Josiah RoeExplorer

If you are looking for something akin to true backcountry travel and scrambling in Maui, the Lau'ulu trail and the Pohaku Palaha summit on the north/north east rim of the Haleakala volcano is a great option. You will find solitude, unparalleled views of the crater, surreal high-altitude tropical rainforest, Maui, the Big Island in the distance and a sunrise that is impossible to describe. Note:...

Powerline Trail is a 1.9 mile spur off the Valley Loop Trail in the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area that climbs 1,100 feet from the valley floor to Mahoney Park.To get to the start of the trail, take the Valley Loop Trail .9 miles in the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area from the main entrance of the Natural Area, just off W County Road 32 C near Masonville, west of Fort Collins and the Horsetooth Reservoir....

Located at 11,360' and owned by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, Francies Cabin was built in memory of Frances Lockwood Bailey in 1994 and is located just a short distance (5 mile drive, 1.05 mile hike) from town of Breckenridge, Colorado. It has a summer and winter capacity of 20 people and includes a wood burning sauna. To stay at Francie's Cabin you must make a reservation as day-...

Molino Basin Campground is the only campground of the Catalina District of the Forest Service to be open year round due to its lower elevation at only 4500'. Its position along the Mount Lemmon Highway makes Molino Basin a perfect basecamp for further adventures in the Santa Catalina Mountains, and the Arizona Trail passes right through the Basin along Molino Creek which flows strongly in the S...

At just 121 miles long from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake, the Truckee River continues to produce the largest trout in the Lower 48. Fly fisherman commonly divide the river into two reaches – East & West, and there is excellent fishing to be found right in downtown Reno all along the Truckee and in Wingfield Park, an island right in the middle of the river that is crossed by S. Arlington Avenu...

Water Canyon is a narrow canyon on the southern side of Canaan Mountain in the Canaan Mountain Wilderness south of Zion. It makes for a great hike away from the crowds, though do not expect to have the trail to yourself as it is a great starting point for backpacking and canyoneering trips into the "Island in the Sky" Wilderness. To get there from Hurricane take Route 59 southeast for 22 miles...

The trip begins by turning off Nevada highway 447 onto the unmaintained Jungo Road (county road 49) and driving 19 miles to the end of the northeast spur of the mountain at a clear turnoff and rise in the road.There is an obvious use-trail for the first 500 meters or so, and simply follow the ridge to the obvious summit. There are a couple of false summits where contouring slightly below the hi...

All throughout the Marin Headlands are WWII-era bunkers, batteries and ruins, including a complex on the hillside above the Point Bonita Lighthouse that provide amazing views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate, and the north coast.Drive out to the parking lot for the Point Bonita Lighthouse in the Marin Headlands and take the trail to the lighthouse about 80 feet and then scramble up the hill to...

The Lower and Upper Relief Valleys are beautiful alpine valleys cut by Relief Creek in the heart of the Emigrant Wilderness and are an excellent alternative to Yosemite National Park if you're looking for solitude and no crowds. The East Flange Rock juts prominently over Lower Relief and is an easy scramble up and around the ridgeline from Upper Relief Valley. To get there, take the Huckleberr...

Matterhorn Peak in the northeastern Yosemite Wilderness is an SPS Emblem Peak and many regard it as the beginning of the High Sierra, as there are no peaks higher to the north in the Sierra Nevada.There are many routes to the summit, but the shortest and most direct (though not easiest) begins at the Twin Lakes Horse Creek Trailhead at the Mono Village Resort, aka "RV Hell", near Bridgeport, CA...

Dripping Cave sits tucked away in a corner of Wood Canyon, part of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, and the trail to the cave, while short, requires *at least* a 2.25 mile hike in from the nearest trailhead (West Ridge Trail to Mathis Canyon), though this is less than ideal as that route is 1,000' of decent on trails primarily used by mountain-bikers. The most straightforward approa...

The Desperado Loop in the Sweetwater Preserve is a great introductory mountain biking loop that is perfect for beginners, yet the Loop can also be tied into the larger Sweetwater Trail System for more advanced riders. Beginning from the parking lot, the Desperado Trail loop quickly rises to a ridge system that looks out over the alluvial plain on which the city of Tucson is built, and then lead...

