Guides

Welcome to Bound to Explore’s Travel Guides! Here you will find information and travel tips about our favorite destinations, trip reports, and gear guides.

Gift Ideas For Adventure Travelers

Gift Ideas For Adventure Travelers

Gift Ideas for Adventure Travelers | Written by Julie Boyd The holiday season is officially upon us, filled with family, friends, and lots of food! Inevitably, we find ourselves in search of the perfect gift, and if you’re like us, that can often be a 

Yosemite Winter Trip Planner

Yosemite Winter Trip Planner

Yosemite Winter | Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Yosemite National Park offers visitors something for every season. But there is something especially magical about seeing the park in winter and if you’re lucky enough, with a fresh coat of snow! This 

Canadian Rockies Travel Guide

Canadian Rockies Travel Guide

Canadian Rockies Travel Guide | Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd The Canadian Rockies are easily recognizable as one of the more beautiful destinations in North America. It’s no wonder that if you spend any time on social media, you likely have 

My Photography Gear: Hiking and Backpacking with a DSLR

My Photography Gear: Hiking and Backpacking with a DSLR

Hiking and Backpacking with DSLR Camera Gear| Words and Photos by Julie Boyd My first camera was an old Canon SLR that shot 35 mm film. Well, it was actually my dad’s old Canon that he let me use when I took a black and 

California Road Trip: Los Angeles To San Francisco Drive

California Road Trip: Los Angeles To San Francisco Drive

Los Angeles to San Francisco Drive | Written by Brian Callender & Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd California is at its best along the coast. Rolling green hills come to an abrupt end and crumble into the ocean along an endless stretch of 

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Yosemite Trip Planner

Yosemite Trip Planner

Yosemite Trip Planner | Words and Photos by Julie Boyd Everything you need to know about planning a trip to Yosemite National Park. This guide combines general information about planning your visit along with our recommendations based on years of visits to this special place.

Essential Hiking Gear for Summer

Essential Hiking Gear for Summer

Essential Hiking Gear| Written By Julie Boyd and Brian Callender We often get asked about the gear we bring along on our hikes, so we decided to put together a comprehensive list of our favorites for summer hiking. We hope you will find this guide 

Heli-Hiking in the Bugaboo Mountains with CMH Heli

Heli-Hiking in the Bugaboo Mountains with CMH Heli

Heli-Hiking in the Bugaboo Mountains with CMH Heli | Words and Photos by Julie Boyd This summer, I was invited by CMH Heli to attend their Content Summit at the Bugaboos Lodge in British Columbia. The trip was an absolute dream! I spent three days 

A Scenic Drive Through Monument Valley | Arizona

A Scenic Drive Through Monument Valley | Arizona

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Monument Valley is an iconic destination in the heart of the American Southwest. Chances are if you have seen an old Western film, Forrest Gump, Westworld, or any number of other movies, then you know Monument 

24 Hours in Page | Arizona

24 Hours in Page | Arizona

24 Hours in Page| Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd In what has quickly become an annual tradition, Julie and I hit the road at the end of December in search of adventures in the Southwest. With winter weather making most of 

A Weekend Road Trip to Redding & the Shasta Cascade Region

A Weekend Road Trip to Redding & the Shasta Cascade Region

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd This post was sponsored by Visit Redding, but all opinions are our own. Since moving to Northern California in early 2017, the opportunity for new adventures has remained a constant in our lives. We push ourselves 

Trip Report | Visit Mount Rainier National Park

Trip Report | Visit Mount Rainier National Park

Visit Visit Mount Rainier| Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd When best laid plans fall through, improvisation is the spice of life. For a couple months leading up to our first wedding anniversary, Julie and I had been working through ideas of 

Planning A Road Trip from Vancouver to Banff

Planning A Road Trip from Vancouver to Banff

Road Trip from Vancouver to Banff | Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd In 2016, Julie and I took our first trip to Canada, spending a week exploring Banff and Jasper National Parks. After seeing a seemingly endless stream of photos of 

Road Trip to Redwood National and State Parks

Road Trip to Redwood National and State Parks

Things to do in Redwood National Park | Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd One of our favorite things about living in a different part of the state is the abundance of new opportunities for adventure. For the past year, Julie and 

Day Trip to Big Sur | California

Day Trip to Big Sur | California

Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Earlier this month Brian and I had a free weekend, so we decided to take a day trip to Big Sur since it is so close to our home in San Jose. Even though we have 

