At Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, rangers are seeing more than green this spring. They’re also noticing a little more gray. The average visitor to national parks is getting older. Cyclist John O’Malley, 61, of Summit County, Colo., has enjoyed the trails for almost half a century. “You do get close to nature,” Malley said. But...
Learn MoreWhat better way to reintroduce northern Manhattan parks to residents and friends than through a neighborhood celebration that takes you hiking through the secret and not-so-secret parks and finishes up with a big outdoor party? Hike the Heights, an annual community-wide hike-and-party, is now in its eighth year. It will take place this Saturday, June 2nd on National...
Learn MoreCheck out the new maps and trail descriptions for 88 miles of the Mountains to Sea Trail from Beacon Heights (near Grandfather Mountain) to Devil’s Garden (near Stone Mountain State Park) along the northern Blue Ridge Parkway. They are written as a series of 14 day-hikes which can be combined for a longer trip. The descriptions were developed by outdoor writer Joe...
Learn MoreSharon Brussel, the supervisory program assistant in the division of interpretation at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, said sprained ankles are one of the most common injuries hikers suffer while hiking in Utah. According to Brussel, hikers often suffer ankle and knee injuries while climbing because they don’t pay attention to what is under their feet. Hikers need...
Learn MoreA new trail is coming to Denali National Park and Preserve, and in honor of National Trails Day the general public is being invited to help with the construction. The Savage Alpine Trail will run 4.5 miles through forest and across tundra. On National Trails Day, June 2, volunteers are being invited to help park crews build a 150-foot boardwalk. “This event is a...
Learn More
Lupus Awareness Month may be coming to a close but the Lupus Foundation of America continues awareness efforts year-round. They can’t do it alone. Stay involved with them. Listen to podcasts from lupus experts, find your nearest Chapter, become an e-Advocate, join a Walk, add your Voice. Today, people with lupus are leading healthier lives and living longer than at...
Learn MoreSequoia National Park, home to the giant redwoods, suffers the worst air pollution of any national park in the country. The California forest that is home to the biggest and oldest living things on earth suffers that dubious distinction. Signs in visitor centers warn guests when it’s not safe to hike. The government employment website warns job applicants that the...
Learn MoreThe trail might ascend into the nation’s first sanctuary for hawks, veer through a Superfund site that became a preserve or cross ground that a volunteer tended for the past 20 years. On National Trails Day on June 2, hikers, bicyclists, canoeists and equestrians have a chance to explore paths they haven’t taken before or to re-cover favorite ground....
Learn MoreNational Trails Day will have a little extra significance for the Finger Lakes Trail this year. Shortly after the sun rises Saturday, June 2, 75 simultaneous hikes will begin across New York state, as the Finger Lakes Trail celebrates its 50th birthday with a one-day collective trip spanning over 550 miles. Founded in 1962, the Finger Lakes Trail Conference now offers...
Learn MoreTwo miles of riverside hiking trails in the New Jersey section of Palisades Interstate Park will remain closed this holiday weekend because of boulders and debris from plunging rocks earlier this month. “Everything else is open except that particular portion of hiking trail within the Giant Stairs area,” said a park educator for the 12-mile New Jersey section. “Where the...
Learn MoreBob Miller first visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1984 while on vacation. Until then, his only exposure to mountains was viewing the snow-capped peaks of Switzerland, which he’d seen while serving in the Army during the Vietnam War. At first, the relatively modest scale of the Southern Appalachians left Miller unimpressed. Over time, however, he began...
Learn MoreAspen Matis is writing a memoir of rape and the wilderness adventure that helped her heal. In the morning we went farther south, through more desert. In the car we didn’t talk much. We referred to my sadness but never said “rape.” At the Mexican border, my father filled my water bottles and watched me swing my legs back and forth off the minivan trunk and eat cold pizza....
Learn MoreThe Green Mountain Club welcomes the end to mud season starting this Memorial Day weekend. As hiking on trails in the Green Mountain National Forest is no longer discouraged, the club looks forward to another great hiking season in Vermont. The 10,000-member founder and maintainer of the Long Trail also knows there is a lot of trail work to do, especially in the wake of...
Learn MoreThe National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, announced over $200,000 in grants to be awarded to the thirteen national parks selected to participate in the 2012 Active Trails program. Now in its fourth round of grants, the National Park Foundation’s Active Trails program promotes national parks as a venue for community...
Learn More
Over the past few years, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program has been installing a network of kid friendly hiking trails, called TRACK Trails, on and in communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Kids in Parks program is installing their network of TRACK Trails to help get kids and families “un-plugged”, outdoors and actively engaged in nature,...
Learn MoreAs the summer hiking season approaches, the U.S. Forest Service reminds hikers to be prepared for whatever they might find on the trail and recommends websites that offer guidance on hiking safely and provide information on local trails, campsites and other information about the White Mountain National Forest. Those planning a hiking trip are encouraged to check out the...
Learn More
June is a special time to celebrate America’s Great Outdoors. Presidential recognition of the American Recreation Coalition’s Great Outdoors Week and proclamations from governors across America are featured along with tours, work days, and celebrations. One special day in June is sponsored by the American Hiking Society and a variety of partners: National...
Learn MoreEffective immediately, the speed limit between Highway 74A and Highway 25 (Hendersonville Road) will be reduced from 45 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour. This speed limit change is aimed at improving the safety of motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians through the Asheville Corridor. In the past six years, the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through the...
Learn More
A spectacular waterfall isn’t the only highlight of the Ramsey Cascades Trail in the Greenbrier area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail to the cascade gains more than 2,000 feet as it follows rushing rivers and streams filled with moss-covered boulders for its four-mile length. The last couple miles pass through old-growth hardwood forest with giant...
Learn More
Early summer is a great time to disconnect from the video games, computers and phones and reconnect with the outdoors. Participants from federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and the recreation industry are again teaming up to host the fourth annual National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day) to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun at sites across the nation. On Saturday,...
Learn MoreIt would seem the first step is to plan the route. This may appear simple at first glance. Wouldn’t one always elect the easiest? Not necessarily – often the trail takes a detour from “easy” to incorporate a scenic view or historic site that happens to be along the way. And how would one know about these distractions? OK, so research might come...
Learn More
I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. My regular hiking companions have designated me the lead hiker, so I suppose that makes me the slowest Meanderthal. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
Recent Comments