While some singles looking for love are downloading Hinge, an increasing number are lacing up their running shoes. In fact, a recent article by citing a “flurry of videos on TikTok and Instagram” suggests running clubs are the best alternative to dating apps. And in April, Metro UK ran this headline “Dating apps didn’t work, so I joined a running club to find a husband instead.”

Most recently, USA Today did a feature on New York City’s premier run club for singles, Lunge Run Club. , which ends every run at a bar, counted 30 members when it was founded in May. Today, it has more than 1,000. But is a run clubĚýa good place to find the one? Not necessarily. In January, Australia’s SBS NewsĚýreported, “This trend has some groupsĚýconcerned,” and şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍřĚý°ů±đł¦±đ˛ÔłŮ±ô˛â spoke to a handful of runners who regret leveraging their beloved sport to find love.

Social running clubs, or run clubs, are nothing new. In the U.K., they date back to at least the mid-19th century. Stateside, New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 as a local run club with just 40 members. Today, it serves nearly 700,000. And while it’s true that run clubs have been the source of successful, organic romances over the years, only recently have they been positioned on social media as pools of potential mates. So, what changed?

First, the COVID-19 pandemic kickstarted aĚýrunning club renaissance with more people than ever pounding the pavement. Then, dating app burnout set in. People started asking themselves why they should look for a prospective partner on an app when they could meet them in person—all while getting a workout. From an efficiency standpoint, it makes sense. However, marrying fitness with pleasure does have its downsides.

These days, Sean, a 37-year-old runner, defines his 15-year relationship with running as “complicated.” Sean, who prefers to use a pseudonym, met his ex-girlfriend of two years on a club run with mutual friends. While he admits running together was fun at first, things changed when she fell for another guy in the group, and they started having an affair. Heartbroken, he ended things.

But in addition to losing her, he ultimately lost custody of his run family. “After the breakup, I avoided running with the group in case she was there with her new boyfriend,” he says. “Everything that made the relationship easy became awkward or uncomfortable.”

He also told şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř he stopped going because he didn’t want other members prying for details or offering their condolences. “Obviously, these communities talk,” says Sean. “Running was my safe place, a place to get away from all the work and life problems, and after the breakup, I didn’t have that.”

Hillary Allen, a 35-year-old professional runner, tellsĚýşÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř, “sides were taken,” and some friendships were lost after things with her ex ended. They met in a running club in Golden, Colorado, before dating for a year until things got too competitive between them, and the built-up pressure was too big to ignore. “We had other things in common, but running was the main interest we shared,” she says. “That shared interest became the thing that ultimately broke us apart.”

She’d be happy to give love another shot, but based on her previous experience, she’s not eager to pursue things with anyone in her new running club in Boulder, Colorado. “I’m more inclined to take the don’t-shit-where-you-eat-approach,” she says.

Allen was able to join a new club, 20 miles away from the one where she met her ex, because she moved after her breakup. But Molly, a 41-year-old runner who asked to have her last name withheld, wasn’t so lucky. Her ordeal didn’t even involve an ex, just an unwanted admirer. Shortly after joining her local running club in Tennessee last summer, Molly felt targeted by a member who kept singling her out as an Asian runner—she was the only one in the club—and sharing his preferences for dating Asian women.

“It’s really sucked for me because I live in a small place, and the guy is part of every single run group in town,” she commented on a recent titled “Any women have a bad experience in a run club?” While she shut down his advances, she didn’t feel comfortable bringing her concerns to the group leaders. “I wasn’t sure anyone else would support me or if people would be annoyed that a newcomer was creating drama,” she says.

Molly hasn’t given up running. However, she’s not eager to join another running group, something she’s been a part of since high school when she competed in track and cross country. “The thought of going back doesn’t feel fun to me, and what else is a hobby group for?” she tells şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř.

Unfortunately, people acting inappropriately are everywhere. But problems also arise when some members see run club as a hobby group and other members, often well-intentioned, are on the hunt for hookups or something more serious. Flirting, or putting out feelers, has to be a two-way street. That’s why , which has clubs all around the world, now hands out wristbands at special events to designate members open to mingling. “It’s a nod to those who are looking for something more than just friends,” founder James Holt says.

Other clubs rely on vibes. One runner, who prefers to remain anonymous, tells şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř his inner suburb club in Melbourne, Australia, consists mostly of young professionals and “skews toward DTF.” That’s why he didn’t hesitate to hook up with a fellow member. When asked if things were weird at the next club run, he laughs. “If anything, it made things less awkward because now you really got to know someone, and instead of having sexual tension and ambiguity, you’re now at ease around them,” he says.

Of course, sometimes flirting or fooling around leads to more serious relationships. Jen, a queer woman who founded a Seattle run club and prefers to use a pseudonym, saw many couples form in the decade she spent leading group runs. In 2016, she even officiated the wedding of a couple who met after becoming members. However, she admits happy endings aren’t guaranteed. Her last run club relationship fizzled out after a year. Her ex stopped showing up for their weekly runs, but when neither party wants to leave or risk running into each other, it can get complicated. “I’ve heard of people who end up alternating weeks or splitting days with their former partners,” she says.

As counterintuitive as it sounds, Katie d’Autremont, a couples therapist in Montana, suggests having the “who gets the club if we break up?” conversation sooner than later. “Consider discussing this in the earlier stages of the relationship to determine whether moving forward with the relationship outweighs the potential loss of a common interest group,” she says. Of course, in her professional opinion, ideally, couples should be able to maintain their participation in the club regardless of the relationship’s outcome.

Given the gift of hindsight, Sean says moving forward he’ll be more aware of other peoples’ intentions and trust his gut if it feels like boundaries are being crossed. His biggest advice for anyone looking to find, or foster, love at run club is ironic. “Move slow,” he says. “Make sure you’re all in and willing to take the risk.”

Katie Jackson is a Montana-based travel writer whose work has been published by Travel & Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, USA TODAY, and more. She’s never tried to find love in a run club, but if you see her at the dog park, there’s a good chance she’s single.

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I have this dream: I’m six years old and shouting at my mom, but she doesn’t seem to hear me. “Don’t shoot!” I yell, but the rifle is still raised, her finger heavy on the trigger, and the wolf she’s squinting at through her scope is completely oblivious.