One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park

One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park

One Day in Bryce Canyon | Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Closing out a busy 2017, Julie and I were excited to visit our tenth and final National Park of the year. Having spent the previous three days in Zion, crossing 

A Late Fall Weekend Road Trip Through Washington

A Late Fall Weekend Road Trip Through Washington

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Traveling while working full-time jobs means you take advantage of every opportunity to get out and explore. We love the long, multi-week vacations as much as anyone, but without question our sweet spots are weekend getaways. These 

A Colorful Trip | Fall Colors in Twin Lakes

A Colorful Trip | Fall Colors in Twin Lakes

Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd I first fell in love with Quaking Aspen trees when my family and I visited the Eastern Sierra in October of 2009. The trees burst into vibrant amber hues all around the June Lake Loop. On 

Exploring the Cunningham Cabin | Grand Teton National Park

Exploring the Cunningham Cabin | Grand Teton National Park

Cunningham Cabin | Written by Julie Boyd | Photography By Julie Boyd The Cunningham Cabin Historic Site is located just off HWY 191 in Grand Teton National Park. The location features a short, interpretative guide, which tells about the history of the John and Margaret Cunningham who 

An Epic Day Driving the Yellowstone Loop| Yellowstone National Park

An Epic Day Driving the Yellowstone Loop| Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Loop Drive| Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Yellowstone National Park, a diverse and expansive landscape, is America’s oldest designated National Park and is collectively considered to be the first in the world. Established by President Grant in March of 1872, 

Seven Things to Bring on Your Next Road Trip

Seven Things to Bring on Your Next Road Trip

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Behind the wheel and out on the open road, it’s a place where you have the freedom to go wherever your sense of adventure will take you. From the very beginning of our relationship, Julie and 

Introduction: Summer Road Trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

Introduction: Summer Road Trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd For Julie and I, 2017 can best be described as the year of road trips and National Parks. With the beginning of fall finally here, and summer slowly moving out of sight, we have visited five 

A Summer Escape to Crater Lake National Park

A Summer Escape to Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake in Summer| Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd With full time jobs, it’s no secret that we do our best to fill every available weekend with an adventure. This year, with the Fourth of July falling on a Tuesday, we 

Five Essential Tips for a Successful Day Hike

Five Essential Tips for a Successful Day Hike

Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Over the past few years Brian and I have learned some tips and tricks for making sure we are prepared for our hikes. Some things may seem obvious, but sometimes even the most experienced hikers are 

The Best Places to Visit in the Point Reyes National Seashore

The Best Places to Visit in the Point Reyes National Seashore

Things to do in Point Reyes | Written by Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd The Point Reyes National Seashore is a nature preserve located on a peninsula just north of San Fransisco. It is a diverse and special place, as the San Andres 

Why We Travel and Why You Should Too

Why We Travel and Why You Should Too

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd Without question, we live in a pretty incredible time period in human history. Thanks to technological advances, the world is at its most interconnected, making travel accessible to the masses. Much like it has been since 

A Spring Spin Through Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | California

A Spring Spin Through Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | California

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd With the recent move to Northern California, Julie and I had been craving our next adventure, specifically something outdoors. Our trip to Europe over Christmas break had satisfied our desire to travel abroad, but focused entirely on cities (after 

Castle on Tower Hill: Visiting the Tower of London

Castle on Tower Hill: Visiting the Tower of London

Tower Bridge Castle | Written by Brian Callender & Julie Boyd | Photography by Julie Boyd Cities, no matter the size, have their hallmarks, their must visit destinations. Chances are, if you find yourself in a big city, there will be no shortage of such 

Following in the Footsteps of the Roman Empire: Exploring the City of Bath, England

Following in the Footsteps of the Roman Empire: Exploring the City of Bath, England

Written by Brian Callender | Photography by Julie Boyd On our second visit to England, we decided to explore another of it’s seemingly endless famous cities, Bath. If you’re looking for a great day trip option from London, Bath is an excellent choice. If you 

Banff Photography Locations | Banff National Park

Banff Photography Locations | Banff National Park

Banff Photography Locations | Words and Photos by Julie Boyd There is no shortage of beautiful scenery in Banff National Park. Before flying up to Alberta, Canada, I spent a fair amount of time researching the best photography locations, and what the ideal times were for