This is a steep, one-way (up) mountain road that goes from the end of Horseshoe Park up Fall River Pass, and meets the Trail Ridge Road at the Alpine Visitor Center. The road is curvy, narrow in places, and without amenities like guard rails and curbs, so you have to pay attention to it. Which is too bad, because it's a beautifully scenic drive. There are several overlooks back down the valley, and the Fall River runs either right alongside the road or within earshot, with a few pretty nearby waterfalls that deserve a look.

It's a fairly smooth road, but relentlessly uphill. Any SUV can make it, as well as any front-wheel drive family car. There are no restrooms until you get to the visitor center at the top, so be prepared. The road is only about 10 miles or so long, but will seem a lot longer, and there are plenty of pullouts so that those in a hurry can get by those who aren't. (The speed limit is 15 mph.) The road is closed to vehicles in winter, which is roughly October to May or June, at which time it makes a nice hiking trail.

...on Trail Ridge Road, this is the only commercial enterprise between Estes Park and Granby. There's hot and cold food available here, soft drinks, coffee, etc., plus a variety of candy and other snacks. It's a souvenir stand like few others, with everything from expensive silver and turquoise jewelry to made-in-China moccasins and bow-and-arrows, cheap T-shirts to fine knit sweaters, photo books to framed prints.

It's a welcome place to stretch your legs on the Trail Ridge trip, set at the top of a beautiful pass that begs for picture-taking. You can often see elk in the distance, and of course marmots and chipmunks (which will find YOU if you just stand still). You can hike up above the parking area and get an even better view of the area, but be aware that the air's pretty thin. Most importantly, if I recall correctly, they have higher quality pit toilets that are clean and HEATED.

And if you're adventurous, you can get here by driving up the steep, narrow, graveled Fall River Road from Horseshoe Park, an adventure unto itself.

When we went there about 25 years ago, Ashcroft was at the end of a long dirt road up a pretty valley. The town consisted of half-a-dozen or so log buildings, including a nicely preserved hotel. But that was it -- no visitor information, no guides, no anything else. Scenic, and something to do, but unless it's been developed there's not much to do besides look at it and go home.

Apparently you can arrange a guided tour: http://www.allaspen.com/attractions/ashcroft_ghost_town.php

...and limited access, which adds up to a good thing. This might be the one (fairly) easily-accessible public beach in North Carolina where you won't have to worry about kicking sand on people next to you.

Bear Island (which has no bears) is a small barrier island just across the Bogue Inlet from the more famous and more visited Emerald Isle/Atlantic Beach area. Aside from a boardwalk across the dunes, a couple of restrooms, a few bathhouses, and a small concession area, there's not much on this three-mile-long island but sand dunes, scrub, and beach. The only easy access is by a cheap ($5 for adults) ferry from the state park landing, located just off the busy highway between Swansboro and Jacksonville on a road not especially well-marked. Only 28 people go out at a time, no more often than every 30-60 minutes (plus a few who take their own boats from the mainland), so crowding is never likely to be a problem. The swimmers and sunbathers tend to stay in one area, so probably 1/2 - 3/4 of the beach is all but deserted. The beach is quite flat, and 30-40 yards wide at low tide, but it gets much narrower when the tide is in. The water is shallow for yards off shore, even at low tide, but currents are always a concern. There are lifeguards in season at the popular beach area, but not all across the island. The tan beach and azure water are beautiful, and there's plenty of space to walk or sit, collect shells, watch the birds/crabs/dolphins, and of course play in the water. Surf fishing is allowed, and overnight campsites are available and can be reserved on-line. Kayaks and canoes can paddle in and poke around the estuary side of the island.

The undeveloped isolation that make it attractive also makes it problematic. There are only two restrooms on the whole island, in sight of each other at the main swimming beach. There are water fountains at the restrooms, but they weren't working when we were there and I wouldn't trust them anyway. There's a concession stand, but apparently it's only open at peak times in summer (weekends, mostly). So, plan to take in all your food and water (alcoholic beverages aren't allowed), and to pack out all your trash. The day we were there it was HOT, so bring plenty to drink. The only shade is at a few sheltered picnic tables, so if you plan to sit out bring an umbrella and, whatever you do, plenty of sunblock. Bugs are alleged to be bad, so repellent is worthwhile. (We went on a windy day and weren't bothered at all.) Open fires aren't allowed, so don't plan on barbecuing.