The animal is 150 yards away, trotting along the tree line, headed toward the cows my mom and I just fed. Short of putting myself between the wolf and the muzzle, there’s not much I can do to stop my mom. She’s only five foot two, but I’ve seen her blow the heads off several coyotes, from twice as far away, and a wolf is a much larger target.

Fortunately for me, and the wolf, I always wake up before the gun goes off.

Even at 33 years old, I still have this dream, especially when I’m visiting my childhood home just outside Lewistown, Montana. Although I now live a couple hours away, in Billings, and jet around the world for my job as a travel writer, home will always be 1,500 acres of bucolic alfalfa fields in the foothills of the Judith Mountains. Known as the Lazy JK, our ranch has been in the family for five generations. When I was a kid, we raised sheep, hogs, and Black Angus cattle, all branded with a sideways or “lazy” J on top of a sideways K. But after struggling to put food on the table for me and my two brothers, my parents, Mel and Becky, eventually took the sheep and hogs “to town.” I never saw them again, but our cattle herd doubled. In Montana, cattle are far more lucrative.

Much like you wouldn’t ask someone their salary, you’d never ask a rancher how many cows they have. Still, my folks have always known their exact number. And they’ve never been able to afford to lose a single one, to a wolf or otherwise.

Unfortunately for me, wolves have always been my favorite animal. My obsession with Canis lupus can be traced back to Little Red Riding Hood. While other four-year-olds were rooting for the naive girl bringing flowers to her sick grandmother, I was Team Wolf. For some reason that I should probably discuss with my therapist, I respected a cunning creature who killed the innocent far more than I cared about a kid my own age.

In third grade, I was obsessed with Julie of the Wolves, a coming-of-age novel by Jean Craighead George about an Inuit girl in Alaska who befriends a pack of wolves and goes to live among them. As a middle child, the only girl, and an introvert who had a hard time making friends, I dreamed of running away from home and doing the same.

My parents loathed wolves as much as I loved them. The same animal that symbolized something supernatural to me represented lost dollar signs to them. I grew up knowing there’d be no courtesy warning shot if a wolf ever stepped foot onto our property. Both my rough-around-the-edges mom (who would be played by Kathy Bates in a movie about her life) and dad (a six-foot-two cowboy with a mustache worthy of its own zip code), are card-carrying NRA members. No animal, even one on the endangered species list, was going to get between them and their livestock.

For as much as my parents hated wolves, however, those wild animals weren’t usually a threat. Sure, there was the time a few years ago when a rogue wolf killed our neighbor’s dogs, who were tied up outside of his home. “They were expensive mountain-lion hunting dogs,” my dad said when he told me about the incident. “If I see that goddamned wolf near our place, I’m shooting first and asking questions later.” No one ever spotted the wolf, but our local vet confirmed the kill, and I never saw dogs tied up at our neighbor’s place again. Yet that unfortunate event was a one-off. Our ranch is in the middle of Montana; most of the state’s wolves live in the northwestern corner, in and around Glacier National Park, and in the southwest, near Yellowstone National Park.

I didn’t argue with my parents when I was younger, but recently, I’ve started to openly disagree with their big-bad-wolf narrative. It’s led to some heated arguments, but not so heated that I risk being written out of their will. Eventually, last fall I decided I could change their minds. My parents have softened over the years, and I’d managed to convince them that all my boyfriends with tattoos weren’t serial killers. Why couldn’t I do the same with wolves?

My plan involved exposure therapy. But in order to make it happen, I knew I needed to take them to Yellowstone.

The post My Rancher Parents Hate Wolves. I Took Them on a Wolf-Watching Tour in Yellowstone to Change Their Minds. appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

If you’ve visited a national park in the summer recently you’ve probably found yourself in a frustrating gridlock that rivals an L.A. freeway at 5 P.M. And you can’t blame the bison. National parks are experiencing record numbers of visitors, and unfortunately for the environment, record numbers of vehicles. But that’s not to say you need a car to climb El Capitan, hike Angel’s Landing, or survive the hairpin turns on Glacier’s Going-to-the-Sun Road. You don’t. In fact, Yosemite, Zion, and Glacier are just a few of our country’s national parks offering public transportation to mitigate the effects of mass tourism.

Whether you’re looking to see the bottom of the Grand Canyon or the summit of Denali, here are eight epic park-and-ride national parks.

Zion National Park

In 2000, after years of bumper-to-bumper summer traffic, the use of personal cars was banned on Zion’s main drag for the high season months of March through November. Fortunately, service the seven majestic miles on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive between the visitor center and the Narrows. The ride, which has a guided narration you can listen to on your mobile device, takes approximately 45 minutes. Along the way shuttles stop at trailheads for the park’s iconic hikes like Angel’s Landing—one of the most dangerous hikes in the country—Canyon Junction, and the Grotto. Shuttles (which are equipped with bike racks because cyclists are always welcome) depart every few minutes and don’t require reservations.

Pro tip: Since the parking lot at Zion Canyon Visitor Center tends to fill up fast, park a mile away in the town of Springdale where you can hop on the , also free, which stops at Zion Canyon Village.

Glacier National Park

Gone are the days when you could rock up to Glacier National Park and cruise through at your leisure. Now, you’ll need a vehicle reservation if you plan on visiting the west side of the park from May through September. But it’s a good thing—at least for the environment. Plus, there’s always the option to park and ride. With its sheer rock walls and steep drop offs, the Crown of the Continent’s unforgiving Going-to-the-Sun Road (a bucket list check for road bikers) can be quite the whiteknuckler, so it makes more sense to leave the driving to the experts during peak season. Lower your carbon footprint and take advantage of servicing this 50-mile-long mountainous stretch of road carved into the Northern Rockies. Daily shuttles operate every 30 minutes from July, when the road usually opens, through Labor Day. There’s also a free hiker/biker-specific shuttle on the weekends in May and June.

Pro tip: For nonstop service from Apgar Village to Logan Pass and St. Mary Visitor Center to Logan Pass, hop on the 15-passenger Sprinter vans that run express. All other shuttles make stops at popular trailheads and scenic overlooks along the way.

Yosemite National Park

With Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses servicing nearby Merced, you don’t even need a vehicle to visit Yosemite National Park. Once you’re in Merced, simply board a Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) bus headed to Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. The $22 one-way ride takes approximately two hours. In Yosemite Valley, you can connect with the free that services the entire valley including stops at El Capitan Meadow—where you can camp out with a pair of binocs and watch climbers battle the world famous monolith—Lower Yosemite Fall, and Mirror Lake. Valleywide shuttles, which run every 12 to 20 minutes, operate year round while the Mariposa Grove and Tuolumne Meadows shuttles only operate during the warmer months.

