Search Results

Bryce Canyon National Park is located in Bryce Canyon City, UT. It is massive at a whopping 36,000 acres. Each year over 2 million visitors take to Bryce Canyon to experience its natural beauty and unique hoodoo formations. Inside the park there are paved roads and large parking lots making it easier for visitors to drive around and find a good spot before setting off on their daily hike or activity. Unique to Bryce Canyon National park are the hoodoos . Hoodoos are located on every continent, but according to the National Park Service, Bryce Canyon National Park is home to the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. These are tall spire rock formations with irregular, jagged edges caused by erosion. The canyon is full of hoodoos and as you take trails down into the canyon, hikers are able to see them up close, some even have arches and pathways carved directly through them. The hoodoos are the main attraction of this park and create a place like nowhere else in the world. Welcome sign into Bryce Canyon National Park! TIPS FOR THE PARK Check out the National Park Service (NPS) website for all park permits, fees, and reservations prior to arrival. Start your day at the visitor center and familiarize yourself with the NPS Park Map Get there early for sunrise and stay late for sunset! The sunrise/sunset over the hoodoos is pure magic. Bring a jacket- even in the warmer weather the mornings and nights can get chilly. A lot of the hikes go down into the canyon, but if you don't want to tackle the steep elevation, there are breathtaking rim trail hikes. Be prepared for the heat, stay hydrated, and pack accordingly. Leave no trace! WHERE TO STAY Lucky for visitors, Bryce Canyon National Park is located in Bryce Canyon City, UT which has a small downtown area to explore. It's a less than 10min drive to the park entrance. We'd recommend finding a hotel in the area to call home base. We stayed at the Best Western Plus in Bryce Canyon City and had a great experience. There's a pool, laundry facility, and it offers breakfast. If you plan to do Bryce Canyon National Park within the same trip as Zion National Park , we'd recommend staying in Kanab, UT. It's about a 1.5 hour drive from both national parks and provides a more centralized location. The drive is beautiful and through Utah's countryside so it's not as painful as it sounds. WHAT TO DO Hike - Explore the various walking trails hiking around, down, and and through the canyon. Drive - Take the paved park roads and pull off in the various view points. Camp - Reserve a campsite through the National Park Service and spend a night at Bryce. Horseback Riding - Third party companies offer g guided tour down into the canyon. SITES TO SEE Sunset to Sunrise Trail Length: 1.0 mile Difficulty: Easy, low impact Detail: Park in the parking lot at sunset point The sunset to sunrise trail is a low impact walk along the rim of Bryce Canyon. Visitors can park in any parking lot along the trail to quickly access any point through paved roads. There are fences along the walkway for safety looking into the canyon in most areas. There are also benches and tower viewers along the walkway should you want to stop for a good view. Good views from the Sunrise to Sunset Trail along the rim on the canyon looking down. Queens Garden Trail Length: 1.8 mile Difficulty: Moderate, moderate impact Detail: Starts at sunrise point and hike down into the canyon, connects with the Navajo Loop. The Queens Garden-Navajo Loop is the most popular hike in Bryce Canyon National Park. The Queens Garden portion begins at sunrise point, then visitors can descend down the winding walkways into the canyon. The path is not paved, but it is smooth and widely carved out. It is challenging, but accessible for all ages. Take note of the hoodoos all around you while you head down into the canyon. Eye spy with my little eye a rock formation of Queen Victoria. Navajo Loop Length: 1.3 mile Difficulty: Moderate, moderate impact Detail: Starts at sunset point and hike down into the canyon, connects with the Queens Garden Trail. The Navajo Loop is a moderate hike that descends down into Bryce Canyon and connects with the Queens Garden Trail. The hoodoos are the star of the show, but popular stops on the Navajo Loop are Thor's Hammer, Wall Street, and Two Bridges. Eventually, you'll make the 550ft hike back up and out of the canyon. On a hot day, this hike up can be exhausting. Be considerate of the time of the day you're visiting and the appropriate gear required. Left to right: Thors Hammer, Two Bridges, and the hike down into the canyon Bryce Amphitheater The sunlight over the hoodoos created the dreamiest colors of reds, pinks, and blues. If you're able to catch the sunrise or sunset over the amphitheater, we highly recommend. Sunset over Bryce Canyon Amphitheater. NEARBY Iron Horse Restaurant Located in Kanab, this is a great BBQ spot offering western vibes and a relaxed atmosphere. Kanab Creek Bakery Located in Kabab, this was a great bakery offering coffee, lattes, and fresh baked goods. Ruby's Inn - Cowboy's Buffet & Steak Room Located in Bryce Canyon City, this restaurant gets full quickly, but has plenty of seating and a buffet style dinner. Cowboy Ranch House Located in Bryce, this casual dining spot offers variety of Utah's finest brews and gives you that home-cooked meal that you're looking for.

