Krista Was Here

Denali National Park

August 7, 2021

Denali National Park was first established as a National Park in 1917, under the name of Mount McKinley National Park. It wasn’t until 1980 when its name was then changed to Denali National Park and Preserve. Standing at 20,310 feet tall, the highest peak in North America, Denali is a wondrous sight to see. Unfortunately, it is estimated only about 30% of visitors are able to view the mountain on their trip to the park. The mountain is so tall that it creates its own climate and cloud coverage, making it disappear quite often, thus becoming a special treat to locals and tourists alike when its “out.”

There is only one road in and out of the park, the Denali Park Road. The road is 92 miles long, however only the first 15 miles are paved and accessible by tourists. If you’re wanting to explore more than the first 15 miles, you’ll need to plan somewhat ahead and book a bus tour either through the park or private company. The paved portion of the road ends at Savage River, which is a very popular hiking area. Ironically, even though Denali encompasses more than 6 million acres, it has very few designated trails, making it a fan-favorite for the backcountry enthusiast.

The drive from Anchorage to Healy is about 4 hours, give or take half an hour. Our first day in the park was spent driving the first 15 miles of the road back and forth, multiple times, trolling for bears. Unfortunately, we struck out on bear sightings, but did see a few moose and Mount Denali breaking through the clouds. Our best view of Denali though was on our drive in at the South Viewpoint in Denali State Park. The mountain blew us away, and we were excited to officially be part of the “30% club!” Later that afternoon we headed to our dry cabin in Healy, where we would be staying for the next few nights. In simple terms, “dry cabin” means no running water and an outhouse. This was really no problem for us, plus the cabin was way cute and far away enough from tourist traffic, but not too far away from the park.

Our second day in the park was the day of our bus tour. If you choose to do a bus tour through the National Park service, you have a few options. You can pick between a narrated tour bus or a transit bus, which is not narrated. Each bus offers options to turn around at different destinations, allowing the opportunity to travel all the way to the end of the road, mile 92, if desired. If you travel all the way to the end of the road, it would be around a 12-hour round-trip day. For us, the best option was a transit bus, taking us to mile-marker 66, the Eielson Visitor’s Center. Even though it wasn’t technically a “narrated” bus tour, our driver was still very educational, so it felt like we had a narrated tour, but with more freedom to get on/off if we desired. The duration of our trip was 8 hours, which had us starting at 8:00 am and returning at 4:00 pm. The bus took several 15-minute rest breaks at different points of interest. We always got back on the same bus, however if we had wanted to stay longer at a certain stop, we could have, and would have still been allowed to get on another transit bus later. Unfortunately, the day of our tour was very overcast and rainy, so we didn’t feel like exploring past the 15 minutes at each stop. We saw several moose, caribou, and Dall sheep throughout the day as well as one brown bear from a far distance with binoculars. Our bus driver said if you see all 5 animals (bear, wolf, moose, caribou, and Dall sheep), it’s called a “Grand Slam.” Since we saw 4 out of the 5 animals (all besides a wolf), we had a “Home Run.”

That evening we ate dinner at 49^th State Brewing Company, which I would highly recommend if you’re ever in the area. The vibe was awesome, along with the food and drinks. It’s located a few miles outside of the park, but doesn’t have too much of a “touristy” feel.

The next day we drove into the park one last time, before traveling on to our next destination. The clouds and rain had cleared from the previous day, allowing us to see Denali again and become part of the 30% club x2! Our best view of the mountain was from that same South Viewpoint from our drive in, which is technically outside of the national park, but still a part of the preserve. If you find yourself at this viewpoint, do yourself a favor and hike the short trail that goes above the main viewpoint for an even more spectacular view!
Lake Clark National Park

August 4, 2021
A much-anticipated trip to Alaska happened this summer after being postponed a year, and I’m so excited to share all about the parks we explored!! First up, Lake Clark National Park.

Lake Clark National Park is the epitome of rugged Alaska, and I am all about it. There are no roads, campgrounds, or services in the park, so getting there requires a little bit of effort. We flew into Port Alsworth via 9-passener plane from Merrill Air Field in Anchorage (separate from Ted Stevens International Airport). At the time, this was the smallest plane I’d ever been on, but sure enough, that wouldn’t hold true for very long 😉. Although it was overcast and rainy, the views flying into Port Alsworth were simply out of this world- we flew right through a glacial pass and the views were incredible.

