instruments.  Towards the end, the family encourages spectators to join the dance.  This was an opportunity Jessica could not miss, and she jumped up to join.  We gave our word we would not post any pictures or videos of the dances, as they are traditional Hopi dances.  However, if you ever find us and want to see the video, let us know.

Because we were unable to join any tours of the cliff dwellings, we drove the Mesa Top Trail and the Cliff Palace Loop.  We stopped at most of the pull-offs on these loops to see various advantage points of the cliff dwellings and tour the pit houses.  The Cliff Palace Loop was our favorite and has the best overlook for the Cliff Palace.   However, the Balcony House pull-off is a bust unless you have reservations for the tour.  You cannot see the Balcony House from this point.

The Mesa Verde National Park is worth seeing.  However, we recommend if you are physically able, reserve a tour for the cliff dwellings.  Otherwise, like us, you may only be able to see them from overlooks.  If you visit this national park, also look out for the wild horses that roam inside it.  After visiting the park, we decided to boondock overnight at the Super Walmart in Cortez, CO  with many other RVs.

Our Favorite Hikes in Zion National Park:

• Scout Overlook Trail, Shuttle Stop #6 The Grotto, 3.6 miles, 1115 feet elevation gain, hard – be sure and hike a mile past Scout Overlook on the West Rim Trail for some more amazing views
• The Narrows Bottom-Up Day Trail, Shuttle Stop #9 Temple of Sinawava, as many miles as you can hike, very little elevation gain
• The Watchman Trail, right at Visitors Center, 3.1 miles, 636 feet elevation gain

Hikes We Missed but Plan to Do:

• Zion Canyon Overlook Trail, .9 miles, 157 feet elevation gain, it is located on the east side of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel and can be tricky to find parking
• Observation Point via East Mesa Trailhead, 7 miles, 702 feet elevation gain, the East Mesa Trailhead on the East side of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel via Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort GPS 37.29698, -112.90013

Our favorite place to visit in Utah is Zion National Park.  We stayed in the area for a couple of weeks in mid to late May, hoping to avoid the crowds during the busier summer months.  We dispersed camped fifteen minutes away from Zion at Hurricane Cliffs Designated Dispersed Campsites GPS 37.2072, -113.2402.  Zion is extremely crowded.  Every day we visited the park, we arrived early in the morning to find parking in the RV/oversize lot with our dually truck.  The Visitor Center opens at 8 a.m. but the shuttles begin running at 6 a.m.  Do note that the parking lots fill up fast!  There is a free shuttle service from Springdale into the park, if the Zion parking lot is full.  However, we had no issues finding parking by arriving before or around 8 a.m.

We now know why Zion National Park is so popular.  It is gorgeous!  We completed the Scout Overlook Trail, The Narrows bottom-up day Trail, the Watchman Trail, and all three of Emerald Pool trails.  We did not attempt to gain a permit for the famous Angels Landing Trail.  With her current fear of heights, Jessica did not feel comfortable attempting this hike.   But who knows what the future will bring.

Scout Lookout Trail

However, even if you do not want to hike Angels Landing, the Scout Lookout Trail is amazing.  This is now Windell’s favorite hike, displacing the Fremont Fire Tower in Mount Rainier National Park.  The Scout Lookout Trail is a strenuous trail and we took a lot of breaks on Walter’s Wiggles.  The Lookout is gorgeous.  We stopped and took in the inspiring view before continuing on the West Rim Trail. Hiking a mile or so further on West Rim Trail past Scout Lookout provides even better views of Angel’s Landing and different perspectives of the canyon.  If you still have the energy after Scout Lookout, we encourage you to continue on the West Rim Trail.  It is well worth the hike.

The Narrows Bottom-Up Day Trail

Jessica’s now favorite hike to date is the Narrows bottom-up day hike.  Although we did not feel comfortable attempting the hike when the water flow was 124 cubic feet per second, we did attempt it the second week when it dropped to 84 cubic feet per second.  We are glad we waited.  Especially Jessica who still fell into the water three times hiking back.

It was our first time hiking over ten miles while crossing a river through a canyon and it took our breath away, sometimes literally with the current and cold water.  The Narrows has been on our bucket list for four years, and we are grateful we finally hiked it.  There is no set endpoint to this hike.  You hike as far as you want upstream and turn around wherever you want to hike back downstream with the current.  We recommend this hike to anyone visiting Zion, although it is more enjoyable earlier in the morning with fewer people.

