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Jökulsárlón iceberg lagoon, in Iceland, is located at the eastern arm of the Vatnajökull glacier, Europe's largest glacier. It's the spot where large pieces of the glacier break off into the water, then cue up to shoot down a small river into the broad ocean to be re-born as icebergs in the North Atlantic. The water and ice are of an unimaginable shade of blue, and the line between earth and sky blurs, as you stand there watching the icebergs ebb and flow with the current.
64° 02'53.99"N
16° 10'47.25"W
Driving east along Highway 1, you will pass through the town of Kirkjubaejarklaustur, and eventually past Skaftafell National Park. About 50km past the park, the road turns northward, and the lagoon will be on your left, over a small suspension bridge.
Driving south/west along Highway 1, an hour past Höfn, just about 80km, the lagoon will be on the right.
You wouldn't expect to find such a landscape or climate in Oregon. But out in the extreme southeastern corner of the state, the Alvord Desert, is a northern extension of the Black Rock Desert that snakes up from the Nevada border.
If you can find it, and have the time to get out there, you can throw your own personal Burning Man. There seems to be an "anything goes" policy in place in the Alvord Desert.
This is truly public land.
It is effectively empty; no one is out there. On any given day, as you drive in, you may only see a few sail car racers off in the distance or aviation enthusiasts flying their experimental aircraft around.
But deeper on the playa it's likely you will be the only car. If any, there may be one or two other cars, but surely, full of weirdoes like you.
Driving as fast as you want in any direction is permitted, and possibly even encouraged. With several thousand acres of mud flat you can speed around, exploring the surreal landscape all day, avoiding everyone and claim a corner as your own for the night.
Often the northern and eastern edges are flooded by local springs. This creates an incredible mirror effect with the sky that is seen nowhere else in North America.
Just be aware around the mirror the mud is the wet and soft, you do not want to get your car stuck out there!
42°32'15.5"N 118°28'06.6"W
From Portland:
Take Route 26 out of town through Gresham. Follow that, all the way down over Mt. Hood, and on well east of Bend to the town of Prineville. Jump on 126 for a bit toward Milican and Brothers. Eventually, you'll hit Route 20, take it East toward Burns.
Google Maps may tell you to take 205, but Shafer Guide suggests you continue on to Burns. The roads going south into Alvord Desert are better than those running north. You may want to resupply and gas up in Burns, it is the last outpost before you head out into the desert plateau.
Instead, continue on to Burns and take 78 South thru Crane; where there are great hot springs; and roll on about 37 miles past town.
This 40 mile stretch is where it gets particularly desolate. There will be nothing around; but eventually you will come upon a right hand turn. This is Folly Farm Road.
Take this road, also known as Andrews-Denio Road, over the cattle guard, past Ten Cent and Mann Lakes, go beyond the ranch and another cattle guard. About 40 miles down this dirt road you will see the playa off to your left and the ranch operated hot spring will be the only thing around. About 1 mile past the hot spring, you'll find a series of access roads. Drive out on to the playa and enjoy.
Campsites are available at the hot springs for a small fee. There is a toilet; campsites come with a picnic table, and you have extended access to the hot springs.
For no fee, camping out on the playa is allowed and is highly recommended. Setting up camp is permitted pretty much anywhere out on the playa. But it's best to find a corner near the southwestern edge to protect your camp from the strong wind that sweeps in as the playa cools off in the evening.
Be mindful to stay on the public lands, some privately owned ranch lands stretch out into the playa. As a courtesy consult a local map or ask at the hot springs which sections of the playa are truly BLM.
If you want to have a fire, you'll need to bring in your own wood. You will also need to dig a deep pit or scavenge for rocks to protect your fire from the winds. So be prepared with a shovel or camp near the playa's edge where you can gather rocks.
About half way down the western edge of the Alvord Desert playa, at the base of Steen Mountain, you'll find this little hot spring. Owned and operated by the local ranch family, there is a $5 fee to enter the hot springs. The family maintains a small snack shop with souvenirs and keep the pipes around the tubs in check.
There is a small changing room and a roofless shack around one pool to provide a little shade. The main pool is HOT. Bring a book and cool down on the decking. There is a strange beach like feeling to this spot.
