Josiah RoeExplorer

The Whiskey Run mountain bike trail system features 9 interconnected trails of varying degrees and difficulty that can be added together to create at least an 11 mile loop. There are 6, 9, and 11 mile loops for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders. There are two main parking areas for the trail network about a half mile apart, and to get there take Highway 101 north out of Bandon for 14 m...

The Reservoir Ridge and Foothills trail system around Horsetooth Reservoir and Fort Collins is excellent for mountain biking, trail running, and hiking. During the winter it is particularly great for fat tire mountain biking, and the Foothills Trail is one of the best. The trail itself is roughly a 8.5 mile point to point from the parking area at N. Overland Drive and Headwater Drive up and alo...

Foxen Canyon Road from Santa Maria to Los Olivos runs through some of the most beautiful wine country in Santa Barbara county so much so that it was centerpiece of the film Sideways. The road itself begins at the intersection of Betteravia and Philbric roads just east of Santa Maria and proceeds for roughly 30 miles southeast through Santa Maria Valley before turning south into Foxen Canyon its...

The Kortum Trail in the Sonoma Coast State Park connects Goat Rock with Wrights Beach, winding along the top of the sea cliffs and affording incredible views of the California Coast and its numerous sea rocks and arches.  To get there take the Pacific Coast Highway / Highway 1 to either Wright's Beach or the Goat Rock Parking lot overlooking the Russian River (not the lower one next to Goat Ro...

Mussel rock, a three-story, 50 million year old rock that has been carried some 500 miles northwest from Southern California, is where the San Andreas fault meets the Pacific Ocean. It's also an excellent spot to drink some wine and catch a sunset. From San Francisco, take Highway 1 south towards Pacifica and exit at the Monterrey Road / Palmetto Avenue exit. Go right on Monterrey and take an...

The "El Aguila", meaning "The Eagle" in Spanish, is one of the three primary shipwreck dives off the coast of Roatan and the most accessible, being only a couple hundred yards off the coast at a depth of 110' feet in the heart of the Meso-American reef system. Purchased and sunk by Anthony's Key Resort though accessible and usably by anyone, the El Aguila is 230' long and was broken into three ...

Sand Mountain, located just off Highway 50 in Nevada aka "The Loneliest Highway", is perhaps best known as an OHV-paradise, with off-road enthusiasts descending on it like a swarm of buzzing mechanical beasts. Most don't know that the BLM-managed Recreation Area also has numerous trails around the dunes and into the surrounding mountains, providing vast views of the surrounding Basin and Range ...

The story goes that twenty or so years ago, long before the advent of the Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski Area, some local Truckee boys decided to put a couple rope swings up on Long Lake near Soda Springs, CA, and they remain there to this day.Long Lake sits amongst a cluster of both man-made and glaciated lakes on a ridge between the Yuba and American River canyons. To get there, take the I-80 ...

Though lesser known than its neighbors the Yuba and the American, the Bear River still features fantastic hiking, swimming, river-raft, tubing, and rock-jumping but without the crowds.A local favorite spot, the "Jumping Rock" near the Dog Bar Crossing, provides an excellent hike with several swimming holes along the way. To get there you can either take Dog Bar Road from Grass Valley if you're ...

Most visitors to La Paz (understandably) head to the incomparable Playa Balandra, but if you are looking for solitude, El Saltito is just a few minutes away and features incredible snorkeling, a massive forest cardon, and a fantastic sunrise view.To get there head out of town on Colosio, past Forjadores, until you hit a major intersection with the BCS La Paz-Tecolote Highway. Turn left. Follow ...

Timp Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon lies just on the boundary of the National Park and within the Kaibab National Forest, well away from the (already smaller) crowds of the North Rim. Even in the heart of summer often you'll have a campsite on the rim all to yourself, with easy access to the Rainbow Ridge trails and endless overlooks of the Canyon. Getting there is as straightforwa...

