Category: National Parks
Sun sets particularly late in this part of the world and year. Seeing daylight at 10PM threw our rhythm off, but the extra hours allowed us to see and do more in the face of spending an inordinate amount of time driving from one point to another. Plan A was to wake up at 5AM … Continue reading Canadian Rockies – Banff National Park
It’s been a while since my last entry. After more than 2 months in Asia, we’re back in North America, and to be honest this is where my heart is. The beauty of North America’s natural landscape is far from unique, but it is the diversity of the western region that is unrivaled - from … Continue reading Canadian Rockies – Yoho National Park
Tajikistan, about the size of New York State, is 93% mountains. Their mountains top out at 24,590 ft, making our Mount Whitney look like a toddler. One thing that Tajikistan has a lot of that its neighboring countries don’t is water. All that glacial melt is the source of its hydroelectric power. Glaciers on towering … Continue reading On the Road to Iskanderkul Lake
Kyrgyzstan is 94% mountains, so a trip to the country would be incomplete without going for a hike. It is also nice to get out of the city and away from the fumes for some fresh air. Ala- Archa National Park is a short one-hour drive from Bishkek, so we booked a tour through Viator … Continue reading Ala-Archa National Park
Our road trip across British Columbia had us going from Vancouver to Jasper and Banff National Parks with a short stop in Kelowna in between. The sunny triple digit temps in Kelowna kept us indoors for the majority of the time, and I was finally getting excited about our upcoming outdoors trip in Jasper and … Continue reading Wildfire Evacuation at Jasper National Park
When people mention Yosemite National Park, the Half Dome comes to mind. The famed 16-mile Half Dome cable hike is a bucket list item for many hikers, but securing a permit is not easy. Luckily, there are other challenging trails within the park such as the Upper Yosemite Falls hike and the Four Mile Trail. … Continue reading Four Mile Trail
I did it again. I hiked to Havasupai for a third time in less than a year. This time, however, I went with 2 other hiking buddies - Michelle and Jeannette. Hiking with others offer opportunities not readily available for a solo hiker - one being hiking in more remote areas. The hike to the … Continue reading Confluence Hike
Other than the Formosa Cypress, the Alishan area is also known for its wasabi and high mountain oolong tea. As a coffee drinker, I cannot speak to the quality of the tea. Tea plantations dot the mountainside on the way to the park. Taiwan cherry blossoms begin to flower in January. Other Sakura species bloom … Continue reading Alishan Park
To truly appreciate the beauty of Taiwan, one needs to venture outside the cities. There are a few places around Taipei but the real beauty is in the central part of the island where the mountain ranges course through. At 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level, Alishan (阿里山) isn’t the highest mountain in Taiwan. … Continue reading Alishan – Tashan (塔山) Trail
Shortly after returning home from my last Havasupai trip, I found myself looking for another hiking permit. This year may be the only year where permits are easy to obtain, and I reckoned that it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of this. There’s no guarantee that I will be lucky enough … Continue reading Second Time Around
One of the most visited National Parks in the US is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park is huge with trails galore. Had we traveled here by ourselves, I’d have schedule back to back to back hikes. As part of a party, I needed to be considerate of others who may not regularly … Continue reading Mount Le Conte Trail
West Virginia isn’t normally on people’s radar. However, with the newly designated New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia is slowly starting to get some attention. The state is surprisingly beautiful, with lush green forests dotted with red, yellow, and orange this time of year. The New River Gorge Bridge WV actually wasn’t part of … Continue reading New River Gorge National Park
We started this trip chasing waterfalls in New Zealand 3 months ago, so it’s only fitting to conclude it with a waterfall hike. Mount Field National Park is an hour and a half from Hobart, and has a trail that winds past 3 waterfalls - Russell, Horseshoe, and Lady Barron. The trail starts at the … Continue reading Mount Field National Park Waterfalls
If I had a chance to redo our itinerary, I’d definitely allocate more days in Tasmania. On the map Tasmania looks like a tiny island off the Australian mainland. But, my mistake was underestimating the size of Australia. Two weeks in Tasmania can superficially cover both the northern and southern parts of the island. With … Continue reading Wineglass Bay Walking Track
After the three incidents in Perth a few weeks ago, I had real reservations about Australia and was close to canceling the rest of our Australian itinerary. Luckily, I gave the country another shot, and I am happy to say that what happened in Perth were unfortunate. The people in the rest of the country … Continue reading Cape Raoul Walking Track
Back in Australia, and the experience so far is a bit more positive than the last time we left it. People in Cairns (pronounced “cans”) are friendlier than those in the Perth area. Cairns, known as the gateway to the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef, totally reminds us of Hawaii, with the palm trees, green … Continue reading The Search For Cassowaries
Given Queenstown is the birthplace of bungee jumping, it was only natural that bungee jumping would be on our itinerary. Upon further risk/benefit analysis, I determined that the risk of suffering from a heart attack was greater than the benefit of 2 seconds of adrenaline rush. So I abandoned the activity at the last minute. … Continue reading Hooker Valley Track
Back in Queenstown but avoiding the town center because of the horrendous traffic. Instead, we drove back to Mt. Aspiring National Park for a hike. It’s a 2-hr drive from Queenstown, but a word of caution - the pavement abruptly ends and the last 25 miles or so is gravel road with 9 fords, so … Continue reading Rob Roy Glacier Track
Doubtful Sound is another one of the 14 fjords in Fjordland National Park. Unlike Milford Sound, Doubtful is less accessible. To get there visitors must get to Manipouri, a 30-minute drive from Te Anau, take the 55-minute transfer boat to get across Manipouri Lake to the Wilmont Pass, then take a 30-minute bus ride to … Continue reading Doubtful Sound
One last hike before we board our overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound. I wish we had booked a longer stay in Fjordland National Park so that we could hit all the major day trails. Alas, I had to make a decision between the Kepler track and the Key Summit via the Routeburn track. The overnight … Continue reading Key Summit Trail
Perhaps the star of the Fjordland National Park is Milford Sound. It is one of the 14 fjords in the park, and is the most accessible, which translates to more crowds. Milford Sound is actually a misnomer. Sounds are valleys shaped out of river flows, whereas fjords are carved out by glaciers. Both are then … Continue reading Milford Sound
Our fourth national park in New Zealand, the Fjordland National Park, occupies the southwest corner of New Zealand. It is the largest national park in the country, and it is where we’ll be spending the next four days just scratching the surface of this vast and beautiful landscape. Before checking into the Te Anau Lodge … Continue reading Lake Marian Trail
To get from the West Coast to Queenstown, Haast Pass, that cuts through Mt. Aspiring National Park, is likely the most scenic route. It is dotted with waterfalls and viewpoints. There is no signage for Depot Creek Falls, but if you pin it on Google Maps, you’ll be directed to a gravel parking lot, and … Continue reading Haast Pass – Waterfall Hopping & The Blue Pool
The southern alps in New Zealand is where you used to be able to hike up to glaciers. As a result of global warming, the glacier terminal has retreated so far that it is no longer possible to walk up to it. Eighteen thousand years ago, the glacier reached as far as the Tasman Sea … Continue reading Franz Josef Glacier – Robert’s Point Track
Continuing on with our Lord of The Rings circuit, we stopped by the Tongariro National Park for a hike. The most well known hiking trail in the park is the point to point 12-mile Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Unfortunately, the steep decent down gravel was not a good option for Joe’s ankles, so I mapped out … Continue reading Tongariro National Park
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