Jess CurrenExplorer

The Buffalo River is America's first National River and flows freely for 135 miles. Many of the upper sections are whitewater, but lower down there are some great, flat, easy paddling spots that are fantastic for canoes!As with all river paddling you need to first shuttle a car down to the take out. We were able to go with a ranger-led Earth Day clean up and she arranged a shuttle for us, but y...

Visiting Voyageurs National Park was the highlight of our summer last year. Full of history, beautiful scenery, and plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities, this park is a gem! Although its difficult to get to, the drive up to northern Minnesota is definitely worth it.We camped at the Wooden Frog Campground and drove the short distance into the Kabetogama Visitor Center our first drizzly m...

Lake Kabetogama is located in Voyageurs National Park and is one of the main attractions for the park. We saw so many vehicles with boat trailers in every parking lot. There are houseboat campsites, lots of fishing, tour boats, rental canoes and kayaks. Since we don't own our own boats, we rented canoes from Arrowhead Lodge & Resort which was just down the hill from the Wooden Frog Campgro...

Northwest Arkansas is aiming to be the premier mountain biking spot in the US and so far they are doing a great job. Located in Rogers, AR the Railyard is an incredible man-made bike park. Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced routes criss-cross the terrain with jumps, berms, and even a rail car to ride through. Our kids had fun on the small pump track and skills park, and even ventured on some of...

Crabbing is just one of those things everyone should do along the Oregon Coast. Its fun, fairly straightforward, and then you get to eat them! Total win-win. We were taking our time along the Oregon Coast and had heard that Kelly's Brighton Marina was a great place to learn to crab. For $100/hour (2014) we were able to rent a boat, bait, traps, and all the gear we needed to head out into Nehale...

About 45 miles northwest of San Antonio is Flat Rock Ranch. The ranch has 1300 rugged acres that have been in the same family for over 100 years. They raise Black Angus cattle and Angora goats, in addition to building a 27 mile, single track trail system with a few double track trails as well. The trails wind through typically hill country with some spectacular views, lung-busting hill climbs, ...

Angel Lake is a gem of a campground located just south of Wells, Nevada. Most people drive right by on I-80 on their way through but its definitely worth stopping for. Located at nearly 8500 of elevation the road to get their is windy and twisty with no guard rails. While towing our 27' Airstream I about had heart attack, but we made it!The campground is mostly shrub as you are above treeline b...

Mackinac Island is accessible only by ferry, and there are no cars allowed on the island. While you can rent bikes over there, we opted to bring ours along on the Star Line ferry. Super easy and we had no problems! Lake Shore Boulevard, or State Highway M-185, wraps around the entire island and is fairly level. If you go on one of the many interior trails or streets there is definitely some hi...

We chose to day hike to the White River Suspension Bridge from our backcountry site at Playter Harbour, but for a challenging hike you could start from the Hattie Cove Visitor Center and go out and back in one day. Total round trip distance is 18 km or about 11 miles.The trail to the waterfall and bridge is the beginning section of the Coastal Hiking Trail. It begins at Hattie Cove and winds al...

This trail starts either in the parking lot near the Ash River Visitor Center, or from the Kabetogama Lake overlook. We started from the Visitor Center since we were already there for a ranger program.The begins with some uphill but soon levels out and is mostly just a rolling trail that winds through the forest. 0.1 miles up the trail you'll reach the intersection and you'll want to continue s...

Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the most remote National Parks you can visit. Located 70 miles off the coast of Key West, FL it is accessible via commercial ferry, sea plane, or private boat.Our family of 5 camped for two nights in the campground on Garden Key. We snorkeled, swam, explored historic Fort Jefferson, earned a Jr. Ranger badge, stayed up late photographing the stars, woke up e...

George H. Crosby Manitou State Park is a lesser known park along Minnesota's North Shore. There are only backcountry sites, and it's not conveniently along the scenic road, so you really have to plan on going here. This makes it quiet, peaceful, and absolutely perfect for someone looking for a little solitude!The trail starts in a dirt parking lot, which the Superior Hiking Trail passes right t...

