Josiah RoeExplorer

The Ventura River and Ojai Valley Trail, effectively the same trail, is a gorgeous 32 mile trail that runs from Seaside Park in Ventura to downtown Ojai. It runs along and across the Ventura River and through the Ventura Canyon, with views up and down numerous side canyons and ravines. The trail is entirely off-road, is a Class 1, and perfect for families. The route alternates between shaded an...

Cataviña is place unlike any other in Baja and therefor unlike anywhere else in the world. Massive boulder-features akin to Joshua Tree or the Alabama hills are surrounded by deep-cut washes, pinturas rupestres (painted caves), towering tentacle-like boojum, and massive cardon cacti, creating an otherwordly landscape that most only take brief note of as they push south towards more well-known l...

In the last 1800's when Silver City was a booming mining town the quickly growing hispanic population of the Chihuahua Hill neighborhood built a small chapel aka "La Capilla" as a center of community activities including pilgrimages and the Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  When the statue it contained was returned to the church in Mexico the original chapel fell into disrepair, the foundatio...

Amasa Back / Cliffhanger is the primary entry point into one of the most fantastic mountain biking trail networks in the Moab area, connecting into Captain Ahab, Rockstacker, HyMasa, and Jacksons Trails. To get there take Kane Creek Blvd. from Moab into Kane Springs Creek Canyon. The road will quickly turn to dirt and you will pass several trailheads until the well marked Cliffhanger / Amasa Ba...

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 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 ...

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...

The Ramblin' Trail, part of the Navajo Rocks trail system, is a beginner to intermediate mountain biking trail with a great mix of slickrock, dirt trails, and some sand that features excellent views of hoodoos, Navajo Sandstone, and the general Colorado River watershed redrock. Located off Utah Highway 313 at the Navajo Rocks Trailhead parking lot, 19 miles from downtown Moab, and 7.5 miles fro...

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...

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 ...

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...

The Loop is an in-development series of shared-use, hard-surface paths meant to connect all of Tucson by following the Santa Cruz River and its major tributaries. The Santa Cruz River Park contains 22 miles of The Loop (with another 40 in development) that runs along the western shore of the Santa Cruz River through the heart of Tucson from Valencia to El Rio Park in Marana. Paseo de las Iglesi...

The Sparks Marina, just minutes from downtown Reno, is a convenient and fun place to learn how to SUP or to spend an afternoon out on the lake. The Sparks Marina Park has ample parking and several places to put in, but there are also numerous others around the marina, including a lovely inlet on the east side that runs under several bridges and feels like a canal better suited for Venice, Italy...

Obstruction Pass State Park is something of a hidden gem on Orcas Island given that its nearby neighbor, Moran State Park, gets most of the tourist attention. What this means is that you can find solitude and quiet, *and* make a visit to the only publicly owned beach on the island. There are several interconnected trails in the park (including Sound View) and the Highlands Trail takes you acros...

The nine primitive campsites and one Cascadia Marine Trail campsite of Obstruction Pass State Park are the only first come, first serve campsites available on Orcas Island. The campsites themselves overlook a fantastic (and accessible beach) and Obstruction Pass itself. There are four composting toilets, two in the campground, two at the trailhead), and you must pack in your own water as there ...

Diablo Canyon has grown in popularity over the last decade, particularly due to its frequent appearance in television and films. It has hundreds of sport and trad climbs of varying difficulty on basalt cliffs that reach over 300 feet high, with approaches varying from 5 to 30 minutes.Grades range from 5.8 to 5.13 and vary in steepness and exposure. Many routes are moderate 5.10 and is one of th...