The Well Worn Shoes

Wanderlust Welcome

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Disclaimer
    • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • National Parks
    • Acadia
    • Yellowstone
    • Great Smoky Mountains
    • Grand Canyon
    • Utah National Parks
    • Badlands
  • Dog Friendly
  • Road Trips
    • One Day In Guides
  • Destinations
    • United States
      • New England
      • Southwest
      • South
      • Mountain West
      • Midwest & Great Lakes
      • Mid-Atlantic
    • Canada
  • Gear
  • Shop
One Day Of Chasing Waterfalls On The Upper Peninsula

October 12, 2021

One Day Of Chasing Waterfalls On The Upper Peninsula

The Stanley Hotel: Spirited Night Tour

September 28, 2021

The Stanley Hotel: Spirited Night Tour

Vermont Fall Bucket List

September 14, 2021

Vermont Fall Bucket List

10 Fun Fall Festivals In Pennsylvania

September 7, 2021

10 Fun Fall Festivals In Pennsylvania

The Best Dog Friendly Fall Hikes in New Hampshire

August 31, 2021

The Best Dog Friendly Fall Hikes in New Hampshire

10 Best Things to Do at Badlands National Park

August 24, 2021

10 Best Things to Do at Badlands National Park

The Ultimate Salem Fall Bucket List

August 17, 2021

The Ultimate Salem Fall Bucket List

Wizarding World: Secrets, Sips, Eats, Magic

August 12, 2021

Wizarding World: Secrets, Sips, Eats, Magic

One Day In Sleepy Hollow, New York

August 10, 2021

One Day In Sleepy Hollow, New York

The ULTIMATE Guide to Wizarding World of Harry Potter

August 3, 2021

The ULTIMATE Guide to Wizarding World of Harry Potter

12 Fun Things To Do In Cape Breton Highlands

July 29, 2021

12 Fun Things To Do In Cape Breton Highlands

11 Must See Waterfalls In The Smokies

July 27, 2021

11 Must See Waterfalls In The Smokies

  • ← Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 8
  • Next →

On the Blog

  • Destinations
  • History
  • National Park Love

Join the List

The Well Worn Shoes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Connect

One day in Rocky Mountain isn’t enough. Here’s how One day in Rocky Mountain isn’t enough. Here’s how to make it count anyway

If you’ve only got 24 hours, here’s the play:

Book first. Bear Lake Road needs its own permit, they sell out, so grab them early on recreation.gov.

Then: start before the crowds and the afternoon storms, hit the overlooks along Trail Ridge Road, do Bear Lake + Alberta Falls (if you get a permit), and break for the smoked pheasant chowder at @birdandjim in Estes Park (genuinely one of the best things I’ve eaten on the road).

End at Sprague Lake when the light goes gold.

Save this now so you’re not Googling “easy hikes Rocky Mountain” from the trailhead with one bar of service.
turns out “doing nothing” in a national park is th turns out “doing nothing” in a national park is the most I’ve ever felt like myself. 🦌
old water, older trees, and a sky doing its best w old water, older trees, and a sky doing its best work right before dark. some places make you feel like a guest in something ancient. this is one. 🌅

📍 Wakulla Springs, FL
Lamar Valley is where Yellowstone stops being a po Lamar Valley is where Yellowstone stops being a postcard and starts being a nature docuseries. Bison traffic jams, wolves you have to squint for, elk drama at dawn. 🐺

🚫 Please make sure to keep your distance. All photos were taken with a zoom lens. 

📍✨Save this for your trip to Yellowstone so you can come back and brag about how many animals you got to see 😉
Utah has a mountain where you’re allowed to just…d Utah has a mountain where you’re allowed to just…dig for your own topaz. And somehow nobody talks about it.

Topaz Mountain is exactly what it sounds like, a stretch of high desert where you show up, pick a spot in the rhyolite, and crack rock until little crystals fall out. No guide, no fee, no gift shop. Just you, a hammer, and the slowly dawning realization that you’ve become a person who collects rocks on purpose.

Came home dusty, sunburned, and weirdly thrilled about a handful of crystals. 

10/10, would dilly-dally through the desert again.

📍 Save this for your Utah list 🔨💎✨
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2026 The Well Worn Shoes · Theme by 17th Avenue