Fast Facts About Lake Clark:
- Lake Clark National Park & Preserve protects more than 4 million acres of diverse habitats (glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, rivers, streams, lakes, etc.) ranging in elevation from sea level to over 10,000 feet.
- Established as a national park in December 1980.
- Only 6.9 miles of maintained trails in the park.
- The park inhabits an extremely high number of brown bears. Brown bears who are more inland (Port Alsworth area), interact with fewer individuals in their lifetime than a coastal bear (Cook Inlet area). Because these solitary bears in Port Alsworth have much less interaction, they are less tolerant of other bears, wildlife, and people they encounter.
The main activity we had planned for our day was to hike to Tanalian Falls. It was also recommended by some new friends we met on our flight from Anchorage that we hike past the falls to Kontrashibuna Lake. I’m not going to lie, we were a little (lot) nervous to do some solo hiking (because, bears) but, at the same time, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity for an amazing hike in this rugged national park. So, we put on our big girl hiking pants, rented some bear spray from the lodge, left our food behind, and were on our merry way. We signed a hiker’s registry at the beginning of our hike, so at least if we got eaten by a bear, someone would have a ballpark idea of when it happened 😉. We were alone for the majority of our hike in- no bears were seen, but the scat was plentiful. We sang most of the way (Disney songs, of course) and found some sticks to beat together loudly and against trees.

Eventually we made it to the falls, and it was well worth it. Viewpoints were accessible from both above and below the falls. After taking in the views, we headed onwards to Kontrashibuna Lake. In my opinion, the lake was nothing spectacular, but it was also quite cloud covered and I feel like we didn’t end up at the best viewpoint. Our hike back was much more comfortable- we had an idea of where we were, and there were several groups we passed by hiking, making it feel a little bit “safer” on the trail. Overall, I’m super happy we did the hike and didn’t let our fear of getting eaten by a bear get in the way, haha!

After our hike we ate a nice lunch and hung around the lake area. We debated renting a canoe, but since we were not staying at the lodge for the night, it would’ve been pricey, as they didn’t have an hourly rate. We just continued to take in the views and walked around the lake until our flight left that evening- nothing to complain about there!

Our plane back to Anchorage was MUCH smaller than our plane into Port Alsworth. We flew back on a Beachcraft Bonanza, and it included our pilot, my friend, myself, and many boxes of salmon being transported to Anchorage- so WILD!! We were both pretty nervous to fly back in this small of a plane, but it was literally amazing. Plus, the clouds had cleared and blue skies were ahead- I had to keep pinching myself because this flight felt like an actual dream. It was without a doubt, my favorite National Park experience to date.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

November 1, 2020

Black Canyon of the Gunnison became a National Park in 1999. Its located in Colorado and has some of the world’s oldest exposed rock. The canyon is home to Precambrian or “basement” rock, which is nearly 2 billion years old! This might not be Colorado’s biggest park, but there is still enough to fill a day of adventures.

The park has two main scenic drives- the North and South Rim, with the South Rim being more popular. There are multiple look-out points along the drive where you can peer a mere 2,000 feet down into the canyon and admire views of the Gunnison River. Out of the numerous viewpoints, my favorite was the Painted Wall. This is the tallest cliff in Colorado, and if started at the floor of the canyon, the Empire State Building would only reach about halfway up!! So crazy. They say this is also the best place to view the sunset!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison has hiking trails for all abilities. While many of the hikes are accessible from the north and south rim, with a wilderness permit, you can explore the backcountry through more intense hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking the river. The Gunnison River is also known for its outstanding trout fishing, and we saw a few people trying their luck while we had lunch down by the river.

After exploring the top of the canyon, we drove down the East Portal Road. This is a paved road that descends all the way down to the river, where you can explore, fish, and even dip your toes in the water. The Gunnison is a beautiful river! You feel so small when viewing up at the canyon walls 2,000 feet above you.

Overall, our day at the park was full of majestic views and beautiful weather. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading by the pool at our KOA and talking with other friendly campers about previous travels and future bucket list trips. The next day we were up early and headed back to Salt Lake- another great weekend of exploring our National Parks in the books!
Great Sand Dunes National Park

September 27, 2020

Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in southern Colorado, about a 9-hour drive from Salt Lake City. The park is obviously most well-known for its large dunes, but there are also hiking trails which lead to forests, lakes, and waterfalls. Spring to early summer brings the unique Medano Creek and beach, located at the base of the dunes. If wanting to visit when the Medano Creek is flowing freely, be sure to visit during its peak in late May. In years with large snow melt, waves flow down across the sand, and people can float down on inflatables!

