Trips or destinations that include interesting geologic features or includes topics on geology.
Combine this hike into the center of a volcanic cinder cone, along with a road trip over a desolate stretch of old Route 66 and you’ll enjoy a full day of desert exploring. If you like being far away from populated areas (like us), then this remote region of the Mojave Desert is for you. […]
Have you ever heard of Anza-Borrego? Many people we know have not. With so many amazing natural places in California like Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Big Sir, Death Valley, etc., who would guess that there’s yet another scenic place to go visit and experience? The Anza-Borrego region is located in eastern San Diego County, south of […]
Buckskin Gulch is a spectacular slot canyon located in south-central Utah, halfway between the towns of Kanab and Page. It is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the United States and perhaps the entire world. Our trip takes you on an easy day-hike that includes two slot canyons; the slot of Wire Pass and […]
Calico Mountains 4WD Road Trip: The Calico Mountains near Barstow offer a treasure trove of hiking and opportunities for exploring back roads, along with unusual geologic formations and classic California mining history. Best known for the Calico Ghost Town, not many people are aware of what lies behind the famous ghost town. Several days can […]
Our road trip this time takes you into the Cathedral Valley area of Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. The Park itself can be divided into three sections: the southern section that is accessed using the Burr Trail and Notom-Bullfrog Road; the middle section where you’ll find the popular points of interest including Capitol Gorge, […]
A visit to Kenai Fjords is an microcosm of what Alaska is all about – big, wild, rugged and beautiful. The landscape of Kenai was formed by the same mammoth force that created many other beautiful landscapes of Alaska – ice – and lots of it – in the form of glaciers. Just like Alaska’s […]
How to Visit Death Valley: This is an introductory tour to the places to see and experience in and around Death Valley National Park. We’ve all heard of Death Valley. Maybe, some of us have been attracted to the name Death Valley because there might be a hint of danger and adventure. Others may have […]
We’ve all heard how remote and desolate Death Valley is with its stark and lifeless landscapes but often it is difficult to really experience it in that way because of all of the tourists. Desolation Canyon is a place where you can get that remote feeling and it’s only a few miles from the Death […]
This is one of our favorite hikes in Death Valley because of all of the colors and endless shapes and contours of the eroded badlands. The hike up Golden Canyon is a popular one because of many reasons. For one, it showcases what Death Valley is all about: stark barren beauty. Two, it is close […]
Goldfield, named for the ore mined around it, was once Nevada’s largest city and the state’s biggest economic and political power. With the discovery of gold in 1902, Goldfield would become a rare, post-1900 major gold strike. It also experienced one of the largest gold rushes (and subsequent crashes) in western history. There are plenty […]
Being one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon is an amazing, jaw-dropping sight to see. There are lots of ways to see the Grand Canyon. Most people see it from its South Rim, fewer see it from its North Rim and even fewer people see it from a remote viewpoint […]
In the middle of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument sits the remains of the Grand Gulch Mine. This copper/silver/lead mine is a great destination for anyone who wants to explore and enjoy the remote landscapes of the Arizona Strip just south of St. George, Utah. Along the way, you’ll see some of the high country […]
Our back roads exploration this time takes us to where there are no roads as we visit the massive icefield and many glaciers behind Alaska’s capital city of Juneau. Join us as we take to the air via helicopter to not only see this magnificent sea of ice but to also walk on it. Click […]
The Kaiparowits Plateau is a remote mountaintop region in south-central Utah that is inside the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and recently renowned for its treasure chest of dinosaur fossils. The plateau also offers a combination of road trips, either leaving out of the towns of Big Water or Escalante. On the trip showcased here, we’ll […]
Inside the newly created Gold Butte National Monument lies a very unique and little place called Little Finland. Big cities like San Francisco have places called Little Italy and L.A. has Little Tokyo, but why would a corner of the Nevada desert have a place named Little Finland? Well, it has nothing to do with […]
There’s a sleepy little town named Lone Pine that offers such a myriad of recreational opportunities for the everyday person to enjoy, it’s amazing that it remains a quaint little town. Even more amazing is that it’s only a 2 to 4 hour drive away from a population of 22 million people – the draw […]
If you are visiting the California Gold Country along Hwy 49 near Angels Camp and would like to enjoy a great hiking experience, then try out this hike down to a very unique geological formation. This unique formation is called Natural Bridge. Inside Calaveras County, this site is within a 20 mile radius of the […]
A hike up Owl Canyon will take most people by surprise. After crossing the wide open spaces of the Mojave Desert near Barstow, one would not expect a canyon full of odd geologic formations and wild colors. Owl Canyon is located inside what is known as the Rainbow Basin Natural Area. This “Natural Area” is […]
Located just east of the Anza-Borrego State Park boundary is a unique geologic phenomenon known as the Pumpkin Patch. Here, you’ll find a patch of land, roughly the size of an average city block, covered with spherically-shaped rocks that are all the size of an average pumpkin. The surrounding desert terrain is very consistent, with […]
Located in the center of Death Valley, Salt Creek is a unique ecological area that is both caustic and sensitive. The caustic alkaline crust that covers everything here, coupled with the intense heat of Death Valley, would make anybody wonder how life can exist here and yet, it does. There are plants and even fish […]