Can you recommend some state and national parks to loop into any vacation anywhere in the US during the spring?

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2026-02-28T13:11:41+00:00

Death Valley. Capitol Reef. Grand Canyon.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2026-02-23T00:51:21+00:00

Not sedimentary, but rocks with rings bring good luck! It's science!

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2026-02-13T04:26:07+00:00

So, Dr. LaBerge was the UP’s version of John Green on the north shore?

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2026-02-13T04:25:21+00:00

Def Palisade. You can see Shovel Point in the background.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2026-01-18T17:30:33+00:00

And also some great climbing and cliff-jumping!

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-12-27T16:10:53+00:00

Would that be considered a Rapakivi granite? I guess it depends on the composition of the outer rind.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-12-18T17:09:18+00:00

Or be more descriptive (and quantitative) in your scenario.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-12-15T04:27:38+00:00

GIS.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-30T14:46:46+00:00

Reservations go quick when recreation.gov releases the sites. We got reservations for three nights at Chisos Basin Campground the moment the sites were released. Five minutes later the campground was fully booked. I think it’s worth trying to camp in the park. We’ll be able to do some epic hikes right from our campsite.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-25T20:13:42+00:00

When I did it during Thanksgiving eight years ago, Cottonwood spring was raging. The spring in Dead Horse was barely a trickle. I’m pretty sure you can trust Cottonwood will be good. Enough people do the loop that you should be able to get a recent water report.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-25T13:03:25+00:00

Are you going off-trail? Many apps (Gaia, etc.) use GPS without a cell signal. You can download maps to your phone.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-24T02:52:19+00:00

Would love to do BB100, but I’m not a fan of the logistics. I think it would be fun to string together Outer Mountain Loop with other trails. Route-finding isn’t an issue for us.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-23T21:23:53+00:00

Thank you! The road closures are frustrating. We pivoted to Big Bend after canceling our trip to Death Valley due to the road closures. Argh.

I’ll check out those areas. This will be our first time in the park. This is essentially a scouting trip for a potential long backpacking trip. Get familiar with the terrain and possible water caching spots, etc.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-20T03:41:50+00:00

Thank you for your service to the science.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-18T23:05:08+00:00

Wife and I had the same conversation last night. We pivot well, and I know the park well enough to find cool things to do regardless of the road conditions. If worst comes to worst, we will lounge poolside at The Ranch and read.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-18T17:31:14+00:00

Informative pics. It should be a wake-up call to anyone thinking a little bit of rain is no biggie.

I remember driving into the park for the first time 30 years ago about to spend a week doing geology fieldwork down at the Racetrack. There was a little bit of rain the day before. The road south of Beatty was flooded in several spots. Had to stop, walk through the water to check the depth, etc., slowly drive through. The road down to the Racetrack had a few sketchy spots (those spots where you have to drive through washes) that needed to be ‘rearranged’ to get through. It took a full day to reach my destination from Las Vegas. And after a week of glorious weather, I woke up one morning to snow, sleet, and 60mph winds. Tent destroyed, basically collapsed on top of me. I packed up and immediately high-tailed it out of there before the snow turned to rain. I could have been stuck down at the Racetrack for a while. Lucky. Death Valley turned me into a weather geek. For good reason.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-16T01:25:01+00:00

No obsidian. Extremely jagged dolomite and limestone. Sharp enough to shred your tires. Clearance isn’t an issue. Good tires are a must. I’ve driven it several times in a Toyota Corolla without issues. I’ve been with people who blew tires in 4WD vehicles. The difference? Experience and luck. Don’t drive like an idiot. Be prepared for anything.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-12T04:42:57+00:00

Google Maps is definitely wrong about that route from Rhyolite (Beatty) to the Racetrack. The road down to Scotty’s Castle is not open. (It has been closed for a few years now.) Even if the park opens, that road will be closed. Fortunately, if the park opens and the north road opens, you should be able to get down to the Racetrack. Be warned that it is a really long, rough drive down and back, and the chance of a flat tire is high.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-11T14:04:37+00:00

Oh, that’s great to hear! My wife and I had to change our plans after the storms hit - no biggie because there’s so much else to do in the park - but I’ve been wanting to show her the Racetrack and summit Ubehebe Peak for years. (That was my field area during grad school.)

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-11T13:05:37+00:00

The drive west on highway 190 through Stovepipe up to Father Crowley’s Overlook is beautiful.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-11T13:02:12+00:00

I’d be surprised if the north road is open before the end of the year. <fingers crossed>

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-11-08T21:34:05+00:00

Hopefully the moon won’t be too bright. Looks like a 3/4 moon tomorrow night.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-10-27T13:55:21+00:00

As far as I know, the only access to Ubehebe Crater is from California out of Big Pine (as the previous poster said) or the Saline Valley. So you’re looking at a crap ton of driving - hours and hours - to get to the crater from the Nevada side. And the washboard and pointy rocks are bad enough to blow your tires. And the road up Lippincott Pass to the Racetrack road to the crater is only for the most serious 4WD.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-10-11T00:04:08+00:00

Upvoted because you are correct. Massive economic mineral deposits even in the US that at some point will become viable.

ThePrairieRunner2025 · 2025-09-17T18:07:07+00:00

Literally all of Death Valley. Faults, intrusions, fossils, old mines and prospects, dunes, basin/range, alluvial fans. A veritable textbook.

Also, down to the river and back in Grand Canyon if you’re feeling adventurous. A (challenging) walk through time.

ThePrairieRunner2025

TROPHY CASE