Lewis and Clark, Young Men Going West – the Ultimate Hike

The Lewis and Clark National Park covers a sprawling 40 miles and comprises 12 separate sites in an area stretching from Long Beach, Washington State to Cannon Beach, Oregon. Abundant trails for hiking, drama, stunning scenery and wild, rugged coastline all mix together in this historic encounter of America’s most famous explorers. These trail-blazing pioneers, in every...

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Issaquah, WA hiking club aims to get edgier, hipper — and younger

Issaquah Alps Trails Club, founded in 1979 to promote hiking and protect greenbelts from Issaquah to North Bend, is wooing a new generation. Despite its adventurous name, the Issaquah Alps Trails Club looks more like your local Lions Club. “Most of the club members are getting pretty long in the tooth,” said board member George Potter, 63. “The average...

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‘Wild,’ a Hiking Memoir by Cheryl Strayed

In the summer of 1995, a 26-year-old woman who had never been backpacking before set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. She had already separated from her husband, quit her waitressing job and sold most of her belongings. Now she went to the outdoors store REI to purchase almost everything she could possibly think of for her three-month journey: fleece pants and an...

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Voluntourism Spotlight: The American Hiking Society

Are you an avid hiker? Do you always find yourself hunting for your next challenging adventure? Do you dream about jagged peaks, cascading waterfalls and wild bears? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the American Hiking Society has 9 days of hiking and conservation planned this summer. Join the group at North Cascades National Park Complex in Washington where...

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5 little hikes get you closer to some big Northwest legends

There’s no telling what you might stumble across when hiking in Western Washington. Bigfoot, vampires, bundles of cash. Maybe even Paul Bunyan. The region is steeped in nearly as much intriguing pop culture as it is in good options for cool-weather hikes. Here’s a list of lowland hikes that will get you in the right frame of mind to meet up with legends around...

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Building the Iron Goat

The Iron Goat Trail is a rail-to-trial conversion along the old Great Northern Railway grade within the Stevens Pass Historic District in Washington State. Since 1990 volunteers have transformed this abandoned railway bed into a 10-mile hiking trail. Families, tourists, organized groups, rail fans and hikers of all abilities tread through lovely forests of ferns, alders...

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Candy Mountain, WA trail proposed

Thousands of hikers who trek up Badger Mountain in the Tricities area of Washington might have a new, nearby hill to climb. Two private property owners plan to create a public trail for hikers and horseback riders on the peak next to Badger Mountain. Two developers are working on a plan that would include a cluster development of 40 homes on the east shoulder of the hill,...

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Olympic National Park reconsiders plans for trail

Officials at Olympic National Park have said they will revise the environmental assessment for the Spruce Railroad Trail expansion and improvement. Park officials made the decision after they finished reviewing public comments received on the initial assessment. The trail improvement project would implement actions identified in the park’s 2008 General Management Plan...

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Kirkland, WA to consider purchase of rail corridor

Kirkland could soon become the owner of a 5 3/4-mile rail corridor that city officials hope to turn into a biking and hiking trail that has limited views of Lake Washington. The City Council is scheduled to decide whether to pay $5 million for the portion of the Eastside Rail Corridor that starts not far from Highway 520 and connects with the Totem Lake area of...

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Washington trails volunteers clear way for hikers

A group of volunteers has blazed the way for hikers and bikers to enjoy the burst of autumn colors in the Iller Creek Conservation Area. The Washington Trails Association has worked for three years with other local groups to maintain, rebuild and reroute trails in the popular Valley natural area secured by the Spokane County Conservation Futures Program. A major effort...

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7 ways to take a hike into Western Washington’s pop culture

There’s no telling what you might stumble across when hiking in Western Washington. Bigfoot, vampires, bundles of cash. Maybe even Paul Bunyan. The region is steeped in nearly as much intriguing pop culture as it is good options for fall hikes. Here are seven hikes that will give you a taste of the region’s pop culture, or at least get you close to the legends. Read...

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National Public Lands Day this Saturday: Things to do in D.C.

This Saturday, Sept. 24, is National Public Lands Day, a countrywide celebration of national parks, exercise, killing weeds and other do-goodie things. It is also the World Wide Day of Play, and if you think these two events aren’t coming together into one synergized megaday of celebration, well, you’re just dead wrong. Since its birth in 1994, NPLD has become...

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2011 NPLD Signature Sites Announced

National Public Lands Day is fast approaching. September 24th is right around the corner. A National Public Lands Day signature site is a volunteer event featuring special guests, speakers, unique programming or educational activities. This year, the signature sites are Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. and Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Ga....

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Volunteers give back to national parks

When Jim and Carol Miltimore approached officials at Mount Rainier National Park about volunteering, they thought the retired couple might spend a sunny afternoon bagging trash. They had no idea that six years later, the Enumclaw, Wash., couple would log more hours in the pristine park than many native bears. In six years, Jim, 70, and Carol, 63, have logged more than...

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Hard Working Wilderness Rangers

Wilderness Rangers Have Work Cut Out For Them in the backcountry. Hiking the backcountry in a national forest you expect to find mosquitoes, spot wildlife, discover a cache of mushrooms and see fellow hikers. If you are lucky you will encounter a wilderness ranger. The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest wilderness rangers patrol and maintain trails, lakes, campsites and...

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Ecosystems a welcome surprise on Olympic Peninsula hikes

The lush, temperate rain forests of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula are like a Tolkien world of ancient, 300-foot spruce and hemlock. Far-reaching branches are heavily cloaked in moss and lichens. Certain characteristics define the forests of the Olympic Peninsula, including thousand-year-old trees, multilayered canopies and fallen logs that become nurseries for a...

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Buried in Snow, Many Trails at Mt. Rainier Are Hazardous to Hikers

Most summers, the 3.8-mile round-trip hike to Comet Falls in Mount Rainier National Park is a popular, family-friendly walk. This summer, park rangers are recommending hikers use ice axes and crampons to navigate the route that is still covered with snow. And Comet Falls Trail isn’t the only one. Many popular summer mountain trails are still buried under slippery old...

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Best Seattle Hiking Trails for Beginners

One of the most unique things about visiting Seattle is you’re in a city surrounded by mountains, wilderness, and waterways. This means it’s easy to find a place to enjoy a short nature getaway when you don’t have time for a longer excursion. One of the best and most popular outdoor leisure activities in Seattle is hiking. After all, you don’t need much to enjoy a...

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