Havasupai

by Neil Woodburn on

Not only is Havasupai very, very high on my list of future travel destinations, but it’s been on that list longer than almost anywhere else.

I’ve come close, once, hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but Havasupai is on the other rim, and a world apart.

Havasupai Canyon is technically an Indian reservation 40 miles as the crow flies from Grand Canyon Village. It’s not so often visited, however, because the drive is 180 miles and the hike is a sweaty, 10 mile trek deep into a blistering side canyon (that eventually joins the Grand Canyon).

The payoff, however, is the surreal Havasu Creek. This amazingly blue river tumbles down the canyon, and along the way, forms perfect swimming holes and picturesque falls. Check out the photo above for its other-worldly beauty.

Those less inclined to hiking can ride down on a horse or fly in by helicopter. Although most visitors choose to camp, a 24-room lodge (no phones or TVs) is also available for accommodations.

For more information, check out the Havasupai Tourist Office, or this informative article in the LA Times.

Exploring the Ozarks – Eureka Springs, Arkansas

by Adrienne Wilson on


Making the time to write this piece on Eureka Springs has been no easy task. I’ve been trying to get it off my plate since June 6th – a few days after hanging around the Arkansas town located in the Ozarks, but never got a chance until now. Tanya, one of the walkers on the tour, had proclaimed herself the Ambassador of Fun for the day and I decided to roll with a few others in the group to get in on all this fun. Unusual considering I often enjoyed spending my spare time alone and away from the other walkers, but she promised Eureka Springs to be something of an exciting adventure. I couldn’t pass it up. I needed to see it with my own two.

The ride up to the mountain area was curvy and a bit narrow for my comfort zone. We were high up there and going higher. Once things leveled out a little I opened my eyes and found a cute town before me. Streets lined with shops and summertime local tourists picking up trinkets wandered around. We parked next to the trolley station and got tickets for the next ride further up into this jewel in the Ozarks.

From the trolley ride I could tell one day was not going to be enough time to see everything the town was made of, but I gathered these observations. If you’re wanting to escape somewhere amazing and away from the rest of the world in the U.S. Arkansas and the Ozarks is the place to go. Hidden from practically everything you can check in to a cozy B&B like 5ojo Inn located at 5 Ojo Street or the famous Crescent Hotel & Spa. Expect to feel both pampered and at home. Cabins and cottages are also available for those who want to be closer to outdoor recreational activities like fishing (they have one of the biggest trout populations around). To plan your escape I suggest checking out the Eureka Springs website for further detail on bookings, rates, and attractions.

As far as my day went it was fun, relaxing and the highlight for me was seeing the Christ of the Ozarks Statue (above) where they also host the Great Passion Play. Don’t ask me why I got geeked up by this statue. Oh, and Tanya is not available as an Ambassador of Fun, you’ll need to find one of your own.

Hiking the AT With Carrie and Derrick

by Erik Olsen on

The Appalachian Trail. It snakes and rises and falls and twists and rolls along the entire United States East coast. It is an epic thread of hiking trail, one of the best known, but also one of the more challenging, in the country. Not challenging in the Everest sense. No major altitudes to deal with the Appalachian Trail, no Hillary Step or frozen bodies lying alongside. But it is looooong. How long? Well just ask Carrie and Derrick, a pair of blaze seekers who are attempting to do the entire length of the trail and are posting daily photos and video along the way.

I was quite impressed by the site here and wondered how in the world they are managing to keep it so up to date. I suppose they wait until they get to a place with a decent connection and then write like mad and upload. Whatever the process, you have to salute these two intrepid young adventurers, especially given the gnarly heat wave headed this way (or is it here already?) this week.

El Carmen Wilderness

by Erik Olsen on

You think it’s hot here, wait until you hear my suggestion for a place to go this summer….OK much later this summer. In fact ,let’s say fall. But the point is, I just read about this place and it seems cool (in the “neato” sense) so I figured I’d write about it. There is more than wonderful scenery to be found in the deep canyons at the Northern tip of the Sierra del Carmen. This wilderness area along the border of California and Mexico provides sanctuary to some 400 bird species as well as 70 mammals and 50 types of creepy crawly reptiles and amphibians. The area is under the watchful eye of conservation groups ,even though Mexico doesn’t have the best reputation for protecting its natural resources. But CEMEX ( yes ,the cement company) says it’s taking steps to preserve the place. Anyway, the El Carmen Wilderness Area recently opened and is inviting all…as I said, though ,in the fall.

Top Haunted Hikes

by Adrienne Wilson on

Go on and laugh when I tell you this, but horror is not my movie-watching genre of choice and the Blair Witch Project seriously scared the chicken-poop out of me, so when I read this piece about haunted hiking I could just feel the hairs-raising on my neck by imagining the sound of every snapping twig in a forest. In other words -psssh, yeah right. Count me out, hold me, and if I somehow manage to venture out just promise not to leave me behind. I kid you not, I’m the kind of person that will push a small child into the hands of a scary ghoul, goblin, ghost or U.F.O if I ever had an encounter with the paranormal. I’m that much of a wuss. No shame.

Anywho, let’s talk more spooky stuff. If you’re planning way ahead of the game for Halloween travel, you’re in luck because Andrea Lankford’s Haunted Hikes, Spine-Tingling Tales and Trails from North America’s National Parks is available for purchase and to read over campfires. According to the author she doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she goes on to say things like such:

“…People disappear. People die. People kill. Bad things happen. Something lingers. Death leaves it’s mark on the landscape.”

A knack for story-telling or telling the truth? I guess that is for the curious National Parks traveler to find out and it is my hope that very curiosity won’t kill… Well, no time for clichés, USA Today talks about the author’s new book and highlights some of the spookiest hikes around. Big Bend National Park, Yosemite National Park, Virgin Islands National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway and Grand Canyon National Park are only a few that make the list. If you’d like to know why they’re haunted and the rest, you’ll need to check out the book or USA Today.