Travel Thursday-Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park was an impromptu visit that we made last year on our way to California. We visited in October and it was SO hot. I think the temperatures in my car got up to over 100 degrees and there were even road signs that advised drivers to limit their air-conditioning (so their car would not overheat). We also drove through several sandstorms, which is scary/exhilarating/crazy! I couldn't imagine hiking through the sand dunes (some people were doing) and also can never imagine visiting this park in the summer! I'm sure it could be pretty enjoyable in January and the camping spots looked amazing, but it was so hot and windy that there was no way we could envision ourselves camping there in October. It's a great park to drive-through with a dependable car (and lots of gas)!

Travel Thursday- Turquoise Lake

I wanted to share one of my favorite travel spots up on the blog here today! We went to Turquoise Lake in Leadville, Colorado a few years ago (after a mis-hap with a reserved Yurt...long story...gist: it involved getting stuck on a dirt road and having to backdown the road for a good 1/2 mile...) and it is a beautiful spot with stunning views!

We ended up scoring a campsite at the last minute (because of the yurt mishap) and enjoyed a fantastic night in the high country. I was still in a boot from my PRP injection, so I couldn't do too much hiking/exploring, which was perfect to keep us relaxing with a good book by the lake (that is turquoise-looking). I can't remember exactly what campsite we stayed at, however I would recommend any spot that you come to! You really can't go wrong no matter where you set-up (but I would recommend reserving ahead and try to stay there for a few days, maybe even plan to hike a 14er while you are there!). The road that takes you to the lake continues throughout the entire lake, so it's also a great spot to run or visit various viewpoints (although the one where we set-up was my favorite since you get a good view of Mt. Elbert and others in the background). 

Travel Thursday- Sequoia National Forest

Travel Thursday-it's a thing or well, if it isn't a "thing" I'm making it one ; ) . I've been able to experience some pretty amazing places thus far (and hopefully many MANY more) and wanted to share with you some of my favorites (and maybe some advice, too). We road-tripped to California last October and it was possibly one of my most memorable experiences ever. I highly suggest traveling via car if you really want to try to see as much as possible. To make it the most affordable, we did a bunch of camping along the way and our first night of camping was in Sequoia National Forest (on our way from Death Valley National Park and to Sequoia National Park/ King's Canyon). I think this was one of my favorite campsites EVER. It could've been the season that we visited that helped keep the crowds down or excitement of the trip or the fact that we were camping right along a beautiful river, but everything about this part of our stay was amazing. 

Our campsite was one of maybe 6 or 7 total sites in the Limestone Campground and we were less than a 1/4 mile walk down to the river (site was situated directly above the water on a small hill). 

It was also super sandy at our site (which is a total change from normally pretty hard ground here in Colorado), which made it feel amazing! The site had a good amount of shade, but I think our favorite part was the sandy beach that awaited us down below!

Stella, oh, and Alex's butt ; )

I was also already so impressed by the size of pinecones that California has! It's no wonder why it's such a big state- they need enough room to fit all of the GIANT pinecones! 

Once we left our site, google maps took us on this super remote stretch of roads to go to Sequoia National Park (which we were basically already in, but we had to leave the park and then re-enter it to get to the main entrance)- Sherman Pass. It was a pretty terrifying road at some points and did not offer much cell service, however the views that it took us through were fantastic! I think the speedlimit for the entire pass was maybe 30 mph and I'm pretty sure it took us twice as long to go this was as it would've going back out on the highway, however I would recommend it if you're looking to make your way to Sequoia/Kings Canyon area! 

I think the drive between the Limestone Campground and Sequoia Nat'l Park took us 3-4 hours (much longer than we thought), so I would recommend trying to get one of the sites that is located between Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park if you want to see more of the scenery. Regardless, this campground and area is stunning and I highly recommend visiting!

What's one of your favorite trips you've taken recently?

Any favorite campgrounds or National Parks?

Any recommendations on where we should travel to next?!