Tonto National Monument Photo Walks: Professional photographers Peg and Rex Lavoie lead four-hour tours to Tonto's Upper Cliff Dwelling till mid April. The walks, which are for advanced photographers only, are free with park entry fee. Reservations required. 928-467-2241.

See Related Story: 13th Century Cliff Dwellings

Reservations at Twenty Montana State Parks: Nearly 40% of all campsites booked this year in Montana State Parks were thru the online reservation system. Reservations are accepted up to nine months in advance. Each park holds back about 25% of their total sites for first-come, first serve campers. Tongue River State Park was the 'most reserved' destination in 2012.

See Related Link: Montana SP Reservations

Homestead Act's 150th Birthday: In 2012, the Homestead Act of 1862 turned 150 years old. Land (typically 160 acres) was free, but building a house, digging a well, acquiring animals, buying feed, and getting farm implements was a costly proposition. Most homesteaders staked their claims on treeless grasslands, like those in Montana, where dwellings had to be built with sod and dried buffalo chips served as fuel.

See Related Story: Homesteading the Missouri Breaks

Desert View Campground on the South Rim: The Arizona Republic called camping at the Desert View Campground on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon one of Arizona's must-do trips. No reservations,...first come, first serve. It should open for the season in May.

See Related Story: Don't Do the Tourist Thing!

North Rim Biking Trail to Expand: The 18-mile Rainbow Rim trail, a popular mountain biking route on the North Rim, will be extended by up to 8 miles beginning in June. The single track trail passes through ponderosa pine and aspen groves and is the only North Rim trail designed for mountain bikers.

See Related Story: Don't Do the Tourist Thing!

Pinnacles NM Becomes our 59th National Park: In mid-January of this year, President Obama signed a bill that turned California's Pinnacles National Monument into a National Park. A very successful condor re-establishment program has been in place here since 2003.

See Related Story: Pinnacles National Park

Vacationing in Idaho State Parks: Reservations for Idaho State Parks are accepted nine months in advance of your intended stay, so now is the time to grab a spot for next summer. One of GoWest’s favorite spots for fly fishing and hiking is Harriman State Park. It has a terrific campground, and overnight lodging in buildings that were a private retreat for wealthy Pacific Railroad investors in the early to mid 1900s.

See Related Story: The Henrys Fork of the Snake

North Rim of the Grand Canyon: Highway 67 into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is now closed for the season. Hikers and cross country skiers are still able to enter the North Rim of the park throughout the winter months, providing backcountry permits have been obtained through the park's South Rim Backcountry Information Center or at the Visitor Center at Pipe Spring National Monument, located in Fredonia, Arizona. The South Rim Backcountry Information Center is open year-round and can be reached by calling (928) 638-7875, Monday through Friday.

See Related Story: Don't Do the Tourist Thing!