Josiah RoeExplorer

To get to the bluffs overlooking Crystal Cove State Park Beach to the south, you'll need to pull off onto the side of the Pacific Coast Highway *before* Morro Ridge Road.The easiest and most obvious turnoff is on the right side of the highway southbound, just past the "Adopt a Highway" sign and where the guardrail turns from metal to wooden. If you reach the "No Parking" sign, you've gone too f...

Bingham Hill Park sits on the northern terminus of the main hogsback/ridgeline that makes up the eastern wall of the Horsetooth Reservoir, just off the eponymously named Bingham Hill Road and minutes from downtown Fort Collins.From the top you look out over the Front Range, The Poudre River, Arthur's Rock, and the Bellvue Dome. There's excellent parking and a great picnic area, and the telephon...

The Galisteo Basin Preserve south of Santa Fe, New Mexico is community conservation area of some 10,000 acres with 28 miles of publicly accessible trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.The Happy Valley Overlook is a great, quick way to get an epic view of a large portion of Galisteo and is only a short half mile hike from the Thumb Trailhead, just off Highway 285 14 miles south of...

The Ventura - Ojai - Santa Paul loop is a classic half-century loop throughs some of the most beautiful cycling roads on the Central Coast. Beginning in Ventura and heading on the off-road (but paved) Ventura / Ojai trails, this loop then heads into downtown Ojai before following Ojai Valley Road all the way to Santa Paula. From there follow West Telegraph Road back into Ventura. The loop is ne...

The Lake Casitas Loop s a fantastic cycling trail leading from Ventura, California through Ventura Canyon, around Lake Casitas and up over Casitas Pass, down through Rincon Canyon to the ocean and south on Rincon Trail back to Ventura. It covers almost all of the ecological zones and topographical features that can be found on the Central Coast, and the cycling varies from paved off-road to cyc...

The Frog Pond on the east side of the Black Rock Desert playa just off of County Road 49 aka Jungo Road about 15 miles from Gerlach, is a more-warm-than-hot-spring with temperatures roughly in the high 90s. The trees and plants that overhang the spring create a unique microclimate that serves as a haven for frogs (and fish), wherein it got its name. There is access from the playa by cross over ...

The deep anticline underlying Thermopolis, Wyoming has resulted in an abundance of hot springs, some of which flow directly into the Bighorn River and creating a wide variety of multi-colored pools and bubbling creeks. Most of the features are contained within the aptly named, Hot Springs State Park, which in addition to having for-pay soaking pools contain several excellent hiking trails. The ...

Ophir Pass (el. 11,114’), officially known as Forest Service Road #630, is one of the easiest of the high alpine trails in the San Juan mountains, but still can provide trouble to the inexperienced or when bad weather is present, particularly on the western/Ophir downhill side. The pass and road are typically open only in the summer, and runs between State Highway 145 (near Telluride) and Highw...

The Salinas River Walk in Paso Robles is one of the first sections of a planned 30 mile river trail extending from Santa Margarita in the south to San Miguel.  The trail can be accessed at several places, primarily at the south end at Lawrence Moore Park at the end of Riverbank Lane where there is good parking. There is also access at Niblick Road and then 13th Street on the north end of the tr...

The Shoreline Trail on Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles, CA is a 5.6 mile trail used for hiking and trail running and located near Lake Nacimiento Resort. To get there, from Highway 101 take the 24th street exit in Paso Robles west till it turns into Lake Nacimiento Drive. Lake Nacimiento Drive will eventually turn into Godfrey Road and then back into Nacimiento Drive.  Just before the road cro...

Salt Point State Park, about 90 miles north of San Francisco, features rugged, windswept coastline and dramatic forests of cypress, pine and redwoods. The North trail is a great way to experience much of the inland portion of the park including the unique Pygmy Forest, named for the stunted trees and plantlife due to the acidic nature of the soil. The main North Trail trailhead begins on Highwa...

The Napa River is one of the largest California Central Coast Range rivers, draining approximately 426 sq. miles on its 50 mile journey beginning just south of the summit of Mt. St. Helena to the San Pablo Bay, passing through many of the landmark towns of Napa Valley including an incredible 6 miles through the heart of the city of Napa itself. There are numerous spots to put in along the river...

