Whether you are embarking on your first visit or returning to explore backcountry terrain, this travel

The light kept shifting from silver to gold along the ridgelines, and we stayed put until the first breeze

A Sense of Place The island is bedrock first.

Hidden Valley Hidden Valley is the best first walk in the park, a short loop through a valley walled

a day, moderate, out to a quiet rocky cove on the north shore Timing Tip Book the ferry or seaplane first

for the Top 3 Haleakalā Crater (Keoneheʻeheʻe / Sliding Sands Trail): About 5 miles round trip to the first

A Sense of Place The sound arrives first: a thin trickle where spring water slips out of the rock.

hundred feet of elevation gain, 1–2 hours, easy to moderate Timing Tip Start the Wheeler Peak climb at first

We sat on the cold limestone, passing a bag of nuts back and forth, until the first stars came out.

For Guadalupe Peak, start at first light to avoid midday heat and the strongest afternoon winds.

The first thing I noticed at Great Sand Dunes was how little there was to hold onto.

Grounds and riverfront loop: A mile or two of flat, paved walking round trip, easy Timing Tip Book the first