Pro tip: If you’re visiting Yosemite between December and March, consider taking a detour to . depart Yosemite Valley in the morning and return in the afternoon.

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park’s beloved buses have been operating since 1999, and despite route expansions and a substantial increase in ridership (from 142,000 passengers its first season to nearly 250,000 in 2019), service is still free. Partially funded by L.L. Bean, the propane-powered buses now run on 13 routes stopping everywhere from the Bar Harbor-Hancock County Regional Airport to Hulls Cove Visitor Center (the park’s main visitor center) and area campgrounds. See a spot that looks ideal for a photo opp? If it’s a safe place to pull over, the driver will happily let you out. Buses can also be flagged down if you want to board between designated stops. Just know that on days when cruise ships are docked in Bar Harbor it’s usually standing room only.

Pro tip: Bring your better half. Acadia is one of very few dog-friendly national parks, and the Island Explorer welcomes all well-behaved, leashed dogs.

Denali National Park

It doesn’t matter if you have a Prius or a Porsche; you won’t be able to drive past mile 15 on Denali National Park’s lone road. If you want to see North America’s tallest mountain up close, you’d better brace yourself for a bus ride. Actually, despite looking like old-school school buses, they’re quite comfortable. Choose from the (from $116), which include a naturalist’s guided narration, and the (from $33), which get you from point A to point B and everywhere in between. Transit buses make far more stops along the way, and are the best options for visitors who don’t want to be limited to riding one bus. Transit bus tickets can be used on any transit bus, provided there’s room, and drivers are happy to pick up hikers along the road.

Pro tip: Pack snacks! While the tour buses usually include lunch or a snack, transit buses don’t and there is no place within the park to buy food or water once you leave the Denali Bus Depot.

Channel Islands National Park

Accessibility, or lack of, is the primary reason this archipelago off the coast of Santa Barbara is one of California’s least visited national parks. To travel to these five islands, often billed as America’s Galapagos, you’ll need a private boat or tickets. Island Packers, the park’s boat concessionaire, provides year round transportation (from $66 round trip) to the main islands and seasonal (March to November) transportation to the outer islands. Once on the islands, explore by foot—the island of Santa Cruz has the most hiking options with 16 trails ranging from 0.5 miles to 18 miles—or . Kayaking and snorkeling tours (from $275) with are available on the island of Santa Cruz.

Pro tip: While you can whale watch from the boat year round, visit between July and October if blue whales are on your bucket list.

Dry Tortugas National Park

If you don’t have someone with a seaplane in your rolodex, don’t worry. This lesser-known national park in the Gulf of Mexico is also reachable by boat. That said, tickets on the —the high speed catamaran ferrying visitors from Key West to the park’s main attraction, Fort Jefferson—aren’t cheap. Day tours start at $220, but they do include breakfast, lunch, snorkeling equipment, and a guided tour of Fort Jefferson. Of course, you can also reach by private boat or (from $466). Whatever your mode of transportation, don’t forget a bathing suit because you’ll want to get wet. Ninety-nine percent of the park is underwater, and it’s home to nearly 30 species of coral.

Pro tip: ĚýIf you plan on , don’t book last minute. Reservations are limited (the Yankee Freedom can only carry ten campers per day per park regulations) and sell out 9 to 12 months in advance.

Grand Canyon National Park

It’s hard to imagine how crippling the congestion would be in Grand Canyon National Park, one of the country’s most visited, if it weren’t for the . Powered by compressed natural gas, these white and green buses that all stop at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center have been in operation since the 1970s. Today, there are four routes including the Hiker’s Express, Kaibab Rim, and Village lines, that run year round (the Tusayan Route is seasonal). Service starts as early as 4 A.M. and continues past dusk, so you can definitely squeeze in a sunrise hike or sunset cycle. Traveling by bike? Shuttle buses have room for two or three bikes, so if you’re lucky, you can hitch a ride.

Pro tip: If you want to visit the more remote North Rim, make reservations (required) on the (from $120), which runs twice a day between May 15 and October 15.

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While other kids were meeting Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, I grew up going toĚý and learning the difference between black bear scat and grizzly scat. My dad always joked that grizzly scat contains hikers’ bear bells. It’s how I learned to remember which bears were carnivores. For us Montanans, visiting Glacier, the holy grail of God’s country, was a given, a rite of passage. But for most of the national park’s —3.1 million last year—Glacier is one for the bucket list.

If you’re wondering what’s so special about Glacier, let’s start by singing the praises of scarcity. Not many places are left where you can see, let alone walk on, active glaciers. Still, the park is more than massive bodies of moving ice. It’s the “”—so named because its one million acres are part of the largest intact ecosystem in the country. As kids, during class field trips to Glacier from Lewistown (my hometown in the center of the state), we studied everything from edible plants to aquatic insects. Standing on our tiptoes in the visitor center, we’d reach across a raised-relief map to touch Glacier’s 8,020-foot Triple Divide Peak. The mountain is the only place in the country where : the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, or Hudson Bay.

In 1999, my family attended a Jack Gladstone concert at Glacier’s Lake McDonald Lodge and bought his cassette tape. His “Hudson Bay Blues,” a ballad about what it was like for Natives when the white man introduced the concept of shopping, was from then on our soundtrack for driving Going-to-the-Sun Road, the park’s main artery. Known as “Montana’s troubadour,” Gladstone is a member of the —the state’s largest tribe and Glacier’s original inhabitants from long before . Fortunately, the tribe is still very active within the park: members lead and host info-rich presentations.

Whether you come for glaciers, grizzlies (in addition to bells, bring bear spray and know how to use it), or , you’ll be in a near constant state of awe here. In his book , the great naturalist John Muir goes so far as to say everyone should spend at least a month in Glacier. “The time will not be taken from the sum of your life,” . “Instead of shortening, it will indefinitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal.”

