Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for the top 12 easy hikes in Joshua Tree National Park. There are many things to do in Southern California during Winter, and this itinerary makes for a great weekend road trip. All of these Joshua Tree trails are family friendly and easily accessed without 4 wheel drive. Highlights are Skull Rock, Arch Rock, Hidden Valley, and Cholla Cactus Garden.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to visiting Harmony Borax Works located in Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. There are so many popular things to do in Death Valley, and this historic spot is a great quick stop near Zabriskie Point and Badwater Basin. The easy trail is family friendly and provides up close views of a 20 mule team wagon and old building ruins.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie Yellowstone travel guide to visiting Firehole Lake Drive. This loop features several geothermal highlights, including White Dome Geyser, Hot Lake, Black Warrior Lake, Steady Geyser, and Great Fountain Geyser. If you're looking for things to do in Yellowstone National Park without the crowds, this is short drive from Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic and less crowded.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to visiting 3 National Parks in 1 day! This one day itinerary is a great California road trip idea, taking us from Yosemite Valley to Kings Canyon, and then ending in Sequoia National Park. We'll explore spots like Lower Yosemite Falls, Big Stump Trail, Grant Grove, General Sherman, Moro Rock, Hanging Rock, Tunnel Log, and Tunnel Rock.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide about hiking the Devastated Area Interpretive Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. Learn about the trail distance and the interpretive panels, such as the one with Loomis and his "Hot Rock" photograph. See pictures of Lassen Peak, large volcanic rocks, and the forest that is recovering from the Lassen Peak volcano eruption.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for the Shoshone Point Trail hike along the south rim Desert View Drive in Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. See photography and learn information about the hiking trail distance, parking lot location, trailhead, picnic area, rock formations, and cliff top viewpoints. See wildlife, such as big horn sheep, elk, deer, and rattlesnakes.
Read MoreToday we're climbing up on top of Tunnel Rock in Sequoia National Park in California. Generals Highway once passed under this giant boulder, which was tunneled out by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s.
Read MoreToday we're just outside of Des Moines, Iowa, visiting the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. We'll be exploring multiple hiking trails, as well as the Bison Auto Tour, where we'll get up close views of the buffalo that once called these prairies home.
Read MoreToday we’re heading into Big Sur in the Los Padres National Forest to the Pacific Valley Bluff Trail just 16 miles north of Ragged Point. Just north of Treebones Resort, Sand Dollar Beach, & Jade Cove, this easy hike provides fields of wildflowers and California poppies, as well as views of sea stacks and the rugged central coastline.
Read MoreToday we're hiking the steep trail down to Young Creek Beach to view Black Swift Falls near Ragged Point Inn and Resort. This short but strenuous hike offers magnificent views of the waterfall and California's Big Sur coastline.
Read MoreToday we’re exploring an eclectic treasure on historic Route 66. Elmer Long's Bottle Tree Ranch in California is one spot you won’t want to miss off the side of the road when you’re driving In between Victorville and Barstow along this world famous highway. This is a great stop on any Los Angeles to Las Vegas roadtrip.
Read MoreToday we're driving about an hour outside of Las Vegas, NV to the Nelson Ghost Town. This eclectic spot was home to one of the largest gold strikes in all of Nevada. Here we'll explore rusted out cars, old barns, and crashed planes that were set pieces from the movie "3000 Miles to Graceland."
Read MoreWhat are the best views in Yosemite? Taft Point is one of the best places to visit in Yosemite National Park, and it provides the best clifftop overlooks in the park with panoramic views of El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, Cathedral Rocks & the Merced River meandering through the Yosemite Valley below. Accessed from Glacier Point Road, Taft Point is also a top spot for sunset and wildlife viewing.
Read MoreArch Rock and Heart Rock are two instagrammable rock formations you won't want to miss on your next trip Joshua Tree National Park near Palm Springs in Southern California. Located just behind the popular White Tank Campground, you can hike to these boulders in under two miles round trip. This is a great spot for astro photography as well as enjoying a sunrise.
Read MoreToday we're driving along Benton Crossing Road in between Mammoth Lakes and the historic town of Benton Hot Springs in California. We'll be enjoying views of the Eastern Sierras, White Mountains, Lake Crowley, the Owens River, and the Benton Crags. Make sure to bring your camera because we'll be stopping for some Instagrammable photography along the way.
Read MoreToday we're taking the 1/4 mile trail through the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park near Palm Springs, California. We'll be getting there before dawn to enjoy the sunrise, which makes these cacti glow as they're backlit by the low sun.
Read MoreToday we're visiting Burney Falls, the "Eight Wonder of the World"...at least that's what President Teddy Roosevelt called this waterfall when he visited. While these falls aren't the tallest or largest in California, they may just be the most spectacular spreading out over 270 feet wide and roaring into a brilliant blue mist filled pool below.
Read MoreToday we'll be taking in the sunrise and sunset views of Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley below from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. With road closures coming in 2021 and the park at limited capacity, make sure to visit this year.
Read MoreToday I'm hiking the trails of Limekiln State Park located along the legendary Big Sur coastline in California. Join me in exploring the forest with its massive redwood trees, historic lime kilns and a 100 foot waterfall.
Read More
