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Navajo National Monument Canyons and Scenery in Arizona in the American Southwest
Navajo National Monument Canyons and Scenery on the Colorado Plateau in Arizona in the American Southwest. A great hike to the Betatakin Overlook near the Navajo Nation.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf612Bs8POQ
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf612Bs8POQ
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GRANI
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Granite Falls, Green Mountain Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado in Summer of 2020
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7yskRolRQE
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COAST
coastal-redwood-sequoias-the-eel-river
https://www.theamericansouthwest.com/redwood-national-state-parks/avenue-of-the-giants Avenue of the Giants is a 33 mile scenic road through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and surrounding groves that perfectly encapsulates the preserved and undisturbed old growth Redwood Trees of that region. The Avenue follows Freeway 101 and the Eel River as it snakes its way through gorgeous stands of tall Redwoods and picturesque scenes of the River. But remember, only stop or park OFF the roadway. Not on it. Just some of the amazing sights you’ll see on the Avenue include: Franklin K Lane Grove, Bolling Grove, Lansdale Grove, Pioneer Grove, Hidden Springs Campground, Shrine Drive Thru Tree, Williams Grove, Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center & Interpretive Association, Burlington Campground, Founders Grove with the fallen Dyerville Giant at 375 feet & The Founders Tree, Women’s Grove, Arbor Grove, The Immortal Tree, Eternal Tree House, the Eel River, and so much more.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Northern California houses the largest remaining old growth Redwood forest in the world so you’ll get to see plenty of the beautiful cinnamon colored towering trees as well as picturesque contrasted forests of shade and fog. Within the park is the Avenue of the Giants road through the groves of Redwoods, there’s over 100 miles of trails to explore, tons of campsites, plenty of places to fish and swim, wildlife such as Roosevelt Elk and the Banana Slug, and a ton more to do and see.
Sequoia sempervirens aka, the Coast Redwoods are the tallest living trees in the world. They can reach over 300 feet tall and plenty of em do in the State and National Forest area. Th oldest known tree is 2,200 years old. Surprisingly though, trees only an inch in diameter can be 30 years old and many of the trees can grow 200 feet in less than a hundred years. The tallest tree found so far is 367.5 feet tall, which really can’t be imagined or even photographed well. It’s just something you’ve got to see in person. The Redwoods are naturally resistant to insects and they make great building materials for homes and furniture, which is why they were cut down so egregiously. More are grown than are harvested, thankfully.
The area receives over 80 inches of rain a year so it’s bound to be a little moist, especially with the fog that will roll in or sometimes stay put for days. All that moisture is necessary for the trees that make this place special. And it helps with the moody atmosphere of the beautiful landscape.
The moisture’s also necessary for the amazing Banana Slug which needs a wet world just to survive. The Banana Slug is one of the largest slugs in north America at up to 10 inches long. They can travel a whopping 6 and a half inches per minute… okay, that’s actually impressive for a slug. In the Redwood forests, they’ll eat the saplings of all other plants and trees on the forest floor but they’ll leave the Redwood saplings alone so they have a symbiotic relationship with the giant Redwoods. The tall trees then create a moist and shaded environment which the slug needs to survive and get around.
Also, be on the lookout or, rather, have your ears open to the haunting sound of the Varied Thrush. The bird lives high in the trees and its eerie call is quite alien sounding. Which makes sense on account of the Redwoods being Endor, the home of the Ewoks.
The area is also surprisingly seismically active, which is because it’s the place where the three tectonic plates meet; the North American Continental Plate, the Gorda Plate, and the Pacific Plate. This seismic activity is most pronounced at Cape Mendocino. Cape Mendocino is reached by the amazing Lost Coast Highway.
The American Indian Sinkyone people who historically lived here for a couple thousand years, speak an Athabaskan language. Which is very closely related to the Apache and Navajo languages of the American Southwest. I explain the possible reasons for that in my upcoming Apache series, so stay tuned. The Sinkyone American Indian People’s trade goods have been found as far as the Eastern coast.
