The Well Worn Shoes

Wanderlust Welcome

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Disclaimer
    • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Destinations
    • Canada
    • United States
      • Mountain States
      • North East
      • South
      • Southwest
  • National Parks
    • National Park Guides
    • Is This National Park Dog Friendly?
  • Adventures
    • One Day In
    • Bucketlist Travel
    • Dog Friendly
    • Roadtrips
    • Travel Guides
    • Hiking
  • Digital Nomad Lifestyle
    • Camper Life
    • Honest Reviews: Campgrounds
    • Digital Nomads
  • Shop

August 8, 2025

Wildlife Watching in Cades Cove: Your Complete Animal Guide

There’s something absolutely magical about rounding a bend in Cades Cove and spotting a black bear ambling through the meadow or a family of deer grazing peacefully in the early morning mist. I’ve spent countless hours exploring this 11-mile loop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park…

February 27, 2024

Zion National Park Guide

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is one of the most visited parks in the Southwest, and it’s easy to see why! Although it’s on the smaller side in terms of Utah National Parks, at just 229 square miles, its awe-inspiring scenery makes it one of the most beloved National Parks in the United States.

October 17, 2023

15 Epic Things To Do In Vermont In The Fall

There is no better fall destination than Vermont. Between picturesque fall foliage, charming villages, everything apple, and maple syrup, Vermont will whisk you away to the fall landscape of your dreams…

August 22, 2023

The Best Coastal Maine Road Trip

The Best Coastal Maine Road Trip

Maine is by far one of my favorite states. There is just something about the rocky coastline, epic sunrises, and all of the pine trees that make my heart happy. I’ve left a little piece of my heart all over the state, but my absolute favorite thing to do in Maine is a coastal road trip…

November 30, 2021

Top 10 Christmas Towns To Visit In The U.S.

The Holiday season is about to begin and what better time to start making your list of Holiday destinations you want to visit?…

September 14, 2021

Vermont Fall Bucket List

Vermont is nothing short of spectacular during the fall season. It’s one of those states that makes you want to come back time and time again. Incredibly clean, stunningly beautiful, and friendly, there really isn’t anything about Vermont that isn’t amazing…

August 24, 2021

10 Things To Do At Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park in South Dakota may be one of the coolest places in the United States. Honestly, the name is a tribute to the people that lived in the Badlands before it was even a national park…

August 3, 2021

The ULTIMATE Guide to Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The ultimate guide to everything you wanted to know about Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando…

July 27, 2021

11 Must See Waterfalls In The Smokies

Looking for a waterfall hike in the Smokies? Check out these 11 Must See Waterfalls In Great Smoky Mountains…

June 8, 2021

Best Sunrise Spots At Acadia National Park

From Oct 7 to March 6 earth year the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park is the first place to see the sunrise in the U.S. You don’t want to miss it…

June 1, 2021

Is Mount Rushmore Worth The Trip?

Is Mount Rushmore worth the trip? Is it a National Treasure and should you visit? Find out here…

May 15, 2021

11 Amazing 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.

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next →
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!

Join the List

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

Connect

Recent Posts

  • Wildlife Watching in Cades Cove: Your Complete Animal Guide
  • Paws on the Trail: The Best Dog-Friendly Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains
  • The 15 Best Hikes In Utah
  • One Day At Zion National Park
  • Zion National Park Guide

Categories

  • Destinations
  • Tips & Tricks
  • History
  • Adventure
  • National Park Love

Reader Favorites

Visiting Sedona In Winter

Is Badlands​ National Park Dog Friendly?

Top 8 Towns To Visit In Vermont

8 Charming Vermont Towns To Visit In Fall

On the Blog

  • Destinations
  • Tips & Tricks
  • History
  • Adventure
  • 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

Plot twist: this is Michigan 🌊 I had zero idea Plot twist: this is Michigan 🌊

I had zero idea that Michigan looks like this! These photos look like there from somewhere coastal, somewhere far, somewhere very “travel brochure coded”…but nope - this is Sable Falls and the Grand Sable Dunes on the UP sitting quietly along Lake Superior, minding their business and being absolutely unreal.

Golden sand cliffs dropping into teal water.
Wild mushrooms hidden in moss.
Waterfalls tucked into quiet forest corners.

It felt like finding a secret that somehow everyone missed, including me.

