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June 9, 2026

The Complete Guide To Getting Out On Frenchmans Bay

Complete guide to Frenchman Bay near Bar Harbor, Maine - featured image of the working harbor with moored sailboats, a classic Maine tugboat, and pine-covered Bar Island under dramatic clouds, the iconic view anchoring a complete guide to boat tours, whale watching, kayaking, sailing, and fishing charters near Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island

You can’t come to Bar Harbor and not get out on the water. Frenchman Bay is stunning from shore, but it’s absolutely breathtaking from a boat, a kayak, the deck of a four-masted schooner…

May 7, 2026

Dog Friendly Acadia National Park: The Ultimate 2026 Guide

Acadia is one of the most dog friendly National Parks in the entire United States, and after spending six months living right outside Bar Harbor with my three pups, I can tell you it’s the real deal. Here’s everything you need to know to plan an incredible 2026 trip to Acadia with your dogs, including the rules, the can’t miss spots, and a few things I learned the hard way.

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

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 boasts nearly 100 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of carriage roads that you can enjoy with your pups…

December 23, 2025

6 Best Dog-Friendly National Parks to Visit This Winter

Okay, let’s talk about something that drives me absolutely crazy as a dog mom who loves National Parks…

May 19, 2025

Paws on the Trail: The Best Dog-Friendly Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains

Planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park with your furry friend? While many trails restrict dogs, the Smokies still offer several dog-friendly hikes and scenic drives perfect for adventurous pups and their humans. From easy riverside walks on the Oconaluftee River Trail to scenic drives like Cades Cove Loop Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, this guide covers the best pet-friendly trails and outdoor experiences to help you explore the Smokies together. Discover insider tips, local spots, and must-visit places to make your Smoky Mountains dog adventure unforgettable!

October 19, 2021

The Most Dog Friendly National Parks

If you’ve traveled to many National Parks with your pups, then you know that in general, they are not very dog-friendly…

October 12, 2021

Upper Peninsula Waterfalls: One Day of Chasing Waterfalls on Michigan’s UP

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a wild and wonderful escape, but if I’m being totally honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t anticipating anything extraordinary, but the UP absolutely blew me away.  There are more than 300 waterfalls scattered across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and it is home to all of the waterfalls in the Great Lakes State except for one…

July 15, 2021

16 Tips For Traveling With Dogs

Traveling with your dog(s) can be a great experience (for both of you) with just a little extra planning. If you know me, then you know that I take my Huskies, Loki & Freya with me all the time. I started training both of them early to be ok with travel and to be adaptable to changing environments, and I’m glad I did…

May 29, 2021

11 Dog Friendly Adventures At Shenandoah

With over 200,000 acres, Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, and fields of wildflowers.There’s so much to explore and it seems like the perfect place to explore with your dog(s), doesn’t it? But let’s find out, Is Shenandoah National Park Dog Friendly?…

May 5, 2021

Dog Friendly Yellowstone National Park – Bringing Your Dog To Yellowstone

There is something special about Yellowstone, after all, this part of the Rockies is 75 million years old! There is so much to do and so many things to see that you may feel overwhelmed, and of course, you want to bring your furry best friend with you to experience all that the park has to offer! But the question remains, Is Yellowstone National Park Dog Friendly?…

April 1, 2021

Camping At Acadia: The Complete Guide

Camping at Acadia National Park with dogs - complete guide featured image showing a Siberian Husky at a misty Seawall Campground campsite with picnic table and fire ring under tall pine trees, covering Blackwoods, Seawall, and Schoodic Woods NPS campgrounds plus dog-friendly RV parks on Mount Desert Island, Maine

Everything you ever wanted to know about camping at Acadia National Park with dogs…

March 16, 2021

Is Rocky Mountain National Park Dog Friendly?

Rocky Mountain National Park is a really special place and it would be awesome if you could share it with your pups! But is Rocky Mountain National Park Dog Friendly?

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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

  • The Ultimate Guide To White Sands National Park
  • A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts
  • Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)
  • Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring
  • The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks

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Theodore Roosevelt National Park: 12 Incredible Adventures

One Fall Day in Salem, MA: An Hour-by-Hour Itinerary

Best Maine lobster rolls guide - McLoon's Lobster Shack in Spruce Head, Maine, with its iconic red waterfront building, hand-painted lobster sign, Adirondack chairs, and working lobster boats moored in the harbor. McLoon's Lobster Shack is one of the most scenic and beloved lobster pounds on the mid-coast Maine shore, offering fresh steamed lobster and lobster rolls with unbeatable waterfront views. A top destination for anyone exploring the Maine coast between Rockland and Bar Harbor.

The 12 Best Lobster Rolls In Maine

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Calypso is 3 today. She goes by Caly, she’s a resc Calypso is 3 today. She goes by Caly, she’s a rescue, and she has never once been told she’s a supermutt because she already knows she’s in charge.

3 years ago we had two huskies and a plan. Then @epanimalsvc put out an announcement that they were overwhelmed with dogs. So, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go see if any dog fit into our little pack. 

…and when they brought Cal out, she was ours. 

She is a tornado with a tail and she has never once been left out of anything, because she will not allow it.

