Trail guides, day hikes, backpacking routes, and national park adventures across the US.
1.5 · 20 gain
<p>The Lake Cleone Loop circles a sheltered freshwater lake at MacKerricher State Park that sits just steps from the Pacific Ocean, separated from the sea by a narrow band of coastal dunes that create...
Topographic maps are the most powerful navigation tool available — and most hikers can barely read one. This complete guide teaches contour lines, scale, map symbols, compass use, and terrain association from the ground up.
0.6 · 200 gain
<p>Saddle Pass Trail is the shortest strenuous hike in Badlands National Park, climbing 200 feet in just 0.3 miles up a steep clay and rock face to reach the top of the badlands wall. The ascent requi...
19.0 · 3000 gain
<p>The Rancherias Loop is the premier multi-day backcountry route in Big Bend Ranch State Park, traversing nearly 19 miles of remote Chihuahuan Desert and volcanic mountain terrain in one of the most ...
0.5 · 20 gain
<p>The Laguna Point Seal Watch loop is one of the most rewarding short wildlife viewing routes on the Northern California coast, circling a rocky headland at MacKerricher State Park where harbor seals...
0.75 · 100 gain
<p>The Door Trail leads through a literal gap in the badlands wall — an opening in the eroded buttes that acts as a gateway into the interior of the badlands basin. A boardwalk carries visitors the fi...
1.5 · 200 gain
<p>The Hoodoos Trail explores a surreal volcanic landscape within Big Bend Ranch State Park, leading to an otherworldly collection of eroded tuff formations rising from the Chihuahuan Desert floor in ...
9.0 · 50 gain
<p>The Haul Road Trail follows an abandoned coastal logging railroad grade converted to a multi-use path, extending nine miles along the Mendocino coast through a spectacular sequence of rocky coves, ...
want to tell you about my first real hike, because it's instructive in the worst possible way. It was a Saturday morning in late spring. A friend had suggested we do a "short hike" in the mountains — maybe five miles, nothing crazy, bring some water. I wore khaki pants.
3.4 · 400 gain
<p>Tower Arch sits in the remote Klondike Bluffs section of Arches National Park, accessed via a dirt road in the park's northwestern corner that requires a high-clearance vehicle when wet. This dista...
1.4 ·
<p>Closed Canyon Trail ventures into one of the most dramatic slot canyons in Texas, a narrow passage carved by water through layered volcanic tuff in the remote western reaches of Big Bend Ranch Stat...
2.0 · 300 gain
<p>The Lava Bluffs Trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park explores a geologically distinct section of the park where ancient lava flows have created dramatic columnar basalt cliffs above the North Fo...
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