In the summer of 2014, I set off for a summer study abroad program, Semester at Sea (SAS). I had heard about the program from a fellow intern while working a summer job, and from there I was hooked. My experience was a roughly 3 month voyage of students from across the world, primarily the United States, that were looking for adventure, and learning. Through this blog post I'll reflect on my time aboard the MV Explorer and address some frequently asked questions. WHAT IS SEMESTER AT SEA? Semester at Sea is a study abroad program supported by the Institute of Shipboard Research and currently being run through the University of Colorado - Boulder.  For any student, what this practically means is that any transferrable credit would be received from UC - Boulder. For me, it was through the University of Virginia. DID YOU GET CREDIT? Because there is a university that sponsors the study abroad program, most colleges and universities should accept the credit. I was able to receive 9 pass/fail credits while studying abroad for the summer. Prior to committing to Semester at Sea, I took the course schedule to my guidance counselor and discussed which classes would be transferrable. In short, none of my core classes counted, but specializations counted. Therefore, Semester at Sea allowed me to pick up a specialization in International Business. And, even better, it was all pass fail, so I could enjoy my Sumer. HOW DID I LEARN ABOUT THE PROGRAM? Word of mouth! The program is much more popular now and all over social media making it easier to find. WAS IT EXPENSIVE? I wish I could say no, but yes it was. There are financial aid packages that you can apply for as well as work study. I received both which allowed me to be able to participate in the program. Plan accordingly and map out your costs, it’s do able and worth it. WAS IT HARD TO MEET FRIENDS? It was intimidating to meet friends, but I wouldn’t say it was hard. For starters before her voyage, there is a Facebook page that anyone could join in order to meet people. It was a great way to have a inside introduction before the voyage and also gave something to type out once you got there a couple weeks in this friend groups really started to form and then from that point on it was pretty comfortable to just bounce between all the groups. You really have to keep in mind that everyone is in the same situation as you and unless you’re coming in with the friends group, everyone is there to enjoy the experience have fun and maybe make a good friend or two along the way. WHERE DID YOU GO? I sailed on the 66-day Summer 2014 Voyage that took us to10 countries and 12 cities across Europe and Scandinavia. We sailed to Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland. During this time I also took day trips to Estonia and Northern Ireland. WHAT SEMESTERS DO THEY OFFER? Unfortunately, there are not anymore summer programs. The summer program worked especially well for me because I was highly involved in organizations on campus. The SAS offerings are now typically for Fall and Spring semesters only. DO YOU NEED TO BE A STUDENT? No! There are families and professionals aboard the ship for the experience. This group of people are referred to as “Life Long Learners.” They have the ability to sit in on any lecture, but also have free range to enjoy the ship like a typical cruise ship. HOW DID YOU COMMUNICATE? WiFi and email, that’s it. In 2014, we were on the cusp of social media and technology as we know today where Instagram was just starting to get big, Tik Tok wasn’t around, and really the most exiting thing that could happen was a Facebook post. I set the stage because the world as we know it and how we communicate was a lot different then, than it is today. On the ship, email is available for anyone to use, so the best form of communication to my friends within the ship, and back home to friends & family was email. It always felt so good when I saw a letter from home pop through my screen because sometimes it was isolating. At ports we always sought restaurants with free WiFi. Again back in 2014, WiFi wasn't as accessible as it is now. WAS IT WORTH IT? Semester at Sea was hands down the most influential part of my college experience. By studying abroad, it gave me an opportunity to understand what cultural differences were. That said, my voyage