Before the winter weather would leave us housebound for three months here in the Midwest, my family and I decided to take one last trip out west, to visit Yosemite National Park, right before Thanksgiving. We were in northern California to visit family and wanted to take the short trip to the Sierras to see one of our favorite National Parks. It was the first time any of us had ever visited Yosemite in the off season. It was so different in fact, that I wanted to share my photos as well as my overall impression of Yosemite in autumn…
Are you ready to hike the entire width of the Grand Canyon? Looking for a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon packing list? Look no further! Congratulations to you for deciding to undertake this 24 mile trip into the most magnificent and grandest of canyons…
This is a guest post from Mitch Stevens, founder and lead guide of Southwest Discoveries. Based out of Tucson, Arizona, Southwest Discoveries offers multi-generational guided tours of the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Horseshoe Bend, the Tortolita Mountains, and more. Visit Southwest Discoveries for more information, and click here for Mitch’s blog. We hiked through a narrow defile carved through red sandstone. The foliage in the canyon was lush – Boxelder, grapevines, Ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir trees thrived in the moist environment. A clear stream murmured near the trail, contributing to the serenity. We rounded a bend in…
How the Junior Ranger Program Teaches Children to Become Advocates for their Environment The first time I set foot in a National Park, I was 18. After all, living in the flatlands of Chicagoland, I didn’t know much about the parks. I only knew they were mostly located on or near the coasts, and I was hundreds of miles away from the closest one. The second time I set foot in a National Park, I was 28, married, with two daughters. This was when I saw Yosemite for the first time. Here, I immediately fell in love with…
