Hi, we’re Kevin and Melissa!
We’re so excited you’re here. We’re a couple based out of New England that shares a passion for travel, adventure, and exploring the beauty of nature on our own two feet. We’re all about maximizing our vacation days (thanks to Melissa’s self-proclaimed expertise at itinerizing, but you can be the judge of that!), spending as much time as we can outdoors through hiking, camping, and backpacking, and doing it all on a budget!
We started this website, Dirty Shoes and Epic Views, to help give fellow adventurers guides and itineraries packed with information, tips, and inspiration to get out there and explore. We also love helping with the logistics of trip planning, what to pack, best gear, and how to budget and save.
Our Travel Style
Outdoors
We seek adventure and the great outdoors wherever we travel! We base our vacations primarily around what hikes and backpacking trips we want to conquer. We’re not afraid to get a little off the beaten path and we prefer to spend our money and time not on fancy hotels or five star restaurants, but on campgrounds, experiences, and adventures.
Adventurous
We try to pack in as much as we can into any trip, whether it’s 2 weeks or two months. We love researching all the best to hike and camp, and love making jam-packed destination itineraries!
On A Budget
We aren’t afraid to rough it to stretch our dollars and experience so much more with the time we have it any given destination! You’ll often find us on the move in our tent, eating PB&Js and whatever we can make with our Jet Boil.
Fun Facts About Us
Favorite hikes
This is a tough one because we’ve done sooo many amazing ones! But for now we’ll say that hiking to Ice Lake in San Juan Colorado tops the list. Other top contenders include hiking in Landmannalauger in Iceland (feels like you’re on another planet!), the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park, and Temple Mountain in Banff National Park.
Favorite places we’ve visited
We’ve loved all of the National Parks we’ve visited, the awesome hikes of the Canadian Rockies, the unreal landscapes of Iceland, and the all the fun wildlife and tropical vibes on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica!
We’re also particularly fond of the Adirondacks in upstate New York…our go-to place for hiking at home!
Favorite backpacking trips
We have a ton of backpacking routes on our bucketlist, but so far our favorites include hiking part of the John Muir Trail to Cloud’s Rest and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park and the hike to Dusy Basin in the Eastern Sierras.
Favorite National Parks
So far, we’ve been to 23 National Parks and counting! Kevin’s two favorite are Death Valley National Park (which blew away both our expectations!) and Glacier National Park (which has some amazing hikes). Melissa really loved Zion National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park!
