Trail Thursday: Grand Teton National Park

I've been fortunate enough to visit the Grand Teton National Park twice. The first time was in 2015 when we did an impromptu trip to Yellowstone and drove through the Tetons enroute to Yellowstone. The second time we did get to spend a bit more time in the Tetons (last Summer, 2017), but still never quite enough time (in my point of view). I always feel as though Yellowstone's close proximity to the Tetons overshadows it.

The Tetons are absolutely spectacular and I'd really love to plan an entire trip just visiting it (without Yellowstone).  We've driven through several of the side roads in the National Park (one was just before my Jackson Hole Half Marathon start and it was zero dark thirty...yeah I don't recommend doing that) and there is just so much to see. 

I really do not think that the photos do it justice. I'd also really love to backpack in the park. I know that there are several backcountry options to hike to and that sounds amazing. With having Stella (our pup), it's always a little challenging planning these types of trips (dogs aren't allowed in the backcountry in both Grand Teton & Yellowstone Nat'l Parks), so we aren't able to do them as often as we would prefer. 

Jenny Lake is absolutely beautiful and I'd recommend planning to spend a day just admiring her beauty (if you have the time)! 

Also plan to camp directly in the park. We ended up camping just outside of the park last Summer (we stayed here) because we arrived later over Labor Day weekend and all of the campsites were previously booked. Still a beautiful site and only ~25 minutes outside of the Park/ Jackson Hole Ski Resort area, but I wish we could have gotten a site in the actual park. 

Ever been to Grand Teton National Park?

Camping or backpacking?

Trail Thursday: King's Canyon National Park

Happy Friday-eve! I honestly feel like this week has gone by REALLY quickly. Anyone else feel that way? Also- how is it already mid-August?!? Would time please move a bit slower? Although, I am really looking forward to some amazing Fall runs! What's your favorite part of Fall? I love the crunching sound of the leaves under my feet, apple cider, apple cider doughnuts, fresh apples, crisp cool mornings...I could go on and on ;) 

You actually come out above the sequoias to cross into Kings Canyon and see some pretty amazing views. When we visited, there were several wildfires going on (nothing like it is this year however) so the view was a bit hazy.

I wanted to continue our recap about our trip to California a few years ago (we went there in October 2016). We combined our day trip to both Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon. I'm not sure that I ever realized how close together (they're actually touching) these parks are until I started my research on them!

The SIZE of the tree trunks were just incredible. 

I think in a perfect world, we would have camped in either of the parks, but since our main "A" goal was to stay a few nights in Yosemite we skimped on staying longer in these parks. There is A LOT to see here and I'd recommend taking at least a few days to see everything and really take in the beauty and grandness of the parks. 

General Grant Tree

We parked several different times and walked around the nice paths that the park offers. Like Sequoia, the park doesn't allow dogs on any of the established trails (that we saw anyways) so it was cool enough for us to leave her in the car for small periods of time.

General Grant Tree from afar. 

Seeing General Grant Tree was absolutely the highlight of the park for us. 

The grandness and history of the tree was awe-inspiring. The walk to the tree was longer than some of the others (some were almost directly off the parking area), but there are several parking lots and great marked trails so you never feel like you may be lost. When we visited, it was also REALLY busy which was unexpected because other areas of the park seemed quiet. I guess this was one of the top "must see" groves in either of the parks. 

What's your favorite National Park?

Ever been to Kings Canyon National Park? Favorite spot?

Favorite part of Autumn?

Trail Thursday: Sequoia National Park

Happy Friday-eve! I wanted to share with you our photos from Sequoia National Park. We visited the park in October of 2016 and we DROVE there from Steamboat! We did a very long roadtrip where we visited a total of 5 National Parks during our 10 day trip! It was the majority of camping, but we also stayed in some hotels throughout our journey. Sequoia was one of our top parks to visit (and also most anticipated!)- we ended up spending most of the day seeing all of the sights at the park, but spent the evening in Fresno (at a hotel). I'm not too sure on camping sites for the park, but you can check them out here. 

Among The House Group at Giant Forest!

I thought the park was really easy to navigate, but we did visit it on a Monday so that could have made a difference in traffic throughout the park. It's also easy to combine visits to both Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks because they are so close together. The Giant Sequoia Groves are MASSIVE and so beautiful. Even almost two years later, their majesty still gives me chills. It's well-worth taking the extra time to see all of the groves and not just drove through the park, but get out and walk them! Most of the trails aren't dog-friendly, so we kept Stella in the car (luckily it was cool enough out- it was actually pretty chilly there!) and walked through most of the groves (Muir Grove was beautiful and quiet!). 

Driving in!

Looking up at the family trees!

She fits!

SO MASSIVE!

Ever been to Sequoia National Park?

Favorite National Park?

Redwoods- seen them or are they on your bucketlist??

Trail Thursday- Acadia National Park!

Happy Friday eve! Trail Thursday is back and I'm reminiscing on my Acadia National Park visit a few years ago along the coastline of Maine. I actually can't believe that this trip was the one time that I've ever been there (growing up in ME & all..). We ended up camping just outside of the park, which worked out fine. We visited in late August and the weather was fantastic. Acadia is definitely a driveable park, but it also has really great roads to run or bike on as well! I don't think I made it out for a run when I was there, but I remember thinking how fantastic all the roads were for those activities. There are also so many fantastic hiking trails (and also several views to drive to if you prefer). We were only there for a day/ two nights, so I didn't get to explore as much as I really wanted to and the pictures definitely do NOT do it justice! The lighthouses there were my favorite. 

I've got 6 easy miles on the schedule today and some full body strength training too! Getting it done first thing in the morning. so I'll have the rest of the day to recover. 

Ever been to Acadia? What was your favorite part?

What's on your workout schedule today?

Favorite time of year to travel?? <- definitely Fall!

Trail Thursday- Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nat'l Park

Happy Friday eve Friends! It has been so crazy cold and snowy here these past two weeks I almost feel like it's December (when in reality we had a pretty mild December *eye roll*). I've been stuck on the treadmill the past three days because it's been either icy or below 0*, but tomorrow it's going to be around ~10* (supposedly) and I am putting on all the layers and running my 6 miles outside. I really just need to get some fresh air! Speaking of fresh air, I am sharing some photos from our trip a few years ago to the North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. 

We ended up going here over Memorial Day weekend and scoring one of the few available campsites at the North Rim Campground and it was so beautiful there! Inspiration point was a short walk away and we did this trail so many times. It was around an 8 hour drive from Steamboat (so pretty long) and we arrived at the campground around 8 or 9pm and snagged the LAST campsite available! Because the campground is pretty small and no reservations available online, we were taking a gamble driving down there so late. I highly recommend visiting this park if you haven't yet! Getting to the south rim (the more popular) from the north rim is a several hour drive (which we didn't do). The campground had no cell service and that was also another added bonus- totally remote for a few days!

What's been your favorite National Park to visit?

How's the weather been where you are?