When the Europeans arrived in the 1850s, the settlers cleared the trees and forests in droves to make way for… farms. But then the lumber industry became vital. I’m much more okay with the idea of using the wood as opposed to clearing it for farmland. In reality though, the entirety of California is covered in cattle land, it seems. Even in the beginning though, the Redwood trees were seen as more valuable and significant alive. By 1918, the Save the Redwoods League was formed to do just that. And thank goodness they did.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYiYozhHcGo
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GYPSU
gypsum-sand-dunes-of-guadalupe-mountains
https://www.theamericansouthwest.com/guadalupe-mountains-national-park/gypsum-sand-dunes At the western end of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, down from the Mountains but with an impressive view of El Capitan, are the Gypsum Sand Dunes which will no doubt remind the explorer of the white gypsum dunes of the nearby White Sand Dunes National Park. There’s no real trail. You just park your car at Williams Road and start exploring.
You’ll be walking through ancient dried playas and near the Butterfield Stage Route. This was the first transcontinental mail route and was only able to be used after the Mescalero Apaches were finally driven from the area after 30 years of war. An intense and insightful history podcast episode is coming over the Apache so stay tuned. I also talked at length about these dunes and the Buffalo Soldiers who got stuck in them in my history podcast series over the Buffalo Soldiers.
This area was underwater 260-270 million years ago when a tropical inland sea covered the area. The Guadalupe Mountains are actually an ancient Coral Reef known as the Capitan Reef.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7dFHmyCvEU
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CRESC
crescent-moon-sunset-from-negro-hill-in
https://www.theamericansouthwest.com/joshua-tree-national-park/negro-hill The Negro Hill Hike is a challenging & steep ~1.5 mile roundtrip hike without a trail up a seemingly nondescript hill that offers 360° views at the top as well as views of the Joshua Trees below, Mt San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, Queen Valley, Quail Mountain, The Wonderland of Rocks, distant purple majestic mountain ranges & more. It is a perfect sunrise or sunset hike. The way to reach the trailhead is to head down the dirt Desert Queen Road and park at the trailhead for the Pine City Hike. The hill (Spanish for black), is directly to your west, it’s the one to the left of the trail. Pick a route and head on up. Make sure you’ve got good thick hiking boots on and watch out for the many cacti that grow out in the desert, especially since there’s no real trail. Towards the top it can get steep but it’s alright if you just take your time. Make sure to also bring a headlamp or flashlight in case you watch the sunset on the mountain, which my wife and I did and it was amazing. And don’t forget to bring PLENTY OF WATER! Also, watch out for tarantulas and snakes and other desert critters. Just use common sense and try not to destroy the landscape as you explore it.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iymXs4ViZ2E
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EL CA
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https://www.theamericansouthwest.com/yosemite-national-park/yosemite-valley It’s no wonder one of the main attractions of Yosemite National Park is the valley itself. It is an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place surrounded by towering granite walls like El Capitan and Half Dome as well as cascading waterfalls like Yosemite Falls. There are tons of loop trails that meander throughout the valley and the many gorgeous meadows. You’ll run into rivers, creeks, tall trees, wildlife, and stunning views no matter where you are in the amazing valley. 12 miles of paved bike paths also wind their way through the valley. There’s tons of camping and quite a few lodges and hotels with restaurants and cafes as well. Shuttles also make getting around easier when the place is packed. There are two main villages in the valley: Yosemite Village & Curry Village and both have lodging, food, parking, and trail heads. In Yosemite Village there’s the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center and Ansel Adams Gallery and gift shop (9am-5pm) as well as the massive store. Ahwahnee Hotel with Ahwahnee Bar and the Ahwahnee Dining Room which does require “Appropriate attire” are also near Yosemite Village. Yosemite Museum & Indian Cultural Exhibit, which I somehow missed completely, unfortunately is also located near the Visitor Center. Curry Village is the spot for hiking to the trailhead for Vernal and Nevada Falls as well as Mirror Lake. There are tons of places to pull over and enjoy the trickling rivers, crashing waterfalls, tall trees, sheer cliffs, and the many beautiful sights. Although extremely busy, Yosemite National Park is an absolute gem of a spot that is filled with hikes, enormous ancient trees, scenic viewpoints, waterfalls, lodges, campsites, trails, museums, history, and a whole lot more. You can visit for the day or for the week but you will never run out of things to do. My wife and I camped in November near the Wawona Hotel at the south end of the park and it was absolutely lovely and peaceful. The drives into the park and around the park and valley are very gorgeous (when not following horrible & inconsiderate California drivers). There are so many opportunities to pull over, turn off the truck, and enjoy the sights. Glacier Point is a famous lookout but it was closed for the winter when we were there. Actually, there are a ton of places that will close in the winter because of its height in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. That’s the trade off though, go in the summer when everything is open… and everyone is there. Or go in the off season when a lot is closed and… it’s still insanely busy.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbzUTtA2MAE
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OLD R
old-russian-fort-ross-state-historic-2
On California’s Pacific Coast Highway (“The 1”) tucked away at the top of a bend above Fort Ross Creek lies the incredibly well preserved historical Russian Fort known as Fort Ross. Fort Ross State Historic Park has a visitor center, exhibits, a gift shop, library, a Russian Cemetery, the remains and restorations of the Russian Fort & many settlement buildings, and a commanding view of the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding coastal landscape.
