Happy Trails Hiking
Hawn State Park Campground Tour - Park Travel Review
updated
We visited Sequoia National Park in September. This trip, we made it a point to hike up Moro Rock. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
This hike, or climb, to the top of Moro Rock is full of vistas of the High Sierra that the average day-hiker won't get any other way. There are 350 stair steps on this trail along with paved pathways. The trail is narrow in spots with steep drop offs to one side or the other. There are some railings to help keep you relatively safe along the route. We enjoyed taking this iconic hike in Sequoia National Park on our visit.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
In September of 2022, we took a week-long vacation to California. We spent 4 days in Yosemite National Park. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
We were traveling with our friends John & Amie. Kay's "must do" activity in the park was to hike the Mist Trail. Well, it was mostly closed, so getting to Nevada Falls was a longer hike on the John Muir Trail. We loved the views even though it was a cloudy and drizzly day. With rain you sometimes get rainbows. We were lucky on this one and saw a couple.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We love hiking in the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area near Las Vegas. When we visited in July, we had two waterfalls that we hiked to. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area includes Mount Charleston which is a popular hiking destination in the warmer months and a skiing destination in the Winter. On our trip in July 2022, we hiked to 2 waterfalls: Little Falls on the Echo Trail and Mary Jane Falls. Finding waterfalls in the desert is always a fun way to explore even in the Summer.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton, Missouri is a great day use park on the edge of Lake of the Ozark. This park holds lots of human history as well as a variation of geologic features including Missouri's 12th largest spring. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands!
Kay, along with her mom and sister visited in late June of 2022. They take you to the top 3 sites to see at Ha Ha Tonka State Park: The Castle Ruins, the Natural Bridge, and the Ha Ha Tonka Spring.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
When we head to Las Vegas, NV, we almost always make a stop at Valley of Fire State Park. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Valley of Fire is 45 minutes from the Las Vegas strip. We love coming out to this State Park to get some outdoor therapy when we are in the area. In this video, we are hiking the White Domes Trail. This trail in in the northern part of the park, so we get to enjoy the drive through the park to get to the trailhead. The trail itself is a little over 1 mile long. It starts in sand and then leads to a slot canyon that is pretty cool to hike through.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
March is a wonderful time for hiking in Missouri State Parks. In this video we join with our friends John & Amie for a hike at Don Robinson State Park. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Don Robinson State Park is a day use park near St Louis, Missouri. We hiked the Sandstone Trail. It is a 4-mile trail that really explores the topography of this area of Missouri. It is a well-traveled trail and you will not have it to yourself on a weekend.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We camped at Asher Creek Campground at Lake Wappapello State Park on Memorial Day weekend of 2022. While we were there we explored the Wappapello Dam and visitors center, went on a hike and ate lots of food. Please subscribe to our channel, if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
We camped in our Forest River A-Frame camper, "ALF" , this weekend. We were in site 67 and had electric hook ups. The view from the campsite is AWESOME and we enjoyed relaxing at camp a lot.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Every june of the last few years we have gotten together with other YouTubers that have become friends of ours. This year, we met at Montauk State Park. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
The other YouTubers we met up with this year are Big Crazy Outdoor Adventures and Marty's Crew: Our Family Adventures. We reserved 4 campsites for the weekend and we explored Montauk Lake, the trout pools, the Montauk Mill, and got a Hatchery tour. This is always a fun weekend spent with friends and Montauk State Park had a lot of fun things for us to do.
We would be honored if you would go visit our friends' channels.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Sundays.
When we visited Shiloh National Military Park in April 2022, Mom and I decided to explore the Indian Mounds National Landmark that is inside the park boundaries. There is so much history to explore in this place. If you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands, please subscribe to our channel.
800 years ago on the bluffs of the Tennessee River, the Mississippian people made a town on the eastern edge of the Shiloh plateau. There is a short, interpretive trail that leads past the mounds and the signs sher the history and the story of the people that lived here so many years ago.
