Sawako J. has finished all the trails in Pisgah National Forest. She should really be proud of this accomplishment. The trails in the Pisgah District are rugged, steep and not always well-marked. But it is only by finishing a hiking challenge like the Pisgah 400 that you really learn the area. According to her records, “There are 122 trails on the latest P400 list...
Learn MoreThe new Alpe Adria Trail offers 680 kilometers of diverse and thrilling travel through three countries and three different cultures. The concept of the trail has been set up so that each stage runs along touristically-interesting regions with rich cultural, natural, and culinary tradition. The basic common thread is the richness of waters along the trail in any state...
Learn MoreStudent crews have been busy repairing hiking trails and building new ones in New England’s mountains. Seventy workers ages 14 to 20 have taken to the trails this summer in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut. They’re part of a nonprofit conservation group called the NorthWoods Conservation Corps, which works in partnership with other...
Learn MoreThe Smoky Mountains have inspired painters and poets long before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in the 20th century. This year the park builds on the land’s creative influence as it pilots a resident artist program to inspire artists and connect with the public. Six artists will live and work in the park in separate stints through November...
Learn MoreThe summer months are a great time to escape the heat and head up to the mountains for a scenic hike. Regardless of whether you “bag a 14er” or simply enjoy a leisurely hike on a local trail, it is important that you protect your knees so you can enjoy hiking for years to come. Some of you may have even stopped hiking because of knee pain. This article will help those of...
Learn MoreTwo never before accessed trails in Black Star and Baker Canyons are now open to hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. The trail openings, a project between Orange County, CA Parks and the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, is part of the 2nd Annual Wilderness Celebration. Crews from the two groups and volunteers have worked for two months to make sure the trails would be...
Learn MoreEncouraging different types of users to share the trail is as important on urban as on backcountry. In many urban trail corridors the sheer amount of use creates some dificulties for sharing the trail. Wider trails are one solution. But how wide do you want to make the trail? And does a single surface material satisfy all trail users? In many cases, the better solution...
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The southeast corner of Shining Rock Wilderness is filled with rivers, creeks and streams tumbling down from the mountains that rise above 6000 feet in the high country. Included among these waterways is the East Fork of the Pigeon River, otherwise known as Big East Fork. A trail follows the river from Hwy 276 to the confluence with Greasy Cove Prong and beyond. This Big...
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Memphis is off to a beautiful start with ambitious plans for the Wolf River. Upon its completion the Wolf River Greenway Trail will extend for 22 miles connecting public greenways and recreational trails. The Wolf River Conservancy shares responsibility with the City of Memphis, and works to protect the floodplain, wetlands, and wildlife habitats, while providing trails...
Learn MoreThe National Trails Awards are sponsored by American Trails to celebrate the leaders of our national system of trails for their outstanding contributions. This is the opportunity to recognize an outstanding person, project, or organization with America’s most prestigious trail awards. A new International Trails category is being introduced this year. Winners will...
Learn MoreIn Utah there’s a statewide push to link hundreds of miles of trails for use by pedestrians, equestrians, biking enthusiasts and off-road vehicle riders. In particular, many of the trails along the Wasatch Front are already seamless and don’t stop at the geographical borders of individual counties. In Davis County alone, there are more than 100 miles of...
Learn MoreOne of the most popular assets in Greenville County, SC is one that encourages physical activity, helps combat obesity, fuels the local economy, creates opportunities for family bonding and provides good, simple fun. The Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit Trail now has officially reached its second birthday, and its spectacular success is proving that when it comes...
Learn MoreThe parking lot at Zion National Park’s Middle Fork of Taylor Creek Trailhead is being reduced to help fight overcrowding. The trail, which is in the Kolob Canyons section of the park, is part of the park’s designated wilderness. Park Superintendent Jock Whitworth said he is sympathetic to trail users. “We know this will inconvenience some visitors, but...
Learn MoreA bomb squad was called to Pisgah National Forest this week after a hunter discovered suspicious canisters near a campsite once inhabited by a fugitive who kept materials for making booby traps. The ammo cans, discovered near the Wolf Ford Horse Camp in Transylvania County, contained ammunition and not explosives and did not need to be detonated, said a Henderson County...
Learn MoreOne of Utah County’s most popular hiking trails is closing for a month at the height of the hiking season. Timpooneke trailhead leads to Scout Falls and eventually up to the top of Mount Timpanogos. Thousands of hikers would typically use the trail between August 5 and September 5, when the trail will be closed this year, said Kathy Jo Pollock of the National...
Learn MoreThe New Jersey Forest Service and the Jackson Pathfinders will host the annual Full Moon Hike on Aug. 1. This free hike will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. at the Interpretive Center of the Forest Resource Education Center (FREC) on Don Connor Boulevard, Jackson, NJ. Families, scouts and groups of all ages are invited to join in the adventure. The glow of the rising full...
Learn MoreAll this outdoor beauty doesn’t just grow on trees. Well, it does, but it needs some tender, loving care to thrive. So here’s your chance to give back to the beauty with a couple of volunteer opportunities. The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will hold a volunteer work day this Saturday, July 28, along with the National Parks Conservation Association and...
Learn MoreOf all the ways one could see the Grand Canyon, one of the best is to hike across it, rim to rim. It is a tough physical hike, and the logistics are complicated, as you need to get camping permits in advance and arrange transportation from the destination rim back to the trailhead where you presumably left your vehicle. But the payoff is one of the peak experiences of a...
Learn MoreApache County’s forest-stewardship agreement with the U.S. Forest Service was held up at a congressional hearing Friday as a model for other governments trying to tame the growing problem of wildfires. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Flagstaff, said programs like Apache County’s contract to help thin the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest should be part of a national strategy of...
Learn MoreMorgan Hensley’s little chunk of roasted dirt may not look like much to the untrained eye, but she’s proud of it. Hensley, a senior at Pisgah High School in Canton, N.C., is one of several dozen students who are getting a little history, heritage and culture under their fingernails this summer at an archaeological excavation site in the Great Smoky Mountains...
Learn MoreThe National Park Service will limit the number of vehicles allowed on the wilderness portion of Denali Park Road at 160 per day starting in 2015, but that still represents a potential sizable increase in traffic on the only road leading into Alaska’s premier national park. The 160-vehicle-per-day cap will replace the current seasonal limit of 10,512 vehicles allowed on...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. 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. 
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