Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
An unexpected roadside stop in North Park led to a look at open wetlands, wildlife, and the landscape being protected beneath the Continental Divide
Buena Vista, Colorado
A two-week base for the Collegiate Loop, the Sawatch Range, and a summit day on Mount Elbert
Collegiate West | Four Days Above Treeline
Four days across high alpine basins, exposed passes, and camps near 12,000 feet. The West delivered bigger miles, exceptional wildlife, and some of the strongest backpacking terrain of the entire trip
Collegiate East | Five Days in the Green Tunnel
Five days through pine, aspen, burned forest, and rain on the lower, sheltered side of the Sawatch Range. The East offered solid trail and steady climbing, but few sustained views
Medicine Bow National Forest
A quiet base at Ryan Park opened into days of alpine hiking, trail running, wildlife, and glacial terrain in Wyoming’s rugged Snowy Range
Bighorn National Forest
Glacier-carved valleys, alpine lakes, and nearly forty miles of hiking through one of Wyoming’s quietest mountain ranges
Custer Gallatin National Forest
Three nights in Hyalite Canyon revealed one of our favorite campsites and a national forest we have only begun to explore
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park
A hot, exposed Montana state park hiding the best-balanced cave experience we’ve found yet.
Gardiner, Montana
Gardiner may be known as Yellowstone’s North Entrance, but the river, mountains, and wilderness beyond the park became the real story of our stay.
A Field Guide to America’s Public Lands
America’s public lands may share a map, but they do not share the same purpose.