This area was thought to be a "Chiefdom" of Mississian culture. At this site there are both building mounds and burial mounds.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
In commemoration of the 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh, the National Park Service Rangers hosted Ranger Talks in April of 2022 at Shiloh National Military Park. Kay and her mom joined one of those talks for a tour of Shiloh National Cemetery. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
The Battle of Shiloh took place on April 6-7, 1862. In 1866 the War Department established a cemetery on 10 acres on the battlefield. It was first known as “Pittsburg Landing National Cemetery.” It was changed to Shiloh National Cemetery in 1889. In this video, Ranger Laura Lee McKellips presents fun facts and history of the National Cemetery including the grave of a woman who died during the Civil War; the flag bearers that were the first to fall in the battle, and many other facts about how the cemetery is set up.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Pinson Mounds State Archeological Park is located near the small town of Pinson, Tennessee. Just 13 miles south of Jackson, Tennessee in west Tennessee. This Tennessee State Park is around 1200 acres and contains at least 15 Native American mounds. The mounds and artifacts date back to 300 BC. Pinson Mounds officially became a Tennessee State Park in 1974.
The tallest in the park is Sauls Mound. It is 72 feet high and has 4 corners to it that correspond with North, South, East, and West. In this video, my Mom (Sue) and I (Kay) climb the stairs to the top of Sauls Mound, Walk some of the paths and stop into the visitors' center.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Over our holiday weekend in January of 2022, we traveled to South-Central Missouri. We made our Home base a cabin at Echo Bluff State Park and got to explore in the SNOW! Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and Public Lands!
Echo Bluff State Park is GORGEOUS and a great home base for exploring the Current River as well as the Ozark Scenic National Riverways (NPS site). We have traveled to Echo Bluff many times since it was added as a state park. It is Missouri's 88th State Park. This was the first time we have seen it in the SNOW! It was stunning and quiet and everything we could have asked for in a get-away weekend. The roads were clear enough on Sunday morning for us to drive the 20 miles to Alley Spring and Mill. It is an iconic place in Missouri and we wanted to see it in the snow with fewer crowds than usual. We got our wish. It was a perfect visit too. We highly recommend both of these places and we hope that you enjoyed our visit.
Please stay tuned to the end for the cabin tour of our Echo Bluff State Park Cabin.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
The Driftless Area Birding Festival was held November 12 & 13, 2021 at the Driftless Area Visitor and Education Center in Lansing, Iowa. We were hosted to attend the festival by Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
During the 2-day Driftless Area Birding Festival hosted by Allamakee County Conservation, we got to learn from Kelly J. McKay of BioEco Research and Monitoring Center. He has given talks across Iowa with a program called Building Better Birders and Citizen Scientists. It is a program that is funded by Resource Enhancement and Protection - Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP). He said that this was his 98th time to give this presentation. I have to say, he really knows what he is talking about. During our time together, we got to learn about the Raptors of Iowa, Waterfowl of Iowa, as well as getting to see the common places to find these birds. There were many opportunities during these 2 days to see and hear the different birds that were referenced in Kelly's presentations.
We were also welcomed to New Albin, Iowa by Debra and Ken who gave us a tour of Army Road. It is a road that was built in the 1960's by the Army Reserves and goes out into the sloughs toward the Mississippi River. Big "Thank you" to Debra and Ken for showing us around!
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We visited Effigy Mounds National Monument as part of a hosted trip with Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism. We were thrilled and honored to get to hike in the sacred area. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Effigy mounds are ceremonial mounds built by the Native Tribes. These mounds are built in the shapes of animals. The most commons shapes in the area of Allamakee County, Iowa are bears and birds. There are other shaped mounds in the area too (Cones and rectangles), but those mounds had different uses.
Marching Bears Trail is in the South Unit of the National Monument. The trail itself is an out-and-back trail that is around 4 miles in length. The elevation gain was around 538 feet for the trail. It really does feel like you are spending most of the trail out going up. The Marching Bears Mounds are located on top of the bluffs off the Mississippi River.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We visited Mesa Verde National Park in July of 2021 on our Colorado road trip. We spent 2 days in the park and our last stop was Wetherill Mesa and a tour of Long House Cliff Dwelling. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Long House is one of the largest cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park. It was thought to have been home to 150 or more people and a community center for the Ancient Puebloans. We bought our tickets online before traveling to Colorado, but you can check to see if there are tickets available at the Visitors' Center before driving to Wetherill Mesa
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Adams Falls is on the South West side of Rocky Mountain National Park near Grand Lake. you can take this short hike starting from the parking area for the East Inlet Trail. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands. You can see our Entire day hike of the East Inlet trail by clicking the link in the video.
