heyitssmalls

hi friends! I’m lily, but most people know me as Smalls (or lilysmalls) 😌 I’m so grateful to have yall in my little virtual corner of the world, thank you for being here! 🫶🏼 I wanted to share a little more about me for those who don’t already know me 🥹 (iceland edition lmao) ▫️I’m a Central Valley, California girl (born & raised), but my parents are Mexican Immigrants who came to the states for a better life ❤️ I’m incredibly proud of my heritage & my first language was Spanish (still fluent) 🇲🇽 ▫️I’m 32 years old and 4’10 (hence the nickname 😂) ▫️I have a Master’s in Business Administration & work a “9-5” in Healthcare Recruiting, but the corporate world brings me zero joy 💀 ▫️Adventuring, exploring, traveling, & being outdoors (especially waterfall chasing) brings me the most joy 🥹🌊🌎🥾🌲🛫 ▫️I typically adventure w/ my partner of almost 7 years, Pat, so you’ll see a lot of him on here 👨🏻💓 ▫️I don’t consider myself an expert at any one thing, but more of an Average Joe who loves sharing w/ other average joes the hacks I learn along the way 📝 I hope you enjoy being here, as much as I enjoy having you! I appreciate yall more than you know ❤️‍🔥🙌🏼 **you can learn way more on me in the “about me” highlight on my page:)✨ Happy July, Friends:)!!🔥🌞🌻 #aboutme #reintroduction #mystory #iceland #icelandadventure #icelandexplored #summeriniceland #icelandsummer

Who’s in charge of writing hike descriptions at AllTrails?? I just want to talk 😂 If there’s anything I have learned from hiking, it’s that 👇🏼 1️⃣: Always expect & prepare for the worst 🧥 2️⃣: Never trust the weather app 🌨️ 3️⃣: Never trust the distance/difficulty on AllTrails 💀 honestly, i’m not the best preparer for hiking, so this stems from experience 🤣 but i’m trying to be better!!! some things to keep in mind: 🔺 what if the trail is closed? Have a plan b! ☝🏼 🔺 or what if the trail is longer than you thought? Of whatever food/water you think you’ll need, pack a little extra! ☝🏼 🔺 what if weather suddenly changes? You better bring layers! ☝🏼 🔺 what if there’s a serial killer on the loose?? ima just let you figure that one out lol! ☝🏼😳💀 we like spicy adventures & living life on the edge, so follow along @heyitssmalls if that’s your vibe 🥳🙌🏼🔥 Have you or someone you know suffered @ the hands of AllTrails?? 😂🙋🏻‍♀️ #alltrails #hikerlife #hikingadventures #alltrailsapp #hikingvibes #hikinghumor #adventuregram #bigsurhiking

👇🏼 This is a perfect hike for Yosemite first timers, beginners, or for people who simply don’t have a lot of time in the park! Happy Earth Day, friends! 🫶🏼💚 If you’re trying to get out and celebrate National Park Week & Earth Day this week, here’s a very much “bang for your buck” type of hike! It’s easy, not too long, & hits a lot of “must sees” in one loop 😌 📍 Trail: Cook’s Meadow Loop Trail in Yosemite National Park (this loop combines the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail & the Cook’s Meadow Trail) 🏃🏽‍♀️ Difficulty: EASY (this entire hike is completely flat) 🥾 Distance: About 2 miles (depending on where you park- we took our time & it took us about 1 hour & 20 minutes to complete) 🅿️ Parking: There’s several small parking lots in the area, but I recommend parking at the Yosemite Valley Lodge parking lot. It adds an additional 0.5 miles each way, but it’s bigger & you will find the Base Camp Eatery & a Starbucks here. so a good place to park if you want to get food before or after your hike :) 🌲 Must see spots pictured in the video & what you get to see on the hike: 📍 Lower Yosemite Falls View 📍 Lower Yosemite Falls Vista Point 📍 Superintedent’s Bridge 📍 Merced River 📍 Yosemite Valley Chapel 📍 Sentinel Bridge 📍 Cook’s Meadow/Wooden (Board)walk there’s A LOT to do/see in this area. If you don’t mind the crowds, stick around after your hike to check out Yosemite Village. If you prefer having a peaceful morning hike, definitely come early to avoid the crowds! OH! & just a reminder yall, before you plan your trip, make sure to check if there’s a current reservation requirement :) Happy Hiking, friends! 🌲 Comment “GUIDE” below if you would like to get the actual link to the trail! & follow me @heyitssmalls for more good stuff 🤠 #yosemite #yosemitevalley #yosemitefalls #yosemitenationalpark #cooksmeadow #yosemitehiking #californiahikes #visitcalifornia

