Adventure Travel Photography Blog
Of the hikes I’ve done in Idaho this week, Adelmann Mine might be my favorite thus far. I debated about driving half-way back to Boise from Idaho City to hike this trail located right off Highway 21.
I wasn’t sure I wanted another desert hike, nor did I want to go closer to Boise where there would likely be more hikers. But, a mine hike would be a change of pace from the others I’ve done, so I settled on the short 30 minute drive to the trailhead.
HAPPY HIKING!
In the last several weeks, I have done a lot of desert hiking. I wanted to change it up, so after heading to Idaho City, I found a hike in the woods at Charcoal Gulch.
The directions on AllTrails were a little confusing. They took me through the historic mining town of Idaho City to a dead end in a residential section. After taking a slight detour, it indicated the parking was behind an apartment complex and there were about two spots available. This parking was at Buena Vista Trail.
HAPPY HIKING!
Many people have asked me how I decide where to go while on my road trip in VANgo. Generally speaking, I’m going in search of 70 degree weather, wildflowers, and fall color in autumn. Today, in the second week of May, I found those wildflowers at Homestead Trail.
Homestead Trail is located only 7 miles from Boise in the Boise National Forest, better known as the Boise foothills on the outskirts of the city. The trailhead is found in a residential neighborhood. The area very much reminded me of the foothills surrounding Golden, CO, though not as crowded.
HAPPY HIKING!
I’m not sure how exactly I ended up at the Swan Falls Dam in the Snake River Canyon to camp. As I sifted through free campsites on my iOverlander and Free Roam apps, I wanted a place within one hour of Boise that included cell service and was located near wildflowers. I only succeeded at landing within one hour of Boise.
Perhaps I was tired from my time in Moab and two days of driving to Idaho with a stops on the way when I selected directions to Swan Falls rather than Halverson/Bar Lake. They were both located in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA, 40 miles south of Boise, but Halverson/Bar Lake had cell service and Swan Falls didn’t.
EXPLORE!
I’d never heard of the City of Wendover, until I decided to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats, just 9 miles to the East. I expected some tiny place, but instead, I found a Utah city with a population of 1,000+ that focuses on mineral extraction and aviation.
Across the border, in West Wendover, Nevada, with 4x the population, were hotels, casinos, restaurants and a few gas stations. I wouldn’t have even known they were two separate towns except when I briefly crossed the border for gas, my gps greeted me with, “Welcome to Nevada.”
EXPLORE!
Back on the road again, I planned on meeting some friends in Moab on Wednesday. There was a brief break in the rainy and snowy weather nearby Denver on Tuesday, so I headed out early and made a few detours along the way. The first place I visited was Rifle Falls State Park.
Rifle Falls State Park, operated by the Colorado Parks & Wildlife, is located near Rifle, Colorado, on hour east of Grand Junction. The park includes a three hiking trails, a picnic area, and both drive-in and walk-in campgrounds along with wedding facilities.
HAPPY HIKING!
After a long uphill hike yesterday on Granite Mountain Trail, I planned a short 4.5 mile loop on the Watson Lake and Flume Trail. Watson Lake is located at Watson Park right off Highway 89 which is a scenic drive to Sedona.
Both Watson and Willow lakes were created as reservoirs by the Chino Valley Irrigation District. Each resulted after the damming of Granite and Willow creeks, in 1916 and 1935, respectively.
The City of Prescott purchased the lakes and the surrounding land in 1998 for $15 million in a widely supported bond election.
The Watson Lake is popular among hikers, camper, wake free boaters, and bird watchers. Additionally, the ecosystem attracts many waterfowl and shorebirds migrating in the winter.
HAPPY HIKING!
After a lovely night on Thumb Butte Road, the following morning Annie and I drove to Granite Mountain Trail about half an hour north. Along with Thumb Butte Road, Granite Mountain Trail is located in the Prescott National Forest. Granite Basin Lake is nearby, so there are a variety of parking areas for the beaches and boat launching. There is also a parking area with bathrooms at the trailhead as indicated by AllTrails.
The trail begins in forest which was appealing to me. I prefer evergreens over cactus and scrub. Annie enjoyed it too, once again running around like crazy. Sometimes I wonder how she can have so much energy. She exhausts me while I attempt to exhaust her!
HAPPY HIKING!
After my visit to Sedona and Camp Verde, I traveled south to Prescott. I swung through briefly ten years ago on my year long road trip around the USA, and wanted to revisit. Thanks to a National Geographic guide I met on a Mongolia trip, I had insider’s information on where to camp.
Liam, who went to college in Prescott, suggested I camp anywhere on Thumb Butte Road. It is just outside of Prescott and was a great suggestion! Small, designated pullouts lined the potholed dirt road. And it was just steep and rutty enough to keep the big rigs out.
HAPPY HIKING!
Sedona is an Arizona desert town near Flagstaff that is surrounded by red-rock buttes. The town of 10,000 is noted for its natural beauty, relaxing energy, and active arts community. There are many things to do in Sedona which attracts tourists by the hundreds, especially in the spring with its mild climate. Below are a few things to enjoy while visiting Sedona.
EXPLORE!