The National Park website says: This easy one-third mile hike leads to a small, pleasant waterfall. If you go past the falls, you’ll soon come to a large, glaciated valley with a river and great views where moose are sometimes seen. You can find many types of wildflowers in this area.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
In July of 2021, we traveled to Rocky Mountain National Park. During our visit we stayed in Grand Lake on the west side of the National Park. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Since we made Grand Lake, Colorado our home base for our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in July of 2021, the East Inlet Trail was a great option for getting to the trailhead early in the morning. The volunteers at the Visitors' Center told us that it was a beautiful hike that had not been affected by the fires from 2020 much and that there were waterfalls and vast views at about 3 miles in. Waterfalls and views are two things that we really look for when we are in the mountains. We got a nice early start from the W Portal Road Parking lot and hiked about 3.25 miles in. The trail goes much further into the park, but we were not out to conquer anything that day. Just wanted to get away from the crowds. There are backpacking campsites all along the trail.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We camped at Old 86 Campground in our Forest River A-Frame Camper during August of 2021. This video is a campground tour. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy camping and exploring in our parks and public lands.
Old 86 Campground is a Corps of Engineers Campground that sits on Table Rock Lake in Southwest Missouri. The address is Blue Eye, but the closest big town is Branson, Missouri. If you are looking to travel to Branson, Missouri, this would be a good campground to take a look at. This is thought to be one of the best campgrounds in Missouri. Old Highway 86 Campground offers 71 reservable campsites, along with one large reservable group picnic shelter. Amenities like hot showers, drinking water, a dump station and electric hookups create a comfortable camping experience. One swimming area, a boat ramp, playground and volleyball court make the campground perfect for family trips.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
In 2019, we decided to add a Forest River Travel Trailer to the Happy Trails Hiking family. We bought a 2018 Flagstaff 21TBHW. We call it "Alf" = A-frame Living Facility Please subscribe if you enjoy finding out more about where we take Alf!
"Alf"is a 21 feet long and 7 feet wide popup camper. As you can see from the picture it is an A-frame camper as well. We like that it is hard sided and easy to set up. It even has a FLUSH TOILET!!! We store Alf in our garage when we are not camping. We have not had any leaks and we do camp in the rain.
In this video, You will get a Flagstaff A-frame camper review. You will see how we use the storage spaces and the changes we have made and how we use it. Lastly, you will hear how we like it after 3 seasons.
We looked at A-Frame campers for quite awhile and we are pleased with our choice for our first camper. We really liked the options and quality in the Forest River Flagstaff A- frame camper.
If you are looking for specific information, please see the links below.
0:00 - Introduction
0:10 - Outside tour and storage use
3:17- Inside Tour
6:40 - Do we STILL like Alf?
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
This park travel review is about our first visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in the San Luis Valley in Colorado. We spent a bit over 24 hours in the area and enjoyed exploring the park and wilderness. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located in South-central Colorado. It is home to the tallest dune in North America. It is also a place to preserve a very diverse and unique ecosystem. In our first visit, we take in the dunes, Medano Creek, and Medano Pass Primitive Road. While we could not explore every part of the park and preserve in 24 hours, we did get a nice taste for this unique area. This park was made a National Monument in 1932 by President Hoover and was expanded to a National Park in 2004.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Did you know that there is an outdoor monument in the the middle of Rocky Mountain National Park? In the video, Kay tells you how to find it and takes you with her to see it! Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands!
In Rocky Mountain National Park, just a half-mile off of Trail Ridge Road is a navigational tool and monument to the first Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park. Most people that take the Tundra Communities Trail at the Rock Cut pullout have no idea it is even there. Kay found out about it almost a year before we went looking for it. It was the first thing on the list that Kay wanted to do in Rocky Mountain National Park this year. If you know our love of maps, you will understand why Kay had to find this.
