Ozark National Scenic Riverways – Big Spring

Ozark National Scenic Riverway - Big Spring - Water flowing out to the Current River

I came into this spot blind last night just looking for a place to sleep. Randomly winding up at Big Spring in Missouri just searching for a campsite? Pretty fortunate. I broke camp and drove just a short distance outside the campground to find Big Spring but you could walk/hike the Slough Trail if you … Read more

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver National Monument – Entrance Sign

Final full day of adventure and starting to make my way north towards home. I have crossed over from Arkansas to Oklahoma and now into Missouri, and the next stop at George Washington Carver National Monument has been on my list for quite some time as I find his life and accomplishments both impressive and … Read more

Mount Magazine – Signal Hill

Mount Magazine Signal Hill highpoint - Sign at summit

Weather today is again surprisingly hot for October reaching highs above 90°F. Decided to combat that by finding higher elevation at Mount Magazine State Park in Arkansas. There are several access points to the summit; I started from the Cameron Bluff Campground trail head. The trail is very well marked and maintained, and includes an … Read more

Cibola National Forest – Tijeras FR462 Dispersed Camping

Cibola National Forest dispersed camping off FR362/Chamisoso Canyon Road

Spent the remainder of my afternoon driving NM-55/NM-337 heading north toward Tijeras. As the sun started to fade I checked the map and found some dispersed campsites in the Cibola National Forest off FR462 at the Coyote trail head which leads to Chamisoso Canyon Road. Overall this road is well graded but a few spots … Read more

Jemez Falls

Jemez Falls - View from overlook through the trees

Camp was quiet and nearly cleared out on this mid-October Monday morning, and my feet are losing their soreness so it’s time to try another short hike. As far as short hikes go this one has a great payoff at Jemez Falls, the highest waterfall in the Jemez Mountains. The trailhead is very easy to … Read more

Eagle Nest, New Mexico

Eagle Nest, New Mexico - Eagle Nest Lake as seen from the Moreno Day Use Area

Woke up this morning and decided just to drive up towards Taos for no other reason than I’ve never been that direction before and I know there is a ton of scenery to be found. The first leg from Raton going south on 64 is rather unremarkable other than it’s vast empty spaces. That all … Read more

Pike National Forest Dispersed Camping

Pike National Forest dispersed camping – Idyllic campsite in the woods

My adventures for the day ended a bit early, but I didn’t get the best sleep last night and the drive back down the mountains felt like rushing things. I heard there were some good dispersed camping spots in the Pike National Forest so I decided to check those out. “Nice” is an understatement – … Read more

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – Petrified Forest Loop

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument - Petrified Forest Loop Trail - The Big Stump

Continuing on from the Ponderosa Loop I followed further north onto the Petrified Forest Loop trail that explores the ancient Florissant Lake bed and it’s various petrified redwood stumps. Going clockwise, very early into the trail (on clear days like today) you may be rewarded with distant views of Pikes Peak. Zoomed in view of … Read more

Needles Highway

Needles Highway - Scenic Overlook towards Cathedral Spires

The Needles Highway (SD-87) is a 14-mile scenic drive through some of the best scenery in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is also part of the larger double-loop Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. This is by no means an exhaustive guide to the road – just some photos I took during my adventure. Less … Read more

Jewel Cave National Monument – Roof Trail

Jewel Cave National Monument - Roof Trail scenic overlook

Due to my scheduling blunders I had a break for lunch and to strategize on how to use my time for the remaining daylight hours. There are a some hiking trails in the monument that look pretty interesting, but as I sat in the shady forest eating my sandwich the ominous clouds rolled in across … Read more