Category: Trip

  • Swiftcurrent Lookout Early 2015

    Swiftcurrent Lookout Early 2015

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    Jake Bramante

    I’ve been having a lot of emails asking about current conditions in Glacier National Park. I had a free day to sneak up into Glacier. I decided to get into some high country and hiked to Swiftcurrent Lookout. The day started out as a perfect bluebird day. I drove up to the Loop, parked and…

  • The Grotto Trail

    The Grotto Trail

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    Jake Bramante

    The Grotto Trail in Zion National Park is a short half mile trail in the main Zion Canyon that connects the Grotto with the Zion Lodge. This level trail is a nice trail, but not remarkable in and of itself. It has nice views of the surrounding canyon walls interspersed with shade. It’s biggest value is…

  • Sand Bench Trail

    Sand Bench Trail

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    Jake Bramante

    The Sand Bench Trail in Zion National Park is mainly used by the horse concessionaire for trail rides. That being said, it’s still a hiking trail. While some of the views are great, the lack of cover and trail conditions (very sandy and smelly) make it lower on the list than most of the other…

  • Harlequin Duck Survey Part 2

    Harlequin Duck Survey Part 2

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    Jake Bramante

    For mid-May, McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park was low and clear. Normally at this time, it’s fast, high and muddy. Either way, it’s a great time to go looking for Harlequin Ducks. With it being so clear, however, we had front row seats to watch them dive and feed. Once again, I was fortunate…

  • The Watchman Trail

    The Watchman Trail

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    Jake Bramante

    The Watchman Trail in Zion National Park is one of the shorter hikes originating from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center parking lot that offers great views up the Zion Canyon. It offers little shade, so it’s best to avoid the heat of the day and hike it in the morning or in the evening. Kristen and…

  • Harlequin Duck Survey

    Harlequin Duck Survey

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    Jake Bramante

    I have been looking forward to helping the biologists of Glacier National Park with the Harlequin Duck survey since last year. It just never worked out for last year, but this year, I was able to head out into the field looking for these amazing ducks along McDonald Creek. It was a beyond beautiful spring…

  • Archeology Trail

    Archeology Trail

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    Jake Bramante

    The Archeology Trail is a short located near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center that offers a nice overlook and an interpretive sign on the archeology of the site. The trail starts in the parking lot of the Visitor Center and scrambles up a steeper rocky trail with no shade. All archeological artifacts and any other…

  • Grinnell Lake Spring 2015

    Grinnell Lake Spring 2015

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    Jake Bramante

    The Many Glacier Road opened up recently and Kristen and I decided to hike to Grinnell Lake and it was a great day. Being spring in Montana, we got some sunshine and some snow and a lot of Glacier National Park all by ourselves. The trail was mostly clear of snow, but did have some…

  • Pa’Rus Trail

    Pa’Rus Trail

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    Jake Bramante

    The Pa’Rus Trail in Zion National Park is a wonderful paved path that follows along the Virgin River. It is the only trail in Zion that is both bicycle and pet-friendly (on a leash). I’ve hiked along this trail, once in May of 2014 and again in April 0f 2015 in the evening which is…