This brass disk is a map to all of the named mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park AND the distances to 12 other national parks in the United States. Isn't that COOL?!? The trail to get to the monument is a fairly easy one, but getting to the monument itself is a bit harder. There is certainly some rock scrambling at the end.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Talk about Happy Trails! The adventure at Gypsum City OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) Park in Fort Dodge, Iowa was SO MUCH FUN! It was certainly a unique experience that Kay doesn't get every day! Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Gypsum City serves at a destination for OHV riders across Iowa and the Midwest! It is the largest OHV park in Iowa. Gypsum City is located on around 800 acres of reclaimed gypsum mining land. The park offers over 60 miles of trails for riders of all skill levels.
There are also fishing ponds and a campground with pull-through sites and a few "tiny houses" that can be rented. This park is managed my Webster County Conservation. You can find out more information at www.mycountyparks.com/county/webster or at www.fortdodgecvb.com
Special thanks to Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau and Midwest Travel Network for arranging this tour for us.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Mesa Verde National Park is located in Southwest Colorado. We traveled there in July 2021 to experience the history that was left in the area by the Ancient Puebloan People. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
The Petroglyph Point Trail is located near Spruce House Cliff Dwelling. Spruce House was closed while we were there, but we did get to see it from across the valley. This trail is 2.4 miles round trip and requires some rock scrambling and tight squeezes. There is a large petroglyph panel at about 1.5 miles. The park website says, "The trail is narrow, rugged, and rocky, with several steep drop-offs along the canyon wall on the way to the petroglyph panel." It isn't kidding. While the hike is not easy, it is doable and has awesome views of the canyons and Chapin Mesa.
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
In June of 2021, Kay got the opportunity to explore outdoor activities in and near Fort Dodge, Iowa. One of the activities Kay got to do is kayaking on the Des Moines River Water Trail from Dolliver State Park to the town of Lehigh. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Dolliver Memorial State Park in northwest Iowa is unique for its natural bluffs and geological formations. Dolliver overlooks the Des Moines River Valley and spreads across 594 acres of flatlands and rugged trails. It is a beautiful state park with lots of history.
The Des Moines River Water Trail is known as a "meandered river". That means that the the river and its banks (up to the high water line). It is always good to looks for wildlife while you paddle. There is always a chance to see otters, turtles, eagles, turkey vultures, and song birds.
Special thanks to Webster County Conservation and Fort Dodge Convention & Visitors Bureau for sponsoring our trip.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
If you are traveling to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, this short hike should be part of your itinerary. Zapata Falls is a waterfall in a crevasse in the mountain. The trail is easy as only a half-mile long, but the end is a bit tricky. You have to walk through the creek to get to see the waterfall. In this video, we take you along on our hike. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
From the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve website: This popular short hike is located on BLM (US Bureau of Land Management) land south of the national park, off of Highway 150. It is a good option for summer afternoons when sand surface temperatures are high. Simply driving to the trailhead provides an excellent view of the entire dunefield and San Luis Valley. However, the hike to the falls requires wading over slippery rocks into a rock crevasse.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
There are just some places that are bucket list destinations in each state. Alley Spring and Mill is one of those places. We have lived in Missouri for a long time and had not gotten down there. We made that happen in June of 2021. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring parks and public lands.
Alley was a small Ozark Community in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In these kinds of communities, the mill was a gathering place for the community. This mill was built by George Washington McCaskill and he was the merchant miller.
Alley Spring was used to power the mill and is one of the largest springs in the state of Missouri. The spring is at the base of limestone bluffs and it feeds the the Jacks Fork of the Current River. Most of the time, the water in the spring is a blue color. After a heavy rain, it will turn more brown due to the silt being stirred up.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Kay was lucky enough to get invited by Fort Dodge Convention & Visitors Bureau and Midwest Travel Network to join an Outdoor Adventure trip in Fort Dodge, Iowa in June of 2021. We were hosted for 3 days at the Brookstone Inn & Suites and had a jam-packed time of adventures, food and fun! Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands. This video is an overview of what we saw, did, and ate in our time in Fort Dodge. Stay tuned for more in depth videos to follow.