What You Need to Know Before Visiting Glacier National Park

Cash isn’t king

In fact, it’s not accepted in the park, so plan on using your debit or credit card. You can also . Just make sure to print them or download them onto your phone before arriving at the park (where cell service is sketchy at best). , good for seven days, cost $15 if you’re on foot or bike, $20 for motorcycles, and $25 for vehicles. Rates increase by $5 to $10 May through October. Since the park is open 24/7, every day of the year, there may be no one operating the entrance kiosk; in that case, follow posted instructions for self-payment.

Beauty begets bumper-to-bumper traffic

in the summer can back up like an L.A. freeway. For that reason, vehicle late May through mid September to access both the road and the North Fork, the northwest corner of the park, where the roads are unpaved and services are few. To make a reservation, call 877-444-6777 or visit (and be prepared to pay a $2 processing fee). If you have reservations at lodging within the park (including campgrounds), or have booked a tour, that counts as your vehicle reservation.

Say goodbye to bars (of service) and gas

While I can usually get a signal in the area from West Glacier to Apgar Village and near St. Mary, most of the park is a dead zone. There are also no gas stations, so fill up in advance in the popular western and eastern entrance towns of West Glacier or St. Mary, respectively. Better yet, ditch the car and take advantage of the , which typically runs July 1 through Labor Day, with limited service through September. The shuttle vehicles are either Sprinter vans or 28-passenger buses, most equipped with bike racks. Additionally, special shuttles for hikers and bikers run every weekend from May through June.

Pets aren’t people, too

Unfortunately, Glacier isn’t very pet-friendly. No dogs are allowed anywhere outside of vehicles, except parking lots, developed areas, and the Apgar bike path.

How to Get to Glacier National Park

ĚýAt (a size that could swallow Rhode Island), Glacier has five entrances: two on the west and three on the east. You reach West Glacier, the most popular, by taking Highway 2 east of Kalispell for 32 miles. Once you are inside the park, continue 27 miles north on North Fork Road to the Pole Bridge entrance. On the east side of the park, most visitors enter at St. Mary or the Two Medicine entrance, both approximately a (rather flat and desolate) 150-mile drive northwest from Great Falls on Highway 89. To access the more remote Many Glacier entrance—where I once saw three bears on one hike—head to St. Mary, continue north, outside the park, on Highway 89 for another nine miles, then turn left and take Route 3 for eight miles.

Glacier’s nearest airport is in Kalispell, about a 30-minute drive from West Glacier. Don’t be fooled by the word international; it’s a tiny facility, serviced by few flights. For more options and cheaper fares, consider flying into , a 2-hour drive south of Kalispell. Another possibility is , a 2.5-hour drive from St. Mary.

The park is also accessible by rail. Simply take train, which runs daily between Chicago and Seattle or Portland, the Pacific Northwest. The train stops in both East Glacier and West Glacier. While rental cars are available in East Glacier, they go fast, so reserve one in advance. West Glacier has no rental cars; however, connecting the train station to Lake McDonald Lodge, where you can catch the Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle.

The Best Time of the Year to Visit Glacier National Park

Winter

Winter in Montana comes early. The higher-elevation roads in Glacier typically close for the season in October. Only the 11-mile stretch of Going-to-the-Sun Road between West Glacier and Lake McDonald is open year-round. Most park services, including visitor centers and lodges, also shut down. That said, in winter you feel like you have the park to yourself.

Spring

Spring in Montana comes late. Most park services remain closed until the end of May. It’s also common to receive winter storm warnings well past winter (welcome to Montana). But with spring runoff, these months can be the best for photographing the park’s 200 waterfalls. Just don’t be surprised if you get stuck behind a snowplow. In March the Park Service begins clearing the roads—a Herculean task that can take three months.

Summer

Even if you have to circle the visitor center parking lot five times before finding a spot, it’s hard to hate on anything in July and August in Glacier. Going-to-the-Sun Road is completely plowed, and you can finally hike without postholing. All accommodations—including —are open, bears are out of hibernation, and wildflowers are in full bloom. Pro tip: book rooms as early as you can. Most sell out months in advance.

Fall

By early October, the park’s lower elevations are awash in a sea of yellow. While park services and roads start to close in September, there’s still a healthy population of hikers. August can see as many as 800,000 visitors, September welcomes about half that, and by October, the number dwindles to fewer than 100,000. Whether you’re bagging a peak or chasing that Going-to-the-Sun Road Strava KOM, it’s important to have bear spray on your hip (and again, practice with it). The park’s 900 bears—an estimated 300 grizzlies and 600 black bears—will be busy foraging for winter sustenance.

Where to Stay In or Near Glacier National Park

Hotels

Most in-park accommodations, operated by Glacier’s concessionaire, , open in May and close by September. Built of natural materials like wood and stone, they’re your quintessential examples of historic “parkitecture.” Think two-star rustic digs, and forget about creature comforts like Wi-Fi, TV, and A/C.

The park’s most sought-after rooms are at (from $235), a five-story Swiss-inspired resort hugging the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake, and (from $127), overlooking the park’s largest body of water. Both were built between 1913 and 1915.

Your pull-up, park-in-front-of-your-room options include (from $235), the St. Mary area, and (from $137), Apgar. When I want to whip up my own meals, I crash at the (from $215), where units include small kitchens outfitted with the basics, including a microwave, coffee maker, stove, oven, and fridge.

The only Xanterra accommodation open year-round is (from $200) in Columbia Falls, about a 15-minute drive from West Glacier. Admittedly, I stay here for the amenities: an indoor pool, a 24/7 fitness center, and free continental breakfast. Sometimes I base out of ĚýMissoula, and then I hole up at the new (from $280). Its location is ideal for exploring the mountain-meets-college town, which boasts Montana’s best river surfing. The 2.5-hour drive from Missoula to Glacier cuts through lake country and is one of the most scenic drives in the state.

Chalets

Hands down, the most charming accommodations in the park are the historic chalets that look imported from Switzerland. You have to hike into (from $124) and (from $253), but that’s half the fun. The hard part is scoring a spot (reservation tabs on the above sites are I’ve had friends try for years and still never get reservations.

Camping

Approximately 70 percent of go to those with advance permits/reservations. These permits are available at and cost $40 (with additional fees per person per night). Allow at least a month for your permit application to be processed.

Walk-in permits ($7 per person per night) are available at the Apgar Backcountry Permit Center, St. Mary Visitor Center, Many Glacier Ranger Station, Two Medicine Ranger Station, and Polebridge Ranger Station. Winter wilderness-camping permits, good November through April (when the grizzlies are, hopefully, deep in REM sleep), are free.

