Living Wetlands Interpretive Nature Trail provides educational opportunities in Montana

The goal in making this trail available to the public is to share the history, science, and beauty of the wetlands, and to provide a glimpse into the lives of the wildlife with which we share this habitat. This three-phased project funded through the Recreational Trails Program by Montana’s State trails program enabled the design and installation of an interpretive...

Learn More

Temporary Closure of Ball Creek Road (NFSR 83) in Nantahala National Forest

The US Forest Service today announced that Ball Creek Road (NFSR 83), located in Macon County, NC on the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest, will be temporarily closed for its entire length from approx. September 29th, 2014 until late October, depending on the duration of the road work. Ball Creek Road begins at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory and...

Learn More

Forest Service joins with multiple partners to host fun-filled celebration of Wilderness Act and Chattooga Wild and Scenic River in Oconee County, SC

When a special occasion comes along, most of us want our friends to celebrate with us. The celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River and the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 is no different. The Forest Service and multiple friends and partners have joined forces to host a day of outdoor activities on the...

Learn More

Top 5 fall hiking trails around Fort Wayne and Allen County, IN

Fall is more than pumpkin-flavored beverages and a reluctant step toward winter. It’s a time to enjoy nature and see Indiana in its best light – under the warm glow of colorful native trees. Fall is a welcomed season to many nature lovers because the cool crisp air and relatively low amount of precipitation means it’s time to take to the trails to celebrate...

Learn More

This Amazing Utah Canyon Hike Comes With a Rescue Dog

In a world of resorts eager to find a competitive edge in guest amenities, one Utah resort has truly gone to the dogs. Flash and his canine buddies get to hike the rusty red mountains twice a week — at least they will until they are adopted from the Ivins Animal Shelter in Ivins, Utah. They do it as part of a program with the Red Mountain Resort, where guests get the...

Learn More

Reach the Peaks Hiking Challenge Sept. 27

If you’re looking for a challenge, look no further than Hanging Rock State Park and the 2nd annual “Reach the Peaks” hiking challenge scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. The hike already has over 160 registrations and the number of registered hikers is rapidly increasing each day. Reach the Peaks, a strenuous 11 mile hike, will challenge participants to summit the...

Learn More

Frazee, MN to be named Trail Town, hikes offered on Sept. 27 to celebrate

Join the celebration on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 as Frazee, Minnesota becomes an official Trail Town on the North Country National Scenic Trail. Joining communities as far-spread and diverse as Canastota, N.Y., Dayton, Ohio, and Solon Springs, Wis., Frazee has earned official status as a gateway to America’s longest National Scenic Trail. The public is invited to the...

Learn More

New trails open and improved at Trinity River Refuge

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge has opened a new set of hiking trails in Liberty, TX. These trails provide a primitive hiking experience through undisturbed bottomland hardwood forests, with opportunities to view native wildlife and a range of natural habitats. All trails are fully-marked and ready to be hiked without the need of a map for guidance, but only open...

Learn More

Washington seeks plan for 1,000 miles of recreation trails

Perhaps you’ve heard of the war between cars and bicycles in Seattle, WA. Another battle is being waged on recreation trails across the state. If you’ve ever been startled by a speeding mountain bike while hiking or angered about a trail rutted by horse hooves or off-roaders, you have a chance to do something about it. The state is developing a trail policy...

Learn More

San Juan Islands, Victoria, Gulf Islands subject of hiking book

“Day Hiking the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands,” by Craig Romano has to be one of the most ambitious hiking books out there, both for the author to write and for would-be hikers who buy it and aim to use it. Romano, who has taken up the mantle of great Northwest trails author, takes us on a journey to a land of Oz, where islands dot the Salish Sea, the...

Learn More

After 11 years, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument reopens

The “most dangerous national park” has been largely closed to the public for the last 11 years. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, on the southern Arizona border, once saw a steady flow of immigrants – and drug runners – from Mexico. On Aug. 9, 2002, ranger Kris Eggle was shot and killed while chasing a cartel hit squad, prompting park officials to close nearly 70...

Learn More

National Forest to celebrate National Public Lands Day

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin will celebrate National Public Lands on Sept. 27, 2014 with a fee-free day and volunteer service projects to improve America’s public lands. “America’s national forests and grasslands belong to all of us,” said U.S. Forest Service Eastern Regional Forester Kathleen Atkinson. “These...

Learn More

Hiking a new family-friendly trail at Mount St. Helens

The popular Ape Cave recreation area in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument now has a view of the iconic mountain. The Volcano View Trail is the first new trail built in the national monument in nearly two decades. Since last year, trail volunteers have been building the milelong trail, which takes hikers up to a viewpoint from the Ape Cave...

Learn More

New Oregon Topo Maps Feature National Scenic Trails

Newly released US Topo maps for Oregon now feature segments of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Several of the 1,835 new US Topo quadrangles for the state now display parts of the Trail along with other improved data layers. “Having the Pacific Crest NST finally show up on Oregon US Topo maps is significant for all of the recreational users of the wild spaces the...

