Our Adventures in the USA
The McKinley Bar Trail is a great add-on to a Denali Park Road backcountry adventure. Hiking through a beautiful landscape of streams, marshes, and spruce trees makes this hike enjoyable even on a cloudy day. And on a clear day you will also be treated with specular views of Denali and the Alaskan Range. The McKinley Bar Trail is an …
The Diamond Head Summit Trail in Oahu is one of Hawaii’s most popular hikes. This short, steep trail takes hikers up to a spectacular viewpoint of Waikiki Beach. We have hiked a lot of trails around the world and this was the most crowded, congested trail we have seen yet. If you are looking for a quiet, secluded trail in …
The Road to Hana is often listed as one of the best things to do in Maui. This scenic drive attracts hundreds of visitors a day…but is the Road to Hana really worth it? As you plan your trip to Hawaii, you will read other posts and guides that rave about how wonderful the Road to Hana is. This is …
Looking for a great hike to do in Denali National Park? You have a lot to choose from. The National Park Service website lists 20 hikes in Denali National Park. These trails are scattered throughout the park and range in distance and difficulty. We hiked a majority of these trails and we have a lot of information, and photos, to …
Are you looking for an adventure to add to your Alaskan itinerary? How about ice climbing on the Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park? This experience, from start to finish, is a blast. The day starts off with a short but tough hike up a portion of the Harding Icefield Trail. Once at the Exit Glacier, you will put …
A doors off helicopter tour of Kauai is a thrilling experience. To see this gorgeous island from the sky is one of the best experiences to have in Kauai, if not all of Hawaii. On a helicopter tour of Kauai, you will fly over countless waterfalls, peer down at beaches and small towns on the island, soar over Waimea Canyon, …
The drive from Anchorage to Seward on Seward Highway is beautiful, an attraction in itself. Along the way you can gaze across the Turnagain Arm, ride a cable car up into the Chugach Mountains, admire beautiful turquoise lakes with mountain reflections in them, hike to a waterfall in a picturesque setting, and so much more. There are so many things …
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 …