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Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most visited National Parks in the United States and one that has a very dear spot in my heart. This was one of the first National Parks I visited on my Southwest Road Trip and has one of my favorite campgrounds. The National Park has some amazing hikes and offers something for all travelers. You are able to stay in the main village and enjoy luxury lodges and fine dining or you are able to stay at some of the remote campgrounds and enjoy some of the most amazing views of any park. The same applies for hiking, you are able to…
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Enchanted Rock One Day Epic Loop
Enchanted Rock State Park is fast becoming one of my favorite State Parks in Texas for multiple reasons. The first reason is just how centrally located it is to so many major cities in Texas and secondly for how much fun you can have by combining multiple trails for all levels of hiking fitness. During my first trip to Enchanted Rock we combined the most popular trails to make a nice 4-5 mile loop that showcases the highlights of Enchanted Rock. Summit Trail Echo Canyon Trail Base Trail Turkey Pass Trail Frontside Trail Summit Trail 1.6 Miles The Summit Trail is the highlight of the park and for most people…
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Enchanted Rock State Park
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is a must do stop for everyone in Texas and one that has been on my bucket list for quite some time. The park contains the largest pink granite monadnock in the United States which rises 425 feet above the surrounding area with an altitude of 1,825 feet. The State Natural Area is part of the Texas State Park system and sits right outside of Fredericksburg, TX which is less than 2 hours from San Antonio and Austin, and right around 4 hours from Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. This means if you are a fan of road trips there is no reason you cannot make…
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Southwest Road Trip Part 3
If you haven’t read part 2 CLICK HERE so you can catch up on the first leg of my trip and get a sense of what it meant to me. You can also check Part 1 HERE. This part will only focus on the Grand Canyon National Park, since it honestly had a soft spot in my heart for one of my favorite stops the entire trip. The one thing I will mention about the Grand Canyon National Park is that due to its popularity it has become a Disney Land/World of sorts with millions of people coming and a lot of them not knowing the most basic hiking and…
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What To Do in Minca Colombia and Jungle Joe Adventures
The tiny mountain town of Minca, Colombia is not on most travelers list but I am here to tell you why it should be on yours. Minca is perched on top of a mountain about a 45-60 minute cab ride outside of Santa Marta. This makes it the perfect day trip if you are using Santa Marta as a base camp to explore this region of Colombia. Minca is a rather isolated town and one that I am not sure if I would stay at for more than a day trip. On the flip side it was one of my favorite day trips in all of Colombia and one I…
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Big Bend Hot Springs Trail
Big Bend National Park is still one of my favorite National Parks in the U.S. for many reasons. One of them being just how many things you can do while you are visiting and how many of these things are normally completely vacant. During my last visit to Big Bend we mostly saw just a handful of hikers during our entire stay and where able to enjoy one of the biggest parks iin the lower 48 in complete peace. The Hot Springs are a must do hike while you are visiting the park since the trail is quite short and covered in history of the original settlers of the region.…
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Palo Duro State Park
Palo Duro State Park is the second largest canyon in the US gaining it the nickname of the Grand Canyon of Texas. The State Park is just around 5-6 hours from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and offers some great hiking trails in a rather empty part of the United States. The park is located right outside of Amarillo, TX in the city of Canyon. While the park is roughly half the size of the Grand Canyon it still offers plenty to enjoy over a long weekend. We ended up visiting Palo Duro in early May which to my surprise had rather pleasant weather for being in the Texas Panhandle. May is…
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Amarillo – Canyon – Palo Duro Long Weekend
I never had much desire to be honest in visiting Amarillo and let alone the city of Canyon until I started researching a weekend hiking trip to Palo Duro. Palo Duro State Park came into my mind after some conversations with my coworker who is also an outdoor enthusiasts and told me her husband was running a race out in the park. After finally getting a chance to look into the park I realized I couldn’t skip visiting the second largest canyon in the U.S. that was right in my backyard. Ok maybe not in my backyard but just 5 hours way, who could pass that up! After many weeks…
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Big Bend South Rim Trail
The South Rim Trail at Big Bend National Park straddles the line between a backpacking hike and a day hike, at 12.4 miles it can easily take the better part of your entire day if not an overnight trip. Our preferred starting point and the one most people will end up using is the Chisos Basin Trailhead just a few steps away from the Chisos Mountain Lodge parking lot. Since we where staying at the Rio Grande Motel it made the most sense to start at this trailhead for our day long journey. My first word of warning for this hike is to make sure you are in adequate physical…
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Machu Picchu – Peru Inca Trail Day 3
The day had finally come to to visit Machu Picchu the main reason we had made the long trek through Peru. This would also be our final day with the Lorenzo Expedition crew before we departed back to Cusco. The start of the day for getting into Machu Picchu starts extremely early around the 4:30am mark. This is for quite a few reasons, one being you get to see an amazing sunset if the weather permits as you either hike the stairs or take the bus up. Secondly Machu Picchu isn’t a secret gem and if you want to get inside when it isn’t packed to the brim, you must…