Tag: fall break

Posted on

Almost Heaven – Shenandoah

This year, for Fall Break, in addition to a short trip to Harpers Ferry and college tour for Eileen, they family and I spent basically 48 hours in Shenandoah National Park. If you’re asking whether or not this is adequate time, I think the answer is probably no. There were definitely things that we would’ve like to have done but couldn’t squeeze in

If you are wondering whether two days is enough time to get a good feel for the park and really enjoy it, then the answer is definitely yes.

Just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows. With over 200,000 acres of protected lands that are haven to deer, songbirds, and black bear, there’s so much to explore. We started at the North end of the park, at the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center and made our way south along the Skyline Drive.

The park is basically bisected by this drive, with plenty of things to do along the way. It is also surrounded by multiple small towns that offer various other activities.

Hikes

Bearfence Loop Trail: This 1.4 mile loop is one of the most popular trails in the park, not without reason. The way up involves several strenuous rock scrambles. It was quite difficult with a 3 year old strapped in, but we made it. We did it later in the day, which gave us a great view of the sunset, but it can be, and was at the time, extremely windy. Most of the other people on the trail turned back and scrambled back down, but it is actually easier if you keep going. The decent along a portion of the Appalachian Trail is quite mild. Alltrails was very helpful in this respect, as I am not sure it was clear to all that this trail is actually a loop.

Dark Hollow Falls: This is another great trail, and 1.5 miles out-and-back. Again, very popular, the way down to the falls is quite steep, so be prepared for a tough trek back up. When you reach the end, the payoff is solid, but honestly, not great. If you are hoping for a massive cascade, I think you’ll be disappointed. In terms of falls, I would put this at a 5 or 6/10, but the trail is definitely worth taking.

Excursions

Luray Caverns: We actually stayed in Luray, which is about halfway down Skyline Drive. In Luray, there is really cool set of caves that you can tour at your leisure. I love a good cave, and this one does not disappoint. That said, I recommend getting to the caves right when they open. They are very popular, which can lead to traffic jams inside the caves themselves. This area is well-developed, with several other things to do, including a ropes course that all three of our kids enjoyed.

Rafting: We took a trip with the Shenandoah River Outfitters. It was self-guided but very well marked. It was a little cold to be on the water in the fall, but our portion of the river was mild to the point that we didn’t really get wet. This company offers multiple options with vary degrees of difficulty, and we chose what we did as it allowed our 3 year old to participate.

Ziplining: Our kids love a good zip, and we made a reservation with Bear Mountain Ziplines. The tour included 7 zips, and for those of you experienced, it is the type that involves hand-breaking. Of the zips we’ve done, I wouldn’t put this in the top 5, but everyone had a lot of fun.

Horseback Riding: We actually didn’t get to ride this trip, due to my daughter’s college tour, but there are a few outfitters that will take you into the park itself. One, Mountaintop Ranch, will even let you go tandem with a little one.

Lodging/Food

Luray: We stayed in a VRBO in Luray, which was about 20 minutes from one of the park entrances. I recommend this only if you are unable to get lodging in the park. The lodging within is quite limited, so this is a good back-up option, but if you are planning well in advance, you are much better off within the friendly confines.

Elkwallow Wayside: This shop does not offer any lodging options, but is a must-stop. It is along the Skyline Drive and a regular stop for those hiking the Appalachian Trail. We ate lunch here, smash burgers from the grill, and stocked up on a few supplies for the house. The food is good, and the ambiance is unbeatable.

Skyland: This is one of the two main lodges in the park, and it has a restaurant and tap room. Of the two, we preferred this lodge less. The tap room is really just an offshoot of the restaurant with the same menu, and our wait was about an hour. That said, it was a nice place to sit and watch the sunset, and the food was fine. If it had availability, I would have been happy to stay in the Skyland Lodge, but if both had availability, I would definitely prefer Big Meadows.

Big Meadows Wayside: Big Meadows is the further south lodge, and I believe a little smaller. It feels a lot more quint, and their tap room is completely separate. This is where we ate, and the food and atmosphere were terrific. This was one of my favorite nights in the park.

If you’re heading to Shenandoah NP, there is a enough to do to fill a week. If possible, plan ahead and try to stay inside the park. I think you’ll be much happier that you did.

Posted on

Harpers Ferry in Four Hours

The Igoes have finally answered one of the world’s great questions: can Harpers Ferry be fully appreciate in just half a day? The answer is unequivocally no.

