Perhaps the main spot on every horror fans' list to visit is Salem, MA. It's known for the Salem Witch Trials, Hocus Pocus, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthplace.

Hiking in New England is quite different than hiking out west. The mountains are smaller, though trees are denser. Switchbacks are rare, though lakes are plenty.

While on our way back east to visit family, we stopped at our actual home in South Dakota for a couple days. We met up with some friends and spent the day in Deadwood where Kool Deadwood Nights and concerts were being held.

We had spent five years living in Livingston, MT, just outside of Bozeman, during the second half of the 10’s. So, before beginning the long trek back to New England, we decided to spend a couple nights near our old home area.

The Upper, Middle, and Lower Blue Lakes trail is 8.7 miles, 2,509 feet elevation, and is located outside of Telluride, Colorado. It is part of the Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area.

Telluride is a really cool mountain town located in southwest Colorado. To us this felt like the “Switzerland of America” rather than the nearby town of Ouray.

In early June 2024 we found two places in Utah that reminded us so much of our time in Switzerland. Those places were Sundance Resort and Lake Blanche.

We spent Memorial Day weekend exploring Capitol Reef National Park and Goblin Valley State Park. Both of these are a little out of the way in southeast Utah but are well worth visiting!

Easily one of our favorite hikes in the U.S. Druid Arch is an absolute gem of a trail in the desert. You need to find your way to The Needles in Canyonlands National Park and experience this hike for yourself!

Moab is a really cool town in between the desert and mountains. With plenty of hiking and outdoor adventures, there's plenty to keep you busy. Throw in two amazing National Parks nearby and this area is easily one of our favorites in the U.S.

Devil’s Garden is the most popular hike in Arches National Park. This is likely because it offers the most arches, varying terrain, spectacular viewpoints, and is long enough for a day hike.

This was one of the better hikes we’ve done. It’s challenging, lightly-trafficked, and has incredible views throughout. For those of you who want to escape the crowds to experience Zion and don’t mind a challenging hike, this is the way to do it!

During a short trip down to the Phoenix area for Siobhan’s training class, we took the opportunity to get a hike in around big cacti for the first time. The Granite Mountain Trailhead is a 5.5 mile loop and is located about 45 minutes north of Scottsdale.

The main reason we started our trip in Arizona was to check out Sedona. We took two trips down from our base in Flagstaff to this red rock haven.

The Grand Canyon, one of the wonders of the world. We spent much of the day hiking to Skeleton Point as well as stopping at a few other view points to take in the unique landscape.

Just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona there are two national monument parks that are worth visiting. They are only a half hour drive from each other and both can be done in one day.

Reinebringen is the most popular hike in all of Lofoten. It is special for it's picturesque view at the top which you can get to by taking 1978 stone steps placed by a team of sherpas from Nepal.

The Helestinden Peak hike is in the town of Vinstad, which requires a ferry to get to. This one ranks as one of our favorite all time hikes due to the incredible views and matching experience!

Today we hiked Nonstinden and Stornappstinden for our only multi-hike day in the Lofoten Islands. It was challenging with the wind and rain but we persevered and it paid off.

Deciding not to waste the entire day, we took advantage of the sunlight and hiked up Mannen trailhead.