Wire Mesa off the Smithsonian Butte Backcountry Byway is a fantastic place to camp in southeastern Utah even if you do not plan on visiting Zion, just a few miles to the north. There several backcountry campsites on the Mesa, with the northwestern-most site giving the best views overlooking the Virgin River Valley and the Grafton Ghost Town. To get there, take the Byway south off of Grafton Roa...

There are endless swimming holes on the South Yuba River the feature crystal clear water, massive granite boulders and pristine pocket beaches, particularly those lower in the foothills. Many are separated by sections of rapids, but can be reached via the growing trail system of the South Yuba River State Park. The Edwards Crossing swimming hole, just upstream from the single-lane arch-truss E...

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 ...

Tucked away in a remote corner of northwest Nevada on the Oregon border, Bog Hot Springs is perhaps the ideal of the Nevada Hot Springs experience: public land, no amenities, minimal-to-no-development, an abundance of wildlife, and solitude almost year round (hunting season excepted). The Hot Spring itself is actually a creek that has been damn in a series of pools, with the hot springs themsel...

Located at the state's westernmost tip and perched over the Pacific Ocean, the Cape Blanco Lighthouse was built and 1870 and features views up and down the rugged Oregon Coast. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, tours cost $2 for adults (free for youth 15 and younger). Tours: April-Oct. 31, Wednesday - Monday, 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Last tour ticket sold at 3:15 p.m. Gates close at 3:30 p.m...

The trail begins at the signposted car park along Milford Road just before the Homer Tunnel, about 98km from Te Anau. Follow the marked track through the valley and left, steeply uphill. About halfway up you will cross the Gertrude Stream below a large, steep waterfall.Upon reaching Black Lake, continue up to your right. There are steel cabins to assist with the climb, as the rock can be slippe...

The Santa Ana to Lake Casitas via Foster Park segment of Santa Ana Road is a gorgeous, 6.5 mile road that cuts through the heart of Ventura Canyon. Santa Ana Road eventually ends at Casitas Road and the Lake Casitas Recreation Area. From there you can go west over over the pass and down to the Rincon Trail, or you can head east to Ojai and the numerous segments there. To get to Foster Park, tak...

The Bommer Ridge West Trailhead aka The Pacific Ridge Trailhead begins at the edge of Ridge Park Road, overlooking CA State Highway 73, and marks the northwest entrance to the Laguna Coast Wilderness and its neighbor, Crystal Cove State Park. From the well-marked trailhead follow the trail south-east, following the ridge line roughly parallel to Highway 73. Note that in places several use trai...

Despite its singular name, the Foothills Trail in Fort Collins is an interconnected series of trails that follows the ridges and hogsbacks which comprise the majority of the eastern side of the Horsetooth Reservoir. The trail can be accessed at several points along its length (by trails also called "Foothills Trail") but its northernmost access point begins at the Reservoir Ridge Natural area a...

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.One s...

The numerous kelp forests, sea caves, and coves of the Channel Island National Park, coupled with its unbelievable sealife makes for some of the best diving in the world.  East Fish Camp off Anacapa Island is an excellent introduction to diving on the Channel Islands, with an average depth of 35' and a great array of wildlife and underwater nooks and crannies to explore. Like any coldwater, Cal...

No visit to the San Juan Islands is complete without taking a whale watching tour and Rosario Harbor on Orcas Island is uniquely situation to allow for trips east into the Rosario Straight, south into Lopez Sound, or west into the Haro Straight. Such flexibility is useful when on the looking for fast and far migrating cetaceans like orcas and humpback whales. Check ahead with local operators on...

The main trail begins at the Cache La Poudre river on the Poudre Canyon Highway about 30 minutes from Fort Collins. After about .75 miles the trail splits. To go left on Greyrock Meadows trail adds 2 miles to your trip and provides excellent views of Greyrock Mountain and Meadows from the south, eventually connecting back with Greyrock Mountain trail. Going right on Greyrock Mountain Trail take...