Highlands Hammock State Park is one of the best places in all of Florida! There are multiple trails to choose from, but if you want to see ancient oak trees in a quintessential swamp then the Ancient Hammock Trail is your best bet. The boardwalk meanders through the swampy forest and you can be on the look out for herons, birds, frogs, and other wildlife.  The trail is short but can be combined...

When the ocean becomes too cold for the manatees, they take refuge in the 70 degree water at Three Sisters Spring. So, the best time to see the manatees in the spring is just after a cold front has come through. We also learned that they will swim back out to the ocean before low tide to avoid becoming trapped in the spring.Not owning our own boats, we started our adventure at Hunter's Kayaks j...

We drove into Marie Louise Lake Campground in the afternoon of the off season and found the campground office closed. Luckily for us, there is a pay kiosk that takes credit cards (bonus) so after we drove around to find a walk-up site we came back to pay for one night and then planned to talk to the ranger in the morning.There are a variety of campsites in this particular campground. All campsi...

Back in college I was a rafting guide for the daily section of the Green River in Utah. I spent many a weekend in the summer sleeping out under the stars by night and navigating the rapids by day. Naturally I've been anxious to introduce my kids to rafting and this summer we were able to do just that! While we *probably* could have rented gear and navigated this 8 mile section of the river ours...

To get out to the Apostle Islands you have to travel by boat. Many people choose to sea kayak, but with small kids we opted to take the ferry/taxi through the Apostle Islands concierge (apostleisland.com ). However, there was one man who brought his kayak over on the ferry and then paddled around Stockton Island during the day so there are definitely options!You need to reserve your campsite i...

The Gitchi-Gami is a paved bike path that will eventually extend from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. As it currently stands (2015), there's a really great segment that starts in Gooseberry Falls State Park and runs all the way to the town of Beaver Bay (total of 16 miles one way). I chose to do a shorter section and bike the 8 miles (one way) from Gooseberry Falls State Park to Split Rock State ...

Cuyuna Lakes Recreation Area has put a lot of time, money and resources into building this amazing IMBA trail system. There are 5 different trail sections with varying degrees of difficulty and length. They boast "over 30 purpose-built routes to choose from" and "everyone from beginner to pro can enjoy the breath-taking rides and overlooks. The trails are enhanced by the deep-red soil, turquois...

Wizard Island is located in the middle of Crater Lake National Park. In order to get out to there you have to book a tour through the commercial concierge. Tickets were fairly pricey, but included a full boat tour of Crater Lake, plus 3 hours on the island itself. Half the tour is before you reach the island, with the remaining half after they pick you up.To start, you need to hike the steep 1....

If you only do one thing in the Everglades, I highly recommend canoeing through the mangrove and lake meadows of 9 mile pond. I had thought the Everglades would have been swampy, but they are in fact "glades" or open meadows in a forest.We decided to rent canoes from the concessionaire near the Flamingo Visitor Center. They usually have canoes both at the visitor center and 9 mile pond, but a ...

I was very impressed with the mountain bike trails at Markham Park. Not knowing exactly what to expect, we were hesitant at first but quickly warmed up to the trails.Markham Park and Target Range is a popular spot for locals. In addition to the mountain bike trails, there's also a target range, picnicking, model airplane field, playgrounds, and a full hook-up campground. I believe they charge e...

We camped a few nights in the F.D. Roosevelt campground in our Airstream before setting out for two nights in the backcountry. Our first stop was at the Visitor Center to talk with the ranger and plan our route. Some of the campsites are limited and must be reserved in advance with the ranger, so we figured we needed to see what was available.The ranger on duty was incredibly helpful providing ...

Pukuskwa Canadian National Park is located near the town of Marathon in northern Ontario. The only road to access the park is at the north end near Hattie Cove. The park is home to the Coastal Hiking Trail as well as a paddling route and other various water activities. All trails are open May 1st - September 30th.The Coastal Hiking Trail starts near the Visitor Center at Hattie Cove. The entire...