Tag: hiking

Honeymooning in Kaua’i – Part 1 of 2

When I have to start a blog with “Back in [insert month],” that is when I know I have fallen behind on my posts. You might recall that the reason I started this blog was to better remember and reflect on my trips, but if I am writing posts several months later, I have probably already forgotten some details! Here is my commitment to being more timely with my posts.

Back in March, Justin and I travelled to the island of Kaua’i, Hawaii for our honeymoon. While I love to travel and explore, by the end of a trip, I usually feel like my cup is full and I am ready to go home. But at the end of this trip, I was not ready to leave and I felt we had “unfinished business” in Kaua’i. Nevertheless, we maximized the time we had, and are looking forward to a trip back in the future ツ.

Our primary reason for choosing Kaua’i for our honeymoon was because of all the amazing hiking opportunities available on the Island. In this post, I will discuss all the trails we completed in detail, and I will publish a “Part 2” that will cover our other activities, food and accommodation. I am hoping that writing shorter, more focused blogs, will also help me to publish posts more frequently ツ.

Anyway – while our trip to Kaua’i was only a week long, we managed to complete six hikes, and they are discussed below in order of completion!

Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail:

The Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail was the first hike we did in Kaua’i. This hike is classified as moderate on AllTrails – it is 6km long, and has an elevation gain of 122m. The trail is located along the southern coastline of the Island, providing beautiful views of the ocean and coastal cliffs all throughout. The trail ends at Gillin’s Beach, but you will pass several other sights along the way including Poi’pu Bay Golf Course, as well as the biggest limestone cave and fossil site in Hawai’i – Makauwahi Cave (although, we only encountered the Cave because we took a “scenic detour”). If you are looking for a fairly easy and peaceful walk near the ocean, I would definitely recommend the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail.

Views from the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail
The Makauwahi Cave we accidentally stumbled upon!

Sleeping Giant (Noun Mountain) East Trail:

The Sleeping Giant East Trail was my second favourite hike that we did in Kaua’i. This hike is approximately 5km long, and it gets its name from a local legend, which tells of a “giant who feasted so much at a party in his honour that he laid down for a nap and never awoke” (as per AllTrails) – and I can verify that from a distance, the Sleeping Giant actually looks like a face! What made this hike a bit challenging was the fact that we did it right after it rained, making the trail slippery, and there is also a rock scramble near the end. However, the panoramic views from the top were worth it – we could see the nearby towns of Kapa’a and Waliua, as well as the Pacific Ocean. We found out after-the-fact that there are apparently caves you can explore right under the main viewpoint – if you end up at this trail, make sure you do not miss them like we did. But in the end, I am happy to report that we successfully completed the hike without waking the Sleeping Giant ツ.

Views from the top of the Sleeping Giant (as you can see, it was not the nicest weather day)

It is also noteworthy that there are two Sleeping Giant trails – the one we completed was on the east, but there is also a west trail that is shorter – it is only 2.7km long. We did not try this option, but basic math tells me that you should be able to get to the views faster, although it will be a steeper climb over a shorter distance.

Ho’opi’i Falls Trail:

The Ho’opi’i Falls Trail is an easy walk we completed after conquering the Sleeping Giant. We felt we had some energy to keep going, but we were not looking for anything too strenuous as it was starting to get warm, and we were starting to get hungry (or “hangry” in my case ツ). This is an out-and-back trail that is mostly flat (64m elevation gain), ending at a beautiful little waterfall with a swimming hole. The hardest part of the trail was getting down to the waterfall, but there are lots of trees you can use to support your descent. This was the perfect way to end our hiking/walking activities for the day before heading back to our hotel to relax by the pool.

Ho’opi’i Falls
The swimming hole at the base of the Falls

Hanakapi’ai Falls:

Hanakapi’ai Falls was my favourite hike of the trip, but was also the hardest and scariest, as well. This hike is located along the Nā Pali Coast in Haena State Park, and visitors are required to make reservations in advance. We tried making vehicle reservations on multiple occasions – staying up late as reservations are released 30-days in advance in HST – but we were not successful and had to opt for the shuttle option, instead. When we arrived at the park and saw that the parking lot had room for less than 10 vehicles, we were not surprised that we were unable to get a vehicle reservation!

Anyway, the Hanakapi’ai Falls trail is rated as hard on AllTrails, as it is 12.2km in length and has an elevation gain of 726m. Most of the elevation gain is at the start, before crossing the first stream crossing, and then a gradual incline for the remainder of the trail. When we first arrived at the trail head (via shuttle), there was a Haena State Park employee who greeted us, advising about the Hanakapi’ai Falls trail and conditions. When she told us that we would have to cross the “stream” five times before getting to the falls, I imagined a little bit of water, where the bottom of my hiking boots might get wet… but I was very wrong. In this case, the stream went part way up my thighs, and I am nearly 5’8” tall! Because it was raining, and had heavily rained during previous days, the stream was rising and moving very quickly, making it hard to get across. Luckily, we had hiking poles to help with stability and water resistance, but it was still difficult to walk through the stream, nonetheless. It was a bit funny how concerned I was about getting wet during the first crossing, but forgot all about it by the third time ツ.

The trail itself is absolutely stunning – the surrounding forest is lush with greenery, and from certain points on the trail, you can see the Nā Pali Coast. The Hanakapi’ai Waterfall, itself, is one of the most impressive waterfalls I have ever seen – the lower falls (where the trail ends) are around 300-400 ft tall, but it is estimated that the entire waterfall is over 1,600 ft! We were able to stand right at the bottom, providing for an amazing perspective of the waterfall – we could feel the mist, and some people were even swimming at the base. 

Beautiful views of the coast from the Hanakapi’ai Falls Trail

While we did not go swimming at the waterfall, it was raining so hard that it looked like we had gone swimming… I was absolutely soaked, head-to-toe (and to think I bothered doing my hair that morning). It was actually very difficult to get a photo without water on the phone or camera lens. To make matters worse, I had my passport in my Lululemon belt bag which also got wet. When I got home, I had to replace my passport well before the expiry date, and I had to complete a special form which explained how my passport was damaged – lesson learned to leave my passport at my accommodation the next time I decide to hike in a rain storm!

Hanakapi’ai Falls

In the end, this trail was quite the adventure – it was slippery and muddy from all the rain, and the stream was more difficult to cross than usual due to the weather conditions – but it was all worth it!

We were rewarded with a rainbow on our way back after enduring all the rain ツ

Waimea Canyon Trail to Waipo’o Falls:

This trail is located in Waimea Canyon, which is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Waimea Canyon was created by a volcanic eruption over 5 million years ago, and is 13 miles long, 1.5 miles wide and 2,500 feet deep. While there are many trails to explore at Waimea Canyon, we did not have a lot of time here, as we were heading on a Nā Pali Coast Boat Tour in the early afternoon (which I will tell you about in Part 2 of this post). For this reason, we chose to do the Waipo’o Falls via Pu’u Hinahina and Canyon Trail, as it is a shorter hike – it is 4.2km long and took around 2-hours to complete.

The first part of the trail consists of walking through the forest as you descend into the canyon. I will note that there is a considerable decline on this trail, as it has an elevation gain of 342m (over 2.1km). I was happy to have a hiking pole with me, as there were also a lot of rocks and tree roots to navigate. However, once you emerge from the trees, you will not be surprised as to why Waimea Canyon is referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific – it is truly an impressive sight of red and orange rock, mixed with greenery (much more colourful than the actual Grand Canyon). 

The incredible views of Waimea Canyon from the trail

I am embarrassed to say that as I am writing this blog post, I am realizing that we did not see (or look for) Waipo’o Falls during the hike. There is a small waterfall at the end of this trail, which I had mistaken for Waipo’o Falls, but it is not the 800 foot waterfall we should have seen. Consider this your warning and reminder to make sure you look for this impressive waterfall (which fortunately, we did see from a different viewpoint in the park).

Not Waipo’o Falls ツ

Make sure to also stop by the swing on the trail (which is located before the small waterfall) for a great photo opportunity!

Moalepe Trail:

The final hike we did in Kaua’i was the Moalepe Trail. Similar to Ho’opi’i Falls, this hike made for a leisurely afternoon walk. The trail is 8km long, and took us around 2-hours to complete.

I will be honest, the first part of the trail is not very exciting – you will walk along a dirt path for approximately 45-minutes without a single view in sight. However, stick to it because around the half way mark (2.5km into the trail), you will encounter a swing (yes, another one) with incredible valley views – a luscious, green canopy of trees. The swing is actually difficult to get onto, as it is quite high – Justin had to hold the swing in place for me, while I climbed onto a nearby stump to pull myself up! But, the struggle to get on was worth it – it was a great photo opportunity, especially with the scenery behind me.

