Trails, Dusty Roads & Wild Places Worth Remembering
We’re Bill and Crystal — two Colorado-based wanderers chasing alpine lakes, red rock canyons, quiet campsites, rugged backroads, and the little moments that become the stories we tell long after the trip is over.
Here you’ll find our adventure journals, hiking stories, overlanding routes, destination guides, national park travels, year-end reflections, and Wild Ready tips for exploring with more confidence and care.
Thanks for wandering with us — your next adventure might just be a click away.
Recent Wanderings
Fresh stories from the trails, roads, canyons, campsites, and wild places we’ve explored lately.
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Continue reading →: Where the Trail Meets a Dream: Castle Ruins and Quiet Moments on Mount FalconBeneath a bright September sky, Mount Falcon’s trails led us through castle ruins and an unfinished presidential dream. Between old stone walls, foothill views, and garden tea beneath the pines, Irene and I found history worth lingering over.
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Continue reading →: Turtle Rock Loop: Granite Giants and the First Hints of FallAfter years of watching Vedauwoo’s granite towers slip past the highway, we finally wandered among them—following a quiet three-mile loop through aspen, pine, beaver ponds, flowing water, and the first golden whispers of fall.
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Continue reading →: First Hints of Fall at Zimmerman LakeHigh in Colorado’s high country, Bill and I followed the trail to Zimmerman Lake, circled its quiet shoreline, watched curious Canada jays, and noticed the first hints of autumn in golden grasses, changing leaves, late wildflowers, and a landscape caught between seasons.
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Continue reading →: Three Days in the Mummy Range: Backpacking to Lawn Lake & Crystal LakesA 3-day backpacking trip into Rocky Mountain National Park’s Mummy Range brought stormy nights, alpine lakes, moose sightings, and a long-awaited first visit to Crystal Lake—another unforgettable weekend exploring new corners of the park with Greg.
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 10Chapter 10: The Long Road Home. From an ancient inland rainforest and the turquoise Fraser River to Mount Robson, the Icefields Parkway, and one final waterfall, Follow the last miles of our journey home—ending with mountain roads, a surprise white owl, and the close of an unforgettable sixteen-day adventure.
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 9Chapter 9: Stories Carved in Cedar. From a final morning in Hyder to the end of the Cassiar Highway, Chapter 9 shifts from scenery to story—exploring Gitwangak Battle Hill, ’Ksan Historical Village, ancient trade routes, cedar longhouses, and the First Nations histories that gave new meaning to the landscapes we…
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 8Chapter 8: One Last Alaska Surprise. From Jade City and quiet Dease Lake to the glacier-lined road into Stewart, Chapter 8 follows our unexpected return to Alaska, a flood-altered Fish Creek, and one unforgettable evening above Salmon Glacier—where the road delivered another remarkable surprise before carrying us south again.
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 7Chapter 7: The Long Road South. From a quiet morning beside Kluane Lake to an off-road detour, Whitehorse hot springs, wildlife along the Alaska Highway, and the remote Cassiar, Follow the journey south into British Columbia—ending in Jade City beneath the first truly dark sky we had seen in days.
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 6Chapter 6: Alaska’s Final Encore. Our final day in Alaska carried us deep into Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, along rugged Nabesna Road and to the historic Rambler Mine, before we crossed into the Yukon for the first time and ended the evening camped beside beautiful Kluane Lake.
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 5Chapter 5: When the Road Changed the Plan. Three days carried us from Turnagain Arm and Seward into the waters of Kenai Fjords, where we watched whales feed, spotted puffins and sea otters, stood before Aialik Glacier, explored Exit Glacier, and followed the Glenn Highway inland toward a quiet campsite…
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 4Chapter 4: The Road to the Arctic. Follow us north on the Dalton Highway, where gravel roads lead across the Yukon River, beyond the Arctic Circle, through the Brooks Range, and over Atigun Pass. Along the way, unexpected wildlife, endless daylight, and shifting tundra carry us toward Deadhorse and a…
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Continue reading →: Into the Last Frontier: Chapter 3Chapter 3: Into Denali National Park. A journey into Denali National Park reveals braided rivers, tundra wildlife, snow-streaked mountains, and the working sled dogs that help protect this vast wilderness—before the day ends with an unforgettable night in an Alaskan treehouse.