You pay for the quiet and open space by the trouble it takes to get there and back. Ferry tickets are available at the visitor center, and the $5 a head (cheaper for kids, and maybe free below a certain age) is as good as it gets. But the ferry drops you off at the inland side of the island, so anything you bring has to be schlepped over to the beach side on a half-mile gravel road. You reserve your seat on the outbound boat, but coming back is strictly first-come-first-on, and can be tricky late in the day. (We got to the landing just before the scheduled departure time just to watch the already full boat pull away, and had to kill an hour waiting for it to come back. ) They promise they'll come back for you, though. And there's a nifty visitor center (with air conditioning!) on the mainland site for entertainment while you wait for your boat out, but only a dock and sheltered pavilion for waiting for the return.

The school-aged kids we saw seemed to be living it up, but I'd think hard about bringing a baby or easily-bored toddler along. I'd say the place is more kid-tolerant than kid-friendly, but can give you plenty of fun.

Cape Lookout (CALO to insiders) is a string of three long, narrow barrier islands off the Carolina coast, uninhabited by permanent human residents and almost completely undeveloped. The inland side is swampy grassland, while the other is one unbelievably long stretch of flat sand and clear azure water. The southernmost island has a population of wild horses and a reputation as a great place to collect seashells. The northernmost has a historic abandoned village and a long open beach. The middle one has the famous diamond lighthouse and, again, beach. There is no road access to any of them; you can only get there by ferry or private boat.

That, of course, greatly decreases the number of people who go there, and is what makes it most attractive to me. I like to hike along open beach, watching the shore birds and dolphins, and listening to the surf instead of boom boxes; at CALO I suppose you could eventually get sick of it, with more than fifty miles of shoreline altogether. I don't think it would be possible NOT to get away from other people, although I wasn't there in peak season. You can camp on the beach for free, or there are "rustic" cabins for rent. ATV's, if you enjoy them, are a major means of getting around. You can explore the sound side of the islands in a canoe or kayak, but it's a two or three mile paddle over from the mainland. And you can, for a price, ferry an off-road vehicle over and take your campground with you. Plan to stay at least half a day, or you'll regret it.

Now the downside: I'd give it five stars, personally, but I don't have small children in tow. It's plenty family-friendly if your family is seriously into camping, fishing, and hiking, but if you're more the pool-at-the-motel type you'll find it difficult. As I said, you can't just drive there. There are a dozen or more ferry operations along the coast which will take people and carry-on stuff for $10-15 for adults and $5 or so for kids (and the ferry ride is fun all by itself). A couple of ferries will take vehicles across, for a higher fee, but they have to be off-road capable. All the ferries servicing the area are licensed by the Park Service, so they're all well run (and all about the same price); the park ranger said he would recommend any of them. (There are a bunch of unaffiliated tour boat operations, though, and I don't know about them.) The ferries run a fairly strict schedule and you have to reserve passage both directions, so there's not a lot of flexibility; if you get tired or sick, you might be stuck out there for a while. And you have to take literally everything you think you'll need with you, and bring it all back -- there are no concessions of any kind, and no trash disposal. Similarly, toilets are few and far between, so plan accordingly. The beaches are flat and slope gently out into the water, but there are no lifeguards anywhere or any rescue personnel; you're pretty much on your own.

If you only want to walk or play on the beach, I'd recommend the lighthouse area on the middle (South Core) island; there are several passenger ferries there from Harker's Island (which is where the park's excellent visitor center is located), from Beaufort, and elsewhere. They let you off at a dock where there's running water and flush toilets, and there's plenty of beach area as well as the lighthouse to explore. Just a half-mile or so north of that area, the beach is open to vehicle traffic, and there are a lot of trucks, SUVs, and ATVs going to and fro, most of them carrying people that fish at the beach. I will say, though, that the fishermen we met there were very polite and friendly, and meticulous about cleaning up after themselves; we didn't come across a single beer can or cigarette butt.

Take a lot of water, some food, a lot of sunscreen, and a windproof umbrella if you're taking small children -- there's almost no shade anywhere outside the cabin and dock areas. Binoculars and a camera would be useful, and don't forget something to carry back your new seashell collection. During warm weather, there are a lot of bugs; only some bite, but they'll all be interested in you. Fortunately there's usually enough wind on the beach to keep them away from you. And finally, it's probably smart to take the tide into account; there's a lot more beach at low tide than at high.