National Take A Hike Day

ONEONTA FALLS
Columbia River Gorge – Oregon

There really isn’t a trail per-se… the creek flowing from the waterfall is the trail. After maneuvering through a large log jam at the start of the gorge, you wade through ankle to shin deep water for about half a mile. Once the falls come into sight, you ford through chest-high, freezing-cold water to get to the base of the waterfall. Sounds pretty intense, but as you can see from the photo, the payoff is worth it.

CASCADE CANYON
Grand Teton National Park – Wyoming

A shuttle boat takes you across Jenny Lake to the trailhead at the base of the Teton Mountains. After going up some switchbacks, the trail follows the creek and leads you deeper into the canyon. There are a few ponds where you can stop and rest – and keep an eye out for moose wandering around in the brush off in the distance.

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN
Blue Ridge Parkway – North Carolina

Before reaching our destination of Macrae Peak, we had to overcome several obstacles: pulling ourselves up vertical rock walls using cables, squeezing in between large boulders, and climbing steep (and sketchy looking) ladders attached to the mountainside. Be sure to keep an eye out for bear – this was, and still is, the only time we have had a bear encounter on a trail.

EMERALD LAKE
Rocky Mountain National Park – Colorado

There are two other lakes along the trail to Emerald Lake. Lily Lake was completely hidden under snow – it was hard to tell that a lake even existed beneath our snowshoes. Dream Lake was vast and windswept, and made for a great shortcut on our way up the canyon. When we reached Emerald Lake, small patches of its famous turquoise-blue color were showing through the ice. The surrounding mountains created such a dramatic backdrop – it was impossible not to just stand there and stare.

APIKUNI FALLS
Glacier National Park – Montana

The trail leading up the creek was relatively flat and easy. The last section was more technical, requiring us to scramble over some large boulders to reach the base of the falls. This waterfall is one of the most impressive ones we’ve seen; cascading over 300 feet from the top of the cliff – it makes you feel like the size of an ant.