One of my favourite views of the trip!

The views at the swing were definitely the highlight of the trail. If you are short on time, you could easily turn around and head back from here. The remainder of the trail is not well maintained – we would recommend wearing long pants as there is a section of “bush whacking” on the trail. Also, the end of the Moalepe Trail connects to another popular trail in the area called Kuilau Ridge Trail. We decided to briefly venture down the Kuilau Ridge Trail (which transition at the bridge), and came across another nice valley view, but it was not as nice as the view from the swing. The more I think about it, the more I would recommend to turn around after you reach the swing to make the most of your time ツ.

Well, I think that covers all the hikes we did in Kaua’i. Which one(s) would you try if you decide to visit this beautiful island? Make sure to keep an eye out for Part 2 of this blog post, which I hope to publish very soon!

Always grateful,

Michelle

A Quick Visit to Mount Rainier

It has been a busy few months – it is hard to believe that 2025 is now half over! Does anyone else feel like this year is flying by, or is it just me?

But in all seriousness, between local hikes and adventures, as well as trips to the United Stated, Europe and Galiano Island, I have a lot to write about. But, I am going to start with our most recent trip to Mount Rainier National Park as it is currently fresh in my head!

Our trip to Mount Rainier National Park was booked pretty last minute – we had some extra time off from work, and found accommodation available near the park entrance… so we went for it! 

The drive from our home to Ashford, Washington was about five hours long. This included our wait time at the border, and we also made a couple of stops along the way, one of them being our mandatory stop at Trader Joes (in Bellevue). If you have read my other blog posts, you will know that all of our trips to the United States involve a visit (or multiple visits) to Trader Joes. Here, we picked up a couple of premade meals, along with snacks and all the fixings for making sandwiches. 

Our accommodation in Ashford was a cute, small cabin located just 9-minutes from Mount Rainier’s Nisqually Entrance. We arrived here on Saturday afternoon around 2:30pm, quickly dropped-off all our stuff and changed before heading off to the park.

For our first partial day in the park, we decided to do the Comet Falls via Van Trump Trail. This trail is located about 30-minutes past the park entrance. I will note that because we were entering the park quite late in the day (3:00pm), there was only a small line-up of cars in front of us. 

The drive towards the trail was down a windy road, mostly in a forested area, and there are no views of Mount Rainier, itself, from this part of the park. Speaking of Mount Rainier, it was not until after we arrived at the park that I learned Mount Rainier is an active volcano – it is a bit scary to think about! But, I digress…

While our research warned us that the parking lot for Comet Falls was small, we did not realize just how few spots would be available! The pull-out on the side of the road has room for around 15 vehicles, which were all taken when we arrived, forcing us to park on the side of the road. Pro tip: If you find yourself in a situation where you need to park on the road, make sure your tires are behind the white line, otherwise you will receive a violation notice. We saw many vehicles with orange tickets stuck to their window!

Anyway, after parking, changing into our hiking shoes, and grabbing our backpacks and hiking poles, it was time to start the trail. The Comet Falls via Van Trump Trail is rated hard on AllTrails – it is about 5.6km in length, and apparently has an elevation gain of 392m. However, my activity for this trail in the AllTrails application indicated that I completed 549m in elevation gain – I do not know which one is correct… let’s split the difference! Either way though, I agree with this rating – the trail is difficult as it has a steady incline all the way to the main falls. There are very few flat areas on the trail, and there are also a lot of rocks and tree roots to navigate.

However, do not let this rating deter you – the views are all worth it! 

Soon after starting the trail (while you are still near the main road), you will be rewarded with views of Christine Falls, which is a much smaller waterfall compared to Comet Falls. After this, you will enjoy a peaceful walk through the forest before reaching a rocky opening on the trail. I found this to be the most difficult part of the trail, mostly due to the uneven ground, the heat (since there is no shade), and there was also a tree that had fallen onto the trail that you have to climb over or under. But, we persevered!

Christine Falls along the Comet Falls via Van Trump Trail

After the rocky opening, you will once again enter the forest, and after a series of small switchbacks, you will turn the corner and be greeted by Comet Falls. 

One word: Wow. This was probably my favourite view of the Falls – nestled amongst the mountains and trees, with the water flowing through the valley. 

My favourite view of Comet Falls

After taking in the Falls from this view point, we continued along the trail to the very end, where we got close and personal with it – I could feel the water spraying me, which was actually very refreshing! 

Given that it was quite late in the day by the time we finished the Comet Falls trail, we decided to head back to our accommodation and eat, before heading to bed – we were getting up early the next day to do the Skyline Loop.

According to AllTrails, the Skyline Loop is the number one trail in the park. This hike is 9km long, and has an elevation gain of 542m. The trail took us a total of 4-hours and 20-minutes to complete, including the many stops we took to eat and take photos, but our actual walking time was 3-hours and 15-minutes, which is very comparable to the AllTrails estimate. 

Our research indicated that the parking lot near the Skyline Loop trailhead fills-up quickly. For this reason, we left our Airbnb at 6:45am, and arrived at the parking lot around 7:30am, and by this time, the lot was nearly half full! The Jackson Visitor Centre is also located near the trailhead, but take note that there is a separate parking lot for hikers – the Visitor Centre parking has a limit of 2-hours.

The Skyline Loop starts off on paved concrete, which made me think we were getting off to an easy start. But do not be fooled – while the path might be paved, there is an immediate incline. This, combined with the fact that the trailhead starts at 5400ft above sea level, made for a difficult start to this hike. I have noticed a couple of times now from our trips to other National Parks that I have difficulty breathing (while hiking) at higher elevations. Is it just me? 

Anyway, it was not long before we were unable to see the concrete beneath us – we encountered snow, and lots of it! Even though it was late June, our visit to Mount Rainier was still considered to be the shoulder season. And, given the high elevation, it was no surprise that the trail was still predominantly covered in snow. Fortunately, we came prepared with crampons and hiking poles. I would not have been successful on this trail without these items – we saw many people slipping and sliding in the snow.

Shortly after we started the trail, we came across marmots! A couple of them were sunbathing on the rocks, while others were looking for food. We actually saw marmots multiple times throughout the hike. Our favourite encounter was when we saw them “in action.” I say it like this because it was not clear to us if they were playing, or fighting – but either way, it was very entertaining to watch. At one point, one of the marmots stopped playing/fighting, laid down and did not move for several minutes – we got a bit concerned. But not long after, we noticed the marmot had moved, and was making a mad dash across the snow-covered hills! 

A marmot sunbathing ツ

Some hikers we talked to on the trail apparently also saw a bear, but we did not see any other wildlife aside from marmots and a couple of deer at the other end of the trail.

Another marmot sunbathing
Okay, last marmot picture

The views along the trail, especially of Mount Rainier, were absolutely stunning. I found myself stopping to take photos every few minutes – which definitely contributed to the extra hour of our non-hiking walking time. There were also amazing views of other nearby mountains along the trail – Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and even Mount Hood which is located in Oregon. The best views of these three neighbouring mountains was from Panorama Point, which is located around 3km from the start of the trailhead. 

The mighty Mount Rainier
Views of Mount Adams from Panorama Point; Mt Hood is also visible in the distance

By far, the trickiest part of the trail was going downhill. Downhill is difficult enough on its own, but the soft, partially melted snow added another element of challenge. While crampons and hiking poles were helpful in this situation, I still went down once, and also had many other close calls. Some hikers resorted to sliding down the bigger hills – while it looked like fun, it is not something I was willing to try! 

While navigating the snow provided for extra challenges, we encountered a couple Mount Rainier volunteers on the trail who educated us on the importance of hiking in the snow, and not being tempted to step into the meadows where the snow had already melted, as this is damaging to the plants trying to recover after a long, cold winter. We were even lucky enough to see some wildflowers starting to bloom!

Wildflowers starting to bloom!

Mountain views, marmots and wildflowers were not the only sights that the Skyline Loop offered – we also passed several water streams during the hike and saw another waterfall – Myrtle Falls – near the end of the trail. The waterfall area is very busy, as many visitors will start the Skyline Loop trail in the opposite direction, and some will even turn around after Myrtle Falls, as it is located only a short walk from the Visitor Centre.

Myrtle Falls, with Mount Rainier in the background

Overall, we very much enjoyed this hike – it is not surprising that the Skyline Loop Trail is considered the top hike in Mount Rainier National Park – we were surrounded by beautiful sights of nature and 360 degree mountain views for a little over 4-hours – what else can you ask for?