The places you will see in this video are: Brookstone Inn & Suites, Fort Dodge Grain Silo, Fort Frenzy, Lizard Creek Mountain Bike Trails, Hacienda Vieja, Des Moines Water Trail, Gaga and Hoo Korean Restaurant, - Shiny Top Brewing, Ja-Mar Drive in, Brushy Creek State Recreation Area, Gypsum City OHV Park, Dariette, Buford’s Steak House & BBQ, Soldier Creek Winery, and Camp WaNoKi. I am thankful to all the community and volunteers of the City of Fort Dodge and Webster County that take so much pride in their area and wanted to show us the best they have to offer. I am also thankful that they took such great care of this amatur outdoorsmen as I tried new things on this trip. I couldn't have done them without these volunteers.
If you want more information about traveling to Fort Dodge and what they have to offer, please contact Kerrie at the Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau fortdodgecvb.com
She will tell you how you can #DodgeTheOrdinary
Other Bloggers on this trip were:
Travel with Sara - Sara Broers
Des Moines Parent - Erin Huiatt
Simplify Live Love - Michelle Marine
Country Pilgrim - Dan Cline
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We took a road trip to Springfield, Illinois over Memorial Day weekend. On our agenda was seeing Lincoln history. Oak Ridge Cemetery was our first stop. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Oak Ridge Cemetery is the second most visited cemetery in the nation, second only to Arlington National Cemetery. It is the final resting place of our sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln. Construction of the Lincoln Monument began in 1868. It was dedicated in 1874 in a ceremony attended by President U.S. Grant. Oak Ridge Cemetery is 365 acres of history. There was so much more to explore. We will plan to go back when we have more time.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Roaring River State Park is in the Southwest corner of Missouri. It holds one of Missouri's trout hatcheries and is a prime spot for fishermen. It is also home to one of Missouri's larger Springs. We visited in May of 2021 and camped in our A-Frame Camper. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Roaring River State Park is located on the very edge of the Ozark Mountains. This makes for a very interesting landscape and features. The park's website says, "Roaring River is a tributary of the White River, which has cut into the flat plateau, creating deep valleys and exposing an unusual variety of rock formations. As the river cuts through the plateau, it exposes the different layers of sediment, including shale, limestone, dolomite and chert. Roaring River State Park is one of only a few places in Missouri where visitors can see such a variety of rock formations within such a small area." It the combinations of water and these formations that draw us at Happy Trails Hiking to this area.
When camping in the park, you need to be aware of the fact that this is a fisherman's park. Every morning and every evening, there will be a siren that sounds to indicate the start of the fishing day and the end. We noticed that some campers for out of state were very confused and alarmed by this siren.
We spent much of our time in Roaring River State Park watching the Spring and waterfall at its mouth. It originates in a deep canyon-like gorge surrounded by delicate green ferns and mosses. More than 20 million gallons of clear 57-degree water flow from the spring daily into Roaring River.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We spent a rainy weekend in Bennett Spring State Park camping in our A-Frame camper "Alf". In this video, you will see how we camp in the rain with our A-frame Camper. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Bennett Spring State Park is one of Missouri's first state parks and is known for its trout fishing. We have camped here before, but that was several years ago in our tent. Bennett Spring State Park has 5 campgrounds. Campground 1 has electric and water sites. We were in campground 5 and had a 30 amp electric site. There are bathrooms with flush toilets and individual showers in campground 5.
As mentioned earlier, we had a rainy weekend. We were so happy to have our Forest River Flagstaff A-Frame! Tent camping would have been soggy. Our activities on rainy days were short hikes on the Whistle Trail and the Savannah Ridge Trail; a visit to the Nature Center, a trip into town for lunch, driving a gravel road in the park, and dinner and games in the A-frame.
We would highly recommend a trip to Bennett Spring State Park with your favorite people!
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Bennett Spring State Park has 5 Campgrounds. We camped in Campground 5 in site 514. I was a 30 amp electric site. This is just a preview of our weekend. Please subscribe to Happy Trails Hiking if you enjoy camping and exploring our parks and public lands.