She has hiked in more national parks than most people. She has seen elk, a lot of bison, and one very large bull mule deer she had opinions about. 

She has visited at least 30 states in her 3 years on the road with us. 

Happy birthday, We love you Weeeeee!
Everyone asks me when the best time to visit Acadi Everyone asks me when the best time to visit Acadia is. Nobody seems to like my answer.

November. And May.

The in-between months. When the crowds thin, the island takes a breath, and you get to see a quieter side of Acadia that most people never stick around for.

Right now, in the first two weeks of November, the tour buses are gone. Park Loop Road feels like it’s yours. You can stand on Otter Cliff for twenty minutes, listening to the ocean without another voice breaking the quiet.

Here’s what my perfect slow day looks like in the quieter seasons:

Coffee at Choco-Latté around 7 because it’s one of the few places opening its doors that early. Shore Path without a crowd in sight. Bar Island on foot at low tide (you have about 90 minutes on either side to make it there and back). Lunch and book browsing in town. Then Seal Cove for sunset around 4:20, with lobster boats resting in the harbor and the last light slipping into Blue Hill Bay.

Grab dinner early because most kitchens close by 8. The days are shorter. Some of your favorite places are already tucked away for winter.

And somehow, that’s part of the magic.

May has its own version of this quiet. November has a little more gold and a little less daylight. Neither looks quite like the postcard, but both let you slow down long enough to see the island differently.

Sometimes the best time to visit isn’t when everything is open. It’s when you finally have room to take it all in.

Everything else you need to plan an off-season Acadia trip is in our guide. Comment FALL and I’ll send it your way.

Or comment Lobster if you’re already planning your trip for next year and I’ll send you my Cheat Sheet and guide options!
National Parks weren’t created to be kept secret. National Parks weren’t created to be kept secret. They ARE something that we were meant to protect. 🦬

Somewhere along the way, we’ve started treating sharing these places like we’re doing something wrong. Don’t post the location. Don’t share the trail. Don’t tell people about the feral horses because someone else might want to see them.

I disagree.

Theodore Roosevelt once said of Yellowstone:
“It must be kept for the benefit and enjoyment of all of us; and I hope to see a steadily increasing number of our people take advantage of its attractions.”

I think that’s worth remembering.

These places are protected so we can experience them AND so future generations can, too. Do I think good ol’ Teddy thought that we would be so far removed from nature as a society at this point? No, of course not. 

Does that mean we get to do whatever we want? Absolutely not. Respect wildlife. Follow the rules. Leave no trace. Respect closures and give these places the care they deserve.

I believe that when parks get busy, the answer is better stewardship, visitor education, and thoughtful park management. Not gatekeeping.

Somebody’s first bison sighting might be the beginning of a lifelong love of conservation.

We don’t need fewer people who love these places. We need more people who care enough to protect them.

Public lands are for the public. Let’s act like it.

*stepping off my soap box* 😉
4 weeks into the van build. The ceiling is a littl 4 weeks into the van build. The ceiling is a little bit of a situation. 😂

So far, we’ve made more wrong cuts than I’m willing to admit, questioned our life choices at least once a weekend, and are still trying to figure out how we’re supposed to drive this thing across the country this month. Progress not perfection. 

For context, we already live full-time in a 40-foot travel trailer, Betty. So naturally, we bought an empty Ram ProMaster.

Why? Because there are national forest campgrounds and state parks Betty can’t fit into, weekends we’d rather just take off, and about ten years of wanting a van. Apparently, that’s all the justification that I needed.

It’s a high-roof ProMaster, a DIY build, two millennials, three dogs, and a deadline that seemed like a great idea at the time.

The van-build chaos will be here but is also moving over to @wellwornwheels, where we’ll be sharing the good decisions, bad decisions, things we break, and whether we actually pull off this cross-country adventure.

If you’re here for the national parks and travel stories, nothing changes. If you want to watch two people attempt to build a van while living in an RV, come find us over there.
Most people drive right past this part of Florida Most people drive right past this part of Florida on their way to the beach. The manatees have other plans.

Wakulla Springs, about 15 miles south of Tallahassee, is one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world. The water stays in the 60s year-round, making it a pretty appealing winter escape for manatees. We went in February, unsure we’d see any this far north.

Turns out, we worried for nothing.

We did both experiences: the park’s daily boat tour from the historic lodge, cruising the spring with a ranger who knows every bird, gator, and probably their extended family ($8 for adults, $5 for kids). Then, the following morning, we took kayaks out on the Wakulla River with @tnthideaway.

Just Brian and me on the river. No baiting wildlife, no crowds, just a quiet morning with manatees doing their thing beneath us. I don’t know if that’s technically therapy, but I’m counting it.

And the lodge deserves a mention of its own. Built in 1937, it’s all marble floors, an old-school soda fountain, and riverfront rooms. Creature from the Black Lagoon and the original Tarzan films were shot here, too.

This is the side of Florida I didn’t know I needed. And coming from someone who would generally rather be in a national park surrounded by snow, that’s saying something.

✨ Save this for winter 2027! Finally getting this one out of the drafts. Full blog guide coming.
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