The first day was spent mostly driving, but we arrived to camp at a decent time, around 4 pm. We were lucky enough to snag a campsite within the park, which was so awesome. There is only one campground in the park (Pinon Flats Campground), so be sure to book your site in advance if you’re visiting during the peak season. After setting up camp and hanging out for a bit, we decided to go on a hike. We left from our campground and walked to the trailhead of the Dunes Overlook. This was a nice, easy to moderate hike that had some great views of the dunes, and we caught views of a beautiful sunset on our way down! After getting back to camp we prepared a delicious campfire skillet dinner of chicken sausage, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms.

After having some breakfast and packing up camp the next morning, we were ready to explore more of the dunes! We headed towards the Oasis store near the entrance of the park to rent sandboards/sleds. At this store, you’re able to rent gear for a full day (9am-6pm) for just $20. If you are visiting the park in the summer months, I highly suggest getting your rentals as early as possible, as the sun heats up the sand by mid-day. We got some good runs in at the dunes, however it was hard to make it past noon, as the sand was almost unbearably hot. If you’re sandboarding, you’re not allowed to wear shoes, so unless you have no pain receptors on your feet, its hard to walk back up the dunes without your feet literally feeling like they’re burning.

After our sledding/boarding adventure we sought out a creek to stick our feet in for some relief! That night we had a campsite reserved at the Alamosa KOA just outside the park, however we decided to forgo it and drive in the direction of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and camp remotely on some BLM land. We primitive camped near a creek and woke up the next morning excited to explore the next park!

A fun fact I learned about Great Sand Dunes after visited was that the park is apparently a hotbed of paranormal activity, and is said to contain a portal to another universe?! Over 60 UFOs have been spotted there since 2000, and visitors of the park have reported seeing ghost cowboys, large discs of light, and hearing loud, unexplainable clicking sounds. I can’t say we experienced any of those things during our time there, but it was definitely interesting to read about!
Rocky Mountain National Park

August 9, 2020

After a lot of discussion, planning, and careful thought, we decided to embark on our first trip since the start of Covid-19. Now that things have opened back up, everyone has their own opinion of what’s appropriate and what they are comfortable doing, which is totally fair… for us, we decided that for now we are comfortable with road trips and camping. Thankfully, there are a handful of national parks within reasonable driving distance that we haven’t visited yet.

Rocky Mountain National Park is technically the first national park I ever visited; however, that trip was over 20 years ago! Rocky Mountain spans the Continental Divide and is home to mountains, forests, and alpine tundra. There are beautiful aspen trees, mountain lakes, rivers, and abundant wildlife! Visit the Alpine Visitor’s Center along Trail Ridge Road, and you might just feel like you’re on top of the world. This visitors center is the highest visitors center in the National Park System, sitting at 11,796 ft elevation!

The first day of our trip was mainly planned for driving. We had a 7-hour drive from Salt Lake City to Green Ridge campground in Grand Lake, CO, which is where we were staying for the night. We arrived to our campsite around 3 pm, and after twiddling our thumbs for a few minutes, decided to go check out the Kawuneeche Visitor’s Center.

Due to Covid-19, many of the National Parks have enforced some new rules while visiting. For instance, Rocky Mountain National Park requires advanced reservation tickets to enter the park. Your entrance ticket allows you a 2-hour window to enter the park, but once you’re in, you have the freedom to come and go as you please. You may not enter the park prior to your window, unless you enter the park before 6 am, or after 5 pm. Our entrance time was at 8 am, both Friday and Saturday. However, we decided to enter the park that evening (Thursday) after 5 pm for a little drive. We drove the scenic Trail Ridge Road, and it was unbelievably stunning!! The park experiences daily afternoon thunderstorms, but the dark sky contrasting with the mountains was absolutely beautiful. We connected the Trail Ridge Road to Old Fall River Road, which is a one way, mostly unpaved road. By this point the rain had come, but it was still gorgeous. We saw so many animals- moose, elk, mountain goats, marmots, you name it. More animals than we have ever seen in any other park!! There was a very large herd of elk, probably like 75 of them, right by the visitor’s center on our way out of the park that evening- we couldn’t wait to go back the next morning!

