The desert of Saturday morning cartoons may be a barren and lifeless place. But hike the high desert above the Coachella Valley, near Palm Springs, and you’ll discover a landscape teeming with wildlife and dramatic geologic displays of monzogranite, exposed monoliths and fantastical twisted rock forms. Discovered flower-clad yucca and wildflowers, and discover a fan palm oasis and an alpine wilderness high above the desert floor. Two different ecosystems, the Mojave and Colorado deserts, meet in Joshua Tree National Park, resulting in a...
read moreWhat comes to mind when you think of Portugal? Cathedrals? Historic sites? Sixteenth Century explorers? Former colonies in Asia? Lethal jellyfish? How about some of the best hiking in the world. Think about hiking a week in the Algarve, Costa Vicentina and Alentejo regions in SW Portugal. For the first four days you hike along the Atlantic coast, including two days on the Rota Vicentina, the old fisherman’s’ trail that runs along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Walking along the flat, sandy path on the cliffs you will gawk at...
read moreRepublican senators and congressmen want to sell your National Forests, Wildernesses and Wildlife Refuges. But they can’t sell your National Parks, Monuments or Preserves. Here’s how all the different types of public land are different, and why you should care. As a recap, nearly the entire GOP senate just made a symbolic vote in order to demonstrate its resolve to sell-off some lands currently owned and administered by the federal government. With little demonstrable will among constituents in their own states, the reason for...
read moreThere’s nowhere in Utah quite like Frary Peak. When you reach the top of this hike, you’re rewarded with the unique-to-Utah feeling of being completely surrounded by water. The 7-mile roundtrip hike will take the better part of a day, but the views of the Great Salt Lake, bison and the unique territory of Antelope Island are worth the trek. At 6,596 feet, Frary Peak is the highest point of the island, so prepare to climb. You’ll gain just over 2,000 feet over 3.5 miles up the trail. Most of the trail is exposed, so start early if you’re...
read moreGreat Smoky Mountains National Park is powered by people and passion. About 2,560 volunteers worked 150,679 hours in the Park during fiscal year 2014. “We really rely on our volunteers in many aspects of our operations,” said Park spokeswoman Molly Schroer. “We really appreciate our volunteers, and we enjoy working with them. They typically have a passion about the work and working in the Park, and it’s nice sharing that with people. We have that in common. It’s a great relationship we have.” April 12-18, 2015 has been declared National...
read moreDeath by acid was the fate of the sea monsters that perished in Earth’s biggest mass extinction, some 251 million years ago, a new study finds. Nearly every form of ocean life disappeared during this “Great Dying” at the end of the Permian period, when more than 90 percent of all marine species vanished, from the scorpionlike predators called eurypterids to various types of trilobites, some with alienlike stalked eyes. It’s the closest Earth has ever come to completely losing its fish, snails, sea plankton and other...
read moreMuir Woods National Monument, just north of the Marin Headlands portion of Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California, was set aside in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt via the Antiquities Act. The landscape had been preserved by William Kent and his wife, who had purchased it three years earlier to prevent the old growth forest from being turned into a reservoir. They then donated the tract to the federal government and asked that it be named in honor of John Muir. Though the national monument covers only 560 acres, there are six...
read moreIt’s strange to remember how bitterly divisive the 2008 Democratic presidential primary battle was. Hillary Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s platforms and ideological positioning were awfully similar. And on the chief difference between them — Obama’s less hawkish foreign policy — the victor wiped away that distinction by appointing Clinton as secretary of state. Now Clinton is expected to announce her candidacy today and is poised to coast through the 2016 Democratic primaries as her party’s prohibitive favorite. Would a Clinton presidency be...
read moreThe new documentary film Merchants of Doubt—which lays bare the tactics used by the professional climate deniers paid to spread doubt and confusion about the reality of global warming—is essential viewing for everyone who cares about the fight for climate action. It’s even more essential for anyone who still isn’t sure whether climate change is really happening or primarily caused by human activities. A brilliant disinformation campaign by the “Merchants of Doubt” has stoked public fears about the economic consequences of climate...
read moreOn Easter Sunday, six hikers tumble out of cars and gather at the East Trailhead of Turtle Rock, East of Laramie. Chuck Adams, the hike’s organizer, gathers them in a circle. He says, “This is the fourth High Society hike that’s been in the works. The other three have occurred in Oregon, so this is the first in Wyoming so congratulations. You should feel special.” They are special. These aren’t ordinary looking hikers. Instead, they are wearing dresses, knickers, vests, suit jackets. They’ve accessorized with rope, vintage binocular cases,...