took us to Northern Europe and Scandinavia so the countries we experienced were westernized at that. Nonetheless, it was my first time being able to experience these differences outside of a tourist resort or cruise ship port. DO YOU HAVE ANY RESOURCES TO SHARE? Yes! The best resource is the Semester at Sea website - https://www.semesteratsea.org/ CLOSING THOUGHTS Semester at Sea was the best experince if my life. If I could do it all over again I would in a heartbeat. There is so much value to simply seeing the world and meeting new people. For anyone on the fence, I'd recommend taking the chance and embarking on the trip of a lifetime. Do you have any other questions? Enter it into the comments below! Hey, Semester at Sea, if you ever see this, yes I’m interested in being your next Field Director! ;)

Michigan is the home to almost 1,600 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. These hidden gem beaches are sandy and provide the perfect escape. Michigan residents and visitors flock to the west side of the state during the summer months to relax at the beach and swim in the lakes. This leads us to pose the question west coast best coast? East coast beast coast? But, why no one is talking about the mid-west beaches? We feel that Lake Michigan is the ultimate hidden gem of the U.S. beach scene. Shhh, don’t tell too many people. 1. Ottawa Beach - Holland, MI Coming up first on our list is Ottawa Beach located on the western side of Michigan on Lake Michigan. Ottawa Beach is home to hundreds of visitors each year. With its sandy coastline and boardwalk, it’s a hard one to miss. In-state residents can purchase an annual pass for $17, while out-of-state residents can purchase an annual pass for $34. Daily admission is $9. From the beach, you can view the famous Holland Harbor Lighthouse, which is a sturdy red building erected in 1847 soon after Dutch settlers arrived in the area. Also known as Big Red, it has become an iconic landmark of the city and the topic of many artist’s work. 2. Upper Peninsula More commonly known as Holland State Park, this beach is located right off the highway and only a short drive alongside local roads. Visitors will park in the north trailhead parking lot, then follow the various trails through the woods and down to the 2.5 mile stretch of public beach. There are 7 different hiking options with the shortest being 1.5 miles and the longest being 5.5 miles. The hike can be done with wagons and small children, but traveling light is encouraged as there are some hills along the way. At the start and finish of the trail there are (rugged) public restrooms and trash cans for use— so be good stewards and stick to those for your disposal needs! 3. Ann Arbor A football Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan is hard to beat. The city comes to life and the streets are lined with food, drinks, and activity. The city is full of trees that change to beautiful colors. Check out our blog post regarding the best places to eat in Ann Arbor and spend the weekend checking out the city. It's truly the best! 4. Ludington State Park - Ludington, MI Heading north on Highway 31 along the western side of the state you will run into the beach town of Ludington. Situated alongside a quiet beach town lies Ludington State Park which boasts over 5,300 acres of state land containing trails, waterways, beaches, and lighthouses. Visitors can reserve a campsite through the Michigan Department of National Resources website. For those not wanting to venture into Ludington State Park, there are public beaches available close to the city. One of the more popular beaches is located at Stearns Park & Beach. It is the city's largest beach where visitors can easily park and be steps away from the coastline. Claim your spot on the beach, grab ice cream cone from House of Flavors, and spend the day relaxing in the sun. 5. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Glen Arbor, MI Northeast Michigan is home to miles of sandy shoreline that sharply contrasts with the bright blue water Lake Michigan offers. Visitors most often take to Sleeping Bear to experience a unique slice of nature via the Dune Climb, a 3.5 mile roundtrip, in-out-style climb up and down through the dunes, or a more relaxing drive through the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.