I was excited to camp that evening because prior to this trip I had gotten a new rooftop tent installed on my car!! The best quarantine purchase I made, for sure 😉. Before going to sleep, we decided to change our plans for the morning. Instead of entering the park at our reserved time of 8 am, we decided to try to make it in before 6 am, in hopes of getting a parking spot at one of the trail-heads in the popular Bear Lake area. We were obviously taking all the precautions necessary during this trip and at the park- social distancing, masks, hand hygiene, etc., but decided that if we could also avoid taking shuttles as much as possible, that would be best.

We woke up to a brisk 30 something degrees, packed up the tent, and entered the park by 5:45 am. By luck, we snagged one of the last parking spots at the Glacier Gorge Junction trail head, which was very close to the hikes we wanted to do. That morning we hiked Nymph Lake -> Dream Lake -> Emerald Lake -> Alberta Falls. It was a beautiful morning- clear skies with mild temperatures, and we were so glad we made the decision to go in early. Even though Rocky Mountain has a reputation for being one of the most-visited parks, over the course of the whole weekend, it didn’t really feel that busy. In my opinion, Rocky Mountain has done a great job safely keeping the park open, amidst a pandemic.

On Saturday, we decided to skip getting up super early like the day before (we were wiped), and to just enter the park during our reservation time of 8:00 am. We had stayed the night a little further outside of the park, so instead of a 5-minute drive, we had about a 45-minute drive in. Our plan was to hike Copeland Falls to Calypso Cascades in the Wild Basin area, however the lack of parking and our “later” entry into the park, didn’t do us any favors. With many cars coming in behind us, and overflow parking already full, we improvised and came up with a new plan. We went for a stroll around Lily Lake, and decided to drive the Old Fall River Road again because it was soo pretty (heart eyes). Even though our originally planned hike would’ve been awesome, Lily Lake and a scenic drive were probably the smarter decisions, as my feet were suffering from some gnarly blisters from our hike the day before.

At the end of the day, we departed Rocky Mountain National Park and headed toward Dinosaur National Monument in Utah, which was where we would be camping for the night. This area was beautiful, but it was so. stinking. hot. Like SO HOT. Luckily, our drive home the next morning was only about 3.5 hours, so the lack of sleep wasn’t too detrimental.

Like I said earlier, this was our first trip since Covid-19 made its presence abundantly known. Overall, it was really nice to get away in a safe (to us) manner, and feel some sense of normalcy. Obviously, it was different, I mean I can’t really say that I’ve ever worn a mask at a national park before, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to continue on with some more camping/road trips and keep exploring our national parks!!

Stay safe & healthy out there ❤
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

July 23, 2020

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is located on the Big Island of Hawaii. This park protects some of the most unique landscapes in the world. It extends from sea level to 13,677 feet in elevation, encompassing two of the world’s most active volcanoes—Kilauea and Mauna Loa. The most recent eruption of Kilauea was in May of 2018, which made some permanent changes not only to the National Park, but to the entire island.

When planning my birthday trip to Maui in January, I knew I definitely wanted to take a day trip to the Big Island to explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. There are many ways to “island hop,” but since we were only planning for a day trip, we decided our best option was a direct flight with Hawaiian Airlines. We departed Kahului Airport around 8 am and landed in Hilo not even 45 minutes later, and by 9 am were on our way to the park!

Growing up, we frequently traveled to beaches in Florida for vacation, so I’m fairly familiar with tropical climates. I know daily rain/thunderstorms are very common, and can last anywhere from minutes to all day. I also know that the day could call for rainy weather, but it could end up being sunny all day, or vice versa. Leading up to our trip, the day we had planned for this park always showed 100% chance of rain, all day. Every. single. time. I. checked. I told myself I’d be okay with whatever weather the day would bring, and we’d just figure it out along the way. However, I was definitely not disappointed when we literally had the most beautiful day, full of sunshine!! The rain held off until we arrived back to the airport for our return flight- so thankful! 🙂

We had a great day exploring the park. Unfortunately, some of the more popular attractions in the park, like the Thurston Lava Tubes, were still closed from the 2018 eruption. We still had plenty to keep us busy though. First, we headed for the Kileuea iki Overlook Trail, which was about 4 miles round trip. This trail was SO cool. It started off in a jungle like environment, then you hiked down to the base, where you walked across a literal crater! It was unreal. I loved this hike so much.

