• Logan Pass Opening 2016

    Logan Pass Opening 2016

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    Jake Bramante

    All 50 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road are now open for 2016! While more snow than we had last year at this time, the snow is definitely disappearing fast. If you’re planning on hiking in the high country on such trails as the Highline, we still have some time before that melts out. I also drove down…

  • Tall Trees Grove

    Tall Trees Grove

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    Jake Bramante

    The Tall Trees Grove in Redwoods National Park is a nice loop to some incredibly tall redwoods. The overall hike is 4.5miles and loses, then gains 800ft as it travels through a great forest, then down to Redwood Creek where it loops through these behemoths. In order to hike this trail, you have to get…

  • Bunsen Peak and Osprey Falls

    Bunsen Peak and Osprey Falls

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    Jake Bramante

    Bunsen Peak and Osprey Falls in Yellowstone National Park are two great destinations that can be done separately or paired together. Bunsen Peak offers some great views of the Mammoth area and Swan Lake Flat with great golden rock formations along the way. Osprey Falls is a steep affair down into Sheepeater Canyon with a fantastic waterfall…

  • Blue Basin – John Day Fossil Beds

    Blue Basin – John Day Fossil Beds

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    Jake Bramante

    A quick stop at the Sheep Rock unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument was just what the doctor ordered after a couple of days of rain and too much time in our RV. We visited the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center and hiked Blue Basin with its stunning features. Our weeklong anniversary vacation had…

  • Divide Mountain

    Divide Mountain

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    Jake Bramante

    We needed to head over to the east side of Glacier National Park and wanted to do a hike or climb on such a beautiful day. After driving past Divide Mountain, we thought that it looked clear enough of snow to make for a nice, safe scramble to the top. We were not disappointed. We…

  • Trout Lake

    Trout Lake

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    Jake Bramante

    Trout Lake in Yellowstone National Park is a short walk through a nice mix of meadows and trees to a quaint, sublime lake bordered by rolling hills and backdropped by gnarled cliffs. It starts out steep, but only for a couple hundred vertical feet, then levels off to a loop around this pleasant lake. On…

  • Natural Bridge

    Natural Bridge

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    Jake Bramante

    Natural Bridge in Yellowstone National Park is a nice, level walk through the trees to a land bridge with a creek running through it. One route to the bridge has you starting at the Bridge Bay Marina and is for foot traffic only, while a trailhead further south allows you to ride bicycles to the…

  • Harlequin Duck Survey 2016

    Harlequin Duck Survey 2016

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    Spring brings the Harlequin Ducks back to McDonald Creek. The males, in their bright plumage, mate with the females then head back to the ocean. The females are left to raise their young before rejoining the males. During this brief window, we head out to survey the ducks to see how many ducks are on…

  • DeLacy Creek

    DeLacy Creek

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    Jake Bramante

    DeLacy Creek in Yellowstone National Park offers the shortest route to Shoshone Lake. This level trail is a great mix of forest walking along wide, open meadows as DeLacy Creek meanders to Shoshone Lake, the largest backcountry lake in the lower 48 that can’t be reached by road. The trail along DeLacy Creek starts between Old…