☝🏼 Would you believe me if I told you that Idaho has the highest concentration of natural hot springs in the United States? No? okay, cus I was also today years old when I learned this 😂 🥔 Honestly, I didn’t grow up knowing very much about Idaho besides ~potatoes~ (I know, sue me 🤷🏼‍♀️😂), so it wasn’t a state that was really on my radar- till I tapped into “Idaho-gram” a few years ago & thank goodness I did cus LOOK @ THIS 🥹 ‼️If there’s ever going to be a reason for you to visit Idaho, let it be the HOT SPRINGS! This is: 📍Sunbeam Hot Springs in Stanley, Idaho 🔥 (free) Stanley is known for its various/fairly easily accessible hot springs - here’s a few other springs between Stanley & Boise to add to your list: ▫️ Mountain Village Hot Spring (entry fee, but perfect for sunset) ▫️ Bonneville Hot Springs (parking fee) ▫️ Kirkham Hot Springs (parking fee) ▫️ Pine Flat Hot Springs (free, I think) Happy Exploring, friends! 🫶🏼 👉🏼 I’m smalls 🙋🏼‍♀️ & this is Pat 👨🏻 we just celebrated our 7 year anniversary doing a roadtrip through the PNW! follow along @heyitssmalls cus i’m sharing all the scoop on the epic places we visited!! 😎🙌🏼❤️‍🔥 #visitidaho #idahohotsprings #stanleyidaho #ouradventure #coupleswhoexplore #roadtrippers #travelbloggers #bucketlistideas #tripplanner

Early last week, we polled my awesome community on here on what roadtrip route me & pat should take for our anniversary trip! The final results came through on Tuesday morning & we were scheduled to leave town on wednesday afternoon 😳 which meant we had less than 24 hours to plan this roadtrip & honestly, majority of it was planned while on the road 😂 BUT my peeps did us a solid cus here is the route they chose for us!! 👇🏼🥳❤️‍🔥 📲 Before I jump in, I’m smalls 🙋🏼‍♀️ & this is Pat 👨🏻 follow along 👉🏼 @heyitssmalls as i’ll be sharing more about our roadtrip & all the epic places we visited during this trip!! 🥰 WINNING ROUTE: 🚗 California > Idaho > Washington > Oregon 🚗 This past weekend we spent 4 days (6 days with driving time 😂) exploring the gorgeous PACIFIC NORTHWEST! & my eyeballs have not recovered from the beautiful places we saw!!!! 🍂 If you know me, you know I am such a softy for Fall & the fall vibes & good times were just popping off the entire trip 😭 so please take this as a sign that there’s still time to catch the fall colors in the PNW! & a PSA that traveling during shoulder season IS the best time to travel ;) ❤️ Happy Exploring, friends! 🫶🏼 #pacificnorthwest #pnwadventures #pnwroadtrip #ouradventures #coupleswhoexplore #coupleswhohike #pnwguide #bucketlistadventures #roadtriptips

Some would say this is the greatest battle of the year…but it’s still Fall, yall 😜🧡🍂 Someone on reddit said “We will not stop the war on Christmas until it ends it illegal occupation of November,” & I cackled 😂 I love christmas! but Fall is my favorite season & one of my fave times to travel, so it always hurts to see it get cut short & overshadowed by Christmas 🥹 I’m not ready to give up the orange leaves & the pumpkin spice everything lol! so ima keep enjoying yalls xmas reels but just know….ima be holding on to Fall as long as I can 🫡❤️‍🔥🍁 What team are you??? Team it’s Fall yall or Xmas starts Nov 1st??? 😂🍁🍂🧡🎅🏼🎄 Hi i’m Small, an adventure loving girlie who is here for Fall & good times 😎😂 follow along for more fun stuffs! ❤️‍🔥🙋🏼‍♀️ #travelhumor #falladventures #itsfallyall #christmasinnovember #outdoorlover #adventurewithus #travelwithus #travelblogger

Stillness is such a simple yet complicated concept. I feel like we grow up programmed to always be “go go go”, (at least in the states) and that’s always bled into how I move through life. I’ve always felt the need to constantly be doing stuff - like being productive all the time, or doing the most things on our trips to make the most of our time, or being busy every single weekend, etc. but this way of living does sometimes come at the expense of our peace or wellbeing. my body has started to force me to slow down, & at first it was stressing me out- not having the energy to just GO like I used to. but I see now that it’s giving me the chance to appreciate slowing down 🥹 This is my first reel in weeks & this is the main reason I took a break from being on here! Because being STILL is HARD when you’re not used to it, but damn, is it eye opening! whether “being still” means taking a break from the chaos, taking a moment to feel present, or taking a moment to really appreciate the view in front of you, be sure to give yourself grace & take whatever version of being “still” it is you need. & when you take that moment to be still, take it without guilt - because nature is basically asking you to be still when it gives you a view like this 🥰 Taking care of yourself IS a form of being productive 🧡 Happy Monday, friends! 🫶🏼 #mondaymotivation #motivationalmondays #naturetherapy #outdoorlovers #adventurewithus #ouradventure #roadtripviews #roadtripusa #roadtrippers

