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Winter Adventures in Yellowstone National Park

20 Apr DIY Winter Adventures in Yellowstone National Park

Posted at 08:15h in Blog, National Parks, Outdoor Adventure, United States, Wyoming

In the winter, Yellowstone National Park is a magical place. The weather may be unpredictable, but if you are willing to venture out and explore, you will be rewarded. There are so many fantastic winter adventures in Yellowstone National Park, such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling,...

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North Dakota Winter Road Trip

08 Mar Road Trip: Winter Adventures in North Dakota

Posted at 08:30h in Blog, North Dakota, Outdoor Adventure, United States

Wide open spaces and winter adventures in North Dakota are the perfect combo, especially in 2021. Getting outside to explore is one of our favorite things to do—we are always up for hiking, biking, skiing, and more. So, when North Dakota Tourism contacted us about...

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Winter Adventures at Chena Hot Springs in Fairbanks, Alaska

24 Apr Adventures at Chena Hot Springs in Fairbanks, Alaska

Posted at 09:30h in Alaska, Blog, Outdoor Adventure, United States

One day many, many years ago, I read about a magical hot spring located in the remote lands of Alaska. Trees heavy with snow, steaming waters, and icicles growing on heads of hair, gave way to an otherworldly winter scene, and I knew we had...

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12 Apr Fairbanks Adventures: Snowmobiling in North Pole, Alaska

Posted at 12:35h in Alaska, Blog, Outdoor Adventure, United States

On our last day in Fairbanks, Alaska, we decided that we were going on an adventure. It didn’t matter that it was -29°F (-33°C) because we were ready to go snowmobiling at the North Pole. Okay…well we weren’t actually heading to the geographic North Pole, but...

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Winter Tubing, Hotel Valcartier, Quebec City, Canada

25 Feb Sliding into Winter: Snow Tubing and Waterslides in Quebec

Posted at 08:00h in Blog, Canada, Outdoor Adventure, Quebec

After spending the night in a hotel made of ice, we decided we still had room for a bit more adventure. It was our last full day in Quebec, Canada, and we were spending the night at Hotel Valcartier, which is home to the Hotel...

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Hotel de Glace, Ice Hotel in Quebec City, Canada

13 Feb Hotel de Glace: Sleeping in an Ice Hotel in Quebec

Posted at 08:30h in Blog, Canada, Outdoor Adventure, Quebec

We lie in bed with nothing but a tiny portion of our faces exposed. Our breath creates a cloud of steam when it touches the icy air. The walls surrounding us are made of snow, and the bed beneath is made of ice. Inside, the...

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Matanuska Glacier Hiking in Anchorage, Alaska

31 Mar Glacier Hiking on the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska

Posted at 15:30h in Alaska, Blog, Outdoor Adventure, United States

When we made plans to visit Anchorage, Alaska, in the winter, we knew our visit had to include a trip to explore one of the many glaciers in the state. So, after our road trip to Homer, we made Matanuska Glacier the next stop on...

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Fur Rondy Festival in Anchorage, Alaska

12 Feb Festival Fun: Fur Rondy in Anchorage, Alaska

Posted at 09:25h in Alaska, Blog, United States, Urban Adventure

Every winter the town of Anchorage, Alaska, comes alive with the Fur Rondy Festival. It’s a 10 day event that is held every February, and it’s a whole lot of fun. When we decided to plan a winter trip to Alaska, the dates we picked...

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Ice Castles, Stillwater, MN

12 Jan Ice Castles: Magical World of Winter in Minnesota

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

There’s something magical about a winter wonderland and a castle made of ice. And, you will definitely find magic when you visit Ice Castles in Stillwater, Minnesota. Walls made of thousands of icicles surround you in every direction. During the day, the blueish-white walls glisten...

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Ice Skating in Budapest at Europe's Largest Outdoor Ice Skating RInk

21 Dec Europe’s Largest Outdoor Skating Rink: Ice Skating in Budapest

Posted at 10:00h in Blog, Europe, Hungary, Urban Adventure

When we were in Budapest, Hungary, around the holidays last December, we couldn’t resist strapping on a pair of ice skates and going for a spin on Europe’s largest outdoor skating rink, the City Park Ice Rink. As children, our holiday season was always filled...