After completing the Skyline Loop Trail, we had lunch and grabbed a couple of souvenirs from the Visitor Centre (a colour poster with marmots, obviously ツ, and a magnet) before making our way to Reflection Lake. The Lake is appropriately named, as you are able to see a reflection of Mount Rainier in the water. It was stunning!

Self-explanatory ツ

From here, we somehow found the energy to take on one more short, easy hike called the Bench and Snow Lakes Trail. This trail is 3.5km in length, has an elevation gain of 139m, and AllTrails suggests that it takes around an hour to complete. 

As the name suggests, you will encounter two lakes along this trail, starting with Bench Lake. This was a beautiful lake, providing more views of Mount Rainier, because let’s face it, you cannot get tired of this sight. However, we preferred the views at Snow Lake, but only because it provided us with something new to see. 

Bench Lake

While walking towards Snow Lake, you will encounter a fork on the trail, and there will be a sign that indicates the direction for the camp sites – go left at the fork towards the campsites, as this area provides better views (in my opinion) of Snow Lake. My favourite vantage point was actually along the log that you need to cross to get to the camping area – the logs in the lake provided some beautiful foreground for photos, as we took in the sights of Snow Lake.

While the lakes were beautiful, the biggest downside to this trail was the bugs. While I did not think that the bugs were landing on me, they were just flying near me, I was wrong – I ended up with 7 new bites from this hike! I think they were mosquito bites, but I cannot be certain. Make sure to put on bug spray or wear loose clothing if you attempt this hike.

After completing the Bench and Snow Lakes Trail, we decided we were done with hiking for the day and started to make our way back to Ashford. Before going back to our Airbnb, we stopped at Rainier Basecamp Bar & Grill for a refreshing beverage – this was a cool spot to enjoy a drink after a long day of exploring, as it had great vibes and a massive patio, but they clearly had a busy day as they ran out of certain items on the menu!

Overall, we really enjoyed our short visit to Mount Rainier National Park, and look forward to returning one day to explore more areas of this beautiful landscape.

Always grateful,

Michelle

The Desert Called, and I Answered… Again (California & Nevada – Part 2 of 2)

After an eventful journey from Indio to Las Vegas, we ended the evening by watching the Vegas Golden Knights lose 6-0 to The Utah Hockey Club – not exactly the outcome we were hoping for! It was then time for bed, as we were up early the next day to head to the hottest place on Earth: Death Valley National Park.

As you may recall in Part 1 of this blog series, I explained that our primary reason for staying in Las Vegas was because both Death Valley National Park, as well as Grand Canyon West, are within a two-hour drive from Las Vegas. Since we had two full days before heading back home, we dedicated one day to the Park, and the other to Grand Canyon West, including some additional quick stops in Arizona and Nevada.

Day 1: Death Valley National Park:

As noted above, Death Valley National Park is approximately two hours west of Las Vegas. While most of your drive will be through the desert landscape, you will encounter one main city about halfway called Pahrump. We did not spend much time here, with the exception of a quick, impromptu stop when we saw the Pinkbox Doughnuts sign ツ. But in all seriousness, if you need coffee, snacks or gas, you can find all of this in Pahrump.

We made it to Death Valley National Park around 9:30am, making our first stop at the Furnace Creek Visitor Centre to check out the gift shop and pick-up a map of the Park. Note that the Park Ranger will request to see your Park Pass before they provide you with a map!

Death Valley National Park is huge – almost 3.5 million acres – and with only 6 hours of daylight available to us, we had to very selective about the stops we wanted to make. After talking to the Park Ranger and reviewing the map (which does an excellent job of highlighting the most popular stops, especially if you are under a time constraint), we decided to start with a hike through Mosaic Canyon. Described as an “out and back hike within polished marble narrows with unique colour patterns,” Mosaic Canyon did not disappoint! The hike is almost 6.5km long, and took us around 1.5-hours to complete. While I do not recall too much incline during the hike, there are some rock scrambles and narrow passages along the trail to justify the moderate rating on AllTrails.

Part of the Mosaic Canyon Trail
The end of the Mosaic Canyon Trail

Following our hike at Mosaic Canyon, we made a quick stop at the Stovepipe Wells General Store before continuing to the Harmony Borax Works site. It is worth noting that the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are right near the General Store; however, given that we were pressed for time, and we already saw the Kelso Sand Dunes in the Mojave Dessert, we opted to skip this stop and admire the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes from a distance.

Our next stop was at the Harmony Borax Works, which is a short walking tour amongst the remains of a borax processing plant. Borax was Death Valley’s most profitable mineral, otherwise referred to as the “White Gold of the Desert.” As per one of the information signs:

“Borates – salt minerals – were deposited in ancient lake beds that uplifted and eroded into the yellow Furnace Creek badlands. Water dissolved the borates and carried them to the Death Valley floor, where they recrystallized as borax.”

Borax was then refined right here in Death Valley – a process that involved separating the crystal from mud and other salts. Unfortunately, Harmony Borax Works was forced to close in 1888 due to economic hardship, as borax was uncovered in other areas of California.

Remains of the Harmony Borax Works operation

Our next stop was at Zabriskie Point, which provides beautiful landscape views of the Death Valley badlands. Unfortunately for us, a dark raincloud rolled into the area at the same time that we did, which was incredibly distracting (as you can see in the photo below). For this reason, we kept our time at Zabriskie Point brief, and decided we would return here later in the evening to watch the sunset – we were also hoping the rainclouds would disappear by then!

Views of the badlands from Zabriskie Point – I did my best to exclude the angry raincloud from the photo ツ

We continued our adventure through Death Valley by stopping at Badwater Basin, which is the stop I was most excited about. Badwater Basin is considered the lowest point in North America – it is 282 ft below sea level. There is actually a sign on one of the surrounding mountains that indicates where sea level begins – it is very surreal. What is even more interesting is that the Badwater Basin trail is actually a 3.1km walk along the salt flats! It was also during this moment that the sun came back out, making for a very special experience ツ.

The salt flats – apparently the angry raincloud followed us, but at least the sun is shining!

After leaving Badwater Basin, we took the scenic way back to Zabriskie Point by driving down Artist’s Drive, a winding, one way road that takes you through the colourful rock formations of the badlands. While I do not know the name of the first stop we made along this drive, you cannot miss it – there is a clear pull out, and beautiful views for taking photos. There were also a couple of hills at this stop and if you are able, definitely climb to the top of one of them, as it provides another perspective of the salt flats.

Views of the salt flats from one of the hills along Artist’s Drive, and my attempt to create a sun starburst ツ

The second stop we made was at Artist’s Palette. As the name suggests, the rock formation contains several different colours – white, teal and pink!

The beautiful colours of Artist’s Palette

After leaving Artist’s Drive, we had exactly enough time to catch a magical sunset back at Zabriskie Point. While the rainclouds had not completely left the area, they did not affect the beautiful golden yellow and orange tones in the sky. It was the perfect way to end our time at Death Valley National Park. However, I feel as though we barely scratched the surface of what this Park has to offer, and we hope to be back in the future.

A sunset for the memories!

While it was not what we intended, we ended up driving back to Las Vegas mostly in the dark – personally, I do not like driving in the dark in places with which I am not familiar. However, we made it back safe and sound (credit to Justin), and we were even able to sneak in a delicious, quick meal at The Modern Vegan before they closed.

Day 2: Grand Canyon West and Other Sights of Arizona and Nevada

For our second full day in Nevada, we were up early and heading in the opposite direction. While Death Valley National Park was two hours west of Las Vegas, this time, we drove two hours east of Las Vegas to visit Grand Canyon West. The entrance to Grand Canyon West is actually in Arizona – make sure to take this into consideration while planning your visit, as you will change time zones!

One thing we did not realize prior to our trip is that Grand Canyon West is not considered to be part of the official Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon West is owned by the Hualapai Tribe, and there is a separate entrance fee that visitors must pay – you cannot use your National Park Pass to gain entrance into Grand Canyon West.

Due to the time change, we arrived in Grand Canyon West around 10am, which appeared to be perfect timing – it was not yet very busy, and there was a lot of parking. From the parking lot, you are required to take a shuttle to the two main visitor spots: Eagle Point and Guano Point. Our bus driver told us that Eagle Point is the “warm up” for taking pictures at Guano Point, even though he also said it is not possible to take a bad picture at Guano Point.

