At 14,440 ft, Mount Elbert is the highest point in Colorado and second highest point in the continental United States If you are a peak bagger, this is one that has to be high on your list to do! There are a couple of common routes up the peak Below, the North Ridge is described, the route I took It is very straight forward, well signed, and accessible to most experienced peak baggers The two big challenges on Mt Elbert are weather and weather! The first weather challenge is snow pack On even an average snow year, ...

A short approach, short exit, and amazing slot section, what more could a canyoneer ask for This short outing is technically very straightforward and suited for all canyoneers It provides a good introduction before the more challenging West Fork of Big Spring, just down the road The short and casual nature make this a good choice for an evening route after doing something else during the day As of 2022, the canyon now contains a keeper pothole Be prepared for keeper pothole escape!

Though you would not suspect it today, the high desert of southwestern Wyoming was a sub-tropical ecosystem 33-56 million years ago During this time, a large lake covered the area near Kemmerer Wyoming and formed what is now referred to as Fossil Lake The lake and environment created a world-class bed of fossils that was first discovered in the late 1800's Since the late 1800's, the area has been mined for fossils by various locals It is home to many fossilized species of fish, reptiles, mammals, and a few differen...

Dating back to before 1060AD, the Lowry Pueblo is an impressive 40+ room pueblo The ruins are named after local homesteader George Lowry and were excavated in the 1930s Today the pueblo is protected as a Historic Landmark, with a modern roof covering some of the ruins Many of the walls and kivas are still in excellent shape The relatively nearby Chaco Canyon inspired the construction techniques There are, however, local techniques and styles in the construction as well Some of the structures were as tall as three s...

Located on a hillside a few miles southwest of Delta, Utah is a rock pillar that some think has a striking resemblance to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church The 35-foot tall pillar is known as the Great Stone Face and has been a bit of a local attraction since at least the 1920s Before it was known as the Great Stone Face, newspapers of the day referred to it as the "Guardian of Deseret" Visiting the stone face requires a short but steep hike up a somewhat loose trail The feature that looks like a face ...

This site is fascinating! The mine consists of large tunnels going into the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison rock formation The tunnels go back less than 200 feet, but are honeycombed, leaving open areas held up by pillars of rock It is quite a site to see Though visible from the highway, it is not frequently visited up close, but well worth the short hike to visit it in my opinion Visiting requires a true 4-wheel drive vehicle in most conditions, but walking from the paved highway is very reasonable and only adds ...

Fossil stops are always a bit of a gamble in our family About 1/2 the time we stop, poke around for a while, but end up not finding anything This stop is the opposite of that experience The Devil's Toenail fossils are plentiful and easy to find We really enjoyed spending a half-hour or so looking at fossils in the area Fossil Information: Oyster Gryphaea, also known as the "devil's toenail," is an extinct genus of mollusks belonging to the family Gryphaeidae These bivalve organisms are particularly distinctive for ...

Short and sweet, this is a canyon that greatly impressed me Though only a couple-of-hour affair, it makes a lovely jaunt if passing through the area and looking for a leg stretcher The narrows are short, but quite pretty and with a nice dramatic second rappel Not to be missed in my opinion! The bad Well, the canyon is home to an enormous amount of poison oak If you are sensitive, skip this canyon With a sharp eye and cautious foot work, we were able to avoid it The seemingly no longer updated Canyoneering NorthWest...

Thanks Ryan, that will be the next trip North when things dry out a bit  We love to photograph the ruins and rock art of the Southwest Your site has been helpful a number of times  TK

Hi Ryan! For us dummies that don't live in the Southwest can you please tell me where this is I can't even find the San Rafael Desert when I google it! Is it also called the San Rafael Swell Thanks so much!