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always gravitated towards doing adventurous things. but I had this strange epiphany this past year (amidst trying to break through some deep rooted issues) as to how I got into adventuring - getting picked on during my childhood created this subconscious belief that “I’m not good enough”. & I realized that I started chasing these adventures & dangerous things as a way to validate myself. as a way to tell myself “see you are good enough, you CAN do these things.” & realizing that made me sad at first cus that’s just so depressing lol! but at the same time, maybe I would’ve never found a love for adventures if that had not been my reality? Who knows. This past year, I started really tapping into self reflection/growth/facing my demons head on- that kind of stuff- & though I know it’ll take time, it’s been fulfilling to feel like i’m tapping into a new version of me 🥹 Today is my 33rd birthday. cheers to growing- no matter what age you’re at, & to so much more of THAT this year 🥂🧡 & NEVER FORGET - you are SO MUCH MORE than your subconscious self thinks you are ❤️ Thank you for being here 🥰 Sincerely, an adventure loving girl just tryna find herself 🫶🏼 #myadventure #herstory #adventurelover #explorewithme #myjourney #growthroughit

I knew we’d be lucky enough to see some wildlife on this excursion, but I was def not expecting to see a Juvenile Bald Eagle cleaning it feathers so close to us 🥰 *& yes, we stayed in the water & kept our distance* Alaska is just full of so many gorgeous views & the most beautiful wildlife! If you’re visiting 📍Juneau, Alaska, add this excursion to your itinerary for a chance to see (not only) eagles, but also a glacier! ‼️We booked this excursion in 📍Juneau, Alaska during our 7-day Alaskan Cruise! 🚣🏽‍♂️ Excursion: Mendenhall Glacier View Kayak Excursion This excursion is a kayak around the Mendenhall Lake, which gives you a really cool view of the Mendenhall Glacier! 🔖 There’s several companies that offer kayaking excursions here, but I def recommend @alaskashoreexcursions 🔥 I’ll be honest, kayaking excursions aren’t my favorite cus my arms get so damn tired 😂 BUT the views & the wildlife 100% made this one worth it 🥹❤️‍🔥 Happy Adventuring, friends! 🫶🏼 I’m Smalls, & this is my bf, Pat! 👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 We are an adventurous duo who don’t take life too seriously - we are here for a good time not a long time 😂 Follow along 👉🏻 @heyitssmalls for more on our adventures 🙌🏼🥳❤️‍🔥 #alaskaadventure #alaskancruise #mendenhallglacier #adventurecouple #coupleswhoadventure #outdoorlovers #tripplanner #tripguide #adventureblogger

When the Salmon Capital of the World has more than just salmon 😎🔥 If you booked an Alaskan Cruise, there’s a good possibility you’ll end up in Ketchikan, Alaska! 👇🏼 HERE’S 5 CRUISE FRIENDLY THINGS TO DO & some additional options below: 🍩 1. Stop by @jellyfishdonutss for a Salmon donut (they do also have regular donuts!) 🦭 2. Explore Creek Street - Ketchikan’s old red light district! This is a boardwalk area with various shops & some restaurants. We also spotted a Bald Eagle, SO many fish (salmon?!?) in the creek, & a seal eating their heads 😳 🍫 3. Have a crepe at @alaskacrepes! We had the nutella + banana crepe (I also added strawberries) 10/10 🔥 but they have so many other flavors & savory ones too! 🐻 4. Visit the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary to see some bears! You need to book a reservation to go into the actual sanctuary (make sure to book in advance) - this takes you through viewing platforms to see the bears up close! We looked into this too late so we just wandered around the outskirts of the sanctuary & still saw 2 bears from a distance away :) 💦 5. If youre close to the sanctuary, check out Rainbow Falls - this is a quick stop but the waterfall is beautiful! ‼️ ADDITIONAL THINGS YOU CAN DO👇🏼 - Do a Wildlife or Whale watching tour 🐻🐋 - Do a fishing tour 🐟 - Do a hike near downtown🥾 - Explore Tongass National Forest 🌲 - Do a Canopy/Zipline adventure 🧗🏻‍♀️ - Book a kayaking tour 🛶 - Watch a lumberjack show 🪵 - Go on a Totem Pole walk 🚶🏻‍♀️ - Book a seaplane or helicopter tour 🛩️🚁 Happy Exploring, friends! 🫶🏼😎 I’m Smalls 🙋🏼‍♀️ an adventure traveler who just did an Alaskan cruise! follow along 👉🏻 @heyitssmalls for more Alaskan info! #alaskacruise #alaskaadventures #ketchikan #outdoorlovers #coupleswhoexplore #coupleswhoadventure #itineraryplanner #tripguide #travelblogger