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Art Shanty Projects, White Bear Lake, Minnesota

21 Feb Art Shanty Projects: Artist Exhibits on a Frozen Lake

Posted at 09:00h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

Minnesota has a vibrant art scene with world class museums, theater and live music in every direction and artist galleries and studios in almost every corner. In addition to this, residents have learned to embrace the winter and find creative ways to enjoy the season....

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Luminary Loppet in Minneapolis, Minnesota

18 Feb A Trail of Lights at the Luminary Loppet in Minneapolis

Posted at 09:30h in Blog, Minnesota, United States, Urban Adventure

What’s a loppet you may be wondering? A loppet is a Scandinaian word for a long-distance cross-country ski event or a long endurance race over varied terrain. Every year, the City of Lakes Loppet Ski Festival is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This event is dubbed “the...

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Another hike that we went on during our time in De Another hike that we went on during our time in Death Valley National was the Golden Canyon Trail with the Red Cathedral extension! We really enjoyed the landscape throughout this hike—it was another one of our favorite trails in Death Valley. The trail is 1.5 miles each way (3 miles round trip), and the last 0.5 miles of the trail, aka the Red Cathedral Trail, requires some scrambling, ledges, and low overhangs.

The Golden Canyon/Red Cathedral trail was so fun and we loved weaving through, under, and over tight rock formations. Plus, the views at the end of the trail were beautiful. Apparently, some scenes from Star Wars were filmed in this area, and I can see why—it looked like we were walking through an entirely different world!
At first, Badwater Basin in Death Valley National At first, Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park doesn’t look like much, but when you learn more about this piece of land, it’s quite interesting. Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation point in North America, at 282 ft below sea level. The land here is made up of a salt flat that stretches nearly 200 square miles. If you look hard for the tiny white sign in the mountains in the 5th photo (straight up above the Cruise America RV) you can see where sea level is. Standing on the salt flat and looking up at the sea level sign really puts the low elevation into perspective! We couldn’t help but imagine standing at the bottom of the lake that once covered this area.

We walked about a mile out onto the flats and loved seeing all the salt polygons and unique formations all around us. The farther we walked the less people we saw, and it was quite peaceful during our sunset stroll. We ended up visiting Badwater Basin twice during our trip, and I already want to head back again. There’s just so much to see if you take the time to look!
When standing at the Zabriski Point Lookout in Dea When standing at the Zabriski Point Lookout in Death Valley National Park, you overlook stunning hills and canyons of the Badlands. And if you look close, you might see people hiking far out on the landscape. One of the trails that runs through this area is the Badlands Loop, and it is a fantastic option for a hike!  Wandering through the narrow canyons and up along the hills of the Badlands provides a beautiful vantage point of this colorful area. 

The Badlands Loop is a 2.7 mile trail that runs through the gulch and up along the top of the ridges. There isn’t much shade on this trial, especially if you hike it during the heat of the day, so try to avoid a midday hike here when the temperatures are high. There are several trails that intersect in this area; you can connect to both the Gower Gulch Trail and the Golden Canyon Trail to make it one longer 7.8 mile loop hike. We hiked Golden Canyon earlier on our trip, so this time around we just hiked the Badlands Loop. Photos 1-8 are from the Badlands Loop trail, and 9-10 are from the Zabriski Point overlook the day prior when the skies were much more cloudy!
We spent 2.5 days exploring Death Vally National P We spent 2.5 days exploring Death Vally National Park this past winter, and we sure packed a lot into our visit. Hiking the wide variety of trails was our favorite way to explore the park. All of the trails were fantastic, but the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes was one of our favorite stops. We visited the dunes several times during our three days in the park, and each visit was at a different time of day. We were there for sunset, at night to see the stars, and at sunrise. When we went for sunrise, we hiked our way out to the summit of the tallest dune. The summit is roughly 1 mile from the parking lot, although there is no formal trail to get there and back. 

Along the hike, we spotted someone painting the sunrise from the top of one of the dunes. We couldn’t help but stop and chat with her and Micah snapped a few photos—we absolutely loved her artwork! We also enjoyed finding lots of animal prints in the sand. Even though the distance was short, the hike was tough as the sand is very hard to walk on. It felt like every step forward equaled two steps back! But the feeling you get from conquering the tallest dune is well worth it. It’s a beautiful portion of the park to explore!
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