read moreMount Rainier National Park officials are no longer taking reservations for hiking the Wonderland Trail for this summer because of an “overwhelming and unprecedented demand.” This year, the park received about 2,600 reservation requests as of March 31, the majority are for hiking the Wonderland Trail. That’s far more than can be reserved at backcountry camps along the trail this summer, said a news release. Before 2013, the number of wilderness reservation requests received at Mount Rainier during the first two weeks of the reservation window...
read moreLeigh Girvin’s brand of local environmentalism is inseparable from her strong ties to the land. Other conservation advocates focus on wildlife or water quality from an abstract sense of right and wrong. Girvin, who moved to Breckenridge, Colorado as a kid 43 years ago, points to land protection, especially in her beloved Summit County, as the foundation that encompasses all environmental issues. “The land is the only thing that matters,” she said, referencing a line from “Gone with the Wind,” one of her favorite books. “Everything is...
read moreAmeriCorps Project Conserve is now accepting applications for 2015-2016. AmeriCorps Project Conserve seeks dedicated individuals to fill 32 full-time positions serving critical conservation needs of western North Carolina. The application deadline is May 22, 2015. The program places members in service with one of 17 host site organizations working to protect the unique natural resources of the southern Blue Ridge Mountain region. Each member will serve 1700 hours during an 11 month term, from September 2015 through July 2016. Please contact...
read moreRue Mapp kept finding herself the only African-American on organized hikes. Tired of being “the only one,” she started Outdoor Afro and found out she wasn’t. “I realized that when you identify all the only ones, and people did identify themselves as such, we were actually quite numerous,” she says. Now there are Outdoor Afro chapters across the country. Volunteers like Zoe Polk lead hikes, camping trips and bird walks to help African-Americans reconnect with the outdoors and with each other. The group uses social media, too — to post...
read moreThe Cradle of Forestry in America historic site will kick off its 2015 season, April 11th with a living history event titled, “Old Time Plowing and Folkways.” Visitors to the event will encounter living history volunteers demonstrating their crafts, including wood carving, rope making and crafting corn husk dolls. Haywood County’s David and Diane Burnette will demonstrate working the land the old way as their Percheron draft horses plow under the Cradle’s vegetable garden located along the Biltmore Campus Trail. In the...
read moreFew things inspire bitter disagreement among green groups and climate advocates quite like the question of how to deal with fracking. It’s one of the more important debates within environmentalism today. To break it down very roughly: The pro-fracking side points out that the US natural-gas boom, driven by hydraulic fracturing, has been one of the big environmental success stories of the past decade. Electric utilities are now using more cheap gas and less dirty coal to generate power. Since gas burns more cleanly, that reduces air...
read moreA little-known trail in northwest Nebraska has burst into the national spotlight. The Bison Trail, a three-mile hike between the Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center and Toadstool National Geologic Park, has been named one of the top 10 trails for a memorable spring hike by USA Today. It’s listed among such well-known spots as the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and Kalalau Trail in the Napali Coast State Park in Kauai, Hawaii. The research center where the trail begins is tucked into the hills and surrounded by Ponderosa pines and...
read moreWhen was the last time you were hiking and looked up only to realize that your real and perceived locations no longer matched? It’s a common and unsettling experience to say the least. In these moments, humans tend to use a combination of observational, logical and investigative techniques to reorient themselves and get back on track. However, any combination of factors can undermine a person’s chances for success: Lack of familiarity with the environment (causing perception error) Decreased cognitive capability (due to medical issues,...
read moreYes, the less vertically inclined, too, can find a suitable adventure at Smith Rock. Although Smith Rock State Park is mostly known as a mecca for rock climbers, the hiking opportunities within the park should not be ignored. And often, the park’s trails can put a hiker in a spot to watch climbers scale some of the most difficult routes in the West. It is a 30-minute drive north from Bend to Terrebonne to hike Smith Rock State Park and see as much of the park as possible from its highest vantage points — without actually climbing the...
read moreGreat Smoky Mountains National Park will hold its 11th annual “Music of the Mountains” celebration April 17-19 with a mix of music that harkens to the “Old-Time” music that long has reverberated through the mountains. Spread across a handful of venues, the event tells the story of music in the Southern Appalachians through its diverse history by letting visitors experience a variety of music that was played in the region or represents Old-Time music’s roots. The event tells the story of how mountain music grew out of traditional...
