A list of our favorite places of 2021

Every year we look back over our travels to make a list of our favorite experiences and places. This is our seventh year of "making our list and checking it twice." We are so blessed to get to hike, bike and kayak across this country, and we also include some of our  general favorite experiences. This year we have put our favorite hikes into two new categories--easy and moderate--rather than long and short. We are taking fewer 10-20 mile hikes, and we recognize that even shorter hikes can be challenging with steep elevation gain. Instead of trying to put them in some order of preference, we are simply listing them in the order that we experienced them this year. This long list is proof that we were once again blessed to wander some of God's best wonders! We would recommend any of these things, and would do them all again.

Favorite Experiences
Kenai Fjords cruise - Seward, AK
Driving the gravel roads of Alaska - especially Denali Road and McCarthy Road 

Hanging out at the fishing docks to see the day's catch of deep sea fish - Seward, Valdez, and Homer, AK

Camping for free in some of the most scenic places in Alaska

Rock scrambling at Veedauwoo Nat'l Recreation Area - Laramie, WY; and City of Rocks Nat'l Monument- Almo, ID 

Early morning wildlife sightings at Yellowstone National Park
Tide pooling and walking on any beach on the coast of Oregon

Buying fresh peaches - Palisades, CO
Zodiac boat whale tour - Bonavista, Newfoundland, Canada

Exploring the villages of Newfoundland, Canada
Picking blueberries in Newfoundland, Canada; Huckleberries in the mountains of Oregon; and Blackberries on the Oregon Coast

Favorite Easy Hikes
Thompson Pass Trail - Valdez, AK
Paint Mines - Colorado Springs, CO

Green Mountain West Ridge Trail - Boulder, CO
Gap Lakes Hike - Snowy Mountain National Forest, WY
Grand Prismatic Spring - Yellowstone National Park, WY
Big Obsidian Flow - Newberry Volcano National Monument, OR
Cleetwood Cove Trail to the shore of Crater Lake - Crater Lake National Park, OR

Stout Grove Trail - Jedidiah Smith State Park/Redwood National Park, CA

Devil's Kitchen Trail - Colorado National Monument, Fruita. CO
Skerwink Trail - Port Rexton, Newfoundland, Canada
Mantle of the Earth Hike - Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Canada
Chance Cove Coastal Trail - Chance Cove, Newfoundland, Canada

Favorite Moderate Hikes

Root Glacier Hike - Kennecott, AK

Curry Ridge Hike - Denali State Park, AK

Savage River Alpine Trail - Denali National Park, AK

Portage Pass Trail - Whittier, AK

Medicine Bow Peak - Snowy Mountain National Forest, WY

Falls Trail - Landen, WY
Brooks/Rainbow/Jade Lakes Loop - Dubois, WY
Bradley/Taggart Lake Loop - Grand Teton National Park, WY

Louise Lake - Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat, Dubois, WY

Strawberry Mountain - Prairie City, OR
Sahalie Falls Loop - Sisters, OR
Eagle Lake Trail - Lake Tahoe, CA

Wheeler Glacier/Stella Lake/Bristlecone Pine Loop - Great Basin National Park, NV
Corona Arch Trail - Moab, UT

French Beach to Spiller's Cove - Twillingate, Newfoundland, Canada
Signal Hill - St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Favorite Kayak Trips
Lake Raven - Huntsville State Park, Huntsville, TX
Lake Somerville - Lake Somerville State Park, Somerville, TX

Beaver Lake - Rogers, AR
Valdez Bay - Valdez, AK

Valdez Glacier Lake - Valdez, AK
Mirror and Marie Lakes - Medicine Bow National Park, WY

Fiddler and Louis Lakes - Landen, WY
Ring Lake - Dubois, WY
Snake River and Shoshone Falls - Twin Falls, ID
Clear Lake, Hosmer Lake, Sparks Lake - Sisters, OR

Favorite Bike Rides
Trinity Trace/Bakba Trail - Lake Livingston State Park, TX

Lake Somerville State Park Trailway - Somerville, TX

FORT (Friends of the River Trail) - Fort Smith, AR
Snake River Path - Idaho Falls, ID

Shevlin Park - Bend, OR

The Salida Trail - Salida, CO