Boat Box Hot Spring is one of the most unique hot springs in the Rocky Mountains. Tucked away in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, this spot came to be when, years ago, a local from the nearby town of Stanley bolted a metal caldron to a boulder in the middle of the Salmon River and ran a pipe in Elkhart Hot Spring, bubbling out of the river bank. The spring was rechristened, Boat Box, and has been a local favorite ever since.
The tub is like no other public hot spring experience; falling somewhere between a ski lodge hot tub and getting cooked up in a witch's brew.
But that's not to say it isn't amazing. It is.
The caldron is just big enough for two to soak comfortably but is possibly best enjoyed solo. Soakers can adjust the water temp by moving the old pipe carrying the hot water and tempering the tub with cold river water using the tethered bucket. And then lean back and soak it up.
Head East out of Stanley, the Salmon River will be running along the south side of the road. Go 3.8 miles, the road will curve left (north) and there will be a small pull off with the river about 10 feet below. Look over the edge and you will see the tub.
Roughly 7 miles nautical mile north of Tofino, British Columbia, sits the wild and untamed Vargas Island. Officially, it is divided in two main parts, a Clayoquot Yarksis First Nation Community and a Provincial Park, where visiting and camping on the beach is permitted.
The western exposure of the island yields a giant three mile long beach backed by a dense forest, filled with cougars, black bears and wolves.
The northern expanse of the island is an open estuary with numerous tidal pools, clam beds and a river fished by hundreds of bald eagles.
Vargas Island is a chance to experience true wilderness, but on the doorstep of a hip surf town.
You'll first need to get out to the Vancouver Island, by way of a ferry from Vancouver or Tsawwassen, Canada or from the US side at Port Angeles or Anacortes, Washington.
Once you are out on the island, take TransCanada 1 north to Nanaimo, and follow 19 North to Qaulicum. Take Route 4 West toward Port Alberni.
From Port Alberni, continue on Route 4 toward Tofino.
Once in Tofino you can hire a water taxi or launch your boat at the 4th Street Wharf.
Consult a nautical chart and wind your way out of the Tofino channel and and wind your way around to the western exposed beach of Vargas Island. This side of the island is the official Provincial Park where camping is allowed anywhere.
If you ever find yourself in South East Pakistan, in the Thar Desert, along the Indian border, check out the tiny village of Nagar Parkar. This is the definition of "off the beaten path", a spot few westerners have visited since the end of the Colonial era. There will be paperwork, and perhaps a few bribes to get to this corner of the country, but the big pay off comes when you climb on the rocky hills, visit 1,000 year old temples and drive out through the barren desert landscape.
24° 21'24.31" N
70° 45'16.68" E
Most likely you will not be driving yourself through the deserts of Pakistan, but if you are, here's how to get to Nagarparkar from Karachi.
Leave Karachi heading toward Mirpukhas on the M-9.
In Mirpurkhas, stay south along the Ring Road, turning right (south) onto Digri Road.
Follow this road, through the small town of Digri, all the way out to Mithi and Islamkot. After Digri, this is more or less the only paved road, and is the main road through many villages, stay straight through these towns all the way out to Mithi.
Here in Mithi, you will need to stop at the Police/Rangers headquarters to gain permits to go deeper into the desert. This is a sensitive area because of it's proximity to the Indian Border.
Once the paperwork is done, continue through to Islamkot and onward out to Nagarparkar. The road dead ends on the main street of the village.
In this corner of Sindh, Pakistan, there is a large population of Hindus. Clearly, a minority in the country at large, but in this region, Hindus make up most of the populous.
Effectively, at the end of Colonialism when the British drew a line in the sand, creating Pakistan and India as two separate nations, they were negligent in getting the word out, seemingly. The Hindus didn't get the memo to cross over to Rajasthan, India, just a few kilometers away. Thus, they stayed on their traditional lands, migrating with the weather and their animals in a small area of the desert.
To this day, many ancient Hindu and Jain temples still stand in and around Nagarparkar village.
Lighthouse Beach is located at the southern tip of Eleuthera island in the Bahamas. It's a jarring ride down a long, bumpy road, a road not worthy of being called a dirt or gravel road. It is more of path through the mangrove, atop the bedrock that forms the island. If you are even a slightly adventurous and skilled driver, the reward is a beautiful isolated beach, flanked by limestone cliffs, complete with a small cave. But if it's historic lighthouses you're looking for, heads up, the lighthouse here is more of a shack with crumbling walls and exposed wiring.
