Scott Nichols

Follow the Wanaka-Mount Aspiring Rd. west of Lake Wanaka. The pavement turns into a dirt road shortly after you drive around the lake. You will drive for about an hour, then park at Raspberry Flats in the Matukituki Valley. From the Raspberry Flats lot, the trailhead begins at the swing bridge about 15 minutes away.Once you cross the bridge over the glacier blue water of the West Matukituki Riv...

Although this trip specifically describes how to get to Garnet Lake, there are several other pristine alpine lakes (Shadow Lake and Thousand Islands Lake) along this looped trail, only a few short miles away from each other, that are just as worthy if you have the time. A minimum of 3 days/2 nights is reccommended, but you can tackle this trek in a day if you don't have the luxury of time.To pi...

Important Note: Druid Arch is located on the eastern side of Canyonlands National Park in the Needles District. It is not located at the main entrance to the park. Stop by the Needles Visitor Center and pick up a map. Your starting point, Elephant Hill Trailhead is then located 6.3 miles west of the visitor center. (Elephant Hill, Monticello, UT 84535) Drawing it's name from a resemblance to S...

This place is absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! From Kyoto, you want to jump on the JR train line towards the ancient capital of Japan, Nara. You will only ride the train for about 10 - 15 minutes before you get off at the Fushimiinari stop. From the train station, you will walk directly across the street towards one of the large orange toriis. From this point, follow the path as it leads you back into...