Ruby Beach is one of my favorite beaches on the Olympic National Park coastal strip. It's ease in accessing (large parking lot, off the highway, well built trail to the beach) makes it a great place to spend an hour or a day at. The trail starts from the parking lot and is a mix… Continue reading Ruby Beach
Category: National Park
Carbon River Backpack
Some weeks call for a backpacking trip that isn't hard nor long. Carbon River, Mount Rainier National Park, in early summer is that. 4.5 miles each way with about 500 feet elevation gain. No snow as it sits in the 2,000 foot elevation profile. The hardest part is getting a free permit due to how… Continue reading Carbon River Backpack
Owyhigh Lakes
Owyhigh Lakes has two trailheads, but to be realistic nearly everyone starts at the White River trailhead, rather than the lonely one on Hwy 123. For one it is a much shorter drive, the parking is considerably better, and the trail gets you to the lakes faster. The Hwy 123 option though is a quiet… Continue reading Owyhigh Lakes
Glacier Basin Trail
Glacier Basin Trail at Mount Rainier National Park had eluded me for years. The first time I attempted to hike it was the early summer of 2003. Ford and I got turned around in snow near the mining relics, after I punched through rotten snow to my hip. I decided it would be there for… Continue reading Glacier Basin Trail
Appalachian Trail (AT): Newfound Gap Heading North
The road to Newfound Gap is the main road (441) that crosses the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We came in from Gatlinburg, TN. The drive up into the mountains is very pretty, and to me, it compares to a drive in the Western national parks.You get deep forest to an almost subalpine and if… Continue reading Appalachian Trail (AT): Newfound Gap Heading North