read moreUsing the assessment tool ForWarn, U.S. Forest Service researchers can monitor the growth and development of vegetation that signals winter’s end and the awakening of a new growing season. Now these researchers have devised a way to more precisely characterize the beginning of seasonal greening, or “greenup,” and compare its timing with that of the 14 previous years. Such information helps land managers anticipate and plan for the impacts of disturbances such as weather events and insect pests. Three maps detailing greenup in forests and...
read moreOne of the world’s most dangerous hiking trails is open for business after being closed for 15 years. The El Caminito del Rey trail, also known as King’s Little Pathway, is a 5-mile-long path in Spain that takes four to five hours to complete. The trek was as beautiful as it was dangerous until officials closed it in 2000 after too many travelers began falling to their deaths. Local authorities shut it down and destroyed the entry points. Anyone caught trespassing received a hefty fine of $6,500, but that only encouraged...
read moreIt’s the time of year when millions of visitors are eagerly anticipating their next adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As they plan their drive, hike, or camping trip, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is preparing to meet their expectations by funding $600,000 in projects critical to the preservation and betterment of this treasured route. Each year, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation collaborates with Blue Ridge Parkway staff to identify high priority projects in need of immediate attention to protect the environment and wildlife, prevent...
read moreThe Maine coast ranges more than 230 miles from Kittery to Lubec as the crow flies, but an incredible 3,500 miles when every nook and cranny, and some 3,000 islands are accounted for on the undulating margin along the Gulf of Maine between New Hampshire and Canada. The topography of the coast is as varied as could be, a natural museum of sandy beaches and rocky headlands, bold ocean cliffs and blueberry barrens, quiet salt marshes and wildlife-rich estuaries, long finger-like peninsulas and deep-water coves, spruce-studded islands and wide...
read moreThe U.S. Forest Service rolled out a “draft” management plan last fall after a series of public meetings. The plan, while clearly labeled “draft”, placed around 700,000 acres of the million or so acres of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in management areas deemed appropriate for logging. To say the plan caught some stakeholders off guard is like saying the Grand Canyon is a ravine in Arizona. The FS and proponents of the draft plan quickly tried to walk back the 700,000-acre claim stating that there were already safeguards in place...
read moreLichens are not what you think they are. Not plant, not fungus — they are one of a kind. Lichen is something we commonly see growing on rocks or tree branches, on old wood fences and rotting stumps. But how often do you stop to really ponder lichens? Probably not often. And yet lichens are surprisingly fascinating … and weird … and beautiful! Despite their looks, lichens aren’t plants. Nor are they in the fungus family. They’re a unique composite organism, the result of a symbiotic relationship of organisms from as...
read moreMost people are in the pursuit of happiness. There are economists who think happiness is the best indicator of the health of a society. We know that money can make you happier, though after your basic needs are met, it doesn’t make you that much happier. But one of the biggest questions is how to allocate our money, which is (for most of us) a limited resource. There’s a very logical assumption that most people make when spending their money: that because a physical object will last longer, it will make us happier for a longer...
read moreKurt Repanshek, founder and editor-in-chief of National Parks Traveler, the top-ranked website dedicated to daily editorial coverage of national parks, has been awarded the George Wright Society’s Communication Award. The award recognizes outstanding efforts in communicating highly technical or controversial park-related subjects to the public in a clear and understandable manner. Repanshek received the award at the organization’s biennial conference in Oakland, Calif. Founded in 1980, the George Wright Society states as its goal that “The...
read moreThe Oregon Parks and Recreation Department launched its 2015 Oregon State Parks Guide, a free, full-color, magazine-style brochure featuring detailed information about more than 200 of the state’s most popular campgrounds, day-use areas, trails, bike ways and heritage sites. The guide has been updated for 2015, with revised or expanded listings for each property, an enlarged statewide map and up-to-date reservation information. Special icons denote parks with pet-friendly yurts or cabins for rent, day-use parking fees, scenic views and...
read moreIt’s difficult to understand why, but a battle is looming over America’s public lands. Given decades of consistent, strong support from voters of both parties for protecting land, water and the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits these resources make possible, it’s hard to fathom. Last week, the United States Senate voted 51 to 49 to support an amendment to a nonbinding budget resolution to sell or give away all federal lands other than the national parks and monuments. If the measure is ever implemented,...
read moreA tan ribbon of dirt snaking across the landscape serves many functions. It gets us from point A to point B, whether on foot, bike, motorcycle or horseback, and often in an interesting way. How often do you find yourself walking a straight line in the Foothills? Not often. Part of that is the topography doesn’t allow it, but it’s also more interesting for a trail to meander across the landscape. If you’re on a bike, you really appreciate a well-designed trail. You can cruise along without braking hard or having to go straight up or down hill....
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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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