Things You Should Do in Washington: Hike To Lake Serene

One of the reasons I was so keen on the move to Washington State was living in close proximity to the mountains and especially the snow. So it's a little sad that over the course of this past winter my first visit to the snow came just a little over a week ago in May. Our mountains were all quite snowy still, so I spent a while looking at trip reports on Washington Trails Association for hikes that would at least be considered passable without any special equipment. Last time this year we attempted a hike up Kachess Ridge and ended up turning around due to loosing the trail in all the snow. It sounded like the Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls hike would be an okay choice, although it was noted that there was some snow on the trail - we figured we'd just enjoy as much of the hike as we could.

Overall, I put this hike in my totally worth it basket - in spite of the amount of stairs (those are my hiking kryptonite). If you include the out and back to the falls, the hike clocks in at around 9 miles round trip with about 2,000 feet of elevation gain. However since there are two gorgeous water features to see along the way, the climb is totally worth it.

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Things You Should Do In New Zealand: Cruise Milford Sound

It's probably one of the most recommended activities for travelers headed to New Zealand's south island and it sure doesn't disappoint. A cruise on Milford Sound is an absolute must on any visit to Fiordland. With the gorgeous blue water, the peaks surrounding the sound, and the possibility of seeing penguins - it just doesn't get much better.

You'll have a lot of options for selecting the type of cruise that best fits your interests and budget. They do run on the pricey side, so for our budget the most basic 2 hour adventure was best suited for us. We opted to go with Real Journeys for a lunch time cruise since they provided a gluten free friendly boxed lunch option. 

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Things You Should Do In Spain: Hike the Frontier Views Walk

Beginning from the car park at Puerto de Izpegi, which sits right on the border between France and Spain, the Frontier Views Walk outlined in Lonely Planet's Hiking in Spain book certainly lives up to its name. This 10.5 km hike wanders between open fern covered hillsides, beech forests, and high up to wind swept ridges - all the while crossing back and forth between the two countries. One of the most magical moments from our trip to Northern Spain took place on this hike - that kind of moment that I always thought only existed in other people's photographs or the Planet Earth series.

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Things You Should Do In British Columbia: Hike to the Paint Pots

Often overlooked by it's more famous neighbors, there are oodles of beautiful things to see and do in Kootenay National Park - just the drive down Highway 93 alone is absolutely breathtaking. The short hike to the paint pots is an easy trail to give your legs a stretch, take in beautiful views, and explore some of the area's history. It's about 1.5 km to the actual Paint Pots and the first 1km out to the ochre beds is wheelchair friendly. 

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Things You Should Do In New Zealand: Visit North Head Historic Reserve

During my first trip to New Zealand, I took the short ferry ride from Auckland to Devonport rather a lot. Each time I would walk the coastline to North Head Historic Reserve to take in amazing views of the surrounding islands, explore bits of history, and just enjoy the beautiful space. Upon returning to New Zealand with my husband it was the very first place we went on the very day our plane landed. North Head is such an easy excursion from Auckland that even after 13 hours on a plane we still enjoyed it. 

North Head Historic Reserve sits on an old volcanic cone formed about 50,000 years ago - so check, super cool geology. In the 1840's it became a pilot station to guide ships into Auckland's harbor and by 1885 a defense fort was built on the island for fear of war with the Russians. Today, it's a public reserve where you can get lost in dark tunnels, have a picnic with gorgeous views, lounge by the water, or even get married!

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