The Watchman Trail

The Watchman hike right at the parking lot introduces you to the gorgeous canyon of Zion and was recommended to us by a ranger.  This trail gets busy, but if you go early, you can have some time at the top to sit alone and reflect a moment.  There is also a short scenic loop trail at the end.  The Watchman Trail is considered an easy to moderate hike that can be completed in around two hours.  We hiked the Watchman trail and all three Emerald Pools in the same day.

The Emerald Pool Trails

The Emerald Pool trails were a disappointment to us.  We hiked these trails later in the morning and into the early afternoon in mid-May 2024.  The trails are very busy and the pools themselves are not very epic.  The waterfalls may flow better at different seasons, and maybe the pools are prettier then. Early spring, late fall, and winter are recommended as the best times to visit these pools.  If you like strenuous hikes, as Jessica does, you may enjoy the hikes to these pools and the lower pool does have a small waterfall you can walk behind.  To hike the Emeralds Pools, get off the shuttle at Stop #6, The Grotto.  The hike is considered moderate, although hiking to all three pools gave our legs a workout.  It is only three miles with 620 feet of elevation gain.

Other To-Do Hikes in Zion

The only hikes we missed that were on our to- do list during our first trip to Zion  were The Observation Point Trail and the Canyon Overlook Trail.  Both trails are supposed to provide amazing views of the Canyon.  However, it was not meant for us to hike these trails due to the Weeping Rock shuttle stop closure and the difficulty of parking.

There are two ways to access Observation Point.  It is a moderate hike at East Zion via the East Mesa Trailhead from the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.  The parking lot and trailhead are on the the east side of the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel.  The hike is seven miles with 702 feet of elevation gain.  We had planned to hike to Observation Point from the Weeping Rock Trailhead, which is Shuttle Stop #7 within the park.  During our visit in May 2024, the Weeping Rock shuttle stop was closed due to rockfall.  It has been closed since 2019.  So, we decided to leave the Observation Point Trail until the next time we returned to Zion.

It was also in our plan to hike the moderate Canyon Overlook Trail.  This trail is less than a mile in distance and was on our way out of the park.  However, while awaiting our turn to drive through the tunnel on East Zion, we spoke with the Ranger.  She said it would be difficult for us to find parking with our dually and that the parking lot was for smaller vehicles.  We looked, but did not find any parking for this trail after passing through the tunnel, so we continued on our way to Bryce National Park.

Zion National Park is extremely busy, and we are not particularly fond of crowds.  However, if you are in Utah, this national park is a must to visit.  The canyons, mountains, and views will take your breath away.  Zion National Park exceeded our expectations in its beauty.

Oregon remains one of our favorite states to explore with its beautiful coastline, spectacular waterfalls, and amazing hikes.  We had a blast adventuring in Oregon and plan to return one day to continue exploring this state.

Our favorite Adventuring in Oregon

Oregon Coast

Cape Perpetua Area

This was Jessica’s favorite area on the coast of Oregon.  She could watch Thor’s Well for hours.  Right off Highway 101 is a pull off for the overlook for Spouting Horn.  However, to get a better view of Spouting Horn and to walk further to see Thor’s Well, hike a little ways down from the overlook.  It is easy to find the trail.  The GoPro does not do this area justice.  In person, watching Thor’s Well and the Spouting Horn, you can see the starfish inside and hear the rumble as the waves move through the caves below.

Once you have your fill of the Spouting Horn area, you can hike north from Spouting Horn to Devil’s Churn or turn off onto the overlook pulloff and hike the short ways down.  As the tide comes in, the swirling, forceful waves travel onto the beach beside Devil’s Churn and smash against the walls of Devil’s Churn.  It is an amazing view.  We could spend days in this area watching the force of the tides and playing on the rocks.

Natural Bridges

Windell’s favorite spot on the Oregon Coast was the Natural Bridges Area.  Hiking down from the viewpoint to stand on the rock arch below is not as apparent as the hike to Thor’s Well.  However, it was not difficult to find the path.  You must make a right turn to hike down through some thick foliage to access the bridge.  Once we reached near the bridge, we turned to the left to explore the rocky coast a little more.  Another couple was on the arch and we were hoping we could have it to ourselves.  However, the couple was still there when we finished exploring, so we went ahead and hiked down to stand on the arch.  This is a gorgeous area that could be better captured with a drone.