After our hike, we drove the Chain of Craters Road. The Holei Sea Arch was closed due to instability/cracks in some of the rocks, which was a big bummer because I was really looking forward to seeing it ☹. You could still drive to the end of that road and get out to walk and view some sea cliffs, just not the arch. While on this drive we were also able to see some dried lava, which was so unique. I wish pictures did the landscape justice, but as always, they never do.

Overall, we had a great day exploring this park! The hike was seriously one of my all time faves, and I’m always a sucker for pretty views of the ocean. We finished up at the park with about an hour to spare, so we stopped in Hilo Town for an acai bowl and then walked around the shops. It was the perfect travel day on the Big Island!
Haleakala National Park

July 11, 2020
Hawaii is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, but quite honestly didn’t know if I’d ever have the chance to visit. Fast forward many years, and my dream became a reality when I booked a trip to Maui for my 30th birthday!! This was one of the best vacations I’ve ever taken. If I had known this was going to be my only vacation of 2020, or what the status of the world would be not even 2 months later, I may have extended my vacation by a few weeks… or forever 😉

My mom and two of her best friends joined my best friend and I on this trip, making it an official girl’s trip. We rented a condo in South Kihei, and it was absolutely perfect. Our condo was within walking distance of the beach, local coffee shops, and restaurants. We saw whales from our lanai (porch) while drinking our morning coffee, and had beautiful views of the sunset in the evenings. The snorkeling was magical- I swam with sea turtles, tropical fish, and even an octopus!! Ever since I moved to the mountains a few years ago, I’ve become very fond of them, but my heart will always lie within the ocean. It’s my happy place for sure. I’d love to write more about what we did on Maui aside from the National Parks, but for now the rest of this post will focus on Haleakala National Park.

Summit District

Halealaka National Park is divided into two different areas, the Summit District and the Kipahulu District. We ventured to the Summit District first. The summit of Haleakala volcano stands at 10,023 ft of elevation, and draws hundreds of people for sunrise and sunset. Viewing the sunrise is so popular, it’s now required to obtain a permit to try to control the crowds. I’ll be honest, I’m not a morning person, and I’m even less fond of crowds. Our plan was to attempt viewing the sunset from the summit instead. Unfortunately for us, the day we chose to explore this part of the park, the summit and surrounding area was nearly completely cloud covered. We weren’t able to see much of anything on our drive up, which consisted of many switchbacks and tight turns. Once we entered the park, we stopped at the visitor’s center, walked around, looked for some Nene’s (birds), and then ate lunch. We then continued our climb (drive) to the summit and observatory area. Even though it was still mostly cloud covered, it was still a really cool area with a few trails to different viewpoints. The summit area can be 20-30 degrees cooler than the base, so it’s important to pack layers, or at least a jacket! We hiked the Pa Ka`oao trail, which offered views down into the crater. Unfortunately, the clouds continued to stick around, and our plan to view the sunset wasn’t looking great. We eventually relented and made our way back down the mountain. We would soon explore the Kipahulu District later on!

Kipahulu District

The Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park is located 12 miles past Hana. Hana town is 52 miles from Kahului (northeast Maui), and the road consists of 620 hair-pin turns and 59 one-way bridges. Looking back, it was probably good we prepped with the drive to the Summit District earlier in the trip, because the Road to Hana was a whole different beast. I can get extremely car sick, so I volunteered to be the driver. Prior to leaving, we did some research to make sure we stopped at the “must-sees,” while still maximizing our time knowing the end goal was to make it to Kipahulu and back before dark.

Throughout the drive we were blessed with breathtaking views of rugged coastlines, lush vegetation, incredible waterfalls, sea turtles, a black sand beach, and so much more. We already had ourselves a full day before we even made it to the park entrance. The Pipiwai trail was at the top of my list in Kipahulu because not only did the trail lead you to a gorgeous waterfall, but you got to hike through a bamboo forest to get there. It’s a moderate, 4-mile RT hike, and I totally recommend it! Another noteworthy hike in this district is the Pools of ‘Ohe’o, also known as the Seven Sacred Pools. After spending a few hours in the Kipahulu District, we made it back down to Kihei a little after dark, success!!

The different districts of Haleakala are vastly different, and I highly recommend checking them both out if your time allows.