In addition to wilderness camping, Glacier has ($10 to $23 per night). Three of them—Fish Creek, Many Glacier, and St. Mary—require reservations. Apgar and Sprague Creek only require reservations in the summer. All reservations can be made via .

First-come, first-served is the name of the game at all other campgrounds. Most close in the winter, but a few stay open for primitive camping. None of Glacier’s campgrounds have electrical hookups, and most lack potable water or firewood for sale. Pets are allowed but must be leashed.

The Best şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍřs in Glacier National Park

Glacier Viewing

Glacier is currently home to 25 active glaciers. Scientists estimate they could disappear, courtesy of climate change, as early as 2030. As a kid, I was disappointed to learn that most of them can’t be seen from the car. The exceptions are Jackson Glacier, which you can view from the overlook on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road, and Salamander Glacier, visible from the road after passing the Many Glacier entrance booth. Others, including the park’s largest, Blackfoot Glacier, and one of its most photographed, Grinnell Glacier, require boots on the ground. And bring binoculars—unless you’re a bushwhacking badass, some glaciers can only be viewed from afar.

Hiking Trails

Glacier is God’s gift to hikers. The park boasts more than 700 miles of marked trails, many remote enough that you’ll encounter more fauna than fellow Homo sapiens. Again, packing bear spray is a must. It’s also important to check trail-status reports. şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř of July and August, many trails, especially at higher elevations, are hidden by snow. Footbridges aren’t installed until late May.

The in the Lake McDonald area include the Trail of Cedars, one of two wheelchair-accessible trails in the park, a 1.4-mile boardwalk loop that takes you through Glacier’s only such forest. On the far end of the spectrum is Mount Brown Lookout, a 10.4-mile out-and-back StairMaster of a trek, ascending more than 4,300 feet.

The area called Many Glacier, basically a mini park within the park, has , including Swiftcurrent Pass, Iceberg Lake, and Grinnell Glacier—a 10.6-mile out-and-back culminating at a glacier you can walk across. Since much of the hike is exposed, wear plenty of sun protection.

The 15 trails at St. Mary’s include Otokomi Lake, an 11-mile round-trip hike peppered with waterfalls, and Siyeh Pass, a strenuous 9.7-mile point-to-point. The reward for all those switchbacks? Commanding views. Topping out at 8,100 feet, Siyeh Pass is one of the highest trails maintained by the park.ĚýThe more remote sections have 15 trails, ranging from those on rolling hills to the arduous Numa Lookout, an 11.6-mile out-and-back ending at a fire tower with vistas of Bowman Lake some 3,000 feet below.

Two Medicine Valley has another 12 trails; favorites in this area are Dawson Pass and Pitamakan Pass, which can be combined for a challenging 18-mile loop that crosses the Continental Divide twice. (Pro tip: shave off about three miles by taking the concession boat at South Shore Trailhead.)

For guided hikes, porter services, and van support, contact .

Biking Routes

What Glacier lacks in off-road mountain biking (spoiler alert: there is none), it more than makes up for in road biking. In my honest opinion, Going-to-the-Sun Road should be on every serious roadie’s short list. I usually start at Lake McDonald Lodge, where it’s about 21 miles and 3,500 feet of climbing to . Worried about the pain of that much elevation gain? The alpine vistas on either side are a great distraction. Note: between mid-June and Labor Day, portions of Going-to-the-Sun Road are closed to bikes between 11 A.M. and 4 P.M. And another note: packing warm, waterproof layers for the descent is key; every year rangers rescue cyclists suffering from hypothermia.

Bicycles are also allowed on the park’s unpaved roads and multi-use paths. Rentals are available at in West Glacier and at in Apgar Village. Expect to pay at least $50 for a hybrid and $130 for an e-bike. They go fast—literally—so reserve your ride in advance.

Rafting Trips

Between the Flathead River’s North and Middle Forks, which form the park’s western and southwestern boundaries, you can enjoy everything from scenic floats through glacier-carved valleys to Class III rapids in winding canyons. The more remote North Fork, beginning in British Columbia, tends to be calmer. If whitewater floats your boat, opt for the Middle Fork.

Outfitters offering half-, full-, and multiday tours include , , , and , all located in West Glacier. Rafting season typically starts in May and runs through October.

Boating and Paddling

With more than 700 lakes, Glacier is a boater’s promised land. The crystal clear waters rarely get hotter than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in minimal vegetation and maximum visibility. Lakes near active glaciers even tend to be turquoise. At ten miles long and 464 feet deep, Glacier’s largest body of water, , is its unofficial boating hub.

To prevent bringing in aquatic invasive species (AIS), . There are inspection stations at Lake McDonald; Polebridge Ranger Station; the Many Glacier Area ranger station; and through the park’s AIS partners beforehand. See information on inspection and stations

Boating is allowed at Lake McDonald, Kintla Lake, Bowman Lake, Two Medicine Lake, St. Mary Lake, and Sherburne and Swiftcurrent Lakes in Many Glacier. The season varies by lake, with most opening in May and closing in late September. Didn’t BYOB? That’s OK. Rentals are available at in Apgar Village.

Glacier also offers guided boat tours. In Many Glacier, you can cross Swiftcurrent Lake on the historic Chief Two Guns, and the adventure continues on Lake Josephine aboard the Morning Eagle. At St. Mary, you may sail on Little Chief or Joy II past Wild Goose Island to Baring Falls. To experience the oldest wooden boats in the park, cruise Lake McDonald on the 70-passenger DeSmet or Two Medicine on the 49-passenger Sinopah. Both vessels, built in 1930 and 1926, are on the .

Snow Sports

While Glacier bans snowmobile use, it welcomes all winter warriors on skis, splitboards, and snowshoes. Rentals are available at and in Whitefish. Before sharpening those Salomons, however, always and the Flathead Avalanche Center for . There tends to be more snow on the west side of Glacier, as the east side receives warm Chinook winds. Average snowfall at park headquarters in West Glacier is 157 inches.

While most ski routes are unmarked, trail maps can be . The most popular place for winter sports is Upper Lake McDonald. Park at Lake McDonald Lodge for access to McDonald Falls, a four-mile round trip with waterfall views; Sacred Dancing Cascade, a 5.3-mile round trip with equally impressive waterfall sights; and Avalanche Lake, an 11.6-mile round trip with a frozen lake to look forward to (this last one is best left to intermediate and expert skiers).

