Josiah RoeExplorer

The beloved iSoar (so named by its creator when a local bar owner said it was an "eyesore ruining my sunsets") is a repurposed sailboat anchored to the floor of Half Moon Bay which ropes, swings and platforms for leaping into the ocean.Designed and built by the engineering maestro Karl (of the Roatan Institute of Deapsea Exploration) it has become an iconic part of West End and an essential exp...

The endlessly scenic Trojan Point can be reached by taking the Panoramic Highway to Pantoll road from Stinson Beach to the west, or Mill Valley / Highway 1 to the east. It can also be reached by taking West Ridgecrest Boulevard from the north from the Fairfax-Bolinas road.  Park at the large parking lot just off Pantoll road but below Ridgecrest Blvd. and the Rock Springs Parking lot. Numerous...

Table Mountain sits smack dab in the middle of Red Mountain Open Space, an area known to geologists (and settlers) as "The Big Hole", a singular and unique landform that peaks into the "basement" rocks that underly northern Colorado and Southeastern Wyoming. Soapstone cliffs and bright red Dakota Sandstone are just some of the remarkable features that can be seen along miles of hiking, mountain...

The coast of British Columbia defies description. It is a wonderland of natural treasures both living and geological, and the vast majority of it is only accessible by water or seaplane. The Miller Islet at the entrance to the glacier-carved Jervis Inlet is both a harbor seal and seabird colony and a fantastic way to get a taste of the Sunset Coast. To get there make your way to the hamlet of E...

From the USFS website:  "Mammoth Cave, at 8050 feet in elevation opens to one of the largest lava tubes in Utah with over 2200 feet of passages. Formed by cooling lava and flowing water, Mammoth Cave is part of the Markagunt Plateau. Geologists believe that some of this lava is only several thousand years old – relatively young in geologic terms! During summer months, the cave is a popular nigh...

Peach Canyon is the *the* iconic cycling road in the Paso Robles area, beginning downtown and connecting with many other roads in the mountains west of town making for numerous beautiful loops through vineyards, orchards, and black oak groves. Peachy Canyon Road begins at Olive and 6th Street and heads west into the mountains for 10.5 miles until it ends at Vineyard Drive. From there you can he...

Lookout Peak in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness off Highway 4 provides solitude and wonderful views of the surrounding Sierra Nevada including the Mokelumnee and Emigrant Wildernesses. Even on summer weekends you'll likely have the peak and surrounding area all to yourself.Lookout Peak can be done as a straightforward day hike, often times in conjunction with the nearby Peep Sight, Henry, and Bul...

Cataviña is one of those places that defies description and is a favorite of all who visit Baja beyond the typical tourist haunts of the border towns and Cabo. It is an almost-alien landscape of massive boulders strewn amongst the world's largest cactus, the cardón, interspersed with the giant tentacle-like boojum. Just off the road you can find the ruins of a long-abandoned museum set next to ...

Fisherman's Cove is a protected beach and cove in Laguna Beach at the bottom of Boat Canyon that is tucked away from the hustle, bustle, and crowds that are often found at other nearby beaches. Further, parking is easily (relatively speaking) found along Cliff Drive. The beach itself, especially at low tide, is a perfect put-in for stand up paddle boarding and for longer trips sea kayaking the ...

In 1910 a group of University of Arizona students took local basalt rock and constructed a 160' block "A" on the east face of Sentinel Peak overlooking Tucson, giving the prominent peak its most commonly known name. Now the area is part of the 272 acre Sentinel Peak Park, and features a great network of hiking and running trails, and massive saguaro cacti. Because of its ease of access (you can...

The Tucson Mountains are home to Saguaro National Park and the Tucson Mountain Park, the latter of which is a massive 20,000 acre park that is home to huge forests of giant saguaro cacti, a wide diversity of desert wildlife, and several long-abandoned farms and ranches like the Bowen Homestead, colloquially known as the Bowen Stone House. The Bowen Stone House is most easily accessed via the Bo...

The Oceanside Harbor is a great place to paddle board with easy parking and access to restaurants, and all protected from the wave and swells of the ocean. Often times there are sea lions, pelicans, and other marine life swimming among the hundreds of beautiful sailboats. Paddleboards are available for rent from Oceanside Boat Rentals. Checkout the Essential Gear for Adventure in Oceanside.