For fall break this year, including a college visit in DC, and a NP visit in Virginia, we decided to check WV off the list for all the Igoes who aren’t writing this blog. I have been several times, primarily driving to and from UVA with my dad and brother, but none of the rest of us had.

You may or may not be aware that a new NP exists in West Virginia, New River Gorge, but our youngest isn’t old enough for most of the river excursions, so we took the next best option, which, for me, is Harpers Ferry.

This beautiful historic site is tucked into the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, and has extensive historical significance, from John Brown’s abolitionist movement to a munitions hub during the Civil War. The area is beautifully maintained and a lovely place to spend a few hours.

That said, we probably could have put together two or three days here, especially without the kids. There are a lot of places to eat, a lot of mini-museums and a whole lot to see.

Things to Do:

Jefferson Rock: Getting to this feature of Harpers Ferry is a fun trek. You go up a set of old stone steps, past a Catholic Church that’s been there for year but is still in operation, to a beautiful look out that Thomas Jefferson noted as one of the most wonderful places he’d seen. You get a great view of the valley and both rivers. It is not a strenuous journey, and for me, is the best reason to go.

The Point: This feature is also a view of the confluence of the two rivers. It’s definitely worth seeing, and is only a few minutes off the main thoroughfares as you wander around town.

Appalachian Trail: America’s great hiking trail passes directly through Harpers Ferry, and you’ll have the opportunity to walk over the river alongside a train track that is very nostalgic and very unique. This was my favorite view of the area and shouldn’t be missed.

What We Didn’t Do:

There are several satellite areas of the National Historic Site that we didn’t have time to visit, and just about every restaurant looks great and has a John Denver-based name. I felt like we could have easily spent a long weekend in the park, and loved it. There might not have been a ton more for the kids to do, but as a couple, I think we would make a really nice getaway spot.

Posted on

In the Land of a Thousand Saguaro’s

This year, for fall break, we had initially planned to visit Boston. The last few years, we have enjoyed touring some of the great cities of the U.S., Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, and had intended to continue that tradition.

However, since the kids’ break fell after the end of baseball season, we decided to hold off on Boston for now and revisit the idea when we can see a game at Fenway. Instead, we found a place where we could easily fly and visit a National Park. The winner was Phoenix, which is about an hour north of Tucson, which is smack dab in the middle of Saguaro National Park.

To begin with, it is pronounced ‘sa-war-oh’ which I feel a little stupid saying, and is named for a pretty spectacular cactus that kind of reminds me a live oak with needles. This symbol of the American west is only found is small areas of the country and can be seen en masse in this unique National Park.

We flew out after school on Friday evening and landed in Phoenix, where we picked up a car from Budget. Total side note, if you have the opportunity to rent from Budget, I suggest that you might just be better off walking, no matter how far you have to go. No matter what the circumstances, it always takes at least 45 minutes to get your car from Budget, which is even more frustrating if you have ever rented from Hertz, National or Enterprise. I digress, but let me just close the book on this by saying that Budget sucks.

We drove about 15 minutes south and spent that night in a Hampton Inn in Chandler, AZ. I have stayed in many Hampton Inns before, and this one was underwhelming, but I can say that it was a better experience than I had with Budget.

That Friday day and night was basically a travel day, so we got up early, stopped at McDonald’s and headed south. We made a quick stop at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. It is believed that this complex was a meeting place for the Sonoran people, but the actual purpose of the large house is relatively unknown. It was a cool stop and another place to get the passport books stamped.

We probably stayed less than an hour, then made our way onto the main attraction. An interesting aspect of Saguaro is that it is split in two, with Tucson directly in the middle. The two halves are both pretty cool but are both quite distinct.

After getting our books stamped, we took the Bajada Loop drive, which is about an 8 mile excursion with multiple interesting places to stop. Our first stop was the Valley View Overlook, which takes you out into the desert to a great view of thousands of Saguaro cacti. It is less than a mile in-and-out and is a great introduction to the park.

Our next stop was at the Signal Hill petroglyphs, where indigenous artwork from hundreds of years prior can be experienced up close. I strongly recommend this drive and both of these stops. It is a great way to dive into Saguaro, and great way to experience the identity of the western half of the park.

Saguaro’s is interesting in that the east and western sides are actually quite different. Whilst both prominently feature the saguaro, the western half is far more of a flat desert, whereas the eastern side has vast changes in elevation, and is far more mountainous. If you are ambitious, both sides can probably be seen in one day, but we decided to break it up into a Saturday and Sunday.