There are also several trails near Polebridge, following unplowed roads from the starting point of the ranger station, and near Apgar, beginning at the horse barn. Not a fan of the repetition of out-and-backs? Try the 11.5-mile McGee Meadow Loop (and go counterclockwise if you want to avoid a steep uphill).

On the east side of the park, most of the action is at Autumn Creek, a challenging six-mile round trip beginning at the summit of Marias Pass. For rolling terrain with lake views, check out St. Mary’s three-mile Beaver Pond Loop or eight-mile Red Eagle Lake Trail.

Fishing

​​With more than 1,606 miles of waterways, Glacier attracts anglers like a lipless crank attracts a pike. You don’t need a fishing license—just knowledge of which species are native. For the most part, it’s catch and release for all native species, including westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout, and northern pike. There’s no daily limit (catch or possession) for non-native fish, which include rainbow trout, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and brook trout.

The rule is one rod per person, hook and line only, and no live bait. While lake fishing is allowed year-round, the season for most rivers and streams runs from May through November. Winter ice fishing is allowed; however, you’ll get a hefty fine if you use a power auger. Rod rentals are available at in Apgar Village and in West Glacier.

Guided Tours

Glacier’s sheer size—it’s larger than Canyonlands, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain National parks combined—lends itself nicely to guided tours. The park’s iconic red vintage buses, nicknamed the Rubies of the Rockies, date back to the 1930s. In fact, they’re considered the world’s oldest touring fleet of vehicles. Expect to pay between $50 for a three-hour tour and $112 for an eight-hour tour. Most tours start in May or June and run through September.

, operating May through October, offers bus tours driven by local Blackfeet guides. The fleet of buses is owned by a married couple, Ed and Toni DesRosier, who are members of the and . Half-day tours start at $80, and full-day tours start at $130.

Another great way to see the park is . Guided horseback adventures run seasonally in Many Glacier and at Lake McDonald and Apgar. One-hour tours with , a family-owned business based in West Glacier, start at $75.

Educational Programs

In summer, rangers lead programs every day. Most are free, with the exception of some of the events, the National Park Service’s longest-running Indigenous-speaker series. Adult tickets for these events are $6. Local tribe members, like Jack Gladstone, host these popular evening presentations and programs.

, where I attended camp as a kid, is a nonprofit specializing in field-based learning. Sign up for courses and classes focusing on everything from birds of prey to landscape photography.

The Best Places to Eat and Drink Near Glacier National Park

I’m not going to sugarcoat it; meal options within the park are limited. On the plus side, the dress code is always hiker casual. At Lake McDonald Lodge you’ll find , , and . For views, it’s hard to top the in Many Glacier Hotel, and if you want more casual fare, try the hotel’s or . Or head just down the road to , whose boxed lunches are a big hit with hikers. In St. Mary, it’s either starve or settle for , which gets points simply for being open.

, with beef so local you probably drove by pastures where that animal grazed, has East Glacier’s best wine list. Dining on the deck? Don’t be surprised if you see a moose. And order the famous huckleberry cheesecake before it sells out.

Dining in West Glacier doesn’t get better than the , where locals celebrate special occasions and the ambiance is as memorable as the menu. Sip craft cocktails by the 100-year-old fireplace or enjoy a flight of craft brews on the elevated deck. Hangry after hiking? Try the bison meatloaf or elk meatballs. Not a carnivore? Go for the red curry.

For a quick bite in West Glacier, trust the . This roadside Tex-Mex trailer is where your fishing and rafting guides refuel with massive burritos that make Chipotle seem like child’s play.

If You Have Time for a Detour

​In Glacier’s neighbor to the north, , where I learned to ride a big-girl bike, Alberta’s rolling prairie meets the stunning Canadian Rockies.

The 195-square-mile park, which combined with Glacier formed the world’s first in 1932, is home to more than 60 species of mammals. If you don’t see a bear or goat in Glacier, there’s a good chance you’ll see it here. Waterton is just an hour’s drive north of St. Mary, with the border crossing at Carway or Chief Mountain. I’ve always called Waterton a junior-varsity version of Banff (it’s beautiful, but Banff is beautiful on steroids). Banff is another 3.5-hour drive farther north. If you have time, visit both.

Flathead Lake is also worth the gas money. The largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, it’s where I learned that scuba diving in Montana was actually a thing. Basically, anything you can do on a huge body of water—plus hiking on an island home to herds of wild horses—you can do on Flathead Lake. Every year my family vacations here, and I eat so many Flathead cherries that my fingers are stained pink for weeks. (I swear the 27-mile-long lake has as many orchards as boating ramps.) The lake’s northern shore is just 40 miles southeast of West Glacier.

How to Be a Conscious Visitor

As a result of the receding glaciers, it’s impossible to visit their namesake park without being conscious of climate change. Since automobile emissions are one of the biggest contributors (and gas prices are out of control), consider parking in Apgar or St. Mary and riding the shuttles. They’re either free or cost about what you’d pay for a gallon of gas. Round-trip fare from Kalispell to Apgar on is only $5. If you end up driving, and you see something worth stopping for, rather than idling (seriously frowned upon), please turn off your car. You’ll be glad you did.

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Legend has it that, in 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton seeking men to help him become the first person to cross the continent of Antarctica. Fact or fiction, more than a hundred years later his risky appeal resonates with adventurous types who dream of contributing to a new discovery. From Asian steppe to Arctic sea, here are a handful of upcoming scientific (and science-inspired) trips that anyone—who can afford the price tag—can join. Ěý

Chase Glaciers in Greenland

In July 2016Ěýthe mother daughter duo of Mindy Cambiar, a professional photographer, and Professor Sarah Aciego, a geologist and glaciologist, are taking up to eight guests on their Ěýwith Bill Chill şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍřs. The itinerary includes open speedboat icefjord excursions, kayaking under the midnight sun, hiking the most primitive trails, mountain biking on an ice sheet, and a helicopter flight to a supraglacial lake. The 12-day trip may also include dog sledding across an ice cap, weather permitting of course. Climate change will be the topic of exploration as Cambiar and Aciego race to document the most catastrophic glacier retreats in the world. $9,250 per person.Ěý