Eagle Point gets its name from a rock formation amongst the canyon walls that quite literally looks like an eagle. There is also a Sky Walk you can pay for at Eagle Point, where you walk along a glass floor that provides you with a bird’s-eye view looking down into the canyon (I imagine it must be intentional to provide a bird’s-eye view at Eagle Point – get it?). We did not do the Sky Walk as this was an extra fee, and you are not allowed to take your phone or a camera onto the Sky Walk. Instead, Grand Canyon West provides photographers to take your picture on the Sky Walk, which you can purchase after taking in the views. There is also a short walking tour at Eagle Point that takes your through various structures of buildings used by the Hualapai Tribe, such as a Wikiup (a home made of Juniper and other brush) and a Navajo Sweat Lodge, which is used (as explained by one of the information signs) to “cleanse the mind, body and spirit.”

Can you spot the eagle rock formation?

From Eagle Point, we got back on the shuttle to head to Guano Point. The bus driver was correct when he said Eagle Point was a warm up – the views of the Grand Canyon at Guano Point were truly incredible. We spent a lot of time walking around Guano Point taking videos and pictures, and also observing the number of helicopters flying through the Grand Canyon.

Views of the Grand Canyon from Guano Point
A raven hanging out at Guano Point!

We were at Guano Point for around an hour before getting back on the bus and returning to the entrance. Overall, I would suggest scheduling around 2 to 3 hours at Grand Canyon West to fully take in the views, and possibly even enjoy lunch at Guano Point. We could have spent more time at Grand Canyon West, as there is one additional stop you can make at Hualapai Ranch; however, we had several stops we wanted to make on our way back to Las Vegas.

One of the things we noticed during our 2-hour drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West was the volume of Joshua Trees that we passed. It turns out that we were actually driving through the Joshua Tree Forest, which has one of the highest concentrations of Joshua Trees in the world. We stopped here for a quick photo opportunity before continuing on to our next stop – the Hoover Dam.

So many Joshua Trees!

The Hoover Dam is located on the border of Arizona and Nevada, and its purpose is to prevent flooding from the Colorado River. Visitors are required to pass through security before they can access the pedestrian walkway along the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge – from here, you can take photos and admire the Hoover Dam. While I always knew I had a small fear of heights (which might be hard to believe given how much I enjoy hiking), my fear of standing too close to railings on bridges became apparent during this visit – I was hardly able to approach the railing, and the idea of holding my phone near it to take a photo was unfathomable. I felt incredibly uneasy on the bridge and will admit that it became an emotional experience (yes, there were tears). With some help from Justin, I was finally able to bring out my camera (secured around my neck with straps) and take the photo below, before promptly making my way off the bridge!

The best photo I was able to take of the Hoover Dam while overcoming my fear of heights

Just a couple minutes away from the Hoover Dam is a great spot to take in views of Lake Mead. Not only is Lake Mead popular for water activities such as sailing, fishing and recreational boating, Lake Mead also “irrigates more than one million acres in the United States and Mexico. The lake’s water can reach kitchens in Tucson, lawns in Los Angeles, [and] farms of the Imperial and Mexicali valleys.” Clearly, Lake Mead is an important body of water for multiple reasons. As a side note, it is a good thing I have started taking pictures of information boards during my last few trips – there is no way I would be able to remember all these details ツ!

A stunning view of Lake Mead

Our final stop before heading back to Las Vegas was to visit the ghost town of Nelson. Justin is fascinated by ghost towns, and we had originally hoped there would be time to visit Calico on our way to Las Vegas, but it was removed from our plans early on, as it was too far out of the way. However, Justin did not let this stop him – he just found a different ghost town to visit.

I have been to a couple other ghost towns previously – one was in Jerome in Arizona, which is actually an active ghost town with businesses in operation. The other is Bankhead near Banff, Alberta, which I would consider to be a true deserted ghost town – all that remains in Bankhead are partial building structures and foundations. Nelson did not appear to be deserted – when we arrived, there was a wedding taking place, another photographer taking pictures of what appeared to be someone’s graduation, a movie being filmed, and even a music video.

My first impression of Nelson was that there were several building structures still in-tact, amongst a sea of old, broken down vehicles – it was a lot of stuff. There is a list of rules that visitors will see upon entrance, with the first rule indicating that visitors must start by checking into the store, where you are required to pay an entrance fee of $1 USD. The other rules are hopefully intended to be tongue-in-check ツ.

An old building in Nelson
The “rules” in Nelson ツ

While Nelson does offer tours of the abandoned mining town, we arrived too late in the day and had to do our own exploring, instead. While not what I expected, it was still a worthwhile stop!

A couple of the many old vehicles in Nelson

Our second day of exploring outside Las Vegas was a bit shorter than our previous day (when we were in Death Valley), leaving us a bit of time to explore the Las Vegas strip in the evening. We explored the extravagant hotels and casinos, watched a show at the Bellagio Fountain, and I even tried my luck at slots – somehow I managed not to lose any money, but I also did not win… I started and ended with $10 ツ. We also enjoyed a fun meal at Nacho Daddy – we ordered the Vegan Flaming Chick’n Fajitas, where the server literally lights your food on fire before serving it!

Well, I think that sums up our latest trip to the desert!

Always grateful,

Michelle

The Desert Called, and I Answered… Again (California & Nevada – Part 1 of 2)

After writing several posts about our previous visits to Indio, California, it is starting to become difficult to come up with creative titles for my blogs – how did I do ツ? Subpar blog names aside, our last trip to the desert was in November 2024, and there was definitely no shortage of places to see and things to do during our visit, despite having already spent a lot of time in this area.

We spent the first part of our trip in Indio, before heading to Las Vegas, which provided us with easier access to Death Valley National Park, as well as Grand Canyon West.

Before I get started, a quick note for my email subscribers – did you know that when a blog post is emailed to you, you can click on the title, and you will get redirected to read the post on my website? This will allow you to see the cover photo I have set for each blog!

Indio, California

As you probably already know by now, one of our favourite things to do is hike, and during our most recent visit to Indio, we came across some great new (new to us) hikes to explore:

  • Bump and Grind Trail: The Bump and Grind Trail is a very popular trail for hiking, trail running and apparently mountain biking (although, we did not see any mountain bikes during our visit) located right near the city in Palm Dessert. About halfway through the loop, there is a “detour” that takes you to the highest point on the trail. If the gates are open, we would definitely recommend completing this additional portion of the hike – it provides beautiful views of the city and desert landscape. We also noticed (after-the-fact) that some reviews on AllTrails suggest doing the hike clockwise; however, we missed this detail and did the hike counter-clockwise. This made the downhill portion near the end a bit challenging – the trail was narrow, and there was loose rock and gravel. Learn from our mistake – go clockwise!
Views from the top of the Bump and Grind Trail
  • Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail: This was my favourite hike that we did near Indio! The start of the trail head is around 45-minutes from Indio, and requires driving down a dusty, gravel road. Part way down this road, you will encounter an abandoned trailer – if you see this, you are going the right way! As the name suggests, there are several rickety, old ladders that you will need to climb to navigate your way through the canyon. The recommendations on AllTrails (we paid attention this time ツ) suggest going clockwise to ensure you are going up most of the ladders, rather than down. We would also suggest downloading a map of the trail, as it is very easy to miss the first ladder; and, make sure to download it well in advance, as there is no service on the trail itself – I believe we lost service at the start of the gravel road. What I loved most about this trail was the diversity that it offered – you start by going up several ladders through a narrow slot canyon, before emerging onto a ridge that provides panoramic views of the surrounding desert mountains. After the ridge, you will descend back into the canyon to complete the hike, except the way back is along a much wider path (surrounded by colourful canyon rock), compared to the narrow slot canyon at the start of the hike. There is definitely no shortage of beautiful sights at the Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail.
Two of many ladders on the Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail
Views from the ridge along the Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail
  • Pushwalla Palms Loop: The Pushwalla Palms Loop starts off as a flat trail, but you quickly approach a hill that takes you onto a ridge, overlooking multiple different cities within the Palm Desert vicinity. After walking along the ridge (as seen in this blog’s cover photo), you will descend into a grove of palm trees, aka the Pushwalla Palms. This is the only part of the trail where you will find shade, and there was even a small water stream running between the trees. There was also a lot (and I mean a lot) of droppings from desert big horn sheep amongst the Pushwalla Palms. Fortunately, we did not run into a herd of sheep during our hike – you may recall how spooked I was by the big horn sheep that were watching me in Jasper. After walking through the palm trees, you will go up a rock scramble to begin your return to the trailhead. There are two ways to get back – you can either go back along the same ridge you used to reach the Pushwalla Palms, or you can walk below the ridge. We accidentally opted for the latter (we missed the path back onto the ridge), but would definitely recommend taking the ridge back for better views of the surrounding landscape. The Pushwalla Palms Loop was very different from the first two hikes we did, and we very much enjoyed it!
The end of the Pushwalla Palms grove – big horn sheep successfully avoided ツ
  • Jane’s Hoffbrau Oasis Trail: The last hike we completed while staying in Indio was Jane’s Hoffbrau Oasis Trail. The main reason I wanted to do this trail is because the photos on AllTrails showed a heart “structure” made out of rocks that I wanted to see – it was super cute! Similar to the Pushwalla Palms Loop, Jane’s Hoffbrau Oasis Trail also leads you into a grove of palm trees. However, the grove of palm trees at Pushwalla Palms appeared much bigger and healthier than the ones at Jane’s Hoffbrau Oasis Trail. There are so many different trails in this area that you can essentially “build your own adventure” and see where it takes you! If you are looking for a slightly easier trail to do closer to the city centre, then this one is a great option.
The heart structure and views from Jane’s Hoffbrau Oasis Trail

