Trail Thursday: Sequoia National Park

Happy Friday-eve! I wanted to share with you our photos from Sequoia National Park. We visited the park in October of 2016 and we DROVE there from Steamboat! We did a very long roadtrip where we visited a total of 5 National Parks during our 10 day trip! It was the majority of camping, but we also stayed in some hotels throughout our journey. Sequoia was one of our top parks to visit (and also most anticipated!)- we ended up spending most of the day seeing all of the sights at the park, but spent the evening in Fresno (at a hotel). I'm not too sure on camping sites for the park, but you can check them out here. 

Among The House Group at Giant Forest!

I thought the park was really easy to navigate, but we did visit it on a Monday so that could have made a difference in traffic throughout the park. It's also easy to combine visits to both Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks because they are so close together. The Giant Sequoia Groves are MASSIVE and so beautiful. Even almost two years later, their majesty still gives me chills. It's well-worth taking the extra time to see all of the groves and not just drove through the park, but get out and walk them! Most of the trails aren't dog-friendly, so we kept Stella in the car (luckily it was cool enough out- it was actually pretty chilly there!) and walked through most of the groves (Muir Grove was beautiful and quiet!). 

Driving in!

Looking up at the family trees!

She fits!

SO MASSIVE!

Ever been to Sequoia National Park?

Favorite National Park?

Redwoods- seen them or are they on your bucketlist??

Trail Thursday- Acadia National Park!

Happy Friday eve! Trail Thursday is back and I'm reminiscing on my Acadia National Park visit a few years ago along the coastline of Maine. I actually can't believe that this trip was the one time that I've ever been there (growing up in ME & all..). We ended up camping just outside of the park, which worked out fine. We visited in late August and the weather was fantastic. Acadia is definitely a driveable park, but it also has really great roads to run or bike on as well! I don't think I made it out for a run when I was there, but I remember thinking how fantastic all the roads were for those activities. There are also so many fantastic hiking trails (and also several views to drive to if you prefer). We were only there for a day/ two nights, so I didn't get to explore as much as I really wanted to and the pictures definitely do NOT do it justice! The lighthouses there were my favorite. 

I've got 6 easy miles on the schedule today and some full body strength training too! Getting it done first thing in the morning. so I'll have the rest of the day to recover. 

Ever been to Acadia? What was your favorite part?

What's on your workout schedule today?

Favorite time of year to travel?? <- definitely Fall!

Travel Thursday- Zion National Park

Zion National Park in Utah is one of the most amazing National Parks in Utah! It gets so busy in the park that by the end of March they only allow shuttles to drive through the park (until Labor Day). I ended up signing up for the Zion Half Marathon (it was held in the middle of March in 2015), so we were able to drive through the park! We also ended up camping right in Zion, which I HIGHLY recommend. It isn't a super dog-friendly National Park, so we didn't do as much as hiking as originally planned, but the warm weather was a great change from the still very snowy Steamboat. I'd recommend planning to visit the park during the Spring or Fall, when you are able to drive-through and crowds are minimal. The trees were already blossoming when we visited, so it did feel very Spring-like in mid-March (ice cream cones were also a huge bonus). Make sure to plan your trip early and highlight some of the must-see canyons/ hikes. It's great to have a plan of what you really want to do, but have a loose schedule for doing them!

Travel Thursday- Bryce Canyon National Park

I drove to Bryce Canyon National Park with my mom in early June and we managed to get a campsite right in the park. The camping areas in the park are all amazing and you really can't go wrong with any one of them! We stayed in Bryce for a few days and there is so many great hikes there. We did a few smaller hikes, but I would love to go back there to explore some more. Dogs are not allowed on the hiking trails, so make sure to plan accordingly! We also drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon during the same trip (I think it was around a 7 or 8 hour drive), which I highly recommend! The north rim is SO different from the south rim (and I definitely recommend visiting both). 

Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park

After the race, we got lunch at Five Guys (#racedaybrags) then headed our way home! We decided to utilize our National Parks Pass ($80- good for an ENTIRE year & you can have two people on the pass/ it can go in any vehicle) and drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. Our National Parks pass is definitely one of the best investments we've made thus far. Each park is normally ~$20-30 to get in, so it's totally worth it for the pass if you plan on going to more than one national park during the year. 

This was my second time driving through the park (I took my Dad through it a few years ago) and the road that drives through the park (Trail Ridge Road) just opened for the season a week ago! It was previously completely COVERED in snow.

The road is 47.97 miles long, so it's a definitely a bit of a drive, but SO beautiful. We got stuck in a traffic jam not even 15 miles into our journey and with the wait, we knew it must be some pretty awesome animals up ahead!

And it was the BIGGEST Elk we've ever seen! The three of them were totally unfazed by the traffic slowly driving by and mowing down on the grass. As we continued to climb up to the top of Trail Ridge Rd (elevation of 12,183 feet), we saw some of the most spectacular scenery!

Did you know that Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States with 11 miles above treeline?!? (source). We started at the bottom of the road at 85 degrees and it dropped down to 49 degrees at the top with still SEVERAL feet of snow in some sections! The snow didn't stop herds of Elk from exploring and lounging at the high elevation. 

This drive is really great for those who wish to experience the Rocky Mountains without doing strenuous hikes and also want to see some great wildlife. We saw several Elk, Deer, Foxes, and moose prints! Highly recommend doing this drive if you are ever in Colorado. We are already planning another trip back to the Park where we can do some backpacking and hiking later in the Summer.