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  • Phoenix To Grand Canyon: The Ultimate Winter Road Trip Guide

    There's something magical about the Grand Canyon in winter that most visitors never experience. Fewer crowds, snow-dusted red rocks, and crisp air that makes the canyon's colors absolutely pop, ...

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    Phoenix To Grand Canyon: The Ultimate Winter Road Trip Guide
  • 15 Best Dog Friendly Hikes at Acadia National Park

    Updated March 2026 Acadia is one of the most dog friendly National Parks in the United States, and honestly, it's the reason we keep coming back. The first National Park east of the Mississippi ...

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    15 Best Dog Friendly Hikes at Acadia National Park
  • The 18 Best Things to Do in Bar Harbor, Maine

    (A Local's Guide for 2026) Bar Harbor, Maine, is one of those places that grabs you and doesn't let go. I've been coming to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park for years, but in 2025 Brian and I ...

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    The 18 Best Things to Do in Bar Harbor, Maine
  • The Ultimate Winter Guide to the Grand Canyon

    Hikes, Lodging & Can’t-Miss Spots Here's a secret that most people don't know: winter might actually be the best time to visit the Grand Canyon. January transforms the Grand Canyon into a ...

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    The Ultimate Winter Guide to the Grand Canyon

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March 10, 2026

Phoenix To Grand Canyon: The Ultimate Winter Road Trip Guide

Phoenix to Grand Canyon Winter Road Trip featured image - taking in the views at Bell Rock Vortex in Sedona, one of the stunning stops along the scenic route through Arizona's most beautiful landscapes

There’s something magical about the Grand Canyon in winter that most visitors never experience. Fewer crowds, snow-dusted red rocks, and crisp air that makes the canyon’s colors absolutely pop—January through February is secretly one of the best times to visit Arizona’s most iconic destination.

March 6, 2026

15 Best Dog Friendly Hikes at Acadia National Park

Three dogs hiking the Little Long Pond trail in Acadia National Park, Maine — a brown mixed breed and two huskies on leash on a sun-dappled wooded path along the turquoise shores of Little Long Pond, highlighting Little Long Pond as a peaceful and dog-friendly walk in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island near Seal Harbor, Maine, perfect for hiking with dogs in Acadia

5 hikes that you really don’t want to miss the next time you take your pups to Acadia National Park…

February 24, 2026

The 18 Best Things to Do in Bar Harbor, Maine

18 Best Things to Do in Bar Harbor, Maine - sunset over a tranquil harbor near Acadia National Park captures the magic of Maine's coast, from lobster boats at anchor to pink granite shores and golden skies

Bar Harbor, Maine, is one of those places that grabs you and doesn’t let go…

February 17, 2026

The Ultimate Winter Guide to the Grand Canyon

Here’s a secret that most people don’t know: winter might actually be the best time to visit the Grand Canyon. January transforms the Grand Canyon into a serene, snow-dusted wonderland, and while you may need to bundle up, this time of year offers advantages over peak season.

January 27, 2026

2026 National Parks Guide: New Fees, Reservation Systems & Timed Entry Explained

Acadia National Park

Updated February 20, 2026 The 2026 national parks season brings the most significant policy changes in decades. International visitors now face a $250 annual pass fee (up from $80) plus $100 per-person surcharges at 11 major parks—effective January 1, 2026….

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December 26, 2025

The Best Things To Do In Camden, Maine

Camden, Maine is known as the ‘Jewel of the Maine Coast’ and for good reason! It is a picturesque town by the sea with a gorgeous harbor that you can imagine yourself enjoying on a daily basis.

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Hi! I'm Vanessa, a 30 something, sunset chasing traveler. I'm here to inspire you to travel wherever, whenever, and with whoever you can. My Huskies, Loki and Freya are usually along for the ride. I have a soul that likes to wander, a desire to experience the unknown, and a curiousity to discover things off the beaten path. I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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Let's be friends! I know e-mails can suck but mine won't and I promise cute pup photos too!

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Recent Posts

  • Phoenix To Grand Canyon: The Ultimate Winter Road Trip Guide
  • 15 Best Dog Friendly Hikes at Acadia National Park
  • The 18 Best Things to Do in Bar Harbor, Maine
  • The Ultimate Winter Guide to the Grand Canyon
  • 2026 National Parks Guide: New Fees, Reservation Systems & Timed Entry Explained

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It’s World Bear Day and I’m mentally back in Cades It’s World Bear Day and I’m mentally back in Cades Cove, watching a black bear completely ignore 47 minivans pulled over to stare at him. Living the dream, honestly 🐻

The Smokies have one of the healthiest black bear populations in the eastern US, around 1,500 bears across the park. That’s something worth celebrating AND protecting.