Other than our hikes, we made a quick visit to Pioneertown, an old western-style town that was previously used as a movie set. It is located around an hour from Indio, and is very close to Joshua Tree National Park. There are several shops you can visit along the main strip in Pioneertown, you can grab a drink at the historic Red Dog Salon, and visit the Film Museum, which displays posters of all the movies and TV shows that were filmed in Pioneertown.

An actual post office in Pioneertown
The structures and shops along the main strip in Pioneertown

Lastly, we made multiple visits to Chef Tanya’s Kitchen while exploring the desert. We enjoyed trying multiple different plant-based sandwiches (my favourite was the Chupacabra Chick’n), soup and ice cream – we cannot believe we did not know about this restaurant sooner!

The Road to Las Vegas

The drive from Indio to Las Vegas is supposed to take 4-hours; however, we made a few stops along the way, and it ended up taking us 8-hours. The problem with our timing was that we had tickets to the Vegas Golden Knights game that evening, and while we made it shortly after 7pm, we missed the warm-up and player introductions, which are Justin’s favourite parts. We would have made it on time had we not taken the wrong road through the Mojave Desert, and encountered terrible traffic on highway-15 due to a multi-vehicle accident.

Despite being late for the hockey game, we really enjoyed the stops we made on the way to Las Vegas:

  • Amboy Crater: The Amboy Crater is an extinct volcano located along the iconic Route 66 (more about Route 66 below). Apparently, the Amboy Crater last erupted over 10,000 years ago. You can actually hike into the Crater, but unfortunately we did not budget enough time for this (clearly) – we definitely hope to do this hike during a future visit, as the photos I have seen online look incredible! I will not bother sharing the photo I took, as it does not do this amazing sight justice.
  • Roy’s Motel and Cafe: Our next stop, just a couple of minutes further down Route 66, was Roy’s Motel and Cafe. In case you did not know, Route 66, often referred to as the “Main Street of America,” is one of the most well-travelled highways in the United States. It is 3,940km in length, and stretches from Santa Monica, California, all the way to Chicago, Illinois. While no longer in operation, Roy’s Motel and Cafe used to be a popular rest stop for travellers journeying through the desert up until the late 1970s. It just so happened that the day we were passing through (November 30, 2024), was the day Roy’s Motel and Cafe was having its Historic Mural and Monument Reveal event in honour of its 86th anniversary. There were food vendors on site, live music, and a lot of people! While we were not able to stay for the reveal ceremony (in an attempt to make it to the hockey game on time), we really enjoyed this stop! There are a lot of very cool photo opportunities here, as well – there is the neon Roy’s Motel and Cafe sign (which I can imagine looks very cool at night), and the Route 66 sign is painted onto the road in front. We may or may not have attempted to get some jumping photos on the highway with the two signs…
Self-explanatory ツ
Also self-explanatory!
  • Mojave National Preserve: One of the faster routes to get to Las Vegas from Indio is actually to cut through the Mojave National Preserve and connect to highway-15. Since this was the recommended route, we decided to make a couple of stops within the protected desert land. Our first stop was at the massive Kelso Dunes. While I have seen sand dunes before (when we visited the Yukon), the Kelso Dunes are massive compared to the small desert in Carcross – the tallest sand dune in Kelso is more than 600 feet tall! For some reason, I find tall mounds of sand deposited amongst other rock formations fascinating, even in the desert ツ.
The incredible Kelso Sand Dunes

We also stopped at the Kelso Depot Visitor Center. Here, we learned that Kelso used to be a booming mine town following World War II, and we also saw the original Kelso Jail that was used between 1940 and 1985 for housing “drunks and unruly individuals.” There is a lot of history and interesting sights within the Mojave National Preserve – we barely scratched the surface with our quick visit. We also saw some wildlife near the Museum, specifically a roadrunner, and a coyote – is it possible that our favourite Warner Bros. cartoons were inspired by the Mojave Desert? Fortunately for the road runner, Wile E. Coyote was on his best behaviour ツ. My distraction and determination to take a photo of the coyote is ultimately what resulted in us taking the wrong road when leaving the Kelso Depot Visitor Center. Instead of taking the Kelso Cima Road, we ended up on Kelbaker Road, adding several kilometres to our journey, and this did not allow us to skip the accident on highway-15.

The Kelso Depot Visitor Center – the Kelso Jail is on the left side in front of the palm trees
The coyote near the Kelso Depot Visitor Center

Well, I originally planned to also write about our adventures through Death Valley National Park and our stops in Nevada – but since this blog is longer than anticipated already, I will report on the rest of our trip in a separate post ツ.

Always grateful,

Michelle

Local Hikes of 2024

Well, it is that time of year again, where I do a recap of all the local hikes we did in 2024! As a reminder, “local” means the start of the trailhead is within a 2-hour drive from home.

A quick note that all my references to trail length and elevation are from the AllTrails app, cross-referenced with the statistics from my Apple Watch. If you do not already have the AllTrails app, I would definitely recommend downloading it, as it is great for discovering trails in areas you are visiting, and you can download offline maps to use when you do not have cell service.

Make sure to also check out my Local Hikes of 2022 and Local Hikes of 2023 blog posts for more hiking inspiration!

Lindeman Lake Trail, Chilliwack – July 2024

When we were deciding what trail to do, we settled on the Lindeman Lake Trail due to its length and tree coverage. The day we had picked for this hike was expected to be quite warm (over 30°C), and we had 3 dogs with us, which is why we were looking for a short trail that offered shade. We started the hike at 8am (which meant I had to get up at 5am… ouch!), and we were done around 10am in order to beat the heat. I would definitely recommend starting the hike at this hour or earlier, regardless of the weather, as the trailhead parking is small and fills up quickly.

This out-and-back trail is 3.4km round trip, and I would classify it as moderately difficult due to the large rocks and tree roots you have to navigate at the start (and end) of the trail. Overall, we really enjoyed this hike – Lindeman Lake is stunning, and it offers a fun and relaxing atmosphere with many people camping in the forest along the trail, and swimming and paddle boarding on the Lake.

The turquoise blue waters of Lindeman Lake

Cheam Peak, Chilliwack – August 2024

Cheam Peak has been on my bucket list of hikes for several years now. However, the road to get to the trailhead is only accessible with a 4×4 vehicle, which we do not have, and when we tried to coordinate going in the past, the dates we had picked were impacted by wildfire smoke.

But, 2024 was the year we were finally able to do this amazing hike, and we owe a big thank you to our friends Josh and Jess for driving us! While Google Maps will tell you that the road up the mountain to the trailhead is only 30 minutes, it is actually closer to an hour, as you have to drive very slowly and carefully through the cross ditches – hang on tight!

Cheam Peak is an 8.7km out-and-back trail, and has an elevation gain of 679m. Fortunately, the switchbacks make the elevation gain more tolerable, but there is very little shade along this trail – it is definitely recommended to start early. An early start has other benefits, as well – parking is a premium at the trailhead, and as the temperature increased during our hike, so did the bugs!

Overall, Cheam Peak is probably the nicest hike I have ever done – you are surrounded by wildflowers, beautiful meadows, and views of Mount Baker for the entire duration of the trail. Once you reach the top, you are rewarded with 360° views of the Fraser Valley – on a clear day, you can see Chilliwack, Harrison Lake, the Fraser River, Cultus Lake and more. It was also very cool to see people paragliding near the peak. This trail is a must see!