Bennett Spring State Park is one of Missouri’s first state parks. It is known for its wonderful trout fishing. There is so much history to cover that those short video is not enough.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Wakonda State Park is located in northeast Missouri. We have been there before for camping and exploring. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
On this trip, we were in campsite 7 in the Boulder Lake Campground. It is an electric premium site meaning it has a 30 amp or a 50 amp connection. The site was really nice for our Forest River A-Frame Camper, "Alf". During our camping weekend we enjoyed hiking and BBQ-ing a brisket with our friends John & Amie from Big Crazy Outdoor Adventures. We always enjoy spending time with them.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We visited Bryce Canyon National Park in July of 2015. We fell in love with this small National Park in Utah, basically from our first glance. These views were from the very first evening in the park. What an introduction?!?! Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands!
We spent 1.5 days in the park and it was not enough time! The hoodoos are interesting and fun to look at and wonder about.
From the Park Website: Bryce Canyon is not a single canyon, but a series of natural amphitheaters or bowls, carved into the edge of a high plateau. The most famous of these is the Bryce Amphitheater, which is filled with irregularly eroded spires of rocks called hoodoos. Perhaps every visitor to the park will spend at least some time marvelling at its four main viewpoints, all found within the first few miles of the park: Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Sunrise Point.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
It's our first campout of the 2021 camping season. We are excited to get "Alf" our Forest River Flagstaff A-Frame camper into the campground this year. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands and camping.
This weekend, we are camping at Washing State Park Missouri. This park is known for its location on the Big River, the Civilian Conservation Corps structures, and for the petroglyphs left by the Native Americans. In this video you will see our campsite (site 15) and several trails in the park (Opossum Track Trail. Thousand Steps Trail, and Rockywood Trail). These hikes can be found on page 271 of the book "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St Louis". You can find the book here: amzn.to/38mIOiu
We were thrilled to camp and hike with our friends, John and Amie of the channel Big Crazy Outdoor Adventures. Their channel is found here: youtube.com/channel/UCodAHWAV57eroBRTpQJa4bw
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
The sounds that we hear when we are out in nature are what grounds us to the Earth here at Happy Trails Hiking. Sometimes we just need those moments with the sounds of nature to get away from the stress of the world. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
In today's Missouri Nature Moment, we are listening to the sounds of Spring. The tree frogs have been out in the wetlands of Missouri this week. While we were still close to the city in St Charles County and we could still hear the noise of the cars on the roads and the air traffic, the sounds of nature were cutting through loud enough for us to hear them and be at ease. The rhythms and repetitiveness of the frogs calls was calming to us. We hope you will enjoy too.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
This is our third season with our Forest River Flagstaff A-Frame Camper, "Alf". We are READY to get out and do some camping. In today's video, we make sure the camper is ready too. We clean up the inside and take the antifreeze out of the water lines. Please subscribe to follow along on our A-Frame adventures.
We have a 2018 Flagstaff 21TBHW. It is 21 feet long and 7 feet wide. It even has a FLUSH TOILET!!! We work together on our list of things to do to open it back up after it has been in our garage all Winter.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We are continuing our "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St Louis" series. This hike can be found on page 160. The Amazon link for the book is here: amzn.to/38mIOiu. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
We are always looking for new trails to hike and new parts of our state and country to see. The Hamilton Hollow Bushwhack Trail is one that is in a familiar location for us, but a brand new trail. We have been ot Meramec State Park many times and are familiar with the trails in the park. This trail, however, is on the edge of the park and is not one we have explored in the past. We wanted to make sure we go this hike in before it got warm enough for the ticks and chiggers to come out for the year. It was really awesome to see the Old Hamilton Iron Works as well. There is a 0.2 mile interpretive trail that goes around it and tells you about its history and workings in the late 1800's. In this video, we cover that trail as well as the Bushwhacking trail. It was a fun and adventurous day for us in Meramec State Park.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
This #Shorts video is part of our series of 60 Hike Within 60 Miles of St Louis. That is how we found this location. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
This Iron Works was in use in the late 1800's. You can now take an interpretive hike around the ruins of the site. There will be a history video and longer hike out this week.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Amazon link for the "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St Louis" Book: amzn.to/38mIOiu
The sun came out and we are happy!! Time for another Happy Trails Vlog. We needed to get out of the house we went to one of our most favorite places to watch birds and hike: The Riverlands. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
In this video, we explore Ellis Island at Audubon Center of the Riverlands as well at the Great River Road up to the boat launch at Pere Marquette State Park. We got to see SO many birds and waterfowl! We did get a hike in, but we really just love this drive! The Great River Road is an awesome drive with so much to see. This was a much needed day out of the house after all the cold.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
This week has been FRIGID!! In this video, we go over what we wear for Winter hiking. Please subscribe to our channel for more hiking fun!
