Katmai National Park & Preserve is a land of brown bears and volcanoes. It is wild, rugged, and remote and one of our favorite national parks. This national park is one of the best in the US for wildlife viewing. Every summer, brown bears head to the rivers, to feed on salmon. Brooks Falls is one of the best spots …
Brooks Falls is one of the best places in Katmai National Park to view brown bears. Every July, when the salmon make their annual run, this part of the Brooks River is packed with bears, making it one of the best wildlife viewing experiences in the US national parks. In this guide, learn how to visit Brooks Falls, how to …
The Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail is a 2-mile coastal trail on south Kauai. It’s easy to get to, easy to walk, and offers beautiful views of the coastline along its entire distance. To make it even more worthwhile, there are a few places you can add on to the trail. I first learned of this walk in The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook …
Haleakala National Park is named for Haleakala, the massive volcano that forms the eastern part of Maui. Watching the sunrise above the clouds and hiking into the crater are two of the best things to do in Haleakala National Park, but there is more to this park than visiting the summit of a volcano. You can also visit the lush …
Horseshoe Lake is a beautiful lake near the front entrance of Denali National Park. Named after its shape, Horseshoe Lake can be reached from the Horseshoe Lake Trail. This trail is a short and easy hike that first takes you to an aerial overlook of the lake and then down to its shoreline, where you circle around the lake. Highlights …
On just one hike, you can see several waterfalls, an enormous Banyan tree, and hike through a bamboo forest. The Pīpīwai Trail is a relatively short hike that is located in Haleakala National Park on the Road to Hana. In this guide, we cover everything you need to know to hike the Pīpīwai Trail. Pīpīwai Trail Stats Distance: 3.8 miles …
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park & Preserve is home to some of the most rugged, mountainous, ice-covered scenery in the United States. If you want to see mountain peaks, glaciers, and an immense ice field that stretches as far as the eye can see, consider taking a flightseeing tour from McCarthy, Alaska. Wrangell Mountain Air, the flightseeing company that …
Pearl Harbor is the location of the surprise attack on the United States by Japan on December 7, 1941. Today, it remains an active military base but it is also a collection of four historical sites. You can visit the USS Arizona Memorial, tour Battleship Missouri, visit the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and go aboard the USS Bowfin submarine. In …
The drive from Anchorage to Valdez is gorgeous and it is packed with lots of great things to do. Along the drive, you can visit historical sites, hike on a glacier, feed a reindeer, learn about Musk Ox, see Dall sheep, photograph waterfalls, and stop at numerous viewpoints. This was our introduction to Alaska. And what an awesome first impression …
The Triple Lakes Trail is a 9.25-mile point-to-point hike in Denali National Park. This well-maintained and well-traveled trail runs along the eastern border of the park just south of the park’s only entrance. As you hike the Triple Lakes Trail, you can enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of three separate lakes, right from their shorelines. The forested trail also offers …
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is home to two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. If you get lucky with your timing, you can catch Kīlauea in action, as molten lava oozes up from below the Earth’s crust, creating brand new land. But there is more to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park than volcanic eruptions. You can hike …
Hiking the Harding Icefield Trail in Kenai Fjords National Park is a challenging, rewarding, and unique experience all rolled into one. This memorable hike takes you past the Exit Glacier and ends with sweeping views across the Harding Icefield, the largest icefield that is located entirely in the United States. In this guide, we provide everything you need to know …
Maui, with its scenic drives, beautiful beaches, and water sports, is a top destination for tourists in Hawaii. In just one place, you can snorkel with sea turtles, learn to surf, visit a national park, watch the sunrise above the clouds, go wine tasting, attend a luau, rappel down a waterfall, and relax on the beach. In this guide, we …
Hiking to the Mount Healy Overlook is one of the most popular hikes in Denali National Park & Preserve. The main reason to do this hike is for the view. From the overlook, you have 360° views of the front country of the park and, on a clear day, you will be able to see the top of Denali. The …
In Haleakala National Park, you can combine two very unique trails into one big day hike. The Sliding Sands Trail, which is one of the most popular trails in the park, starts on the rim of Haleakala and ends on the crater floor. To finish the hike, you can retrace your steps back up the Sliding Sands Trail, or, for …
Eielson, which is located at mile 66 on Denali Park Road, is one of the most spectacular places to visit in Denali National Park & Preserve. On a clear day, the views of Denali are unbeatable. The drive to get here is gorgeous, there are several short hikes to choose from, and you get to venture away from the crowds …
If you want to witness the power of one of the world’s most active glaciers in action, then add the Columbia Glacier to your Alaskan itinerary. With roughly 13 million tons of ice breaking off of the Columbia Glacier everyday, there is a good chance that you will be able to watch a calving event take place. From within Columbia …
One of the best ways to experience the immense size and grandeur of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve is to take a flightseeing tour. This national park is massive…13.2 million acres with only a grand total of 101 miles of roads. Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve also contains the largest number of glaciers and some of the …
The Thirteen Glacier Flightseeing Tour is a 70-minute tour of Wrangell – St. Elias National Park & Preserve that is offered by Wrangell Mountain Air. This flightseeing tour offers spectacular views of the Wrangell Mountains. On this tour, we flew over numerous glaciers, spotted Dall sheep clinging to the cliffs, soared over the Kennecott and Erie mines, and got close …
The Vessel is one of New York City’s newest attractions. This futuristic spiral staircase, which is the centerpiece of Hudson Yards, looks like something out of a science fiction movie. It’s fun to visit and fun to photograph, but it’s not without controversy. In this guide to the Vessel, we share with you everything you need to know about how …