Just north of Natural Brides is a parking lot with a hike that leads to Secret Beach.  You can even hike from Natural Bridges to this parking lot.  The hike to Secret Beach is not well-defined, but definitely worth trying.  Just remember to follow the sign that says “Beach” although the path seems to take you away from the beach.  We spent hours playing on the beach after following a few wrong trails on the hike.

Gray Whale Watching Charter

We were lucky while visiting Oregon that we happened to be during the best time to see gray whales.  So, we flew by the seat of our pants and purchased tickets for a boat charter for whale-watching.  We will never forget our experience of being so close to these magnificent giants in our small boat with only four other guests and a captain.  This last minute decision taught us to seize some opportunities without too much thinking.  If we had waited too long, we would not have seen the gray whales.  And, we had the best day.  We will always be on the lookout for whale-watching charters when we can find them.

Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a tremendous area for waterfalls.  Besides the impressive Multnomah Falls, Jessicas favorite waterfall, Tunnel Falls, plus several more waterfalls are on the Eagle Creek Trail GPS 45.63676, -121.9196.  This is not the only trail in the area with several waterfalls.  There are many more in this area that we plan to hike when we return.  Next time we plan to hike Horsetail Falls Trail GPS 45.59011, -122.06928 to Pony Tail Falls, the Wahkeena Falls Trail GPS 45.57602, -122.12782, and any more that we discover.  This is an amazing area for adventuring and we cannot wait to return and explore more.

While exploring this area, we were RVing an hour away at Mt Hood Village RV Resort 65000 US-26, Welches, OR 97067.  We choose this campground because we wanted to explore other areas in the south, including Silver Falls State Park and Mount Hood. However, the Portland Fairview RV Park 21401 NE Sandy Blvd, Fairview, OR 97024 is a lot closer to the Columbia River Gorge, and we would choose it next time.  The Portland Fairview is an Encore Park at $20 per night with the Trails Collection.

Crater Lake National Park

We were blown away by Crater Lake National Park.  We actually hiked three different trails in the one day we visited.  Amongst the Cleetwood Cove Trail, The Watchman Peak Trail, and The Garfield Peak Trail, our favorite was The Garfield Peak Trail.  The deep, rich color of the lake in the crater of a volcano is just an amazing sight.  The Watchman Peak Trail is a fantastic trail to see Wizard Island from above, but the Garfield Peak Trail was our favorite for an overall view of the lake.

We have not finished adventuring in Oregon.  There is so much to see and do.  In addition to exploring more in the Columbia River Gorge, we also want to visit the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, hike to more waterfalls, and see more of the rocky coastline.  When we return, we will also have to visit the Cape Perpetua Area and Natural Bridges again.

One of our favorite adventures in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State is the hike to Rialto Beach, located in the Olympic National Park.  We love the Olympic Peninsula for its coastal beaches, mountains, lavender farms, and its unique beaches and sea life.  And the beaches contain so much sea life!  Before reaching Split Rock and Hole in the wall, you will see a few rocks on the beach with starfish.  However, when you arrive at Split Rock, you will be overwhelmed by the number and variety of starfish and sea anemones.

Our favorite place on Rialto Beach is Split Rock.  We couldn’t believe how many starfish and sea anemones were in this area!  We spent most of our time at Split Rock, counting the starfish and listening to the waves.  It took us awhile to pull ourselves away and hike back even though the tide was coming in.

To hike this trail, you can use the Rialto Beach Tide Chart to determine when low tide occurs.  You must hike the beach during low tide as it is not accessible during high tide.  This is a short 3.3 mile hike along the beach.  You will see many people on this hike and you can easily follow them from the parking lot.  Restrooms are available at the parking lot.

From the parking lot, simply turn right and hike down the beach with lots of other people on the Hole-in-the-Wall Trail.  Give yourself plenty of time to explore and take your picture at Hole-in-the Wall.  Check out all the amazing sea life and have fun!  Although we also explored Kalaloch Beach 4in the Olympic National Park, Rialto Beach is our favorite beach in this area and we will visit again when we come back.

Washington is one of our favorite states to explore.  We tend to shy away from big cities like Seattle and focus on hiking, kayaking, and adventuring.  Although we spent many months in Washington, there is still a lot of adventuring in this state on our bucket list.  Below is a list of our favorite explorations in Washington and future explorations on our bucket list.