Below are a few of my Road to Hana favorites:
1. Ho’okipa beach. Full of sea turtles and surfers, what’s better?? Located at the beginning of your journey, just past the town of Pa’ia.
2. Ke’anae Aboretum. Botanical garden that is free of charge- has incredible rainbow eucalyptus trees that are out of this world!
3. Ke’anae Peninsula. Had some of the most scenic views in my opinion. Also, in close proximity to Aunty Sandy’s food stand with some of the best banana bread and fruit smoothies.
4. Waianapanapa State Park. Black sand beach- one of a kind. Must see!!
5. Kipahulu District. Haleakala National Park, 12 miles past Hana Town.
There are obviously many, many more stops you can make along the way. However, limited parking makes stopping at all the viewpoints a bit problematic. Be sure to start your day a little earlier than you can tolerate, and try to make the drive on a week day versus weekend. I would also recommend packing some food if you plan to make it a full day like we did. While there are various food stands along the road, we found they closed a lot earlier than anticipated. Per recommendation, we also downloaded the GyPSy app prior to our departure, which acted as a tour guide along the way.

Hope these tips are helpful & you enjoy exploring Maui as much as we did! ❤
Big Bend National Park

July 3, 2020

The next morning, we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore our third park of the trip- Big Bend National Park. Before departing for the day, we secured lodging at Terlingua Ranch for the night, which was located just outside of the park. Unfortunately, my friend’s cold had developed into full blown laryngitis, but she was still a trooper and ready for a day of adventuring.

We entered the park through the north entrance and made our first stop at the Fossil Discovery Center. This was a fun little area, which had fossil exhibits, a picnic area, and a short trail leading to a viewpoint. After exploring here, we stopped at the Panther Junction Visitor’s Center to plan the rest of our day.

Big Bend National Park encompasses the entire Chisos mountain range, as well as a large part of the Chihuahuan Desert. We decided to drive to the Chisos Basin first, where we walked the Window View Trail and admired some beautiful views. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the temperature was perfect. The Ross Maxwell scenic drive was another popular area of the park we explored, which lead us to the Sotol Vista Overlook, Mule Ears Viewpoint, and eventually down to the Rio Grande River.

We decided to hike Santa Elena Canyon, which is the canyon the Rio Grande flows through. The hike description made it seem like a fairly mellow hike that followed along a boardwalk for a few miles. Now, we did follow a boardwalk, but maybe for 1/10^th of a mile, and then the trail came to an abrupt stop at the river. I think most everyone was just as surprised as us because they were all gathered around the river, watching a select few cross over. Neither of us were prepared for this turn of events, which was pretty obvious by the fact I was hiking in my Birkenstock’s… However, after chatting with this couple from Colorado, they talked us into crossing the river and continuing on the hike to see the views. After thinking it over, we decided YOLO, right??

It was actually so much fun and we were laughing the whole way. Neither of us fell into the river (talent or luck, still TBD), and the hike was awesome!! After we crossed the river, we hiked up some switch backs before dropping back down into the canyon and meeting up with the river again. We hiked barefoot for a while until our muddy-covered feet dried enough to put our shoes back on. This was definitely a memorable hike, and will continue to be one of my favorites that we’ve ever done in the parks.

After our fun day at the park, we headed towards our cabin at Terlingua Ranch. This ranch was located on nearly 200,000 acres of rugged, West Texas beauty. Even though the beginning of this trip seemed like it was cursed, I couldn’t help but think this was a pretty cool turn of events. Big Bend National Park is a Certified International Dark Sky Park, and I was excited to see the night sky outside our cabin. The Milky Way was clear as can be, and the shooting stars were in abundance. Living in a big city, you don’t see many stars at night, so you kind of forget how much you miss it. I went to sleep that evening with views of clear skies and a full heart.

As crazy as our weekend was, it was still full of memories and exploring three new National Parks, so who can complain?! ❤
Carlsbad Caverns & Guadeloupe MTN.

May 22, 2020

I’ve sat down to write this blog a handful of times, but just haven’t had it in me to post it. We live in strange times, as the world continues to navigate the evolving Covid-19 pandemic. Stay at home orders were strictly in place for a few months, and now the states are beginning to phase reopenings. Just like many others, I’ve had trips cancelled/postponed due to Covid-19. I was afraid writing a new blog post would make me miss traveling even more, however, as I’m writing, I find myself looking forward to recounting this trip we made back in October 2019. Our trip to Texas and New Mexico was a short weekend getaway, but it seems like those trips are always packed with the most memories.

This was our last planned adventure for 2019. Our flight departed on a Wednesday evening, and arrived to El Paso, TX around midnight. We were tired and my friend was on the verge of getting sick, but we were determined to maintain positive attitudes for the weekend. We knew the rental car kiosks at the airport would be closed by the time we landed, so we booked a hotel with a free shuttle, and planned on picking up our rental car in the morning.