24°36'54.60"N
76°08'44.98"W
Drive south on the main road. As you get past Rock Sound in the southern reach of the island, there are only small farms and clusters of houses, no more large towns. When you enter this open, less populated area, known as Bannerman, the road will curve sharply right, stay straight, onto to the dirt road. You will see signs for a children's camp eventually. This gives way to the bone-jarring rocky road out to the beach. It's approximately a 20 minute drive off the main road.
Blue Creek, in Belize, has to be one of the greatest swimming spots in all of Central America. The turquoise water spills out of Hakeb Ha cave, cascading down to a large deep pool. Several species of fish call this river home and being in the middle of the rainforest, there are birds of every shape and color. Have a refreshing dip or bring a headlamp and meander into the darkness of the cave. Be advised, exploring the cave is not for the faint of heart, the river runs chest deep for about 1 mile into the cave, bring extra batteries for that headlamp!
16° 12'25.35"N
89°02'54.84"W
Heading south on the Southern Highway, just past Big Falls, the road will T. Take a right here, toward Mafredi and San Antonio (take the left you'll go to Punta Gorda).
About 4 miles northwest, you'll come into Mafredi, little more than a junction with one shop and a cluster of houses. Take the beat up road to the left toward the town of Blue Creek.
About 5 miles later you'll come into the village of Blue Creek. Continue thru town, until you come to a bridge crossing the Blue Creek itself. On the right you'll see a dirt pull off/parking area near some large trees. Park there.
Follow the trail along the river, up past the eco-lodge. Listen for the sounds of a waterfall as you continue along the river's edge.
The trail will lead you to the swimming hole and just above, into the cave.
At the far eastern reach of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, the Appalachian Mountains crumble into the sea at white cliffs similar to Dover, England. This dramatic shoreline is literally the edge of the continent.
Housed inside the Parc National Forillon, it is protected by the Canadian Government and offers camping and hiking nearby. Climbing is prohibited but swimming is allowed, if you're willing to brave to cold northern waters.
48°48'31.16"N
64°13'14.17"W
Take Quebec Route 132 Est, past Quebec City, traveling out along the St. Lawrence Seaway. Eventually, you will come to the town of Gaspé.
Continue around on 132, also known as Montée Laurencelle, into Parc National Forillon. Inside the park stay headed northeast, turning right onto Chemin du Cap Bon-Ami.
This road curves around to a parking lot and a vantage point.
Take the staircase down to the rocky beach and enjoy.
The New Haven River runs out of the mountains in Lincoln and flows down thru the town of Bristol, in Vermont. It is home to some of the greatest swimming holes in New England. Starting at the bottom of Lincoln Road, just north of Bristol Village, you will find Split Rock, Bartlett's and Circle Current, as the locals call them. Venturing further up the mountains you may happen across some hidden, locals only spots. Make nice, those kids are pretty suspicious of outsiders!
Taking it's name from a defunct but still standing mill, downstream from the falls, the Old Mill swimming hole is a locals favorite. It's pretty hard to find, which keeps the riffraff out, it comes complete with gentle bubbling baths and a stubby, slot-canyon-like chute, which is deep enough for jumping off the 20 foot cliffs.
Getting across the American prairie is tough, straight roads and long hours.This is one of those hidden gems, right off the beaten path, that can make that drive across the otherwise flat and mundane Kansas that much more exciting.
Castle Rock rises above farm land along a series of dirt roads, south of the I-70 corridor. It was formed by chalk deposits of an ancient inland sea. It has been eroding away for eons, but has seen increased visitation and climbing has caused so much erosion that back in 2001 the tallest of the spires broke away and crumbled.
The nearby badlands are a fun series of canyon like structures to explore and walk off that long ride.
38°51'39.95"N
100° 10'09.90"W
To get to Castle Rock, head south out of Quinter, Kansas, south off of I-70, on Castle Rock Road/ Gove 72 (this area is Gove County, most roads are dirt county roads marked with a letter or number).
14 miles later look to your left, you should see the spires of Castle Rock in the distance. Take a left on Gove K, go another 4 miles, you see the rock formation getting closer.
Turn left onto Gove 80, this is the dirt ring road around Castle Rock and the mini-Badlands.