Fort Ross once held Russian sailers, fisherman, hunters, and settlers (as well as their Alaskan Native Alutiq allies) beginning in 1812 when the Russian-American Company built it. Now it’s a lovely stop as you travel the California coast. My wife and I even saw whales breaching out to see in November! While gorgeous, it can be a harsh landscape with winter storms bearing gale force winds, 44 inches of rainfall a year, and layers of thick fog. Surrounding the Fort are steep cliffs, a cove with still water, coniferous forests, grasslands, and even old growth Redwood forests!
The Park was established in 1906, making it one of the first in the state, and it preserves this awesome corner of American colonialism by those other forgotten explorers. Western European Anglos weren’t the only peoples to lay claim to what Manifest Destiny eventually conquered (as my Spanish in the American Southwest historical podcast series covers).
Before the Russians built the Fort though, the Kashaya band of Pomo people lived in the area with their famous baskets and they gathered, fished, hunted, and harvested sea salt for trade. Their famous baskets can even be found in museums as far off as St. Petersburg in Russia (The Kunstkamera or Great Museum).
Beginning in the mid 1700s though, Russian peoples along the western coast of that large Empire began sea-faring for fur-bearing marine mammals. This would lead to the 1784 settlement on Kodiak Island of Alaska built by Gregory Shelikov. 15 years later, in 1799 Tsar Paul would grant this new group of Russian Capitalistic Explorers known as the Russian-American Company full monopoly on all fur expeditions in the New World. Eventually the Russian-American Company had settlements from Sitka, Alaska to the island of Hawaii and they’d hunt from that far northern province all the way down to Baja California, killing every sea otter and sea lion they could find.
To facilitate easier hunting though, in 1809 the Russian-American Company’s Chief assistant, Ivan Kuskov was sent to find a permanent settlement spot somewhere on the coast of California. He would eventually choose this spot, north of Bodega Bay and north enough away from the Spaniards to not be a problem. In 1812, he’d return to this spot with 25 Russians and 80 Alaska natives to begin building the settlement. The name Fort Ross is named after Imperial Russia herself, or Rossiia.
Much of what they grew was actually sent to feed the Russian settlements in Alaska and a lot of what they caught was sent there as well. Surprisingly, by this time, they had hunted out all of the marine mammals in that northern area.
At the fort they built an impressive wall and hauled up quite the amount of cannons and built a well stocked armory. They didn’t want to fight the Spaniards or local American Indians so they built an imposing warning to those outside the walls. Although, eventually, settlements for the mixed populations and lower class Russians would pop up nearby and around the Fort.
The first ever ship built in California was actually built at the Fort as well. That ship was called the Rumiantsev and it was completed in 1818. Only two years later though, by 1820, the marine mammal population as far south as California… was gone. Russian leaders then put halts on the hunting of these creatures which were actually the first such laws ever for the Pacific Ocean. The Russians were also big into science and studying the area. From the California Parks pamphlet: “Russians contributed greatly to Claifornia’s scientific knowledge. Their voyages expanded the study of geography, cartography, ethnography, geology, meteorology, hydrography, botany, and biology. results gained from Russian voyages brought about many early charts of California’s north coast.”
