"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list"

Here's a list of my top 5 favorite hikes. This list is made fully knowing there are much better hikes out there and I can't wait to be able to write about them all.

5- Emerald Lake Trail

Starting off with the most touristy trail you will probably ever find, BUT one that will always hold a special place in my heart. This was the first hike I did that really made me fall in love with the mountains. Emerald Lake Trail is in Rocky Mountain National Park, about an hour drive from the Denver airport. We've only done this hike in off season (Spring) which I've actually loved because the crowds are sparse and you don't have to buy a ticket in advanced to get into the park. This is a 3.2 mile easy out and back trail, and you will most likely encounter snow no matter what time of year you go, but don't let that fool you temperature wise, because by the end of the hike we always end up in tank tops.

4- Peekaboo Loop Trail

This moderately rated 5.2 mile loop hike in Bryce Canyon National Park comes in at number four for me. You start this loop at the top of the canyon and the view down is breath taking. This whole hike made me feel like we were on another planet. We did this hike in May and looped this park in with Zion National Park which I would highly recommend. Bryce Canyon is only a 2 hour drive from Zion. There are many hikes to do in this park, but this one is by far the best.

*It really doesn't matter which way you start this loop, it has it's incline going both ways

3- Timberline Falls via Sky Pond Trail

This 9.3 mile loop trail is located in Rocky Mountain National Park. This trail is rated as hard which is 100% accurate. Although we were unable to finish this hike due to not having ice picks or the proper ice scramble attire the view made this hike come in at number 3 for me. I'll never forget starting this hike off in a tank top and ending at the top absolutely freezing in all of my layers. We were not prepared clothing wise for how cold this would get. This trail reaches 10,660 Feet in elevation so even in June you'll need winter gear.

*This is the second hike that we were unable to finish. Funny enough the other hike was also in Rocky Mountain National Park and we had to stop due to how deep the snow was getting. We're coming back to finish both hikes one day

2- Bob Bear Trail

OK my number 2, this was such a memorable hike! Ryan was not thrilled about driving two and a half hours one way to get here from Cave Creek, AZ, BUT it proved to be well worth the drive. AZ in May is no joke, the temps for our hikes were high so finding hikes that ended around water were a must for me. This 8.3 mile hike in Tonto National Forest is rated Moderate, and has many warning signs along the way due to the hot weather and steep 4+ miles of incline on the way back. You start at the trail head and hike four miles down the mountain, when you get to the bottom you see this amazing blue and green spring to swim in. The water was so unbelievably clear and there were about four different spring areas you could get in and cool off before starting the uphill hike back.

1- The Narrows

I was hesitant to add a Zion hike in for my number one, BUT let me explain to you why this hike comes in at my number one spot. Over all I wasn't very impressed with Zion. It was over crowded, over hiked, and the park only really had two challenging hikes in it. To me this is more of a park for someone who wants to hop off the bus, see a pretty view, and hop back on.

As we were planning this last minute Zion trip (thank you COVID) I knew we had to hike The Narrows. I also knew we had to make it a priority to get there as early as possible and try to beat whatever crowds we could. We were in Utah in early May so the temps weren't that warm yet, but still warm enough for the water to be bearable. This 8.9 mile out and back trail in Zion National Park is rated hard, and it really was by the time we were done. I would highly recommend renting the waterproof hiking shoes, socks, and a hiking stick from Zion Outfitters located at the entrance of the park. We aren't sure we would have made it through the whole hike without those, plus they kept our feet warm and ankles protected. The rentals are no more than $30 for everything.

This is a highly trafficked hike so even if you are the first bus of people to pull up to the hike you won't be alone. The nice part about this hike is that after about a mile you lose almost everyone. Once we were two miles in we had The Narrows to ourselves and it was amazing. At some points the water was almost to my chin so. we pretty much swimming across some sections. What makes this hike challenging is hiking through the water and keeping your balance so although it's not challenging in elevation gain, by the time you get back to the trial head you'll be feeling it in your legs.

Over all an amazing experience AND something I would do again.

Bonus Hike- Avalanche Lake

When I was creating this blog and telling Ryan which hikes I picked he was surprised Glacier National Park didn't make the cut, and reminded me of a gorgeous hike we did there. Avalanche Lake Trail is a 5.9 out and back trail rated moderate. It was a pretty simple hike, but the views were amazing. We both agreed this hike was similar to Emerald Lake. It's a must see, but a very popular and heavily trafficked hike. I'll have to write a whole blog on Glacier National one day.

*There was a grizzly siting about a quarter mile ahead of us at the end of the trail, unfortunately by the time we got to the end the bear had gone already