Zephyr Cove on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe is a fantastic starting point for a host of water sports and activities and given the protected nature of the cove, a great place for kayaking for both beginners are more advance kayakers. Depending on the time of year and the water level on the northern end of the beach there are several rock islands which can be explored. To get to Zephyr Cove ta...

Whether you're a beginning, intermediate, or advanced paddler, there are numerous ways to explore via sea kayak the protected waters off the coast of Laguna Beach. You can bring your own or rent and book a tour from several shops in town. An excellent starting point is at Fisherman's Cove just off cliff drive, with excellent parking and wide stairs with room to take a kayak up and down. From th...

Greenwater Valley in the southeast corner of Death Valley National Park is a fantastic representation of the many features that the Park has to offer but without the crowds (and traffic) found in the primary campgrounds like those around Stovepipe Wells and Texas Spring. In addition to being quite large and with almost endless campsites, it is still only a 30 minute drive to Badwater and many o...

The Marine Garden at Harris Beach State Park is one of the 7 designated Marine Garden's on the Oregon Coast where the ecosystem is protected and the collection and disturbance of tidal flora and fauna is prohibited. Interpretive hikes and guides are available through the State Park system, as are campsites in the State Park. To get to the State Park, take Highway 1/101 a quarter mile north of t...

Green Ridge is a fantastic series of summits in the Front Range that make for excellence training hikes, but is often forgotten as it lies outside of the nearby Bobcat Ridge Natural Area and just inside of Roosevelt National Forest. The summit itself at 7,402' is fantastic, featuring a nearly 900' drop into Jug Canyon to the southwest and expansive views of Rocky Mountain National Park includin...

Obstruction Pass State Park is something of a hidden gem on Orcas Island given that its nearby neighbor, Moran State Park, gets most of the tourist attention. What this means is that you can find solitude and quiet, *and* make a visit to the only publicly owned beach on the island. There are several interconnected trails in the part but Sound View Trail is the only one that leads to an epic vie...

Bahía de Concepcion on the eastern side of Baja California is one of the most iconic and beautiful places on the peninsula. It and its beaches are *why* people drive for two days out into the middle of nowhere. It is a place that makes Baja, Baja. Bill's Beach, so named for a Canadian man who came on his retirement trip in a 2008 Lincoln sedan and never left (and still lives in a tent next to t...

The shoreline of "Lake" Mead is what you would expect of a large, man-made reservoir with fluctuating water levels (muddy & unpleasant), but that is not to say that the Lake Mead National Recreation Area is not filled with incredible places to explore (it is), and Boxcar Cove is a solid spot to camp / boondock for free (depending on when/where you enter the Area) on your way to those places...

D.R. Trail, named for David Rice Pulliam who donated the land to create the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, is a 3.1 mile spur off the Valley Loop Trail that climbs roughly 1,000' into Mahoney Park before it intersects with the Powerline and Ginny Trails. To get to the start of the trail, take the Valley Loop Trail either direction (4.8 miles clockwise, 4.4 counter clockwise) in the Bobcat Ridge Nat...

Black Bear Pass (el. 12,840’), officially known as Forest Service Road 648, is an infamous 4WD road that runs between U.S. Highway 550 (between Silverton & Ouray) and Telluride, CO. From the pass downhill through the Ingram Basin to Telluride, the road is one-way and features switchbacks and the notorious “Steps” with several hundred meters of drop-off on either side. If driving, you *must*...

Granite Lake is a pristine alpine lake near Lake Tahoe just off the Highway 89 above Emerald Bay. To get there park at the Bayview Campground Trailhead, which can be pretty crowded in peak season so get there early. The trail begins with an split: right takes you into the Desolation Wilderness (and Granite Lake) and left goes to Cascade Falls. Go right and before do be sure to grab a day pass f...

One of many magical nooks and crannies to explore all along the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, Thunder Rock Cove sits between the iconic (and more popular) Natural Bridges and Secret Beach.  The hike to the cover overlook is an easy .75 mile hike down from the Thunder Rock pull-off that is just past the well-marked Natural Bridges turnoff, about 12 miles north of Brookings. Note that...