Mike FennellExplorer

This hike is short and sweet, with it only being 2.4 miles to the other side of the tunnel and back. It's easily accessible, located right off the highway at the Paw Paw Tunnel Campground on the Potamac River at the border of Maryland and West Virgina. The town of Paw Paw is on the West Virgina side of the Potomac River, but the trail is located on the Maryland side of the river.From the campgr...

This area is located on the other side of Independence Pass from Aspen, which is only accessible during the summer, or can be reached year-round via Leadville, which is about 20 miles away along Highway 24. From Twin Lakes Village drive approximately 1.5 miles east on Highway 82 and take the exit for White Star Campground. There are a few other campsites in the area such as Dexter campground, a...

There are a couple different trailheads that lead to Kit Carson Peak, but the one from Willow Creek Trailhead will give you the opportunity to peak another fourteener, Challenger Point, and let you pass through and/or camp at Willow Lake, which is a beautiful destination by itself. If approaching from the north, go 13.8 miles south on Colorado 17 from the Colorado 17-US 285 junction. If approac...

The Government Trail is beautiful and relaxing during spring and summer, but my favorite time to hike it is during fall because it goes through countless numbers of Aspen groves, which have turned a majestic yellow. After a moderate ascent for the first couple of miles, the trail become flat and peaceful for your viewing pleasure!The best way to access the trailhead is by parking at the Aspen R...

The caverns are located in the town of Luray, which is in the Shenandoah Valley of northwest Virginia. They can only be explored by tour, and at first I was hesitant to pay the $26 entrance fee, but after an hour-long tour that blew my mind, I had absolutely no regrets. The tour includes about 30 people, with a guide describing the details of the cavern along the way. It's easy enough to stay i...

This is a point-to-point trek so you can either begin at Te Paki Stream or the Spirits Bay campsite at Kapowairua. This description starts from the Te Paki Stream. To get here, you need to drive north on SH1/Cape Reigna Road until you reach the tiny village of Te Paki. Turn left onto the Te Paki Stream Road. Take this 2 miles to where it ends at the Giant Te Paki sand dunes parking lot.The trai...

Angel Oak Park is located just 12 miles from downtown Charleston, so it makes for a great mini trip if you're already visiting the beautiful area. The tree is half a mile down Angel Oak Road, off of Maybank Highway on Johns Island. The Park is free and open from 9am - 5pm. Tripods are only allowed to be used 100 ft from the root trunk, but otherwise the tree is free to explore all around and un...

The majority of this hike traverses through the beautiful forest that is part of the Holy Cross Wilderness. No significant views are to be had until you've climbed 1,300 ft over 2. miles and reach lower Savage Lake. The trail is easy enough to follow with no junctions along the way, and is adjacent to a stream for most of the hike. Once the first lake has been reached, follow the trail on the ...

The turnoff for Ross Lake Provincial Park is 3.3 km east of the Hazelton Visitor Center. Take Ross Lake Road for 1.5 km until it ends at the parking lot. The Rainmaker Trail is an easy 3.5 km hike along the perimeter of Ross Lake. The trail is very well maintained and is just about flat the entire way. Views of the lake can be had along the whole trail, but the best view for sunset is at beach ...

Park at the Buttermilk Ski Area parking lot and begin your hike up the mountain at the bottom of the Summit Express chair lift. Follow the 4x4 dirt road the entire way up Buttermilk. There are other small hiking trails that you can follow too, and with the entire mountain being a ski area, it's simple enough to follow any of the ski runs uphill in the summer. However, if you want to keep it sim...

Wapiti is the largest campground in the park with 644 campsites. The campgrounds are equipped with running water, showers, flush toilets, a camp kitchen and fire pits at each site. Firewood is available for purchase at the campground with a fire permit. Wapiti is more forested than the other campgrounds, providing a little more privacy per campsite. With the town in close proximity to the campg...

At the round-a-bout that leads into the town of Aspen, take the Castle Creek Road exit. Follow this road for 12 miles until you get to the ghost town of Ashcroft. The road itself is very scenic, so be prepared to pull over and whip out your camera!During winter, the road ends at Ashcroft and a cross country ski trail replaces it. In my opinion, the snowshoe trail is much better and more intimat...

The trailhead is located next to the Minister Creek Campground, which is 14.7 miles southwest from the town of Sheffield, via state route 666. If coming from the west on highway 62, the trailhead is located 20 miles from West Hickory along state route 666. There is a parking lot across the road from the campground, but the trailhead is on the same side of the road as the campground, less than a...

Maroon Mountain is among the Kitimat Mountain Range, and can be accessed from the unincorporated town of Rosswood. Follow the Nisga'a Highway north of the city Terrace for 34.5 km. Turn right onto the Wesach Creek forestry road (1.3 km north of the Maroon Creek highway bridge), and follow the signs for the next 2.5 km to the parking area at Hall Creek. The Hall Creek bridge has been removed so ...

The trail to Quartz lake begins on southend of the Bowman Lake beach. I recommend going in a clockwise direction and getting the steep bit out of the way, but the ~13 mile loop can be done either way. Follow the Bowman Lake shore on the West Lakes Trail for about half a mile and then you will find the split where the loop begins. Turn left if doing the trail clockwise. The next 4 miles will be...

Wabasso has 228 campsites and offers toilets, showers, a camp kitchen, and fire pits. You can purchase fire wood at the campground with a fire permit. Some of the sites are located next to the Athabasca River, so if you're lucky, you can snag one of those.  Keep in mind that all of the campsites are pretty open and exposed, so you won't have too much privacy from your neighbors.  For a map of...

Whistler's is home to 604 campsites. During the summer, the campground can get pretty crowded due to its size. The campground offers water, toilets, showers, electricity, camp kitchens and fire pits. Firewood can be purchased with a fire permit. From the campground, you can easily head into the town of Jasper, which is a close 3kms away. Book your campsite here: https://reservation.pc.gc.ca/J...

From downtown Basalt, drive up the Fryingpan River Road 28 miles and turn right on CR #504, also known as Elliot Way, just before Norrie Colony. Drive across the river and up the switchbacks for approximately 3 miles. Take the left fork, continue 1 mile and take the right fork approximately 1/2 mile to the trailhead on the left side of the road.The hike from the trailhead to the lake is 0.8 mil...

From Terrace drive south for approximately 11 miles south along Highway 37 to Furlong Bay Provincial Park campground. The trailhead is accessed via the gravel pit road on the other side of the highway from the Park. Walk past the first gate and keep to the right prior to the gravel pit. Follow the old road paralleling the power line for approximately 200m until you reach the trailhead. Parking ...

The perfect little adventure in the city of Hamilton, this waterfall is along the iconic Bruce Trail and can easily be turned into a longer adventure along the Grindstone Creek. It can be explored at any time of the year, whether you're looking for a lot of water in the spring, fall foliage in autumn, or a hot day with a cool mist in the summer.From Hwy 403 take the Hwy 6 N (Guelph) exit and tr...

Although the iconic Crystal Mill is the main attraction on this hike, the river that leads you there through the magnificent mountains of the White River National Forest is nothing short of extraordinary.Getting ThereThe hike is located in the small town of Marble, about 40 minutes east of Carbondale on Highway 133. Drive through the town and past beautiful Beaver Lake and find a place to park ...