Christie Kay

If you ever find yourself in Peru, I highly suggest taking the time to check out El Misti. You'll see this monstrous beast, long before you get anywhere near it. Even while you're resting in your hostel in Arequipa, days before the trek itself.  Standing at 19,101 feet, to summiting El Misti is a challenge, would be an understatement. Even coming from our home in Colorado, at an altitude of 10,...

The trailhead is easy to find, and has a vault toilet and a decently sized parking lot. The trail leaves from right next to the toilets, and is very easy to follow. Follow a couple easy switchbacks down the hillside, cross the memorial bridge and stop to take in the beautiful scenery before following the trail up the opposite bank. The trail meanders near  the river, and in the winter the rock ...

Wade Lake Campground is a gorgeous campground, situated right on the crystal clear blue waters of Wade Lake. It has a handful of maintained sites, as well as a vault toilet. You can easily car camp here, though you may want to be careful on the road in if you're hauling a camper.  The beauty of this campground though, is that if you continue to hike past it, you're in backpacking and dispersed ...

The Byers Lake Loop Trail begins in the Byers Lake Campground. If you're not planning on camping, you can park in the day use area (the first right hand turn, off of the campground entrance), pay the $5 fee, and walk towards the campground loops. At the bottom of B loop, there is a sign which simply reads "To the lake". Follow this down to the water, and voila! You're at the trailhead, complete...

The Alpine Trail is only accessible via the Caines Head Trail System, located at Lowell Point. (Distance and elevation listed are for the Alpine trail itself, not for the coastal trail leading up to it. More info on those can be found here: http://dnr.alaska.gov/Assets/u... )From parking at Lowell Point, it is vital that you plan your hike with the tides, as a three mile portion of this trail i...

The well trodden and well marked trail begins in the rainforest, and is flat and follows the river for the first few miles. There are many marked camp sites along the way, as well as dispersed camping on the sand bars in the river bed. Follow the trail until the first major intersection, at the Olympus Guard Station at mile 9.1. This would be an awesome place to camp if you have a large group, ...

The trailhead for the Mt Healy Overlook Trail is located at the visitor center, just inside Denali National Park. Take the Taiga Trail, and follow signs to the Mt Healy Overlook Trailhead. There is plenty of signage and it's an easy trail to follow. The first mile or so of this 2.7 mile out-and-back trail is fairly mild, with a wide, well trafficked gravel path winding through  tall forests. Be...