Learn More

Enjoy Nature, Enjoy Hiking

Naturalist John Muir once said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” There is no better time than today to go outside and enjoy nature. One of the major benefits of hiking is that it delivers almost immediate rewards. As long as you haven’t been leading a totally sedentary life, you can usually begin hiking right away. Another plus: You...

Learn More

Grand County, CO trail improvements await forest visitors

There’s still plenty of warm weather to test out one of the U.S. Forest Service’s improved trails in Grand County. Late summer and early fall provide an ideal opportunity to experience some of the new trail work the U.S. Forest Service has completed this summer with the help of many volunteer groups and a grant from the National Forest Foundation’s Ski Conservation Fund....

Learn More

Join the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for Family Hiking Day Sept. 27

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), along with its Appalachian Trail (A.T.) Community™ partners and 31 Trail maintaining clubs, invite families to take a hike on the A.T. during the fourth annual Family Hiking Day on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Held trail-wide on National Public Lands Day, Family Hiking Day is a program developed by the ATC to introduce and welcome...

Learn More

Hikers try to improve Pacific Crest Trail app

Hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail this summer, Lon Cooper looks like a human version of the Google Street View car. Rising out of the side of his stuffed backpack is a gray pipe with a small, but thick, circular top. The antenna stands about 3 inches out of the top of his pack and looks like a miniature version of the tall cameras standing atop the infamous mapping...

Learn More

Mulberry Bend Offers Hikers New Trail

The National Park Service (NPS) cut the ribbon on three fourths of a mile of new trails at the Mulberry Bend Scenic Overlook. The scenic overlook is situated on the Nebraska side of the Missouri National Recreation River (MNRR) just south of Vermillion. MNRR Superintendent Rick Clark said the trail had been in planning for some time as a way to give visitors to the river...

Learn More

Second cross-Missouri hiking-biking trail under consideration

A group that advocates for creating biking and hiking trails along abandoned rail lines wants a second cross-state trail in Missouri that would link with the Katy Trail to establish a 400-mile loop across the state. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is one of several organizations seeking to buy 145 acres of an abandoned rail corridor from Ameren Corp. The St. Louis-based...

Learn More

New Hiking-Biking Trail Links Chicago’s Botanic Garden And Forest Preserve

After years of planning and more than five months of construction, a link has been established between two of the Chicago area’s most heavily used bicycling and hiking trails. The one-mile link through the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Cook County Forest Preserve District’s Turnbull Woods saw immediate and heavy use. Chicago Botanic Garden Vice President Harriett...

Learn More

New England backpacking guide is wonderful to have at your side

There is a wealth of backpacking opportunities around New England, but sometimes the hardest part is finding out about them. That’s where the recently revised guide “Best Backpacking in New England” comes in really handy. Authored by Matt Heid and published by the Appalachian Mountain Club, the book is a trove of three-season getaways featuring 37 multiday trips from...

Learn More

Hike On This Fall With Jackson County, N.C.’s New Hiking Map

Explore the Western N.C. towns of Cashiers, Cherokee, Dillsboro, Sylva, Balsam, Cullowhee, Glenville and Sapphire like never before with Jackson County’s new hiking map. The map, which was just released this fall, includes directions to 19 waterfalls, nine hiking trails, three multiple-use trails for riding or biking, five semi-private or public golf courses, three...

Learn More

Desert hikes offer unexpected health benefits

During his two years confined in harsh imprisonment for the crime of homosexuality, British playwright Oscar Wilde wrote: “Nature, whose sweet rains fall on unjust and just alike, will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide, and secret valleys in whose silence I may weep undisturbed … She will cleanse me in the great waters, and with bitter herbs make me...

Learn More

Latinos Love Hiking – Here’s Why

by Rod Torrez for Huffington Post Just over a year ago, The New Republic ran a story with a catchy, but slightly insulting title: “White People Love Hiking. Minorities Don’t. Here’s Why.” I took the bait and read the piece, and found it to be well-intentioned, but overgeneralized. Toward the end the author wondered why a Hispanic teenager from...

Learn More

High Peaks to Lead Hike Over Roan Mountain

Join the High Peaks Trail Association for a jaunt over spectacular Roan Mountain on Sept. 20, 2014. This difficult 6.3-mile trek will reward hikers with great views from the top of one of the region’s signature peaks. Hikers should assemble on the Burnsville, NC Town Square at 8:30 a.m. Transportation will be provided by a Yancey County van for a fee of $5 per person....

Learn More

Revealing a Geological Gem at Linville Falls

Wondering about all the activity going on at Linville Falls? Thanks to the generosity of community stewards, the Upper Falls Overlook at Linville Falls (milepost 316.4 Blue Ridge Parkway) will welcome more visitors with a larger viewing area, taking them closer to a geological gem, the Linville Falls Thrust Line. A new boardwalk and railing tied together with rock-clad...

Learn More

Ten favorite West Michigan trails to explore this fall

The days are getting shorter, but don’t resign yourself to settling in for a long, lazy season inside. One of West Michigan’s greatest assets is the natural beauty that surrounds the area, with amenities that you won’t even find in many big cities. From small pocket parks to epic-sized Lake Michigan, you’re never far away from a wooded trail, a...

Learn More