• Four Summits on the 4th of July

    Four Summits on the 4th of July

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    On the very beautiful, windy 4th of July this year, myself, Kristen and three friends set off to climb Otokomi Mountain, East Flattop Mountain, Singleshot Mountain, and Napi Point. These summits are all connected via amazing ridge walks with incredible views of the St. Mary area in Glacier National Park. Since this trip was a…

  • Duck Lake

    Duck Lake

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    Duck Lake in Yellowstone National Park is a short hike near the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake that takes you to a nice lake with broad, sandy beaches. With a little more time left in the day, I snuck out to Duck Lake out of the West Thumb Geyser Basin parking lot. The trail crosses the busy…

  • Yellowstone Lake Overlook

    Yellowstone Lake Overlook

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    The Yellowstone Lake Overlook in Yellowstone National Park is a nice loop to an overlook of the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake. This short hike starts at the West Thumb Geyser Basin parking lot and gains some elevation while passing by a couple of hydrothermal features. I started out at the far end of the parking…

  • Lewis River – Dogshead Loop

    Lewis River – Dogshead Loop

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    The Lewis River – Dogshead Loop in Yellowstone National Park is a nice, fairly level, loop through a variety of lodgepole forest, lakes, and a nice section along the Lewis River Channel. While the Dogshead portion is the more direct route to Shoshone Lake, it’s less interesting than the Lewis River section. Combining them into…

  • Garnet Hill Loop and Hellroaring Creek

    Garnet Hill Loop and Hellroaring Creek

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    The Garnet Hill Loop and Hellroaring Creek Trail in Yellowstone National Park are two great hikes with a nice combination of creeks, forest, vast sagebrush meadows and the Yellowstone River. They can be done separately or paired together for a long day hike. I started out on a nice, sunny day at the Garnet Hill…

  • Logan Pass Opening 2016

    Logan Pass Opening 2016

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    by

    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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    by

    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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    by

    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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    by

    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…