Paragliding near the Peak
Views of the Fraser Valley from the Peak
Wildflowers along the Cheam Peak Trail, with Mt. Baker in the background

Grouse Grind Trail, Vancouver (Grouse Mountain) – August 2024

The Grouse Grind Trail, otherwise known as Mother Nature’s Stair Master, is likely not the most enjoyable hike, but it is definitely a trail you should attempt at least once. It is a one-way trail that is 2.5km in length, and has an 800m elevation gain. Hikers cannot go down the Grouse Grind Trail – they must purchase a gondola pass to return to the parking lot.

I have done the Ground Grind a handful of times in the past, but this was my most successful attempt with a time of 46-minutes and 11 seconds. Somehow, I found the energy to sprint up the last rock scramble, beating Justin by at least 3 seconds – I will make sure he does not forget it, too ツ.

While there are no views along the trail, I feel the views of Vancouver at the top are definitely more rewarding if you hike to them rather than taking the gondola (although I realize this is not an option for everyone). There are many activities you can do at the top of Grouse Mountain such as visiting the Chalet, seeing the Lumberjack Show, and seeing the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife. Following our hike, we paid a quick visit to the wildlife refuge to see the Grizzly Bears, Grinder and Coola, before heading back down the Mountain.

Views of Vancouver from the top of Grouse, featuring one of the gondola towers

Saint Mark’s Summit, West Vancouver (Cypress Mountain) – August 2024

Saint Mark’s Summit is a 10km hike located on Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver. While we picked an overcast day to do this hike, but were hoping that with a later start (10am), the weather would clear up; however, our views at the top were completely cloud covered – we were very disappointed!

I would consider the hike, itself, to be more challenging due to the length, elevation gain (567m) and the exposed roots along the trail. I would strongly recommend hiking poles if you have them, especially on the way down – we witnessed a couple of bad falls. This hike was also very busy – similar to the other hikes, definitely try to get an early start, and try to go on a clear day!

The “views” from Saint Mark’s Summit, aka no views at all

Teapot Hill, Chilliwack – August 2024

As the name suggests, there are actual teacups and teapots hidden throughout the entire Teapot Hill Trail, making for a fun scavenger hunt throughout the hike! Overall, this is a fairly easy to moderate out-and-back trail (under 5km in length, and 255m in elevation gain) with views of the Fraser Valley at the end. We decided to do this hike last minute after a rain storm – it made for a leisurely afternoon stroll, since it only took us 1.5-hours to complete.

One of many teapots along the Teapot Hill Trail
Views of the Fraser Valley at the end of Teapot Hill

Norvan Falls, North Vancouver – September 2024

Similar to Cheam Peak, we have been talking about doing the Norvan Falls trail for the last couple of years – 2024 was the year we finally checked it off the list!

While Norvan Falls is rated as moderate on AllTrails, what made it challenging was the length – it is 14km long and took us around 3.5-hours to complete. This was a great hike for us to do on a warmer day, as the trail offers generous shade and tree coverage. We enjoyed walking amongst the luscious greenery and along the Lynn Valley Creek before getting to the major attraction – the 30m waterfall at the end. The waterfall area is a great spot to enjoy lunch or a snack, and to take a break before getting back on the trail.

The beautiful Norvan Falls waterfall

Eagle Bluffs via Black Mountain Trail, West Vancouver (Cypress Mountain) – September 2024

If you have been following my blog over the last couple of years, you will know that we have previously completed the Eagle Bluffs Trail – this was actually my third time doing the hike. However, it was a great reminder of just how beautiful this hike is – it has multiple viewpoints along the way, passes many small lakes, and provides stunning views of West Vancouver at the end.

One of the small lakes along the Eagle Bluffs Trail

In case you need the reminder, this trail is just under 8km long and has an elevation gain of 437m. Most of the incline is at the start of the trail, which means you get the hard part out of the way early, and can enjoy the rest of the hike. With that being said, I would definitely recommend bringing hiking poles for this trail – they are especially helpful on the way back, as the steep incline contains loose rock and gravel, and can be quite slippery.

Views of West Vancouver from the top of Eagle Bluffs

Jack’s Trail, Four Lake’s Trail and 50 Shades of Green Trail, Squamish – September 2024

Back in September, my friend Jeanette took us on an adventure through a network of trails in Squamish. We completed an 11km loop in 2.5-hours that touched three different trails: Jack’s Trail, Four Lake’s Trail and the 50 Shades of Green Trail. We passed multiple lakes on this trail, one of which was Alice Lake – another location I have been wanting to visit. Overall, we very much enjoyed exploring these multiple trails in Squamish.

Views of Alice Lake in Squamish

Nairn Falls Trail, Pemberton – October 2024

Last but not least for our 2024 hikes was the Nairn Falls Trail. This Trail is technically 2.5-hours away from home, but I wanted to make sure it was included in this list! We had planned a day trip to Pemberton that day, as one of our favourite restaurants (The HWY. Cafe) was closing down, and we wanted to fit in one last visit. On our way back, we made an impromptu stop at Nairn Falls to complete this short, scenic trail. You will walk along the Green River for a little under 1.5km (one way) before reaching the waterfall. The entire hike takes under an hour to complete, making it easy to fit into your itinerary when visiting the Pemberton area.

Nairn Falls
Views of the Green River along the Nairn Falls Trail

Well, I think that covers all the hiking we did in 2024! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and I want to wish you all the best in 2025! Thank you so much for continuing to support my blog this year, and I hope you will enjoy reading the blog posts I have planned for 2025!

Always grateful,

Michelle

Back to the PNW – Olympic National Park

I used to think that going six weeks in between blog posts was a long time, but now it has been five months since my last post! Life has been incredibly busy lately, and while I have started writing several new posts, I have not been able to finish one.

We have had a couple exciting adventures since my last blog post in February – we spent some time in Los Angeles, Jaco (in Costa Rica), on Vancouver Island, and most recently in Olympic National Park in Washington. I am going to share all my thoughts about Olympic National Park now while everything is still fresh in my head!

Olympic National Park is around a four-hour drive from where we live, making it a great option for a quick weekend trip. This is our 9th National Park visit in the United States, and it definitely did not disappoint! I actually bought a scratch off poster last year to track all the parks we have been to, but I am currently behind on this activity (being behind on things appears to be a common theme in my life right now…).

In order to explore Olympic National Park, we decided to stay in Port Angeles, which is the largest city near the park. We stayed in an Airbnb in a quiet neighbourhood with our friends, Iwona and Craig. The highlight of this location for me was all the deer (including the babies!) roaming the streets and nearby trails.

We did not spend too much time in Port Angeles, itself, but here are some notable shops and food establishments we checked out:

  • Our favourite restaurant was New Day Eatery. While I did not try the coffee here, I was advised by Justin, Iwona and Craig that this was their favourite coffee stop of the trip. New Day Eatery also had several plant-based (and gluten free) baked goods – it was actually difficult to make a decision due to all the options! Different scones, muffins, coffee cakes… if only calories were not a concern. We also had breakfast here on our last morning, and it was delicious.
  • A shoutout to Westside Pizza for offering vegan cheese – loved the vegetarian pizza option!
  • We all picked up our local swag at MOSS. I usually try to limit myself to one item, but I could not make a decision (apparently another common theme in my life). I ended up getting the Washington Nature Checklist t-shirt, and Iwona and I are also the newest members of the Out of Breath Hiking Society with our new hats. If you are hoping to pick up some Pacific Northwest gear, definitely stop by MOSS.
  • While we did not make any purchases, we enjoyed browsing the gift items, games and books at Port Book and News.

We essentially had two full days to explore the park, plus some time in the evening the day we arrived. One thing that makes Olympic National Park unique is its diverse ecosystem which is made up of the coast, forests and mountains. Since our daylight was limited on our first (partial) day, we settled on exploring a shorter trail amongst the forests – the Marymere Falls Trail.

This was a very peaceful and easy hike – we loved walking amongst the tall trees, breathing in the fresh air and listening to the water flow in the nearby creek. I would definitely recommend doing this hike later in the day if this is an option for you, as the light scattering through the trees onto the trail was beautiful.

Marymere Falls

Moving onto our first full day at the Park, we decided to drive out to the Washington coast to explore the beaches that make up Olympic National Park. Our first stop was at Cape Flattery, which was around an hour and 45 minutes from Port Angeles. Note that this area of the park is managed by the Makah Indian Tribe and visitors must pay an additional $20 USD entrance fee, on top of the National Park fee. In order to reach the beautiful cliff overlooking Neah Bay, you have to walk along a short, tree-covered trail – the trail out-and-back is less than 2kms. There are a couple of different view points once you get to the end, and all of them are spectacular!

