Buttermilk Falls at Cuyahoga Valley NP

Blue Hen Falls

Where: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Trail: Unmarked Trail
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: ?
Adventure Rating: 4 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

We parked at Blue Hen Falls, which were very cool. Originally, we were going to hike to them from the Boston Store Visitor Center, but we ended up just parking there. I found a website that mentioned Buttermilk Falls and knew we had to check it out. It's not marked on any maps that I could find, but if you hike downstream from Blue Hen Falls, you'll find it. There is a rough unmarked trail heading that direction, but we spent most of our time walking on the rocks along the stream. The water was shallow enough that we could cross back and forth across it. It was way fun.

Buttermilk Falls

The linked website says that you should visit Brandywine Falls before spending time on this one. If you're judging the falls on size, then sure, I guess they are right. However, I completely disagree with this statement. I found the Brandywine falls so uninteresting that I didn't even take a picture of them. Nor did we bother to do the hike. The Buttermilk Falls might not be amazing, but the adventure of finding them was amazing. I say don't even bother with Brandywine.

Ritchie Ledges at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Where: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Trail: Ledges Trail
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 2 mile loop
Adventure Rating: 3 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

We started at the parking lot and hiked 0.2 miles to the first fork in the trail. We took a right, hiking 0.3 miles to the Ledges Trail, just south of the Ice Box Cave. We hiked past the cave, going north until we came to the steps that cut across the top of the Ledges Trail. After that, we hiked south to the overlook. From there, we hiked north on the connector trail and then cut across the field to the parking lot. I think the whole trip lasted about 2 hours, but probably because we stopped a lot to climb on rocks and explore off trail. It was definitely an awesome short hike.

Red Rock Canyon

Where: Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada
Trail: Calico Tanks Trail
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Distance: 2.5 miles round trip
Adventure Rating: 4 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

We paid the entrance fee and started the drive back (it's a one-way loop). As we drove past all the beautiful red rock that gives the park its name, I began to wonder if I had selected the right trail for us. And then we parked in the Sandstone Quarry lot and I just knew I had picked the wrong trail. The area was flatter and there was far less rock. Certainly not the mountainous boulders we'd just passed. Thankfully we decided to try it anyway. I am so glad we did. The hike was awesome!

The beginning of the trail is well-marked, but once you get into the rocks, it's harder to find, which makes it more fun. And anyway, there came a point when we quit the trail altogether and just climbed from boulder to boulder. Even though dogs are allowed on the trail, we didn't encounter very many, probably due to the amount of climbing we had to do. Our little dogs loved it. They are adventurous as we are. At the end of the trail, there is a view of the mountains and Las Vegas. If I'm ever in Vegas again, I am definitely hiking Red Rock again.

Joaquin Miller Park

Where: Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland, California
Trail: Big Trees Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: ?
Adventure Rating: 2 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

Joaquin Miller Park

Where: Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland, California
Trail: Sinawik Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: ?
Adventure Rating: 2 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

El Morro National Monument

Where: El Morro National Monument, New Mexico
Trail: Mesa Top Trail Loop
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Distance: 2 mile loop
Adventure Rating: 4 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash


The Inscription Trail portion of the hike was very easy. It's paved and flat. The beginning of the Mesa Top Trail is fairly strenuous as it is a 200-foot climb. In the morning, that part of the hike is in the shadow of the sandstone bluffs and was pretty chilly in November. Once we were on top of the bluffs, it was much warmer in the sun. Most of the trail is up on the sandstone bluffs, which is just cool.

See the parallel lines in the sandstone? That's the trail.

El Malpais National Monument

Where: El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
Trail: Sandstone Bluffs
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: n/a
Adventure Rating: 4 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

There isn't a trail per se, but there are plenty of places to climb all over the boulders.

BE VERY CAREFUL, THERE ARE STEEP DROP-OFFS. THIS AREA CAN BE DANGEROUS.

Petroglyph National Monument

Where: Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico
Trail: Piedras Marcadas Canyon
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1.5 miles round trip
Adventure Rating: 2 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash
 
The Petroglyph National Monument wasn't the most exciting hike, at first. The monument is located right outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. The parking lot for the monument is in a neighborhood, but once you get out there, you sort of forget about the city.

We hiked the Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail which is dog-friendly and free. According to the NPS website, the trail is "Easy to moderate unpaved trail." We didn't find anything even moderately strenuous about the trail--which is probably why we went off trail.

Along the 1.5 mile (out and back) trail, you can see hundreds of petroglyphs. They tend to be really cool at first, but by the 20th one, I was much less interested. Unless I saw a funny one like the one to the right.

Overlooking Albuquerque

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Where: Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas
Trail: Lighthouse Trail
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Distance: 5.75 miles round trip
Adventure Rating: 3 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

The pictures of Palo Duro Canyon on the state park's website show majestic rock formations, which was what drew me to the park in the first place. On the drive from Amarillo, my friends and I kept wondering where the rock formations were because the land was flat as far as the eye could see. It was like driving through Oklahoma--flat nothing. It wasn't long before we soon realized that the reason we couldn't yet see it was that it was a CANYON.

We paid the $5 per person fee in the gift shop and then proceeded to the parking lot at the trail-head for the Lighthouse Trail. Palo Duro is dog-friendly and we were able to bring our little dogs with us. The trail is 5.75 miles round trip, hiking out to the lighthouse and back to the parking lot. The majority of the hike is pretty easy. The trail is hard-packed red dirt and easy to trek.