Because here’s the thing: those bears don’t need us. They need us to leave them alone. No feeding, no approaching, no tossing snacks out the window because he looked hungry. (He’s fine. He’s a bear.)

The best wildlife encounter is one where the animal walks away completely unbothered by your existence. That’s the goal. That’s the win.

If you haven’t driven that loop at golden hour with the windows down and zero agenda, add it to the list immediately.

Happy World Bear Day to the bears, the conservationists, and everyone who’s ever sat in a bear jam and felt absolutely no regret about it.

📍 Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
📸 all photos taken with a zoom lens
The locals know about this one, and now so do you. The locals know about this one, and now so do you.🐾💚

Little Long Pond. Carriage roads. No cars. Former Rockefeller estate that’s now yours to explore for free. And yes, your dog can swim.

12 minutes from Bar Harbor. Zero entrance fees. All the tail wags.

This is the kind of place you come back to every single trip. 🐾

Full dog-friendly Acadia guide on the blog - link in bio!

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#acadianationalpark #barharbormaine #hikingwithdogs #dogswhohike #acadiawithdogs
No one talks about this place near Acadia and hone No one talks about this place near Acadia and honestly I almost don’t want to share it 🤫

Little Long Pond is the most dog-friendly spot near Acadia and most visitors have no idea it exists. Your dogs can be OFF-LEASH here. October–April, anytime. May–September, before 10 AM and after 4 PM. (Ours remain leashed because huskies, ya know? 😂😆)

It’s a 2.2-mile loop around a pond on gorgeous Rockefeller-style carriage roads with four designated dog swimming spots and a boathouse straight out of a painting. It’s free, open year-round, and sits on 1,000 acres of the former Rockefeller estate.

What to know:
* 12 min from Bar Harbor off Route 3
* Only 32 parking spots - go early
* Dogs NOT allowed on Harbor Brook Trail

Go before everyone finds it! Keep in mind that there are horse drawn carriages that frequent Little Long Pond. 

🦞🤤 - After your hike do yourself a favor and stop by Northwest Harbor where @thebuckinglobster is parked and grab yourself a bahn mi lobster roll 🦞 truuust me, you won’t regret it! 

Full guide on our favorite Acadia dog friendly hikes on the blog - link in stories! 

✨ Save this for your next Acadia trip and send it to a dog parent who needs it.
June in the Uintas and Mirror Lake hadn’t gotten t June in the Uintas and Mirror Lake hadn’t gotten the memo that summer arrived 🧊🌷

Still frozen. Still impossibly beautiful. Honestly? Better than I ever could have imagined.

The Uinta Mountains in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness are one of those places that feels like a secret, even when you’re standing right in the middle of it. Mirror Lake sits at over 10,000 feet elevation, which means snow and ice can linger well into early summer, and if you’re lucky enough to catch it mid-thaw, you get this surreal, glassy stillness that lives in your memory forever.

If you’re planning a visit, late June through July is peak season, but don’t sleep on early June if you want that frozen magic with fewer crowds. 

The drive along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway (Highway 150) alone is worth the trip 😍

Some places don’t need perfect conditions to be perfect 🏔️

📍 Mirror Lake | Uinta Mountains, Utah
🐾 Dog-friendly trail access nearby

🗓️ Pro tip: Check road opening dates - the byway typically opens mid-May depending on snowpack
Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 If Ireland isn’t on your Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 If Ireland isn’t on your travel list yet, let this be your sign. 

The Wild Atlantic Way, 1,500 miles of rugged cliffs, mist-covered mountains, charming villages, and roads so narrow they’ll absolutely rearrange your nervous system, is hands down one of the most breathtaking drives I’ve ever done.

I’ve been to Ireland 5 times. I will go back a sixth, seventh, and honestly however many times it’ll have me.

A few of my can’t-miss stops on the Wild Atlantic Way 
👇 🏰 Ashford Castle (and yes, I did the hawk walk - life-changing for someone who WAS scared of birds) 
🌊 Cliffs of Moher - no photo prepares you for standing at 702 feet above the Atlantic 
🚗 Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula - pure magic, drive it clockwise 
🐑 The Connemara Loop - bog, mist, mountains, and zero regrets 
🍦 Murphy’s Ice Cream in Dingle - Irish Coffee + Sea Salt flavor is not optional, it’s required.

Save this post for when you’re ready to plan 🍀

Ireland travel guide · Wild Atlantic Way road trip · best drives in Ireland · Cliffs of Moher · Dingle Peninsula · Ireland bucket list · coastal road trip · travel inspiration · scenic drives Europe · Ireland itinerary
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