Jared BlitzExplorer

The park is easy to get to from Santa Fe. It's about 30 miles SE on the I-25 highway that leads you through Pecos. Once at the park, the 1.25 mile loop trail begins and ends at the visitor center. Don't forget to stop in there. It's surprisingly nice with some terrific history of the area dating back to the Conquistadores as well as the Civil War. Don't expect a great workout from the Ancestr...

The easiest route is to drive from the southern entrance to the Petrified Forest National Park and head north toward the 3.5 mile Blue Mesa Scenic Drive.  The drive itself is nice and offers other hikes depending on what pullout you stop your car.  For the Blue Mesa Trail look for the 3rd or 4th pullout - the one with the covered picnic table.   The hike itself is easy and flat.  You'll notice...

There really isn't much to this hike beyond exploring all the different types of petrified wood deposits.  It's named after the wood that has formed in the petrified logs.  I felt like it was the best place to go in the park to have an opportunity to see a diverse array of petrified wood in one place.   If you go in the summer just make sure you carry water because you're completely exposed. ...

Along the downtown Santa Fe plaza, you will run into an obvious architectural beauty. It's the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi. It's placed perfectly in the plaza where the sunset will make the massive structure glow or have interesting shadows cast off its facade. The cathedral itself is large with a big courtyard that doesn't receive as much sun, so keeping to the front of the bu...

Although short, the Blue Forest Trail is one of the most unexpectedly coolest hikes I've been on.  It's kind of strange to hike in what used to be a dense forest/swamp area that is now a barren desert full of petrified wood. Parking for this trail is just north of the Blue Mesa Loop in a pullout near the Tepees.  There is an old gravel road that you follow on foot until you find the trail. Fr...

Before it was known for its sunrise, Masada was an ancient fortress atop a mountain plateau constructed under the rule of King Herod the Great sometime between 37 and 31 BCE. Long story short, as the story goes Masada fell to the Romans in 73 CE after the Jewish Zealots running the fortress slayed their own women and children before committing suicide rather than being overtaken by the enemy a...

The South Pasture Loop trail, while part of the Pecos NHP, isn't in the main park. Currently, this trail is only open on the weekends and the road gate closes at 1pm. The trail itself closes at 3pm, and takes about 2-3 hours unless you plan on hiking for speed. No pets allowed. 0.7 miles down the south on highway NM-63 from the main park, you will turn left at, as the Park Ranger described it,...

The Lakes Trail Loop can be accessed two ways. You can either start in Paradise and find one of the multiple points along the Skyline Trail or you can begin at Reflection Lake. My recommendation for a nice day hike is to begin at Reflection Lake. If you arrive by 8am you should have an easy time finding a parking space. Even better, if you show up for sunrise you will find yourself able to enj...

The National Park Service describes this hike in the following:  "Strenuous.  A spectacular canyon with wind- and water-sculpted sandstone cliffs, a year-round stream, riparian vegetation, and a spectacular coast at its mouth.  Well worth the effort." I couldn't agree more with the last sentence.  The immense beauty of the place made me feel like I was on an acid trip. To my delightful surpri...

30 minutes from Managua and 20 minutes from Granada, Laguna de Apoyo is a Nature Reserve in a volcano that imploded on itself, filling with water. As a result, it has turned into a thermally vented, clean lake made for swimming, kayaking, tubing, or just plain ol' relaxing.I recommend staying at The Monkey Hut, a hostel right on the water in the Nature Reserve. The name comes from the Howler ...

From the US 70 pull into the White Sands Visitor Center. Then continue along Dunes Drive. Eventually, Dunes Drive turns into Loop Drive. At the end of this road, you will find the Alkali Flat trailhead.  One of the most beautiful and potentially disorienting 5-mile round-trip treks through the desert you will experience, the Alkali Flat Trail leaves you following red trail markers with a black...

The trailhead to Skyline Trail is located at the north side of the upper parking lot near the Visitor Center and Paradise Inn. You'll see that it breaks off into many other small trails if you want, as well. However, this 5.5 mile hike alongside Nisqually Glacier is classified by the rangers at Mt. Rainier as strenuous. I would say for the first 1/2 mile or so that rings true. It almost feels...