We started the hike in the afternoon (not taking into account that the sun sets earlier in the winter) and ended up hiking back to our cars in the dark. When we started, it was sunny and 60, but by the time we were done it was dark and 50. We didn't bring our jackets with us, so we were a bit chilly.

As we were hiking up the last bit (which was really climbing) we ran into a man and his son. The man urged us not to continue on, but to turn back because it would be dark in an hour. When we asked how far it was to the end, he said less than a quarter mile. So we said we wanted to continue. He then proceeded to tell us that a lot of people had died at the park this year... because of the heat. The guy meant well, but the info he gave us was completely irrelevant. We did hike to the end and saw the lighthouse formation (and we didn't die even though the last thirty minutes of the hike were in the dark).

Ludington State Park

Where: Ludington State Park
Trail: Lost Lake Trail, Island Trail, and Ridge Trail
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Distance: 1.5 miles, 4 miles (both)
Adventure Rating: 2 Stars
Pet: Allowed on leash

Bay City State Recreation Area

Where: Bay City State Recreation Area, Michigan
Trail: Lagoon Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: less than 1 mile loop
Adventure Rating: 1 Star
Pets: Allowed on leash

If you're looking to go for a walk, it's a good place to do it. If you actually want to hike, it's pretty lame. The trail isn't very long and it's pretty uninteresting.

Ludington State Park

Where: Ludington State Park
Trail: Lost Lake Trail, Island Trail, and Ridge Trail
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Distance: 1.5 miles, 4 miles (both)
Adventure Rating: 2 Stars
Pet: Allowed on leash

We started at the parking lot near the beach and the boat launch. We started on the Island Trail, which involves boardwalks that span across the Lost Lake onto several tiny islands. The Lost Lake is peaceful and some day I'm going to go back without my dogs and kayak the lake.

We hiked the entire Lost Lake Trail until it ended at the Ridge Trail. Most of the Ridge Trail is on top of sand dunes which makes the trek a little more difficult. But from up there we saw a raccoon in a tree as well as a group of deer down in one of the valleys. We watched a couple of fawns hopping around playing for about ten minutes.

A flight of wooden stairs brought us down from the Ridge Trail and connected us to the Lost Lake Trail, which took us back to the parking lot. Of the three trails, the Island Trail is the most visually interesting. The Lost Lake trail is the easiest and the Ridge Trail is the more strenuous.

Old Man's Cave

Where: Hocking Hills, Ohio
Trail: Grandma's Gatewood Trail & Exit Trails
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: ?
Adventure Level: 4 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

We sort of got lost on this hike and therefore, I have no idea what trails we were on exactly or how far we traveled.

We also crossed a creek and found a trail that was closed due to fallen rock. That, of course, didn't stop me. We climbed up rock steps and were soon stopped by the destroyed trail.


So, I found a way across the middle, over boulders and downed trees. When I went back for Marc, I stepped on a downed tree that was damp and mossy. I don't really know what happened next, but I fell off the boulder and tree and landed hard on my hip and elbow. The bruise on my hip ended up being the size of my hand (not my palm, the whole hand). This was the first time I ever used my first aid kit hiking, though, so that was pretty exciting.

This is the area we crossed. In the upper left corner, you can see my blue shirt behind a tree--that should help give perspective on how big the boulders were that we were hopping.

After we made our way across that mess of boulders, we met up with a trail that took us to wooden spirl-ish stairs that led up to the rim trail. We decided to call it a day. It was late afternoon and the pain in my hip was making me walk funny.

Ash Cave Gorge

Where: Hocking Hills, Ohio
Trail: Ash Cave Gorge
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1/2 mile round trip
Adventure Rating: 1 Star
Pets: Allowed on leash

The Gorge Trail is easy, much of it being paved and wheelchair accessible. There is a small, but tall waterfall that makes for interesting pictures. Ash Cave also has a Rim Trail, but we didn't hike it.

Cedar Falls

Where: Hocking Hills, Ohio
Trail: Cedar Falls
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 1 mile round trip
Adventure Rating: 2 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

Of the places we visited in Hocking Hills, I think Cedar Falls was the least interesting to me. It had the most tourists in a small area and there just wasn't as much to see. We parked in the lot, walked a short ways on the trail before we climbed 59 steps and then crossed a sunny field to a bridge over Queer Creek. We followed the trail around until we were at the top of the waterfall. There was a small pool far over 100 feet away from the top of the waterfall, and we felt it was safe to venture into it. It was extremely slippery and icy cold. Thankfully, neither my sister nor I fell in. And then because I clearly haven't learned my lesson about hanging out at the top of waterfalls, I did just that. Thankfully, this time I was much more careful.

Rock House

Where: Hocking Hills, Ohio
Trail: Rock House
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 1/2 mile loop
Adventure Rating: 2 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

Marc is afraid of heights and there was one place in the cave (towards the end), where I was standing close to the edge and it was making him worry. I wasn't concerned at all--in fact, there was a place that I was able to jump down to and then to get back up, I had to have Dennis help me. I wanted to climb all the way down from the Rock House... it didn't look that far from where I was. Once on the ground, I could see that it was way higher and I never would've been able to make it.

I earned my first injury of the day when I jumped through some trees and banged up my wrist. It ended up scraped and bruised.

Cantwell Cliffs

Where: Hocking Hills, Ohio
Trail: Cantwell Cliffs
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 1 mile loop
Adventure Rating: 3 Stars
Pets: Allowed on leash

There isn't a lot of hiking at Cantwell Cliffs, but what they have is pretty cool. We descended stone steps, made our way through Fat Woman's Squeeze. There are tons of steps on this trail and boulders to climb on. It was a great start to our Hocking Hills adventure.