Shenandoah National Park – Part 2

November 14, 2016May 12, 2017Leave a comment

We picked out the hikes that we wanted to complete during our trip ahead of time. We put quite a bit of thought into how many miles we thought we’d be able to hike (and drive) in a day. We also tried to pick hikes that featured different things (waterfalls, good views, interesting terrain, etc.). There are a ton of hikes to pick from, so having a game-plan ahead of time will allow you to make better use of your time. The three hikes that we did on our first day in Shenandoah definitely reflect our thoughtful planning process. We chose one with good views, one with good trees, and one with a waterfall.

Hike With A View

Our first hike of the day was Stony Man. We started in the Stony Man parking area and took the Appalachian Trail to the Stony Man Trail. We spent some time taking in the views at the Stony Man summit and then headed back to the parking lot. The views were amazing, and the total hike distance was only 1.4 miles, so it was definitely worth the time/effort. One of my favorite things about the view from the summit was getting to see Skyline Drive winding through the trees down below.

Squirrel on Stony Man Trail

View from Stony Man Summit

Skyline Drive via Stony Man Summit

Skyline Drive via Stony Man Summit Continue reading →

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

October 4, 2016December 13, 2016Leave a comment

Cuyahoga Valley National Park was the first stop on our trip. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located in northeast Ohio and is about half an hour away from Cleveland. It was originally established as a National Recreation Area in 1974. It received its National Park designation in 2000.

We did three different hikes during our day at the park. First on the list was Blue Hen Falls. Blue Hen Falls was fairly small, about 15 feet tall according to the National Park Service website and is formed by a small stream. The sandstone shelf that forms the waterfall, however, is picturesque, and the hike to the water fall is short, so it’s worth seeing if you’re visiting the park. It was especially pretty during October because many of the trees in the area were changing colors.

Blue Hen Falls

Brandywine Falls was beautiful, though it wasn’t exactly the type of hike we expected. A well-maintained boardwalk leads to the falls, and a road is visible above the falls (I did my best to take my photographs at an angle that hid the road). It felt a little more commercialized (and a little less “wild”) than we expected. In addition to walking to the waterfall, we continued on to complete the entire Brandywine Gorge Trail. There wasn’t much to see on the trail, and we would recommend just seeing the waterfall and spending your time hiking elsewhere.

Brandywine Falls

Continue reading →

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE FOUNDATION – FOCUS ON THE WILD – June Contest

June 11, 2016Leave a comment

The subject of the June 2016 Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Focus on the Wild photography contest is “Texas views from the hiking trail.” I live near Palo Duro Canyon State Park, so I figured I’d enter three of my favorite Palo Duro Canyon photographs — all of which were literally taken from hiking trails. Check out my three entries!

The following photograph was taken from the Givens, Spicer, & Lowry Running Trail. It’s one of my favorite trails because it’s incredibly scenic and it doesn’t have nearly as many people on it as the Lighthouse Trail. There are quite a few places to do some off-trail exploring, too.

The following photograph of a dry creek bed and storm clouds was taken from the Lighthouse Trail. The combination of scenery and stormy weather in this photograph always makes me pause to take a closer look.

There have been a few new trails created at Palo Duro Canyon State Park since I moved to the Texas Panhandle eight years ago. This photograph was take while I was hiking one of them — the Rock Garden Trail. The Rock Garden Trail directs hikers through an area that fell victim to a rock slide many moons ago. There are quite a few interesting rock formations along the trail. I love that you can see the Spanish skirts in the background of this photo (top right-hand quadrant).