Canyon Road in Santa Fe New Mexico, is home to one of the largest gatherings of fine art galleries featuring original work you'll find. Santa Fe is considered the 3rd largest distributor of art in the world, behind New York and Paris. The difference with Canyon Road is the unique environment that surrounds it. Much of the work is installed inside beautiful adobe buildings with a mountain lands...

Tucked in a forest within a few minutes drive of Astoria and along the Columbia River, Lewis and Clark National Historic Park is small in size but rich in history.  If you're a wanderluster who appreciates learning about the early explorers that came before you this is a can't miss spot.  My own interest in exploration began after reading the book Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose, so this ...

Although a tourist trap, Goldfield Ghost Town is a place any visitor might like stopping for a little food and a drink if they're hiking in the Superstition Mountains at the nearby Lost Dutchman State Park. It's certainly a place that has plentiful opportunities for some photography.While there you can tour the old Mammoth Gold Mine, visit the Goldfield Museum, have a drink at the saloon, pay a...

This is a very easy "hike" at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The drive itself is a little long and winding (keep your eye out for deer that bolt across the narrow road, especially at night), but the easy walk that takes you through a plethora of marked, detailed desert life completed by the Grand Canyon conservationists that ends in an amazing view from the rim is worth it.   The view is ...

This trail is a little tricky to get to, so be sure to stop at the Pecos NHP Visitor Center first for directions. You will also need to retrieve a gate code from the ranger. I would recommend picking up a guide inside the Visitor Center so you know what you're looking at on the trail (important). To get to the trail, turn right as you're leaving the park. 7.5 miles down the road is the Old Den...

The Carlsbad Caverns have a self-guided tour sections and a handful of guided tours you have to pay extra for.  For $7 for adults and $3.50 for children, a park ranger puts on an act and even dresses the part of the late Jim White, founder of the Carlsbad Caverns, while taking you on an adventure by candle lantern via the Left Hand Tunnel.  You can either reserve a ticket at the Visitor Center ...

Coming from the adventure guide map you can buy at the Visitors Center, which you should do, they describe the Prospect Trail in the following:"Hikers and equestrians enjoy 5.5 miles of outback trail between Valley of Fire Highway and White Domes.  Many work out the logistics of being picked up on one end or the other, since the 11-mile RT is a long walk.  There is no water along the way, and t...

I've read that only approximately 10% of Grand Canyon National Park visitors spend time at the North Rim, meaning the crowds are smaller in the most beautiful areas you can immerse yourself in without having to backpack to the bottom.This isn't so much of an adventure as it is the perfect way to relax after a long day of hiking.  You can either hang out in the lodge that has massive floor-to-ce...

Pecos National Historical Park offers up the "grand slam" for hiking, which is a bit of a misnomer because they only have 3 trails and a grand slam indicates you would have completed 4 of something. In order to achieve the "grand slam" you need to hike all 3 trails in one day, completing approximately 7.5 miles of hiking. The trails are the Ancient Sites Trail, the Glorieta Battlefield Trail, ...

Point Imperial is the highest point in the Grand Canyon, lying in the North Rim, at 8800ft and offering incredible views of staggered mountains. The trail itself is relatively easy.  If you're not acclimated to the elevation you'll feel short of breath, but beyond that it mostly takes you through forest areas heavily burned in the 2000 Outlet Fire.  It's a surprisingly peaceful place as many to...

People come from all over the world to see sunsets in the southwest. This is a great little spot tucked away in a neighborhood I stayed in for a month. On Rodriguez street, there is a parking space for "visitors" of a particular house in the neighborhood (marked on the map). I didn't see a car there once the entire month. It has a lot of space to comfortably set up a tripod and have 2 or 3 peo...

When facing The View from the parking lot, Wildcat Trail is off to the left where the campground is located. It's a 3.2 mile, self-guided loop that takes you around the West Mitten Butte. If you're hiking during the summer be sure to go early and bring a lot of water. You're fully exposed on the trail, and even though it's short it's easy to underestimate the desert heat. I hiked during the...