Get Dirty Down UnderĚý

Bush showers and creek baths will keep participants on Intrepid Travel’sĚý clean after long days of surveying local flora and fauna and assisting with other fieldwork and data collection. The weeklong trip is one of Intrepid’s most physically demanding but it’s also one of its most affordable at $2,170 per person. Nights are spent conducting nocturnal wildlife watching studies or around campfires at pretty rustic sites that include a forestry camp set up for leaf litter sifting, insect sorting, and reptile measuring. Data from the trip is analyzed and used to help predict which rainforest species are likely to become endangered or extinct in the coming decades. The next departure is February 2016.Ěý

Follow in Shackleton’s FootstepsĚý

To celebrate the centennial of Sir Ernest’s famous voyage, Wilderness Travel is offering a 20-day led by the likes of climber Conrad Anker, conservationist Dr. Carl Safina, wildlife photographer Frans Lanting and Tim Jarvis—the climate scientist who re-enacted Shackleton’s 800-mile rescue voyage in a wooden lifeboat replica. Participants will straddle the Antarctic Convergence, observe King penguin colonies, and visit active research bases including the British Antarctic Survey station and Poland’s Arctowski station. The voyage, which starts at $14,995, departs in November 2016 and travelers will stay on a 114-passenger boat featuring an ice-faring hull and a fleet of Zodiacs for shore excursions to sites like Elephant Island, where Shackleton’s 22 men were stranded for more than three months.Ěý

Excavate a Grassland Ecoregion

Aspiring archeologists have a unique opportunity to work alongside Dr. Joan S. Schneider next June on the now offered by Earthwatch. For years the focus in the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve has been on wildlife conservation but recently, it’s shifted to include excavating the rough terrain for historically significant artifacts left by varying civilizations ranging from the New Stone Age residents to more recent Tibetan Buddhists. Travelers can help Schneider and an entire team of international scientists identify and interpret petroglyphs, draft and photograph burial sites from the Bronze Age and catalog 6,000-year-old artifacts including tools, weapons and ceramics. The 9-day trip costs $2,525, and accommodations include a contemporary guesthouse and a gers, a traditional Mongolian yurt.

Pay Homage to the Past

Although scientists have been guests on its cruises for years, şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Canada is just now announcing its new Scientists-in-Residence initiative. Applicants can submit RFPs for the chance to conduct their research on any of the company’s 2016 sailings including next August’s . Members of the general public can pay $8,995 to embark on the 17-day-long cruise and participate in the chosen resident scientist’s studies such as counting sea birds, harvesting complex organisms and documenting Inuit artifacts. The trip’s route is determined by the ice flow but will try to follow the paths carved by the first explorers who attempted to cross the Northwest Passage hundreds of years ago. Shore excursions include a stop at Beechey Island where the graves of many of the 134 men who perished on the infamous 1845 Franklin Expedition are found.Ěý

Dive for Data in Ecuador

Dr. Andrea Marshall, whose moniker is the Queen of Mantas, was the first person in history to receive a PhD in manta ray ecology. Today, Marshall leads Ěýwhere she invites the SCUBA-certified public to help her study in aggregation sites such as Isla de la Plata. Her next expedition to this major manta ray habitat off the coast of Ecuador departs in September 2016 and will run between $2,200 and $2,400 per person for seven days. A percentage of each package price will be donated to the nonprofit, Proyecto Mantas Ecuador. Participants can expect to be trained in underwater photography and complete dozens of dives while assisting with genetics sampling, setting camera traps, tagging, measuring and updating the global manta ray database—the Manta Matcher.Ěý

Learn Telemetry and Track PredatorsĚý

With the title of Mountain Coordinator, Veronica Baas has the responsibility of going up and down the mountain to check insect and mammal traps on Global Vision International’s . For $2,390, travelers can receive basic telemetry training and join Baas in tracking, darting and collaring Africa’s most feared carnivores including the cheetah, hyena, leopard, and lion. Data collected during the two-week-long expedition is used to determine how these predators influence prey populations. Commercial safari companies responsible for pay for sighting data and fund the research. Departures are monthly with migration patterns and game movements determining project specifics.Ěý

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What’s just as awesome asĚýfalling asleep to the acoustics of gentlyĚýcrashing waves? Slowly waking up to thatĚýsame surround sound.ĚýBut also: easily catching sunrise (perhaps from yourĚýkayak),ĚýbaskingĚýinĚýbuttery sunsets (possibly from your surfboard),Ěýor just not having to wear shoes and socksĚýfor days on end.ĚýBefore creating yourĚýdreamĚýcrash padĚýon the sand, check out these sevenĚýmust-do coastal campsites.

Best For: KayakingĚýand Snorkeling

Parson’s Landing
Catalina Island, California
Price: $22 per night per person, plus one-time $20 locker rental

, just 22 miles off the , is a beach loved by hikers doing the 37-mile and kayakers and snorkelers who come to bask in the Caribbean-clear water. The kayak-in or hike-in campground sells out quickly, so you’ll need to make reservations. You’re also required to purchase at least one locker per site ($20), which includes a bundle of firewood and 2.5 gallons of water. More gear can be rented in nearby and delivered to the campground.Ěý

Best For: Beach Exploring

Shi Shi Beach
Olympic National Park, Washington
Price: $5 per night per person, plus $10 Makah Recreation Pass

The scent of driftwood campfire permeates the air at this ĚýatĚýthe foot of northern Washington’s cliffy coastline. Reachable onlyĚýby a two-mile hike through the temperate rainforest, the entire site looks out onto a string of sea stacks, including ,Ěýa national natural landmark about a 45-minute hike south. Consulting aĚýtide chart is a must, especially if you plan to explore the rugged coast’s tideĚýpools, grottoes, and caves.Ěý

Best For: Photography

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Big Sur, California
Price: $30 per night per person

Imagine falling asleep to the sound of rustling giant redwoods, swaying cypress trees, and crashing waves. ThenĚýpicture waking up to one of the most dramatic parts of the craggy Big Sur coastline. That’s just the kind of fantastic reality that keeps the twoĚýhike-in-only campsites at this almost constantly booked. Also driving home the dream: hiking to the 80-foot-tall (whichĚýpours directly into the Pacific), beachcombing the purple-sandĚýshore and granite cliffs, whale watching, and in the park’s 1,680-acre underwater preserve.Ěý

Best For: Snorkeling and Diving

Garden Key
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
Price: $3 per night per person

Plan now for the excellent on this remoteĚý11-acre island 70 miles west of Key West. The 10 sandy sites fill up quickly, and while the national park won’t refuse you a space if you just show up (it’s a big empty island—there’s room), the only access to the site is byĚý, which takes no more than 10 campers per day. go on day toursĚýbut refuse passengers with camping equipment. The stargazing is entrancing, but since 99 percent of this park consists of the (just 1 percent of the park is on land), snorkeling and diving are the real reasons to voyage this far into the Gulf of Mexico.

