What is the best 2-day itinerary for Yosemite National Park? Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for the perfect weekend in Yosemite, optimizing your Summer road trip schedule, taking you to some of the best viewpoints and hiking trails in the park, offering you views of iconic landmarks like Half Dome, Yosemite Falls & El Capitan. Experience the best sunrise & sunset spots in Yosemite.
Read MoreDiscover the Ventura Botanical Gardens in Ventura, CA, a lush hillside oasis with diverse ecosystems, flowers & plants from Mediterranean, Chile & South Africa. Nestled behind Ventura City Hall, the gardens offer stunning coastal views, abundant wildlife & a floral superbloom. Visit the Welcome Center and explore nearby Grant Park and the historic Serra Cross for a complete nature experience.
Read MoreToday I'm sharing the best spots to escape the crowds when Yosemite National Park gets too crowded. This top vacation destination in California can get very busy, especially in Summer, but there are so many places to go and things to do to enjoy Yosemite in solitude. Check out this travel guide for my top 10 Yosemite spots to avoid crowds, which includes great hiking trails and waterfall views.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for hiking the easy 3.5 mile trail along the Wawona Meadow Loop. This is the perfect hike to avoid the busy Yosemite Valley crowds and escape the hot Summer sun. This family and dog friendly trail circles the historic Wawona Golf Course and is found right off Highway 41 near the Wawona Hotel just a few miles north of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.
Read MoreThe Bridalveil Fall Trail is now open after years of being closed for a massive restoration project, so this week we're hiking the easy family and kid friendly path to the base of this iconic Yosemite waterfall. This travel guide explores one of the top things to do in Yosemite Valley, especially during the Spring and early Summer seasons, when the Yosemite National Park waterfalls are raging.
Read MoreI spent the last week in Yosemite National Park checkout out what the waterfalls and flooding is looking like now. Check out the current conditions of Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, the Merced River, and the Spring wildflowers blooming in the park and where to find them. Read this Spring travel guide to plan your upcoming Yosemite road trip to see its raging waterfalls & abundant wildlife.
Read MoreJoin me at the world's first national park as I share my First Timers Guide to Yellowstone National Park. Mostly located in Wyoming, Yellowstone offers so many things to do, so I've put together a travel guide with all of the top spots to visit on your next Yellowstone road trip vacation, including where to find the best geysers (like Old Faithful & Grand Prismatic), wildlife, and waterfalls.
Read MoreWhat are the best spots for photography? Today I'm sharing my Top 10 Photo Spots in Chiricahua National Monument. Chiricahua has some of the most unique landscapes, rock formations, and wildlife found in southern Arizona. Whether you're looking for a great backdrop for a family picture or you're a pro photographer, this travel guide will help you find the beautiful views found in this epic park.
Read MoreRead this complete guide about the stops along the Bajada Loop Drive in Saguaro National Park West. Located in the Tucson Mountain District, this is the perfect family friendly activity on your Southern Arizona road trip. This AZ travel guide covers the picnic areas built by the CCC and multiple hiking trails, such as the Valley View Overlook Trail, and the short hike to Signal Hill petroglyphs.
Read MoreToday we're checking out the top 10 photo spots in San Fran, California. This Flying Dawn Marie travel guide will take you all over SF to the best viewpoints for photography, such as Palace of Fine Arts, Presidio of San Francisco, Legion of Honor, and Lombard Street. We'll capture great Instagram shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, and many other iconic landmarks in the Bay Area.
Read MoreLooking for the top places to see Spring wildflowers in California? Check out this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to see current conditions of Red Rock Canyon State Park along Highway 14 north of Mojave. This desert superbloom makes a great SoCal road trip from Los Angeles. This underrated park also provides camping at the Ricardo Campground, which is perfect for stargazing & astrophophotography.
Read MoreToday I'm partnering with Visit Yosemite Madera County to share the Top 10 Photo Spots in Yosemite National Park. This photography travel guide shares the best viewpoints and most Instagrammable viewpoints in the park, including Taft Point, Yosemite Valley Swinging Bridge, Olmsted Point, Tunnel View, Sentinel Dome & Glacier Point. Explore stunning scenes with Half Dome, El Capitan & waterfalls.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to hiking the Lewis Creek Trail in Sierra National Forest. Located in Oakhurst, California south of Yosemite National Park, this hike takes you to two great waterfalls, Red Rock Falls and Corlieu Falls. This is one of the top things to do when staying at Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp, CA. This is the perfect add on to any Yosemite road trip along Highway 41.
Read MoreBeach access is hard to find in Big Sur, but today we're taking the Creamery Meadow Trail in Andrew Molera State Park to a secluded beach for a king tide. Molera Beach is one of the best beaches in Big Sur, especially during sunset and low tide in the off season when the it's not busy. This California state park is found south of Monterey near the Big Sur Lodge, Nepenthe, and Pfeiffer Beach.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for hiking the Valley View Overlook Trail in Saguaro National Park. Located along Bajada Loop Drive near the Red Hills Visitor Center and the Signal Hill Petroglyphs, this hike is one of the top things to do in Saguaro West (Tucson Mountain District). Walk among giant saguaros, see abundant wildlife, and enjoy panoramic vista views of the Sonoran Desert.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to visiting Trona Pinnacles located near Ridgecrest, CA in the Searles Valley. This is a perfect stop when taking a road trip from Los Angeles to Death Valley National Park. This BLM land is filled with unique rock formations that have been used as a filming location for many TV shows, commercials & movies, and currently there are wildflowers blooming.
Read MoreCan you kayak in Death Valley? Yes! Currently the National Park Service is allowing park visitors to take kayaks and stand up paddle boards onto the historic Lake Manly, the ancient lake that has reappeared at Badwater Basin. Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for all the info you need to plan your kayaking adventure to Death Valley National Park, a perfect road trip from Los Angeles.
Read MoreThis week we're taking a long day trip from Los Angeles to Yosemite National Park to see Firefall, the natural phenomenon also known as the Horsetail Fall Event. This travel guide covers a one day itinerary with recommendations on driving directions, points of interest, where to park, and how to access one of my top spots to view Firefall from across the Yosemite Valley along Four Mile Trail.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to hiking the Valley View Trail in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Located along the central CA coast on Highway 1, this easy to moderate hike takes you thru a redwood forest to panoramic views of Big Sur River Valley, Andrew Molera State Park and Point Sur Lighthouse. A short spur trail leads to Pfeiffer Falls, a waterfall in Los Padres National Forest.
Read MoreCould Chiricahua be our next National Park? Chiricahua National Monument is a great road trip idea when visiting Bisbee or Tucson in Southern Arizona, and Massai Point provides the best views inside the park. Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for all you need to know before you visit this Wonderland of Rocks, including hiking trail details and the rich history of this region.
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