By 1841, the Russian-American Company sold the land to John Sutter (of Sutter’s Mill fame). Eventually it was sold to a George W Call who would built a huge ranch and ship out a bunch of goods that helped build the west. The Calls actually owned most of the ranch property until 1973.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYgEwm2Yiec
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PUEBL
pueblo-bonito-at-sunset-in-chaco-culture
https://www.theamericansouthwest.com/chaco-culture-national-historical-park Chaco Canyon National Historical Park is an incredible place of immense archaeological beauty and significance. You could spend many a day, week, or month exploring this place and never even come close to seeing it all or coming to an understanding of what its significance to the people who built it was. But its significance to those who visit it today are clearly evident in the reverence shown to the area. I absolutely recommend visiting and exploring and enjoying this ancient place. Be warned though, it can get very hot in the summer and quite cold in the winter. I’ve been in June and January and have felt both extremes. There are two ways to get to Chaco Canyon and both are bumpy unpaved roads with the occasional washboard patch but the drive is absolutely worth it. The way most people come is from 550 some 21 miles on 7950. The other way is from the south on 57 and is also about 20 miles but is a little rougher. Regardless of which way you arrive, you will immediately notice the intriguing and visually inescapable Fajada Butte as you approach the Park. The Park has numerous ruins and hikes both short and long with plenty to see and do and take in. The area is a reverent yet exciting place and I recommend spending all the time you need there. It isn’t a place to pass through, even if the people who built it did just that. From the visitor center there’s a small trail to some petroglyphs and a ruin called Una Vida.Also from the visitor center the one-way street starts that will take you northwest towards the park’s gems. The first stop is Hungo Pavi. Chetro Ketl’s huge kiva and long wall is up next. Then the massive Pueblo Bonito comes into view and is worth exploring completely. Up next is the Pueblo del Arroyo and just a bit of a walk further lies Kin Kletso and the Pueblo Alto Complex hike, one of my favorite hikes of all time. Even further beyond Kin Kletso is a hike (7.4 miles roundtrip) that takes you to Casa Chiquita, the Supernova Pictograph, and Peñasco Blanco. I haven’t visited these treasures yet but I will. Now the road heads southeast and the first stop is the hike (3.6 miles roundtrip) to Tsin Kletsin and the Casa Rinconada Community. The Tsin Kletsin is another hike I have not yet completed. And another hike I have yet to do but will one day is the Wijiji hike (3 miles roundtrip) which is across the street from the Gallo Campground turn. I’d heard about Chaco Canyon in my Archaeology classes in college and I couldn’t wait to visit and both times have been magical. I have planned on going four times but sometimes the desert can be a tricky place to visit in the spring when weather can turn roads impassable and make camping uncomfortable. If you’re interested in the unique and exciting history of Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the surrounding Four Corners Area, listen to my history podcast which details in depth, the people, their culture, and the landscape. I have an entire series, starting with the Ice Age and going right up to the Spanish which covers the Anasazi, Ancestral Puebloans, Mesa Verdeans, Mogollon, Hohokam, and of course, the Chacoans. The Pueblo Alto Trail is one of my favorite trails of all time. It’s a 5.1 mile loop that takes you above the beautiful ruin filled canyon and lets you experience the history of the place from a bird’s eye view. To get to the trail you have to park at the Pueblo del Arroyo parking lot before walking for .3 miles on the old jeep trail towards Kin Kletso where you can wander around the high walled ruins. Then in the back of the ruins against the vertical canyon wall the trail takes you up the naturally and human carved little slot canyon towards the rim. Once on the rim, the trail morphs into an exciting and unforgettable walk as you follow the rim above the ruins. Across the canyon and the road is the Pueblo del Arroyo which sits just above the arroyo. After the split in the trail which brings you back from the Pueblo Alto Complex, Pueblo Bonito comes into view and its massive ruins are so exciting to see from this vantage point. The high walls, kivas, ceremonial spaces, and big houses are an incredible feat by the Anasazi / Ancestral Puebloans. Chetro Ketl is next and is equally as awe inspiring with its long straight walls. If you get at the right vantage point, a line of ruins is visible to the northwest from the cliff’s rim. But from here the trail ventures away from the canyon’s massive ruins of big houses and kivas and heads north up onto the open mesa top for about a half mile before turning west. Eventually the distant Chuska Mountains can be seen with the ruins of the Pueblo Alto Complex which you can usually explore in solitude. From the Pueblo Alto Complex it’s another .6 miles south towards the canyon rim again and then .7 miles back to Kin Kletso. When you’re back at your vehicle you’ll wish you could immediately do the hike again… at least I did
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PN8Y3nF6ws
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HIKE
hike-with-saguaro-cactus-on-the-black
Hike with Saguaro Cactus on the Black Canyon Trail in Arizona North of Phoenix in the American Southwest. Great place to see water, canyons, cacti, and more.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZxo49hj_I
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SAN J
san-jacinto-mountains,-pacific-ocean,
San Jacinto Mountains, Pacific Ocean, Santa Ana Mountains, & Channel Islands in Southern California from a road that leads to Santiago Peak in the summer of 2022.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLM5nlCWsJE
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