All of our trips are plotted on this map of the American Southwest. Click on a map pin to reveal the title of the trip and a hyperlink that will take you on that trip.
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Info / Place
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Road Trip
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Hike
These icons point out trips that involve hiking.
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Map of Trips
Located at the southeastern tip of Death Valley andjust outside of the park boundary are the Salt Creek Hills.
The Mojave National Preserve is one of the newest units
of the National Park Service and within its boundaries
represents much of the fine qualities of the Mojave Desert.
We are going to take you on a tour of the San Andreas Fault,
starting in the Cajon Pass, through Wrightwood and Big Pines,
then along the north side of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Some of the most spectacular and colorful wildflower displays that
we’ve ever seen were in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado.
The Burr Trail is yet another wonderful back road through
the scenic red rock country of Southern Utah.
This Virtual Tour takes you on the only hiking trail that goes down into
Arizona's Canyon de Chelly and ends at the White House Ruins located
on the canyon floor.
Just north of busy San Francisco is a quiet, peaceful seaside
region known as the Point Reyes National Seashore.
When it’s hot during the summertime, we all look to the mountains nearby for
relief and if you head up to Big Bear in Southern California,
one great hiking option is to Castle Rock.
Situated along one of Southern California’s most well-known highways
is one of its least-known botanical gardens –
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden in Claremont.
Where the Mojave Desert meets the San Bernardino Mountains,
there are a number of unknown back roads where you can enjoy the
transition from the desert vegetation to the mountain shrubbery.
We’re going on a nostalgic journey along the California coastline,
from Oakland to Los Angeles, aboard an historic domed railcar that
used to be part of the famed California Zephyr.
Titus Canyon is one of Death Valley’s most distinctive canyons with a dirt
road that passes through some beautiful desert mountain scenery, an
extremely narrow canyon and is part of some unscrupulous Death Valley history.
Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah has some of the most unique
natural geologic formations on Earth. Add some snow and
you have a very unique landscape.
In the center of the High Desert’s Victor Valley is one of the
largest riparian zones in the Mojave Desert.
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.
The Mojave National Preserve only has a handful of paved roads
into its interior and Cima Road is one of them.
Take a trip behind the ghost town of Calico and
through the colorful Calico Mountains for a true
four-wheel drive adventure.
A true geologic wonder that boasts colorful and twisted
sandstone formations that gives this place a very surreal
and bizarre feeling.
A stone’s throw away from that popular historic road known as
Route 66 lies one of the more historic gems that the Mojave Desert
region has to offer – the Harvey House.
If you are visiting Bryce Canyon National Park and would
like to experience something different, then we recommend
visiting delightful Willis Creek Slot Canyon.
A classic back road adventure that takes you from
Joshua Trees to Pine Trees on the way to Big Bear Lake
If you need a cool escape from the summer heat and want
to enjoy some classic California coastline, Garrapata State Park
near Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey is a great place to cool off.
Lone Pine is a sleepy little town in the shadows of the rugged
High Sierra Nevada Mountains and offers a lot of great outdoor
recreation, as well as unique film history.
Before Route 66 reaches the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica,
it has one last obstacle to negotiate - the Cajon Pass.
There is a forgotten road that passes through California's Cajon Pass
that was originally a wagon toll road built in 1861 and, later,
was used by many people that also traveled early Route 66.
This is one of the better segments of Route 66 that still
exists and passes by several historical sites and buildings
to enjoy along the way.
Zion National Park is already a special place. But
add a good dusting of snow and you’ll get a place that
goes from special to magical.
Willow Hole, which is located in the Wonderland
of Rocks region of Joshua Tree National Park is one of
the most rewarding hikes in the park.
This hike up Owl Canyon in Rainbow Basin near Barstow will
take many people by surprise with its odd geologic
formations and wild colors.
Be introduced to the Death Valley region and see
some of the places and attractions of this big
land of extremes.
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 Taylor Creek Trail that heads up into the Middle Fork
of Taylor Creek, is located in the Kolob Canyons section
of Zion National Park.
Desolation Canyon is a place where you can get that remote feeling
and it’s only a few miles from Furnace Creek and just off
of busy Badwater Road.
Pipes Canyon is located in the new Sand to Snow
National Monument and part of the Pioneertown Mtns
Preserve near Yucca Valley.
Located on the east side of Anza-Borrego is a unique geologic
phenomenon. 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.
Located north of Ballarat in the Panamint Mountains,
Jail Canyon is a colorful, scenic drive with a well-preserved
mining camp and mill to explore at the end.
This trip covers Blue Ridge above the town of Wrightwood,
then includes a hike to the Big Horn Mine that was built in 1905
nd located on the slopes of Mt. Baden-Powell.
This is a great hiking experience down to a very unique
geological formation. This unique formation is called
Natural Bridge.
This fantastic desert hike up Hellhole Canyon to
Maidenhair Falls is located not too far from the desert
resort town of Borrego Springs.
The Black Rock area is often overlooked by tourists
visiting Joshua Tree National Park. This area offers
a campground and several hiking trails.
Learn about what to see and do around the Anza-Borrego region,
including hikes, 4WD road trips scenic vistas and more.
In the Owen’s Valley, about a two hour drive north of
Los Angeles near the town of Lone Pine, is a string of
“almost” ghost towns that are fun to visit and explore.
This hike is a great alternative to visiting Hoover Dam
and seeing the views from its bypass bridge.
Aiken Mine Road snakes through the Mojave National Preserve’s
famous cinder cone field providing access to some unique and
wonderful sights this area has to offer.
A collection of bizarre, amazing, complex and intricate orange rock formations
inside the newly formed Gold Butte National Monument.
A 4WD journey that takes you through the remote and colorful Tushar Mountains
that offers fantastic views and a few historic mining areas.
Twin Point is a seldom-visited viewpoint overlooking the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
The drive to get there takes you through part of the Arizona Strip and the fairly new
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.
Unique train trip on a seldom-traveled route through remote Northern California and Oregon
aboard a collection of historic railcars.
Historic copper mine in the middle of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.
Snow Canyon State Park, situated next to St. George, Utah, offers a variety of colorful rock formations and the White Rocks Amphitheater is part of that collection.
Cactus Flats is an area just east of Big Bear Lake that lives up to its name –
it’s a flat area full of cactus.
The mining town of Goldfield.
Hike to the largest slot canyon in the world.
Hike to an overlook of Zion Canyon.
A road trip down the ET Hwy.
Recommended touring route to see fall colors.
Recommended touring route into this remote region.
Tour of the historic route thru Daggett, Newberry Springs and Pisgah Crater.
See the San Andreas Fault thru Oak Glen, Highland, San Bernardino and Devore.
Tour of Tybo mining town and what was to become Nevada's next nuclear test site
Road trip to Utah's 2nd largest dry lake and the geologic oddity Crystal Peak