Hidden Falls at Jenny Lake. Grand Teton National Park

Hidden Falls. Grand Teton National Park

Hidden Falls is easily the best waterfall in Grand Teton National Park.  The falls are located on the western side of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The shortest route to the falls is to hike around the southern part of Jenny Lake on the Jenny Lake trail. You can expect to see a wide variety of wildlife on the trail. We saw chipmunks, a coyote, several red-bellied marmots and a wide variety of colorful birds I couldn’t name. The falls are listed at around 100 feet tall, but the cascades go on for miles and the sheer volume of water on the river tops anything you'll find outside of Yellowstone. 

A recent landslide wiped out the lower part of Jenny Lake  trail that leads to the falls, so a new trail had to be cut into the side of the mountain. To bypass the landslide, the new trail adds a significant amount of elevation gain to the hike.  However, the new trail also offers a birds eye view of the Lake.   Most descriptions online put the hike at about 6 miles total roundtrip. We finished the hike in a little under 3 hours. You can shave 2 miles off the hike by taking the ferry across Jenny Lake.

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Lava Hot Springs Idaho

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

On a recent road trip to Yellowstone National Park, I booked a room for the night in a little town called Lava Hot Springs Idaho.  It was one of the best places we stopped on the whole trip, and when you’re talking about a trip to Yellowstone National Park, that’s a bold statement to make.  Lava Hot Springs is the quintessential American town you see on old postcards.  It’s situated on the original route of the old Oregon Trail. It’s most famous for the natural hot spring baths located throughout the town.

The tiny town of 400 people is actually situated in a river valley. Main Street runs parallel with the Portneuf river. There are about 6 different places in town where you can rent a tube, catch a shuttle and then ride the river as it twists  through town. Be warned: my girlfriend and I both ended up with a few well deserved battlescars when we went over one of the waterfalls in the wrong spot. There were about ten different signs warning us, but we saw the locals doing it, so we followed them. Because the river is fed by several hot springs, the water temperature is pretty mild compared to most mountain streams.  I would estimate it was around 60 degrees. In contrast, the Snake River in Jackson Wyoming is 42 degrees in June.

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Yuba State Park. Levan, Utah

Yuba State Park Beach Camping

Yuba State Park is located just a few miles off the I-15 interstate near Levan Utah. It offers great opportunities for lakeside camping on the sand, boating, kayaking, fishing, ATV trails, or just kicking back and drinking a couple brews on the beach with your buddies. Yuba State Park is also quite possibly one of the best places to stargaze in the United States.  I've literally never seen anything like it. The stars looked so close that you could almost reach and touch them.  If you’re making the 16 hour trip from Southern California to Yellowstone National Park, Yuba should be your 8 hour halfway stopping point for the night. 

The Northbeach campground is the closest to the highway. Reservations can be made in advance by phone or through the official website. Campsites are insanely cheap, just 10$ for the night. Many of the campgrounds closer to Salt Lake City charge upwards of 40$ per night. For travelers on a budget, you won’t find a better deal than Yuba. 

 A few words of warning:  if you decide to drive on the beach, have your most experienced driver behind the wheel or YOU WILL get stuck in the sand.  My girlfriend stopped to let a dog cross our path and we spent the next fifteen minutes digging and pushing the car out of the sand. As long as you keep your car in first gear, stay out of the deep stuff, and refuse to stop for anything, you should be fine. I had no trouble at all behind the wheel. :) Also, you’re probably going to want to check the weather forecast. Temperatures in Yuba State Park can vary a great deal. When we visited in June, the daytime high was 89, but dipped to the low 50’s at night. Pack your gear accordingly. A jacket and a heavy sleeping bag are recommended. 

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Scripps Park, La Jolla Sea Caves

La Jolla Sea Cave

Scripps Park in San Diego features several of the largest sea caves in Southern California. To be honest, there aren't many large, natural caves in Southern California. As a cave enthusiast, I try to explore as many as I can.

The sea caves in La Jolla are unique because they are located under the bluffs of a major metropolitan area just a hundred yards from the hotels and restaurants on the streets above.  Many of the caves are only accessible by kayak. There are several companies in La Jolla that offer guided tours and rent boats to explore the caves. I've never rented from them because I own my own boat, so I won’t vouch for any tour group in particular.

At least one cave can be reached during low tide from the beach.  It’s actually an open-ended 50 foot tunnel. When the tide is out, you will almost certainly have company, because this is a very popular beach.

One of the best things about Scripps Park is the huge population of seals who inhabit the area. On a good day, you might see a a hundred seals sunning themselves on the rocks. Scripps Park is also home to a large population of

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Surf Kayaking Huntington Beach

I've attempted surf kayaking in my inflatable Sevylor Canoe several times. It usually buckles in the middle on the larger waves and I end up having to abandon ship to save myself. Its a great canoe for lakes and mild white water, but I don't recommend using an inflatable on the ocean unless you plan on dumping it out several times. I actually had to install a custom drain plug on the back on my boat. My next purchase is going to be a spray skirt for it. I ran across this Youtube video of a guy surf kayaking at Bolsa Chica next to Huntington Beach. He mounted a Go-pro on his boat and shot some really great footage. I can't believe his video only has 4,000 views. It shows you where most people's priorities are when you see that the latest Justin Bieber video on Youtube has 400 million views.

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