Our plan for the next day was to explore both Carlsbad Caverns and Guadeloupe Mountains National Parks, which are only about 45 minutes apart. After that we planned to drive to Alpine, TX where we would stay for two nights and explore Big Bend from there. When we first made our route, it had mapped Carlsbad Caverns National Park about 2 hours from El Paso, TX. However, when we re-checked the route on Thursday morning, it was telling us a road was closed and the new route was now estimated to be 3.5 hours. If this was really true, it would throw a wrench in our plans because that was time we honestly didn’t have to spare. We pushed it aside for the time being and headed back to the airport to pick up our rental car.

Most of the time we book our rental cars through Costco because two drivers are included at no additional cost. When we arrived at the desk, the attendant asked for Destiny’s Costco card. Since you need a membership to book a car in the first place, no one usually asks for our cards at pickup, but unfortunately this was one time when they did, and Destiny didn’t have her card. I tried to offer mine, since we were both going to be drivers, but she wouldn’t accept it since I wasn’t the one who booked it. This put us in a position where we had to cancel and rebook on the spot, making the car more expensive than what we had planned for or wanted. Stuff happens though, and at this point we just wanted to be on our way (route still undetermined).

One way we save extra money on trips is to pack our own food, and pick up odds and ends we couldn’t fly with at a grocery store. So, after getting our rental car, we stopped at a local grocery store to pick up some food. The grocery store we stopped just happened to be going through a remodel, and essentially had empty shelves. By this point we were starting to get annoyed because we’re usually all about efficiency, and this morning had been anything but that. Once we finally got some food for the weekend, we decided just to stick to our original route and hoped it would get us to Carlsbad.

Now, I knew that El Paso, TX was close to Mexico, but I guess I didn’t realize how close. While we were driving towards Carlsbad, we were forced to pull off at a border patrol checkpoint. The only border checkpoints I had been to before were when you crossed into another country, and we didn’t have our passports with us. As we approached the guard, I began explaining our situation and asked if we should turn around… he just looked at me with a straight face and replied back in Spanish. After successfully stressing me out, he began laughing, and said (in English) that this was just a checkpoint and we weren’t actually crossing into Mexico. Soon enough we were back on our way, which he confirmed was open and would successfully take us to Carlsbad (whew!). As we neared the park, the winds were picking up and we could see storm clouds rolling…maybe more foreshadowing?? 😉

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

This park is located in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. There are more than 100 caves within this National Park! We got tickets at the visitor’s center for the Natural Entrance tour + Big Room and were on our way. You have the option to hike down (800+ feet elevation change), or ride the elevators. We chose to hike down and ride the elevators back up. These caves were seriously out of this world. I had toured caves at Great Basin and Wind Cave National Parks before, but these were on a different level. I believe there is an audio tour you can download and listen to on your phone, but neither of us had our headphones with us and didn’t want it to be too loud or disruptive. Another unique opportunity at Carlsbad Caverns is the Bat Flight Program, which occurs every evening from Memorial Day weekend through mid-end of October. No reservations are required. The program takes place at the amphitheater, which is located at the Natural Entrance. During the flight you’ll watch thousands of bats leave the cave and fly right over your head- what I can only imagine as being a once in a lifetime experience!

After finishing up at Carlsbad Caverns we headed back towards Guadeloupe Mountains National Park. Unfortunately, the weather had not improved while we were down in the caves. Destiny’s voice had also rapidly declined, which meant I now had to be the main communicator, which was usually not my job 😉

Guadeloupe Mountains National Park

This park is a vast wilderness park just waiting to be explored! It holds the four highest peaks in Texas. Unfortunately, our time frame (and the 40+ mph winds) didn’t allow us to explore much of this back-country park. We walked the Pinery Nature trail right by the visitor’s center, attempted the Manzanita Springs hike, but then detoured and ended up exploring the Frijole Ranch before retreating back to the car. To explore this park the right way, you really need to be prepared with backpacking gear and have adequate time to hike in, camp/explore, and hike back out. Because they didn’t have many hikes accessible by car, we decided the best thing for us to do would be to head down the road towards Alpine, TX where we were staying for the next two nights.

