Photo Blog with Waterfalls, Hiking, Outdoors, and other Adventures
As I completed hikes I was crossing them off my paper map which was now covered in a fair amount of X’s. The big hike for today was to Lost Horse Mine / Lost Horse Loop trail for a 6.5 mile ass kicking. The trail starts and immediately climbs but has a gentle ascent that … Read more
No time to waste today, weekend crowds would surely be crazy so it’s time to get on the trails ASAP. First stop is Ryan Mountain, a small peak popular for it’s 360° panoramic views. The trail is about 1.5 miles each way but climbs about 1000 feet in that span. Most of the trail is … Read more
No star photos last night (overcast skies) but I did catch an awesome sunrise from camp this morning. Not much else to say – this is what makes my trips worth the effort. After my nutritious breakfast of coffee and Pop Tarts I broke down camp and headed out for some final hiking. Stay tuned, … Read more
From Mastodon Peak I continued on the trail to Lost Palms Oasis. This is an in/out trail going about 3 miles each way. The trail winds through many different types of landscape – hills, sandy washes, patches of rocks, and just about everything in between. Damages from flash flooding in October has blocked off the … Read more
Today’s afternoon trek would be a long one starting at the far southern entrance at Cottonwood Springs. Parts of the road & trail were closed due to flood damage but you could access the trail via the Cottonwood Campground. The trail starts by winding through a sandy hike through the lower lying fingers and has … Read more
From Arch Rock I continued south on Pinto Basin Road. It’s Friday meaning the park is filling with weekend visitors and I wanted no part of the crowds. The southern entrance gets far less traffic and should give me some peace. This post is a bit “odds and ends” that don’t fit elsewhere so I … Read more
Still overcast this morning so no sunrise views. Took a short drive south from the campground to check out the Arch Rock Nature Trail. Parking at the Twin Tanks backcountry trailhead makes this a short bit longer than signs indicate. The trail first crosses flat desert and is mostly unspectacular. This section is only about … Read more
Skies were looking a little “iffy” tonight so I just chilled at the campgrounds lazily trying for astro photos. Early on skies were mostly clear. No galactic core this time of year but it never gets old sitting under dark skies. (Don’t forget to click photos for detailed full-screen views!) Wispy clouds started rolling in from … Read more
Final stop for the day was a race against sundown to hike the box canyon at Hidden Valley. One of the plaques along the nature trail details how this was once a forest covered in trees and is now relict or restricted to a smaller area than was once found. Not really much to say … Read more
From Keys View I stayed on the western side of the park and hiked the short 1 mile Barker Dam Nature Trail loop. Overall this hike is quite flat & easy. Much of the area is covered in sand or bare stone with minimal rock hopping. Although if rocks are your thing, this is a … Read more