We have been to Yellowstone and hiked in below zero temperatures before, but that is not the norm here in Missouri. In February of 2020, the temperatures in Missouri reached record lows. We didn't want that to keep up inside, but we also know that being out on trail in the clod without proper gear is very important! Here are our suggestions for things that you might want to have when going outdoors to hike in the cold and snow.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We traveled to Oregon in July of 2016. The Rogue River Gorge was not the destination, but a great find on our trip to Crater Lake National Park. This is a "must see" if you are on a road trip in the area. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
The Rogue River Gorge is located in Oregon along "Crater Lake Highway" (Highway 62). We stayed that the Union Creek lodge for 2 nights while visiting Crater Lake National Park. This viewpoint is right up the road. We made a quick visit to the area, but there is much more to explore!
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Steve and Ann Teget are my friends and they are the owners of postcardjar.com. I met them in June of 2019, shortly after they had started their "health journey". I was so inspired by their positive outlook on life, wellness, and travel. You might remember them from the Motivation Monday interviews that were part of our 2019-2020 season. Steve and Ann have continued to inspire people through their Instagram and Facebook pages.
You can find those here:
Insta: instagram.com/postcardjar
Facebook: facebook.com/postcardjar
As I was following along with them, I starting seeing wooded walks and prairies showing up in their stories. I was so excited that they had added hikes to their health journey! In this video, we talk about how they got started hiking and some of the tools that Matt and I might recommend as they are getting out to explore more. I really enjoyed getting to talk with them and hear about exploring the midwest more as beginning hikers.
You can also find them on their website: postcardjar.com
Topics we talk about are: how they got started hiking, what hiking provides for them, gear that Happy Trails Hiking would suggest for them, and encouragement for others.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel and hiking.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Klondike Park is one of our favorite places to go in St Charles County. It has been quite awhile since we have hiked the Lewis & Clark Trail in Klondike Park. I actually don't remember the last time. We are enjoying using the "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St Louis" book to rediscover hikes in our area. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
The link for the book is here: amzn.to/38mIOiu
This trail connects with the Katy Trail for the last bit to make it a loop. It is 2.5 miles and you get views of the bluffs, prairie, and the quarry lake. The path is wide and both paved and gravel.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 7 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
Lori, Kay's Sister, is joining us this week using her book "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Nashville". She is hiking the Cedar Forest Trail at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. This trail is a two mil loop trail and is rated easy. It is on page 102 in the book. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
Cedars of Lebanon State Park is in Wilcon County in Tennessee. It is part of the State Forest of the same name. The park's website says: The 1,139-acre park has 117 campsites equipped with picnic tables and grills, electric and water hookups. There are an additional 30 tent and pop-up campsites available. A modern group lodge, open year-round for organized groups, has a total sleeping capacity of 80 people." There are 10 miles of trails in Cedars of Lebanon State Park. These trails are open year round.
Thank you to Lori for submitting her hike for us to use. It is a fun way to collaborate.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
This week is a collaboration in so many ways! Matt and I got to hike with John & Amie from Big Crazy Outdoor Adventures at Cuivre River State Park in Missouri. And my sister, Lori, hiked at Long Hunter State Park in Tennessee. We are both using hikes found in the "60 Hikes Within 60 miles of..." series. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
You can find John & Amie of Big Crazy Outdoor Adventures here: youtube.com/channel/UCodAHWAV57eroBRTpQJa4bw
You can find the 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St Louis book here: amzn.to/38mIOiu (** This is an affiliate link and we may get credit for your purchase. This is at no extra cost to you).