Our Favorite Explorations in Washington

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier was one of our favorite national parks to hike and explore.   We visited the park several days while staying at Paradise RV Campground Thousand Trails in 173 Salem Plant Rd, Silver Creek, WA 98585.  Our favorite hikes in the national park were the Freemont Trail, the Skyline Trail, and Comet Falls.  Although we visited the park in July, there was still some snow on the Freemont Trail.  We hiked the Skyline Trail in several inches of snow.  It required quite of a bit of exertion and caution.  The Skyline Trail is the one hiking trail that we wish we had hiking poles.  To come back down from the Panorama Point, Jessica had to slide on her butt part way.

The Freemont Fire Lookout was Windell’s favorite trail until we explored Zion National Park in Utah.  However, we are not finished with Mount Rainier.  When we return, we want to hike the Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout and the Sourdough Ridge Trailhead.  Of course, we will probably be adding more explorations to the list as we continue watching Wandering Washington on her excursions.

Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula is truly an amazing place to visit.  The temperate rainforest, Pacific coastline, lavender farms, and the extraordinary features of this area will simply take your breath away.  We stayed at KM Resorts – Diamond Point Resort 294 Industrial Pkwy, Sequim, WA 98382, which is one of our RPI membership parks.  Sequim, Washington is a fabulous place to visit lavender farms and hike the spit to the Dungeness Lighthouse.  Read our blog regarding hiking the Dungeness Spit with the tide tables.

While we were there, we also visited the Olympic National Park for some amazing beaches and hikes.  Our favorite hike was to Rialto Beach during low tide.  We never saw so many different colored starfishes and sea anemones in our lives.  Split rock was our favorite spot to explore during this hike.  If we return to the Olympic Peninsula, we will be hiking this beach again.  We did have to check our tide schedule and we have a short blog on Hiking Rialto Beach.

We also hiked Hurricane Hill and Kalaloch Beach 4.  However, they were not our favorite explorations.  When we return to the Olympic Peninsula, we would like to attempt to hike the Mt. Ellinor Lower Trailhead and Mount Storm King.  We did not attempt these at the time simply because we weren’t sure of our abilities.  However, since hiking and pushing ourselves more, we are more confident in hiking more elevation and Jessica is a little less afraid of hikes.

Crescent Lake is a sight to behold.  The lake is incredibly blue and many people were jumping off the bridge into the Devils Punchbowl.  We kayaked this lake in the afternoon after hiking to Marymere Falls.  However, next time we will kayak it in the morning with less wind!

San Juan Island

We love sea creatures and chartering boats to see wildlife in the oceans.  While staying at La Conner RV & Camping Resort 16362 Snee Oosh Rd, La Conner, WA 98257 Thousand Trails, we booked a ferry from Anacortes to San Juan Island.  We love Washington ferries!  Taking a ferry to an Island is a great way to get some scenery and maybe see some wildlife.

Exploring a little of the San Juan Island was fun.  However, our main reason for going to the Island was our booked boat charter to see some Killer Whales.  Besides our YouTube video, we also wrote a short blog on our Killer Whale Adventure.  We had an amazing time, although the boat trip was a little colder than we expected.  When we return to this area, we would like to explore more of the Islands, including Orcas Island.  Maybe Jessica can even convince Windell to kayak around the areas.

Future Desired Explorations in Washington

Leavenworth

Although we explored the town of Leavenworth and did a few hikes, there are some amazing areas that we did not know about or explore while we were there.  When we return, we want to hike the Cascade Pass Trailhead to Sahale Arm Trail, and especially The Enchantments.  The Enchantments will be an intense one day hike.  We want to apply for a backpacking permit to stay overnight.  This hike is our main bucket list item in the Leavenworth area, although we realize it will be extremely challenging.

North Cascades

We did not visit the North Cascades National Park or surrounding area while we were in Washington.  At the time, there were many vehicle break-ins while they were repaving parking lots and we didn’t want to chance it.  However, as we watch our favorite YouTubers hike the North Cascades, we have discovered many hikes to add to our bucket list, including Trappers Peak, Sourdough Mountain Trail, Lake Ann Trail, Hidden Lake Lookout Trail, and many more.  We are sorry we did not explore this area more while in Washington.  Thousand Trails has a campground near North Cascades National Park.  It is Grandy Creek 1000 Trails 7370 Russell Rd, Concrete, WA 98237 or you can reserve Goodell Creek Campground State Rte 20, Marblemount, WA 98267 or another National Park Campground.