The views from Cape Flattery

Our next stop was Shi Shi Beach, which was a 20-minute drive south from Cape Flattery. On AllTrails, you will find a 14km Shi Shi Beach Trail, but to actually get to the beach, it is around 3.5km. The trail to the beach was through the forest, and it was more muddy than we expected – I would definitely recommend hiking or waterproof shoes for this trail… leave your white sneakers at home ツ. Craig had actually seen a sign in the beach parking lot that made reference to the number “0.6,” leading us to believe this trail was 0.6 miles. You can imagine how surprised we were to have walked a total of 7km (out-and-back). But, upon returning to our vehicle, we realized the 0.6 miles was actually referring to the next parking lot for campers – oops!

While Shi Shi Beach appeared to be a beautiful spot, we were very limited in what we were able to see, as there was a lot of fog and low cloud coverage – I actually kind of enjoyed the eerie atmosphere ツ.

A moody version of Shi Shi Beach

Our final destination along the coast was Rialto Beach. This Beach was about an hour and 20 minutes away from Shi Shi Beach, and was just outside the city of Forks. Many people are familiar with Forks, as this is where all the Twilight movies were filmed – I personally had no idea as I am not a Twilight fan. Even though the series was filmed over 15 years ago, the town is not shy about capitalizing on this moment – you can find vampire swag in the shops in Forks, and the town refers to itself as “Home of the Twilight Saga.”

Blood-sucking mythical creatures aside, Rialto Beach is easily the nicest beach I have ever seen. When we initially got here, similar to Shi Shi Beach, it was quite foggy and actually very cold and windy! Have I mentioned that Justin did not bring a sweater or jacket on this trip ツ? Our plan was to walk along the beach towards the Hole-in-the-Wall rock structure (which is located about 2.5km one way from the parking lot), but unfortunately, the tide was too high and we did not make it to the end – but, we still got pretty close!

However, during our walk, the fog lifted and we were able to see the beach for miles – it was beautiful. My favourite part about this entire experience was the abundance of drift wood along the beach, which made for very cool photo opportunities, as well as the pelicans flying along the coast and diving for fish! Although, one thing I was surprised about was how tired I was from this walk – 5kms through the sand and rocks is no joke!

Rialto Beach after the fog lifted, featuring some pelicans!
Another photo of Rialto Beach – can you spot the Hole-in-the-Wall we were trying to reach?

After finishing up at Rialto Beach, and grabbing a bite to eat at Blakeslee Bar and Grill, it was time to drive back to Port Angeles, which was about 1 hour and 20 minutes away. Needless to say, we did a lot of driving on this day, but it was definitely worth it!

After touring the forests and coast, the last ecosystem we had left to explore within the Park (and it was also our last day) was the mountains, and our trail of choice was Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge. In order to get to this trail head, you need to drive about 40-minutes through the park along a switchback road, up to an elevation of 5,252ft. Note that there are only three small parking lots near the start of the trail and they fill up quickly – we arrived around 9:30am and had to park at the furthest lot.

Despite the limited parking situation, I cannot say enough good things about this trail. The picturesque mountains, the colourful wildflowers and the views of Vancouver Island from the top were incredible. If you only have time for one hike in the park, I would put this at the top of your list!

Views from the top of Hurricane Hill – can you spot Mt. Baker?
Mountain views and wildflowers along the Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge trail

In terms of difficulty, I would rate this hike as moderate – while it is fully paved, there is an elevation gain of 252m over 2.75km, which results in some steeper sections along the trail. If you struggle with downhill, I would definitely recommend bringing some hiking poles. The trail is also fully exposed – there are very few trees to provide shade.

After taking a lunch break to watch the EuroCup Final, we decided to finish our day in the forest with an easy walk around Crescent Lake along the Spruce Railroad Trail. We did not have enough time to complete all 18km, but we enjoyed the first part of the trail, stopping to sit by the lake to take in the Olympic National Park views one last time.

Views of Crescent Lake

Overall, we are very happy with our time spent in nature at Olympic National Park and we are already starting to plan our next National Park visit! Where should we go?

On a completely unrelated note, I am thinking about starting an Instagram account to showcase some of my travel photos. What do you think – should I do it? Do I have time, or will it just become another activity I am behind on ツ?

Until next time!

Always grateful,

Michelle

The Pacific Northwest

Back in November, Justin and I had the chance to spend an extra long weekend doing some exploring in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with our friends Iwona and Craig. Specifically, we spent time down in Washington in Leavenworth and Wenatchee.

The drive from the Canadian border to the Wenatchee/Leavenworth area is around 4-hours, but we managed to stretch this into a 7-hour drive by making several stops for lunch and coffee, and at Trader Joe’s.

One thing I have never mentioned in any of my previous blog posts is that when we are travelling in the US, we try to book accommodation with a kitchen (or at least a decent sized fridge) as our very first stop in every new city is Trader Joe’s. We always stock-up on the premade salads, wraps and snacks as this helps to keep the food portion of our trip cost effective, and it helps us eat healthier. Well, our trip down to Washington was no different ツ!

We ultimately had two full days in Wenatchee and Leavenworth, and during this time, we were able to fit in two hikes, as well as some time to explore the nearby towns and shops. Our first hike was a trail surrounding Clara Lake and Marion Lake in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, which was around 30-minutes from our accommodation in East Wenatchee. The reason we picked this hike is because some reviews we read suggested we might still be able to see larches in the area, even though it was already mid-November.

Well, to our surprise, we did find larches on our drive to the start of the trailhead, but there were definitely no larches on the trail, itself, as it was covered in snow! Fortunately, we showed up prepared with crampons and ice cleats to help us enjoy our hike through the winter wonderland.

The larches we saw when driving to the Clara and Marion Lakes trailhead

As we were hiking along the trail, we remained hopeful that there might be more larches at the end of the hike. We decided to ask the first person we encountered whether there were larches by the lakes, and he laughed and said “sure.” He either did not know what larches were, or we missed the sarcasm in his response – he definitely got our hopes up! Either way, we will have to go back to this trail one day, hopefully a bit earlier in the year to see the larches and to see Clara and Marion Lakes without all the snow.

Up close and personal with the larches!

The other trail we did was the Icicle Gorge Trail, which is also part of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. This trail was actually closer to Leavenworth, and was around an hour away from our accommodation. To our surprise, the entire area surrounding the trail was surrounded by larches! I later learned that there are actually multiple types of larches, and I believe the ones we saw were western larches, which can be found in lower elevation areas (compared to alpine larches, which grow at high elevations).

While I would definitely consider the Icicle Gorge Trail to be an easy nature walk, it was a stunning walk along the river – I would highly recommend putting this on your must see list when visiting Leavenworth.

Icicle River along the Icicle Gorge Trail
Larches surrounding the Icicle Gorge Trail

Other than our time outdoors, we also made a point of checking out the local restaurants in the area. While we were in Wenatchee, we went to Wenatchee Valley Brewing to enjoy a local beer and some snacks, and also checked out Tap and Putt, which offers games and indoor mini-golf in addition to food and drinks. We ended up playing shuffleboard, and also three rounds of Monopoly Deal (which I brought from home), and we could not believe that Craig won every single game. It would not be incorrect to say I get a little bit competitive when playing Monopoly Deal.

In terms of eating establishments in Leavenworth, we enjoyed a Mexican lunch at South Leavenworth, dinner and live music at Yodelin (I definitely regret not trying one of their soups) and played a couple more rounds of Monopoly Deal over a drink at the Icicle Brewing Company. While I was not able to completely redeem myself over Monopoly Deal this time, thankfully I won one game ツ.

Views from the town of Leavenworth – on the left is one of the Bavarian-style buildings

I should note that our trip to Leavenworth was during the shoulder season and I would love to visit again one day in the winter. In case you did not know, Leavenworth goes “all out” for Christmas – thousands of decorative lights, live music, carolers and, of course, a special appearance from Santa, himself.

I know this was one of my shorter blog posts, but hopefully it gives you some ideas on what to do if you are ever visiting Wenatchee or Leavenworth!

Always grateful,

Michelle

More Time in the Desert

If you have been reading my other blog posts, you will know that we have previously spent time in both Palm Springs and Scottsdale, hence why I am titling this blog post “More Time in the Desert” ツ. We have recently been on two separate trips to Indio, California – the first visit was in October 2023, and we just got back from our second visit earlier this week!

October 2023

I will start by saying that our first trip to Indio was a hot one – even in October, the weather was over 35°C every day! When it is this hot out, your only opportunities to spend time outside are early in the morning and later in the evening. But, we did not let this stop us from exploring outdoors!