Cuivre River State Park is near Troy, Missouri and sits along the Cuivre River. Frenchmen's Bluff Trail starts from the Equestrian Campground. We hiked 6.3 miles. We combined Frenchmen's Bluff Trails with the Cuivre River Trail. It was a great day. This hike can be found on Pages 110-111 in the book.
Long Hunter State Park is located near Hermitage, Tennessee. Lori hiked the Volunteer Day Loop. The park's website says, "This wild, rocky trail winds its way through mature oak-hickory forest, abundant plants and wildlife, and several scenic bluff overlooks of Percy Priest Lake." You can find this hike on page 68 in the "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Nashville" book.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
One of our favorite trails! This year, we are using a new good "60 Hikes within 60 Miles of St Louis" to guide our hiking adventures. Yes that means that we will be hiking many miles in Missouri and Illinois. This is the first hike from this great resource guide book. You can find the book on Amazon: amzn.to/38mIOiu (** This is an affiliate link and we may get credit for your purchase. This is at no extra cost to you). Please subscribe to our channel to follow along on our hikes this year!
The Clark Trail is in Weldon Spring Conservation Area in St Charles County, Missouri. The trails are maintained by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Please be aware when you are planning your hikes here that it is an area the is open for hunting during certain seasons. There are two trails at this location the Clark Trail is 5.3 miles long and the Lewis Trail is 8.5 miles long. We have hiked both in both directions over the years. This trail is usually very busy and is well trodden. It has beautiful overlooks of the Missouri River as well as many wooded and bottomland views.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Hike 365 Challenge has a new video on YouTube Sundays and our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We had a great year hosting the Hike 365 Challenge last year. Each of the Hike 365 Live shows were different and fun in their own ways. In this video we look back at the year in spreadsheets, maps, and pictures. Thank you to ALL the people that participated by sending in miles and by coming to the shows each week. We appreciate each of you.
Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands. While we are not hosting the Hike 365 Challenge in 2021, please keep in touch. We love hearing from you. We are still on YouTube and hiking each week. Please stay tune for our newest projects.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Hike 365 Challenge has a new video on YouTube Sundays and our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We went to Creve Coeur Lake this week to see Dripping Spring. It is located in Creve Coeur, Missouri and is a part of the St Louis County Park System. Dripping Spring is right next to the parking lot. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
In this video, we take a look at Dripping Spring. This is a park that we cover often and hope that if you are traveling to St Louis, you will use this Park Travel Review.
http://happytrailshiking.com
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Hike 365 Challenge has a new video on YouTube Sundays and our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.
We have a map, a spreadsheet, and a bit of fun for Hike 365 Live!! That's the fun part of the hiker hangout!
We are still going to give out miles for the Hike 365 Challenge and share your pictures! Hike 365 Live is hosted by Happy Trails Hiking. Matt and Kay are trying to tread 365 miles in Parks and Public Lands in 2020.
They have invited everyone to join in this Hiking Challenge. Thanks for joining in our Hiker Hangout today!
At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
We enjoy hiking at Pere Marquette State Park in Illinois so much! We don't like that the trailheads are so busy and we can't hike alone at all. SO we decided to start from a different part of the trail. Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy exploring our parks and public lands.
We parked at the Flag Pole Overlook and walked to the Hickory North trail where is crosses the road to start there instead. And while we saw people on the trail, we weren't ever just walking in a line of people. We thought that we were going to hike to McAdams Peak because we enjoy that view of the river so much. When we got up to the fork in the trail to head to McAdams Peak, we decided to take the road less traveled and we found a new view for us! We visited the Twin Shelter. It was a really great view too and fewer people were there. We got two miles in for the day and had a great time.
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At Happy Trails Hiking, we encourage you to live the life you love and seek solace and adventure in America’s Parks and Public Lands. We strive to motivate and inspire people through travel.
Kay and Matt have been planning park travel and traveling to parks across the country for 20+ years. Kay has planned trips to National Parks for High School groups as well as couples over the last 5 years. Their personal tips and trail guides can be found on their various social media platforms as well as on their website.
Hike 365 Challenge has a new video on YouTube Sundays and our Park Travel videos come out on Mondays and Thursdays.