🐾 And if you’re traveling with your four-legged sidekick - the UP is surprisingly dog-friendly! 
Check Out: 
💧Munising Falls Trail 
🏖️ Sand Point Beach 
🏰 Miners Castle, Miners Beach, Miners Falls Trail 
🌿 Sable Falls Trail 

This place? Officially burned into my brain forever. ✨ Save this if Michigan just moved up your bucket list✨

Would you believe this was Michigan? 🧐
Apparently White Sands has excellent acoustics, be Apparently White Sands has excellent acoustics, because Loki took one step onto the dunes and immediately decided it was time for a full-blown concert. 🎤🌬️😂

I came here for quiet desert magic…
Loki came here to unleash his inner wolf-pop-star and tell the entire park about his feelings (which are, apparently, VERY loud).

But honestly? There’s something iconic about watching a husky throw his head back and howl into a landscape this unreal, like he’s trying to answer back to the wind or challenge the moon to a sing-off.

If you ever needed a reminder that traveling with dogs adds a little extra chaos and a lot of personality…here’s Exhibit A.

Save this for your White Sands inspo, especially if you travel with a four-legged drama king 🐾✨
Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick - where the ocean li Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick - where the ocean literally rewrites the landscape twice a day

There’s something wild and humbling about standing at the base of these giant flowerpot formations…knowing that just a few hours earlier, this entire place was underwater. 

The Bay of Fundy doesn’t just have tides, it has the highest tides on Earth, and Hopewell Rocks is where you really, truly feel it.

One moment you’re walking on the ocean floor, weaving through arches and towering cliffs carved by water that never stops moving. The next, you’re watching those same rock giants rise from the waves like they’ve decided to stand up straight.

I wandered the pathways, ducked into sea-carved tunnels, let the sun filter through the trees above on the walk down, and tried (unsuccessfully) to wrap my brain around the scale of it all. 

Nature doesn’t mess around here - she’s dramatic, she’s creative, and she definitely knows how to make an entrance.

Hopewell Rocks is one of those places that feels like a postcard until you’re standing right in it.

👉 Save this for your Canada road trip plans - especially if “walk on the ocean floor” is on your bucket list.
Things I struggle with (because social media is de Things I struggle with (because social media is definitely not the full story)…

I love this road life. I love the sunsets and the trails and the quiet mornings with coffee and dogs snoring at my feet…but I’m also a human person with human problems. And pretending everything is perfect? Nah. Not my vibe.

So here are a few things I don’t talk about enough, and the behind-the-scenes stuff that comes right along with the adventures:

👉 I’m constantly fighting the urge to rush to the next place and to slow down
👉 Anxiety loves to crash the party (fun combo: health anxiety and crowd anxiety)
👉Running multiple businesses while living on the road? Love it deeply…but it also means I work way too much and rest way too little - freelancing is also very unpredictable work 
👉 Three dogs on the road? Sometimes magical. Sometimes chaotic gremlin circus
👉 Constantly moving? Turns out…not for us. We learned fast 

Road life can be beautiful and messy at the exact same time, and honestly, that’s what makes it real.

If you’ve got your own “highlight reel vs. reality” confessions… I’m all ears. 💛
I wasn’t planning on chasing a sunset…but Yell I wasn’t planning on chasing a sunset…but Yellowstone had other ideas 🌄🌙

After a long day in the park, I was fully in “get me to dinner and then bed” mode. No golden hour plans. No last-minute viewpoints. Honestly, I wasn’t even looking for magic - I was just looking for snacks.

But then the sky started to change.
Slowly at first…a soft peach glow warming the horizon, like Yellowstone was quietly flipping a switch. And suddenly the whole world shifted. The road ahead turned liquid gold. The ridges went full storybook. 

Wildflowers backlit like they were holding their own tiny lanterns. An elk bugled in the distance like he was the soundtrack. And just when I thought it couldn’t get better, the moon rose into a sky that looked painted.

It felt like Yellowstone leaned over and whispered, “Hey. Stay a minute.”

And of course, I listened.

It’s wild how the best moments are rarely the ones you plan. 

They’re the ones that sneak up on you when you’re tired, a little worn-out, and not expecting anything at all…and then suddenly you’re standing in the middle of a masterpiece.

Save this for your next Yellowstone trip - because this park loves a dramatic finale 🌄🧡 and I’m here for it 😉

📸 Photos taken in 2020 - elk photos taken with @lensrentals Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS (the light was not my friend but they aren’t awful 🤷🏻‍♀️😆)
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2025 The Well Worn Shoes · Theme by 17th Avenue