For our first full day, we drove out to Palm Springs (which is around 30-minutes from Indio) to check out the Indian Canyons. The Indian Canyons are actually made up of multiple canyons – Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon and Murray Canyon. Because it was already quite warm out, we opted to start in the Palm Canyon and complete a shorter (fairly easy) hike called Victor Loop, which provided some shade as the start of the trail is almost entirely covered by palm trees. However, the second half of the trail was completely open – the true definition of a desert landscape! This short hike provided fantastic views of Palm Springs and its iconic turbines, and we even saw some desert bighorn sheep.

Views of the palm trees from the top of the Victor Loop
One of the desert bighorn sheep we saw along the Victor Loop

Apparently the rule for hiking in the desert is: once you have finished half your water, turn around and go back! Makes sense to me!

After we finished the Victor Loop, we drove to Andreas Canyon to do the Andreas Canyon Trail. Fortunately, this trail is only 1.5km long, and similar to Victor Loop, it is surrounded by palm trees. The short distance and shade made this walk tolerable in the heat; however, it is important to be prepared – sunscreen, hats and water are critical!

The other hiking we did during this trip was in Mount San Jacinto State Park. In order to access these trails, we took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The Tramway is located about 40-minutes from Indio, and it is similar to a gondola but it spins as it goes up, providing you with 360° views of Palm Springs. Once we reached “Mountain Station” and stepped into Mount San Jacinto State Park, it was clear we had left the desert – the temperatures were about 10°C lower than what we were experiencing in the valley, and the Park had a luscious green landscape.

We started by hiking the Round Valley Trail. Because this hike is slightly longer (4km), you are required to stop by the Ranger Station to grab a permit to complete this hike. The Ranger assesses your ability to hike the Round Valley Trail, primarily by checking if you have enough water to drink (remember the rule I mentioned above?).

While there were not that many view points along the Round Valley Trail, it was a very peaceful walk through the wilderness, with beautiful fall colours!

Fall colours along the Round Valley Trail

The second trail we did was the Desert Valley Trail. While only 2km in length, this trail provided stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valley below. The Desert Valley Trail was definitely more scenic than the Round Valley Trail, but overall, we very much enjoyed our time in Mount San Jacinto State Park! As a side note – a big shout out to the tramway operator we had on our way down – he told jokes and had everyone singing along to Sweet Caroline.

Views from the Desert Valley Trail

In addition to the little bit of hiking we did in October, we also went back to Joshua Tree National Park. Our first visit to Joshua Tree National Park was in December 2022, which I wrote about in my Palm Springs & Joshua Tree National Park (Southern California – Part 1 of 3) post! But this time, we went to the Park at night for stargazing.

Joshua Tree National Park is considered an International Dark Sky Park, and let me tell you, it is very dark at night. It took us about an hour to drive from Indio to the spot where we intended to stargaze – the Ocotillo Patch within the Park. I will admit that we know very little about stargazing and were very unprepared. When we arrived at the Ocotillo Patch, there were other stargazers already there with their folding chairs, blankets and red lights – we did not have any of these supplies! We read that it takes about 30-minute for your eyes to adjust from bright lights, whereas red light does not impact your night vision in the same way. Either way, we were amazed with how many stars were in the sky, and we were even able to see the Milky Way. I am excited to try stargazing again in the future, but this time, with all the proper equipment!

The night sky in Joshua Tree National Park – this photo does not do the sky justice!

The final activity we were able to fit in during our visit in October was the Palm Springs Windmill Tour, which allows you to get up-close and personal with the wind turbines. We opted to do the self-driving tour option, where you drive through the different exhibits while listening to an audio track (through a phone app). There are 10 exhibits that discuss the history of the turbines, the different sizes, and you also drive past a solar farm. My favourite fact I learned is that there are various reasons why a turbine might not be spinning in the wind – a couple more obvious reasons like the turbine is down for maintenance or there is not enough wind, but apparently too much wind can also be a bad thing!

Palm Springs turbines

Other than that, the rest of our time in Indio was spent relaxing by the pool and hot tub. We were also sure to visit a couple of food spots in Palm Springs that we enjoyed during our last visit – Sammy G’s, for pizza and pasta, and Nature’s Health Cafe, for delicious smoothies!

January 2024

Earlier this week we got back from another trip to Indio. While not as warm as our October trip, the temperatures were between 15-20°C, which was the perfect temperature for hiking and hanging out in the hot tub. I appreciate the temperatures even more now given that it is -13°C (feels like -23°C) in Vancouver as I am writing this blog post!

Our friends, Jeanette and Mike, actually joined us for this trip, and Jeanette is quite familiar with Indio and the surrounding area. She scouted out a lot of our activities for this trip, starting with the East Indio Hills Badlands hike.

This was a very cool trail – it was around 9km in length and took us 2-hours to complete. This hike is the epitome of hiking through the desert with various rock landscapes and we even walked through multiple slot canyons. The highest point on the trail also provided beautiful views of Indio. While I would throughly recommend this hike, make sure to bring enough water and to consider doing it earlier in the day, as there is almost no shade on this trail (with the exception of the slot canyons)!

Views from the east Indio Badlands trail

The second hike we managed to fit in during our trip was actually about 1-hour south of Indio in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The trail is called Calcite Mine Trail, and as the name suggests, the Trail is littered with calcite minerals. Jeanette and Mike both collect rocks, making for an exciting rock-hunting adventure ツ. Even Justin and I myself managed to find a couple cool pieces of calcite to bring home!

Calcite Mine

We also managed to find a slot canyon on this trail – this was the highlight for me, personally!

Slot Canyon along the Calcite Mine Trail

I should note that the Calcite Mine Trail is actually fully accessible for a 4×4 vehicle, but unfortunately for us, we had to walk the trail since our vehicle did not have enough clearance. Similar to the East Indio Hills Badlands, it is best to do this hike in the morning, as shade is minimal, and to bring plenty of water.

Following the Calcite Mine Trail, we decided to drive for 1-hour to Slab City to see Salvation Mountain, as we had read several good reviews online about this attraction. However, other than reading a few reviews, we definitely did not know where we were going, and it turns out that Slab City is actually, to quote from Wikipedia, an “off-the-grid alternative lifestyle community.” In other words, this area is very rundown, and populated by homelessness and drug addicts. Slab City actually used to be a training camp for the military, and people have now built their homes on the “slabs” that remain from the military buildings. We got out of our vehicle to observe the Salvation Mountain artwork (which is a giant Christian mural made from bricks, tires and windows) and painted vehicles in the area, but we got startled by a person sitting in one of the vehicles – safe to say, we did not spend too much time in Slab City.

Salvation Mountain

We decided to head back to Indio but wanted to make a stop at the Bombay Beach Ruins – another attraction on Google with great reviews. Little did we know, the community of Bombay Beach is actually considered a “living ghost town.” In order to get to the beach ruins, we had to drive by the community, which is made up of several streets of mobile homes, many of which have been clearly abandoned.

When we reached the beach, we noticed only one other vehicle, as well as a sign that said something along the lines of “The last vehicle to enter did not leave.” Needless to say, we were a bit spooked and decided to observe the ruins from our vehicle without getting out! Amongst the ruins was a lemonade stand, a giant fish, a decapitated person and a bus stop that read “ETA NEVER.” We decided this was another place we did not want to hang around at for too long ツ.

The bus stop at the Bombay Beach Ruins

After leaving the beach, we drove through the community to observe the homes. We later learned that there is a small population that continues to live in Bombay Beach, but as noted above, most of the homes are unoccupied. One of the homes even had a swing set with skeletons on it!

We definitely spent some time reading up about Bombay Beach after leaving, and apparently it used to be the “hip and happening place” in the 1950s. However, the Community is situated right next to the Salton Sea, which is becoming increasingly toxic, and ultimately resulted in many residents leaving the area. If you have some free time, I would definitely recommend reading up on both Slab City and Bombay Beach, California – it is all very interesting! But, I am not sure if I would recommend going for a visit ツ.

Lastly, because this was Mike’s first time in California, we took him on a tour through Joshua Tree National Park. Unfortunately, it was quite cold (6°C) when we went, and to make things worse, incredibly windy. It was so windy that Jeanette and I both ended up with wind burn on our faces! Either way, we made the most of our time there by doing a quick hike to the Arch and Heart rocks, pit-stopped for a quick visit to Skull Rock, and also stopped at the Hall of Horrors exhibit to see the Joshua Trees up close!

Arch Rock in Joshua Tree National Park
Just a couple of Joshua Trees ツ

I think that is it! Hopefully if you are planning a trip to Palm Springs in the future, this post (along with my other post) will give you some ideas on activities to check out in the surrounding area!

Always grateful,

Michelle