For the rest of that Saturday, we tried to find something a bit less rugged for the kids to do, so we drove south for about an hour and a half to the frontier town of Tombstone. If you’ve never seen the movie, you should; it’s awesome. And honestly, the town did not disappoint.

We had not real plans going in, but ended up eating at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. Kate was Doc Holiday’s girlfriend, and her saloon is built on top of an actual bar that Doc and the Earp brothers frequented. It is certainly kitschy, but the food was good and the atmosphere is unique. The kids really enjoyed it, and the sell big ass beers, so that’s something.

After lunch, we took the kids over to Outlaw Ziplines, which only offers one zip, but there are several targets along the way that you can shoot with a laser gun. It is not a classic outdoor, awe-inspiring ride, but shooting the ‘bandits’ is a lot of fun, and it would be harder to find people working anywhere that are nicer than the staff.

Afterwards, on our way out of town, we swung through the Boothill Graveyard to check out the tombstones of the Clanton’s and McLaury’s, men killed during that shootout at the OK Corral. I really enjoyed our short stint in this old timey town. We only spent a few hours, but you could easily make a multi-day experience of it. There are several cool restaurants, tourist experiences and museums, and if I had the chance, I would definitely go back.

Our lunch in Tombstone was a late one, so we checked into the hotel and hung out there for the night. The place that we stayed, the Hotel McCoy, was a really interesting place. We discovered a website called Hip Lodge that helps travelers find old roadside motels that have been refurbished and converted into modern lodging. Hotel McCoy is really cool. It’s got a great atmosphere, a great pool and a cool lobby and bar. Staying at a place like this really helps to make the trip more fun than staying in a typical Holiday or Hampton Inn.

The next morning we woke and drove around the perimeter of the east side of the park to a trailhead of the Douglas Spring Trail. This trail is over 16 miles one way, but there is an interesting stopping point about 3 miles in called Bridal Wreath Falls.

Without telling the kids the length, we set off on this trek that is relatively strenuous and has a serious elevation change. It is a beautiful hike and extremely worthwhile. That said, at this time of year, the waterfall was little more than a trickle, and the pool at the bottom was nonexistent. This was a great way to spend the morning, and knocking out a 6 mile hike feels quite satisfying, but it would have been better if the fall had been flowing.

Afterwards, we gave the kids a break and went to eat at El Guero Canelo. This is a local chain, but it is very unique, and the food is great. On the ‘must-try’ list for Tucson is the Sonoran hotdog. This is a hotdog, wrapped in bacon, covered with a whole bunch of crazy crap, and it is delicious. We all got one to varying degrees, and we were all quite pleased.

We spent that early afternoon in the hotel pool, relaxing until about 4:30 pm, when we made our way back to the eastern part of Saguaro. We stopped at the Rincon Mountain Visitors Center (which is nothing special) and made our way onto the Cactus Forest Drive, which takes tourists through the mountainous half of the park.

We planned it so that we would arrive at a specific stop, the Javelina Rocks Overlook, in time for the sunset. This stop has some really large boulders that are perfect for climbing, and we got there in plenty of time to see the sun drop over the horizon. It was a little cloudy, so the view wasn’t quite as inspiring as the sunset we watched in White Sands, but it was still pretty breathe taking.

That night, we ate at an authentic Mexican cafe called El Charro. The place was slammed, especially for a Sunday night, but the food was good, and the atmosphere was great. It was a nice way to cap off what felt like a perfect vacation day.

The following morning, we checked out and went to get breakfast tacos at a local hole called Maicos. The food was really high quality, and again, the people who served us were as fantastic. Since our flight did not leave until the late afternoon, we made a slight detour to another National Park site.

The Tonto National Monument protects two cliff dwellings dating back hundreds of years. The higher dwelling requires advanced reservations and is about a four hour round trip. The lower dwelling can be toured at anytime, and is only about a steep, half-mile walk. My wife and I love these dwellings. They are so unique and fun to tour, but almost more fun to look at from a distance. Tonto is great place to visit, and another great place to get your passport book stamped.

We made our way back to Phoenix, drove the rental car into a ditch and got on plane home. Saguaro is a really unique park with lots to see. It does not require multiple days and frankly, is unlikely to blow your mind, but it is worth seeing and good way to spend your time in southern Arizona.