TRAIL2SPARTA​

Last fall I had the opportunity to hike through the Bighorn Crags and then down the Gant Ridge Trail. Initially we had planned to hike more through the Bighorn Crags, however, some forest fires made us take a left at the Gant Ridge Trail instead of continuing on through the BigHorn Crags. I will definitely be going back to spend more time in the Crags as this was one of my favorite places I've ever visited. There was such stunning beauty and it is so far off the beaten path t

Craters of the Moon is an intersting National Monument that has several miles of trails, some beautiful caves and is a great place for your family to explore. There are several short trail loops and out and back trails. It is a good idea to get maps from the visitor's center at the entrance and also to bring some good headlamps so that you can explore the caves. Toward the back of the park there are longer trails. These trails are less frequented than the shorter trails near

Chances are that if you live in Idaho Falls you've heard of the hikes to Upper and Lower Palisades Lakes. It takes about an hour to get to the trailhead from Idaho Falls and it's definitely worth the drive. Plus you can always stop at the "Square Ice-Cream" store in Swan Valley, Idaho on your way back home to refresh and recharge yourself after a great hike or camping trip. My family and I decided we would go hike up Palisades Creek just before the Fourth of July. We'd heard

During the summer of 2015 I had a weekend where my wife and kids were going to be out of town and I wanted to find an epic place to hike. I was planning to drive somewhere on Friday night, spend the night in my van at the trailhead, and then spend all day Saturday hiking and covering as many miles as possible. As I was looking for potential places to hike, I came across an article online (might have been on backpacking.com) that said that the Alice/Toxaway Loop trail was one

Taylor Mountain is the mountain you can see to the South East from Idaho Falls. Most of the "off-road" area is private and posted with "No Trespassing" signs. However, there are some trails and the Taylor Creek Road that is open to use for running and hiking. To get to the Taylor Creek Road, you go South on Ammon/Lincoln road. After about 4-5 miles of dirt road there is an intersection, if you go straight you go to an abandoned ski resort (which is posted with "No Trespassing

Probably my all-time favorite place to explore. It is located about 10 minutes SouthWest from Gunnison, Utah (about 5 minutes directly West from Centerfield, Utah). Lone Cedar Canyon road connects Centerfield, Utah with Scipio Lake. As a kid I spent hours either alone or with friends exploring this area, both on four-wheelers and on foot. Locals refer to the area as the "West Hills." There are some peaks, I don't know if they have any names. The highest reach around 7,200 fee

The Idaho Falls Greenbelt follows both sides of the Snake River through downtown Idaho Falls. If you stick to either the north side of Broadway or the south side of Broadway you can run for several miles without ever having to cross a road or worry about vehicle traffic. The section between Pancheri road and Sunnyside road is less popular and goes through some unmaintained trails and through South Tourist Park. I've come across homeless people hanging out/camping/etc. in both

About 45 minutes East of Idaho Falls is the Kelly Canyon Ski Resort. If you follow the road past the ski resort you will enter Forest Service and and will find lots of dirt roads, four-wheeler trails, and game trails that are great for running on. As an added bonus, during August and September there are quite a few places where you can find Huckleberries growing. There's plenty of elevation gain and lots of trails, both on the side of the Canyon where the ski resort is, and a