The Dale Ball Trail system, covers a wide swath of terrain between Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, the National Forest, and The Nature Conservancy with a 22 mile network of trails in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Located a short distance from downtown Santa Fe, it is the quickest way to get from the city into the mountains. It offers great opportunities for beginners a...

There are numerous points at which you can enter the trail from Highway 1, but on the north it begins as the Salt Point / Stump Beach Parking area and proceeds 1.2 miles to the Visitor Center (and south entrance) at the Gerstle Cove State Marine area, one of the first underwater state parks in California. From there you can follow the road farther south till it turns back into a trail out to Ge...

Does your sole need heeling? If you can muster the feet you may just meet Old Mother Hubbard. To get there take Highway 4 / The Pacific Rim Highway west out of Port Alberni towards Tofino. After the second bridge, take your third right onto Central Lake Road approximately 5.3 miles. The Great Central Lake Shoe tree is on your left, a repository of shoes and artifacts for some 45 years. See if y...

Pacheco Canyon Road / Forest Service Road #102 leads from the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos deep into the mountains, beginning with breathtaking views across to Valles Caldera (particularly at sunset) and ending deep in the mountains near Big Tesuque Campground after more than 2100' of elevation gain. Along the road there are numerous trails which can be taken as a loop. Note that the road...

The Port Orford Heads State Park comprises a drastically pronounced peninsula jutting out into the Pacific Ocean from the southern Oregon coast, providing breathtaking views both north to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse and south to Humbug Mountain and beyond. The Port Orford Heads Trail is the main loop trail arounds the Park, comprised of the Headlands, Nellies Cove, and Tower trails. To get there...

To reach the parking lot at the Inferno Cone Trailhead enter the Craters of the Moon National Monument at the main entrance on the north side of the park off US Highway 26 and go approximately 1.5 miles on the 17 miles Loop Road. There will be clear signage indicating the parking lot at the base of the Cone.From there, take the obvious use trail .5 miles to the summit.Note: in the winter there ...

Williams Bottom Campground and its 17 first-come first-serve campsites are tucked into the side of the Colorado River Canyon on Utah Highway 279 aka "Potash Road" just 15 minutes from downtown Moab. It is commonly known as one of *the* rock climbing campground on the west side of Moab, as there are numerous climbing routes all along State Highway 279 aka "Wall Street", several of which are dire...

Porcupine Rim Campground, just inside the Manti-La Sal National Forest, is a fantastic dispersed campsite (with bathrooms) that overlooks the hills and mesas of Castle Valley some 2000' feet below. Most are familiar with the area due to the famous Porcupine Pine Rim mountain biking trail, but the campground itself is one of the most breathtaking in the US. To get there take the dirt Sand Flats ...

Moab is an outdoor mecca, from rock climbing to mountain biking to 4WD adventures and while not particularly technical (it is only rated Class 2) the 7.8 mile Long Canyon Road just north of Dead Horse State Park is an excellent way to get a taste for the incredible features (and views) that the Colorado watershed and its canyons has to offer. While you can drive Long Canyon Road either east or ...

While all of the hiking trails to the Wolf Mountain summit cross private land, Wolf Mountain Road provides public access to several excellent viewpoints overlooking the Central Valley and the nearby ruins of old radio towers.To get there take McCourtney Road west from CA Highway 49/20 and go 3.2 miles and go left onto Wolf Mountain Road. Go 3.8 miles on Wolf Mountain Road until it dead-ends in ...

Pyramid Lake is the last remnant of the vast Pleistocene Lake Lahontan which reached its peak at the end of the last ice-age, being the terminus of many of the glaciers and ice sheets which covered much of California, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada.Today it is an oasis in the heart of the Basis and Range desert and the terminus of the Truckee River flowing from Lake Tahoe 60 miles to the Southwest. ...

Baja is one glorious gorgeous empty beach after another and some of the more geophysically remarkable can be experienced if you have a 4WD vehicle (though the best they say are only accessible by kayak). The Agua Verde isthmus is right next to the tiny fishing village of Puerto Agua Verde but is not accessible from the main beach. To get there you need to take the main road back to Loreto about...