All my fellow night owls 🦉🌘 KNOW how HARD it is to wake up for a sunrise adventure 😂 so when I tell you it was worth it, I don’t say it lightly! the best PERKS of waking up for a sunrise adventure: 🔺 the obvious one, CATCHING A BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE 🌅 🔺 the ridiculous amount of time you’ll have for all kinds of adventures! I was shook at how many things we were able to see & do! We kept saying “whoa, it’s still really early!” 🔺 LESS CROWDS!!!! yall know I love avoiding people (lmao) & this is seriously one of the best ways to do it! 🔺 If you’re visiting a National Park, often times if you arrive before 5AM, you don’t have to pay an entrance fee (this varies by park so make sure to check beforehand) I have been trying for YEARS to be a “sunrise hiker” but trying to mix being a night owl with sunrise hikes is not the business 💀 so if you’re a night owl, HERE ARE SOME TIPS to ease you into sunrise 🌅 adventures: 👉🏻 If you can, stay near your destination/the place you’re catching sunrise! it’s so much easier to wake up early when you have a shorter drive 👉🏻 Plan the trip with someone who’s done sunrise adventures before - this will help hold you accountable 😂 & they will know what the best times to catch sunrise are! Shout to @funsizewanderer for taking me on my first sunrise hike! you a real one!! ❤️‍🔥🥳🙌🏼 👉🏻 Plan what time you need to arrive to catch sunrise (including if you need to account for hiking time) and work backwards to determine what time you need to leave, & what time you should go to sleep 👉🏻 Prep your outfit/snacks/bag etc. the night before so you’re not scrambling in the morning :) Happy Adventuring, friends! 📍Location: Sequoia National Park, California I’m Smalls 🙋🏼‍♀️ an adventure loving hiker ready to share all the juicy tips with you! follow along 👉🏻 @heyitssmalls for more hiking info & epic trails!! 🥳🔥🙌🏼 #sequioanationalpark #californiatravel #californianationalparks #womenwhohike #hikinggirls #outdoorlover #californiablogger #hikingguide #adventureplanning

Happy October 1st friends! 🥹🍂❤️‍🔥 Fun fact, October is my favorite month of the year! 🙌🏼 It’s also my birthday month 😂 but more importantly, it’s the month that feels the most coziest & fall fill month of all 🥰 So in honor of a great fall month ahead, here is one of my absolute favorite (fall) hikes in the world 🔥 and a fall hike you DO NOT want to miss- seriously, look at these views!!! 📍West Rim Trail, Zion National Park, Utah ‼️Things to Note: This trail is also known as Scout’s Lookout Trail! ALSO, this is actually the trail that leads you to Angel’s Landing, BUT YOU DO NOT NEED A PERMIT FOR THIS PART OF THE TRAIL (only for the angel’s landing portion) 🥾 The trail is 4.2 miles or so! It took us about 3 hours from start to finish (note, we did not do angel’s landing so this timeframe does not account for that) The trail is considered “HARD” or “STRENUOUS” because there’s high/long drop offs- They say it’s not recommended for children or people afraid of heights. BUT personally, I did not feel unsafe because the trail was wide during the sections where the drop offs are (see 2nd clip). Obviously hike at your own risk, but I didn’t personally feel like it was super super hard! 🍁 We did this trail in November so keep in mind that the conditions may vary 🧤 The deeper you get into the trail, the higher the elevation gets, so be sure to wear layers because it gets cold the higher you go! 🚌 You’ll find this trail in “The Grotto”, so you can take the park shuttle from the visitors center to Stop 6 to access this :) Happy Hiking, friends! 🙌🏼🍂 I’m Smalls! 🙋🏼‍♀️ & featured in my reel is my bf, Pat! 👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 We thrive off adventures & hunting down epic views like this 🥹 follow along 👉🏻 @heyitssmalls for more epic hikes! 🔥 #zionnationalpark #zionnps #utahhikes #adventurecouple #coupleswhohike #hikingcouple #trailguide #bucketlisthike #adventureblogger