As the most photographed slot canyon in the world and one of the premier natural attractions in the American Southwest, Antelope Canyon requires little introduction— no doubt you’ve seen photos of its narrow orange walls dancing like ribbons above dappled sand, illuminated as light streams in t[...]
Saguaro National Park flanks downtown Tucson, Arizona and provides access to dozens of hiking trails, each showcasing the nation's largest cactus, the giant saguaro, as well as 25 other species of cactus— making this the most diverse natural cactus garden in the entire country and an amazing pla[...]
We hit the ground running this week, spending our first few days exploring a national park neither of us had visited before and the next several days revisiting one of the most scenic spots in the southwest, jam-packing our afternoons full of hiking. Between the insane rainbow of colours at Petrifi[...]
With Dan sick during the first half of the week, we spent several days holed up in Tucson, giving him time to recover and me an excellent opportunity to spend time with my sister, Kim. Thankfully, he was feeling (and looking) much better by Wednesday, and we were able to make it over to Saguaro Eas[...]
Named for its impossibly vibrant Aztec sandstone that seems to blaze under the midday sun, Valley of Fire State Park is home to some of Nevada's most awe-inspiring landscapes, a wild contrast to the city lights of Las Vegas less than an hour to the west. It's the kind of place that hardly feels rea[...]
Between deep cleaning the van, catching up on some work, visiting family, and adjusting to the blistering heat in southern Arizona, we still managed to get out on the trail most days this week and even explore a new national park. And for all the complaining about the weather, neither of us would t[...]
Holding the undesirable title of hottest place on earth (and with a name that conjures up, well... death), Death Valley seems an unlikely place to find natural beauty in the California desert— and yet, it's one of the most striking landscapes in the country, a wild place of extremes whose su[...]
Protecting more than 200,000 acres of canyons, mountains, and unique desert wildlife, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is one of Nevada’s most spectacular outdoor playgrounds, attracting rock climbers and hikers from around the country to its vibrant Aztec sandstone cliffs and world-cla[...]
Something of a rising star in central California thanks to burgeoning online popularity amongst photographers and instagrammers, Alabama Hills National Scenic Area is an unlikely meeting point between the sunburnt desert and the High Sierras, a spot where orange granite warps into long arches that[...]
Finally leaving southern California behind and crossing the border into Nevada, we spent the week exploring a state that wasn't even on our original itinerary. And despite circling Las Vegas for a majority of our time here, we spent zero time on The Strip and a surprising amount of time climbing or[...]
With its characteristic grippy monzogranite and heaping rockpiles stretched in every direction, there’s no doubt that Joshua Tree National Park is a climber’s paradise— but there’s so much more to see of this 800,000 acre protected area just from the side of the trail. Thick orange rocks er[...]
After leaving our beloved Joshua Tree behind and journeying even farther into the scorching California desert, we spent the week exploring Alabama Hills and Death Valley before finally crossing into Nevada. Despite having visited both of these spots previously, every hike brought new scenery to the[...]
Largely popularised by the 1987 U2 album of the same name, Joshua Tree straddles the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in southern California, making it an incredibly popular destination for LA locals and travellers alike. If you've yet to experience it for yourself, you might be forgiven for thinking J[...]
This week was a little different than our other weeks on the road, namely because we stayed in the same spot the entire time— that's how incredible Joshua Tree is! Dan and I actually met on one of the hiking trails here (Cholla Cactus Garden, to be exact) last November and spent several magi[...]
Following the last two weeks of rather intense driving, we were ready for cruisier days and fewer long afternoons spent in the car— we covered a small fraction of the distance we were imagining this week, but we had a bloody good time doing it. And best of all, we made it to Joshua Tree by S[...]
With the first week of vanlife under our belts, Dan and I launched full-steam-ahead this week into more adventures in Southern Oregon, through the Redwoods, and all the way down the coast to central California, where we met up with mum for a whirlwind weekend of wine tasting and excellent food (tha[...]
In case you missed it... it's official, I LIVE IN A VAN!! After months of tireless organising, coordinating, packing, selling, and about 60 Amazon parcels, Dan and I hit the road on Wednesday for the first 4-month leg of our 2-year van adventure— we are beyond excited to finally be travelling ful[...]
Protecting nearly 350,000 acres of red rock canyons, sweeping mesas, towering rock arches, and sand-sculpted spires in southern Utah, Canyonlands National Park continues the grand traditional of Utah's Mighty Five and offers yet another unique perspective of the state's otherworldly landscapes.[...]
Boasting over 2,000 natural rock arches, each the product of millions of years of violent wind, salt, and ice erosion in south-eastern Utah, Arches National Park certainly earns its name. And no two arches are alike— spectacularly thin bridges of rock stretch over desert landscapes, isolated ribb[...]
Situated in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountains and sculpted by glaciers over millions of years, Yosemite is one of America's most distinct national parks, its granite domes and towering sequoia unlike anything else in central California (or the country, for that matter). It's no wonder, then,[...]