Punta Baja is an old fishing camp and (mostly) summertime surf spot at the end of a dirt road about 40 minutes drive south west of El Rosario. Amenities and cel service are almost non-existent. There is a tiny market and restaurant that is rarely if ever open. You can sometimes buy fresh fish, abalone, and lobster from the fisherman. It is totally free. In other words, it is Baja perfection. To...

The tiny fishing village of Puerto Agua Verde has a church, a sometimes open bodega, and two "restaurants" which are rarely open and are exactly what you would picture of a small beach eatery at the end of a dirt road some 60 miles from the nearest gas station. The gorgeous, quarter-mile long beach is the center of the community, as the small bay provides a relative safe place for a handful of ...

There a numerous trails in the Laguna Coast Wilderness that proceed up and along the ridges and down into the canyons (or the reverse), and most are excellent for trail running, hiking, and mountain biking. A classic out-and-back (with many options for loops) begins at the end of Dartmoor Street and proceeds up the ridgeline on the Spur/Laguna Ridge fire road. Near the summit is a turnoff to th...

Fins & Things is a 9.4 mile classic Moab ATV / 4WD trail rated 5 by the Red Rock Four-Wheelers. It is steep, has great traction, some fantastic slalom cutes and of course, glorious views of the Moab redrock scenery. The one-way trail is broken into three sections and begins at campsite E-6 in the E campground, roughly 2 miles from the Sand Flats Recreation Area entrance station. From the Gr...

The story goes that twenty or so years ago, long before the advent of the Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski Area, some local Truckee boys decided to put a couple rope swings up on Long Lake near Soda Springs, CA, and they remain there to this day.Long Lake sits amongst a cluster of both man-made and glaciated lakes on a ridge between the Yuba and American River canyons. To get there, take the I-80 ...

The Ventura Harbor provides a protected entry/exit to the Pacific Ocean and is a great place to start a paddleboarding adventure.  Marina Park, at the end of Pierpont Boulevard, has a ton of parking, a free public launch, and there are boards to rent along the harbor. From the launch you can head south and west, out to the jetty's and the Pacific, or you can go East (left) and explore the homes...

The Rogue River is famous the world over for rafting and for its Steelhead runs, possessing a dramatic undeveloped canyon untouched by road and man, and being one of the Original 7 Wild & Scenic Rivers designed by Congress. And not only is it fantastic for rafting but entire sections are perfect for paddleboarding and the Mermaid Riffle, tucked away in the mountains in the town of Agness, i...

Owned by the State of California, Keys Beach sits at the end of a peninsula bordered by the Tahoe Keys marina inlet to the west and the Upper Truckee River to the east. This relative isolation along with its only access being by water or a single trail keeps the beach remarkably quiet relative to the surrounding "tourist" beaches, making it an ideal place to take in one of Tahoe's unparalleled ...

The Ventura River and Ojai Valley Trail, effectively the same trail, is a gorgeous 32 mile trail that runs from Seaside Park in Ventura to downtown Ojai. It runs along and across the Ventura River and through the Ventura Canyon, with views up and down numerous side canyons and ravines. The trail is entirely off-road, is a Class 1, and perfect for families. The route alternates between shaded an...

Sky Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore is a dramatic, mostly single-track trail that runs along the main spine of the Inverness Ridge and across highest mountains in Point Reyes, looming above the Olema Valley and Highway 1 which mark the San Andreas Fault rift zone and the dividing line between the Pacific and North American plates. The trail takes you through several ecological zones incl...

Cataviña is place unlike any other in Baja and therefor unlike anywhere else in the world. Massive boulder-features akin to Joshua Tree or the Alabama hills are surrounded by deep-cut washes, pinturas rupestres (painted caves), towering tentacle-like boojum, and massive cardon cacti, creating an otherwordly landscape that most only take brief note of as they push south towards more well-known l...

Black Sands Beach and all of the Lost Coast is almost indescribable in its ruggedness and beauty. Black Sands Beach sits along the southern portion of of the famous Lost Coast Trail, and is accessible by one of the two roads that go across the King Range to the ocean. From 101 in Garberville, head into Redway and then take the Shelter Cove Road. Follow the signs to Black Sands Beach. The other...