I spent several days visiting every Yosemite gateway town and all the main hotels inside the park so that I could find the BEST place for you to stay when visiting Yosemite. My name is Matt, and I do research like this so that you can have a great trip to the American West. In […]
Yosemite National Park is one of the most iconic parks in the country—and now I know why. In June 2025, I took a research trip to Yosemite National Park to scope out the trails, hotels, restaurants, and logistics. It was my first visit to the park, and I hiked 20 miles, drove 1700 miles, and […]
Quinault Lake sits at the southwestern-most point in the Olympic National Park. This area is a mixture of National Forest and National Park land, with the southern shore being part of the National Forest and the northern shore in the National Park. Quinault Lake has many things to see and do. But what makes this […]
La Push is known for its hike-to beaches, untouched wilderness, and vast ocean landscapes. Walking miles through the forest takes you to sandy beaches, thriving with life and often less crowded. There are three main beaches in La Push, which I’ll cover in this article. La Push is about a 20-minute drive west of Forks, […]
Kalaloch, pronounced Clay-lock, is one of the most visited areas of Olympic National Park. With a mixture of sandy beaches, tidepooling, and hiking trails in large old-growth forests, it’s no wonder that so many people are drawn to Kalaloch. I have visited Kalaloch many times and will always add this area to my Olympic itinerary […]
Pikes Peak is one of the 14ers in Colorado, and the Pikes Peak Highway is one of the highest roads in America. The highway will take you to the top of a 14,000-foot-tall mountain where you will see epic views. Resources
Did you know the very best ancient ruins, cliff dwellings, and petroglyphs in the United States are located where Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico meet? Not only that, but there are several national parks and monuments in the area as well as beautiful scenery on tribal lands, and it’s not crowded! To see the […]
Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico is one of the most incredible yet least visited national park units in the United States. It has the largest ancient structures in the United States and has a combined total of 700 rooms! Chaco Culture National Historic Park can be visited in one day. Visitors […]
Most people have never heard of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, but it has incredible cliff dwellings, towering red rock walls, and Navajo-run tours that will take you to dwellings and petroglyphs most will never see. One day is all that is needed to visit Canyon de Chelly National Monument. You can begin the day […]
Hovenweep National Monument, spanning across the Utah and Colorado border, is a lesser-known yet incredibly unique addition to the National Park System. It preserves six prehistoric villages built by the Ancestral Puebloans between A.D. 1200 and 1300. Its stone towers, many perched dramatically on canyon rims and balanced on boulders, are awesome! It feels remote […]