To be able to travel as much as we like to, there are often sacrifices we make to be able to afford it. One of the common sacrifices we tend to make is staying at more budget-friendly places. We have a rule that the place still has to be safe and clean, but sometimes in West Texas your options are quite limited… As we pulled up to the “Value Lodge,” it was clear we would only be getting what we paid for. The first room didn’t have a working lock or deadbolt, the second room was already home to a large cockroach, and we didn’t really want to find out what was behind door number 3. We got our money back and started calling around to book a room somewhere else, but as our luck would have it, it was the University’s homecoming weekend. Not a single hotel had a room for the next two nights, which is what we needed. We eventually found a hotel that had one room left for just the night, so we booked it, and just decided to figure out where we would stay tomorrow night, tomorrow.

After having things either fall through or go wrong all day, we were happy to have an upgraded place to sleep for the night, and hoped the next day would bring brighter skies. Stay tuned for our adventures in Big Bend National Park on my next post! ❤
Acadia National Park

March 2, 2020
Once we made our way into Maine, one of our first stops was the Portland Head Light. We had spent a lot of time in the car up to this point, and had debated stopping here or just going straight to the Airbnb. Ultimately, we made the decision to stop, and by chance we made it just in time for sunset. This was seriously such a breathtaking view, and I would highly recommend stopping if you’re even remotely close to the area.
After enjoying the sunset, we headed to our Airbnb in Windham, Maine. Typically, we book Airbnb’s where we either have the entire place to ourselves or at least a separate entrance/guest suite, but to save money, this time we decided to take a risk and book a spare room in a family’s home. We just needed a place to sleep for the night, so the $40 seemed very reasonable. In the end it worked out great, and the family was very sweet and accomodating. The next morning, we were up early on our way to Acadia National Park!

Acadia National Park was the first park established east of the Mississippi River. The park is comprised of granite-domed mountains, forests, lakes, ponds, and rocky, ocean shorelines. The variety of landscapes, plus the fun gateway city of Bar Harbor helped secure Acadia a place in my top 3 favorite National Parks!

Once we arrived, we checked out the visitor’s center and drove the scenic park loop road. Prior to the trip, I had picked out a few trails I wanted to hike on our first day, one of them being the Beehive Trail. My friend didn’t know too much about this hike, which is probably a good thing because I don’t think she would’ve otherwise obliged 😉. The Beehive trail is an iconic, well-known trail in Acadia. The trail is somewhat short, but very steep, and includes granite steps, climbing of iron rungs, and several exposed cliff areas… therefore, it is not recommended for anybody with a significant fear of heights. It is best done early in the morning or later in the afternoon, basically at times when you won’t be rushed by fellow hikers. After finishing the Beehive portion, we extended our hike via the Bowl Loop before eventually making our way back down. Even though the hike was challenging, the views were spectacular and it was well worth it!

Our next stop was the coast, where we walked along the Ocean Path to the Thunder Hole. The Thunder Hole is a place in the park where you can experience the “thunder of the sea” against the rocky shores of Maine. This is a cool area, but make sure you time it appropriately with the tide so you’re able to hear the “thunder”.

The last stop of our day was Sand Beach. Honestly, I loved everything about Acadia National Park, but this was probably one of my favorite areas. I’ve always felt at home by the water, so to be in a National Park, in Maine, have my feet in the sand, and be looking out at gorgeous coastal views, I felt almost like it was heaven on earth. We sat on the beach for about an hour, or rather until our stomachs started growling, before heading back to Bar Harbor for the evening.

After gathering some restaurant suggestions from the lady at the front desk of our hotel, we settled on Sidestreet Café, and it did not disappoint! Following dinner, we walked around some local shops and before watching the sunset on the Waterfront. Bar Harbor is such a fun gateway city, and I wish we would’ve had more than one night there!

Everything we had read about Acadia prior to making the trip suggested viewing the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain. However, to do this you need to wake up around 3:30 in the morning and battle continuous crowds. Knowing we had another afternoon full of driving the next day, this didn’t sound so appealing, so we opted out. I think if we had an extra day we might have considered it. Instead, we slept in a bit and then explored the Jordan Pond area of the park. We hiked around Jordan Pond and then had popovers and tea at the Jordan Pond House. I highly recommend it, but make sure to get there early because it fills up FAST and the wait can be long.

Once the afternoon was upon us, we said our goodbyes to Acadia and began our trek down to Boston so we could catch our flight the following morning back to Salt Lake City. Overall, this was an amazing trip that had so much variety to it!