Best For: Backcountry KayakingĚý

North Manitou Island
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
Price: $5 per person per night

Native American ruins thousands of years oldĚýand abandoned industrial-age structures dot this paddler’sĚýand backcountry camper’sĚý 12 miles off the coast of Leland, Michigan. Once you obtain a , you can bunk up and put in anywhere along the 20 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, though there is a with facilities. The island is accessible by private boat or an infrequent that will transport your canoe or kayak. Once you’ve had your fill of the water, try the 20 miles of hiking trails.Ěý

Best For: Surfing and Fishing

Yakutat Beach Campground
Yakutat, Alaska
Price: Free

If coming to Yakutat, you’re already searching for extremes—namely, surfing this area’s legendary 25-foot, subzero swells or fishing for 10-to-22-pound wild steelhead in the Situk River. You can up the ante by sleeping at one of the threeĚýĚýon the coast, where the closest source of clean fresh water is a four-mile walk to town.ĚýFeeling a little less burly? Ěýare for rent not far away. With no roads going this far into Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, you have to .Ěý

Best For: Escaping Cellular Service

Kalalau Beach Campground
Kauai, Hawaii
Price: Hawaii residents, $15 per person per night;Ěýnonresidents, $20 per person per night. Includes permit.

The joy ofĚýcamping at is falling asleep knowing you’re at the turnaround point for the epic (and pretty dangerous) 22-mile round-trip namesake trail. These Napali Coast sites are spread out just behind the sand, some on old stone-walled agricultural terraces where locals once grew crops. A waterfall at the western end of the beach provides fresh drinking water (you should bring a filter) and a cool spot to mellow out before hiking back. Experienced ocean swimmers can swim to several sea caves, sea arches, and even the elusive —a swim-in, swim-out-only cove.Ěý

Plus: 3 Tips for Keeping Mosquitos at Bay

1.ĚýEmbrace the breeze. Mosquitoes hate wind (so does your tent), but you should set up camp where there is some moderate airflow.
2. Keep the fire burning. The smoke deters mosquitosĚý(but make sure fires are allowed at your campsite).
3. Wear neutral-colored clothing. Mosquitos are attracted to bright, vibrant colors.

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The measure of a great vacation isn’t in the square footage of your hotel room. It’s in the time you spend exploring your chosen destination. One way to make sure you don’t end up sequestered indoors? Base your travels out of a tiny home. Here are fiveĚýthat’ll make it easy.

Hawi, Hawaii

The Dragon Cabin
Square feet: 384Ěý
Price: $75 perĚýnight

Shack up in a on this Big IslandĚýcoffee farm managed by a localĚýmultigenerational family. The cozy cabin has a fully equipped indoor kitchen, and because the bathroom and shower are located outside, there’s room inside for a California king bed. From here, it’s easy access to hiking in and surfing at . Plus, you’re just a ten-mile drive to hiking alongĚý’s black sand beach.

Narsaq, GreenlandĚý

The Great View
Square feet: 90Ěý
Price: $500 perĚýweek

The giant picture window with views of village, ceaseless fjords, and snow-capped mountains make this seem much bigger than it really is. It has room for a miniature living room, kitchen, bedroom, and terrace. And while showering is a no-go (running water is still a luxury in Greenland), you are treated to an outdoor wood-fired bathtub. During the day, explore southern Greenland by fishing, taking a boat out to the glaciers, or hiking among the ruins of old Viking homesteads and Inuit villages.Ěý

Ojai, California

The Pine Cabin
Square feet: 120
Price: $570 perĚýweek

Small doesn’t mean somber in this that comes with two outdoor showers, an outdoor kitchen, and a sharedĚýhot tub. Inside is a writingĚýdesk and queen-sizeĚýbed. A few miles up the road, you’ll find plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails in . A few miles in the other direction puts you in artsyĚýdowntown . But before you head out, fix yourself an omelet using fresh eggs from the owner’s chickens.

Seattle, Washington

The Gypsy Wagon
Square feet: 32
Price: $60 perĚýnight

Seattle will feel like a small town if you stay this on wheels parked in a big backyard, where the owners keep a few chickens and bunnies. Despite the farmyard feel, thisĚýwee home is in the heartĚýof , one of Seattle’s most desirable neighborhoods. Head out for a run among the nearby hilltop mansions (with the city’s best skyline and water views) or hop on a bus downtown, where you can savor the freshĚýfish dishes at .

Upper Normandy, FranceĚý

The Little House in the Garden
Square feet: 130
Price: $50 perĚýnight

You won’t need much more than the bed and wood-burning fireplace to enjoy this surrounded by a floral garden.ĚýRelax, meditate, or pick fresh fruit before taking a day trip to some of Normandy’s finest beaches. Veules-les-Roses, arguably one of the most picturesque fishing villages in all of France, is only tenĚýmiles away, and Annie, the home’s yoga-instructor owner, is happy to provide directions.

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Although fat biking is most often associated with snow, it has another, decidedly more chill time and place: the beach. Unlike traditional beach cruisers that limit riders to boardwalks and streets, fat bikes using 4-inch-wide tires can take onĚýor, as David Hunger, the fat biking founder of , says, “float on” sand. Wider tires allow for lower tire pressure and, ultimately, a more even distribution of weight. But not all shorelines are created equal, nor do they have fat bike rentals within a 50-mile radius, so here are the beach towns that are embracing—and shaping—this burgeoning sport.Ěý

Oregon’s Beautiful, Bike-Friendly Coast

Newport, Oregon

With 363 miles of dramaticĚýand relatively undisturbed shoreline, Oregon is a blank canvas with huge beach biking potential—especially near Newport. At Newport’s Nye Beach, fat bikers pedal south to play on the dunes of South Beach State Park (camping is available) or head north to the tidal pools and historic Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. is one of only two bike shops on Oregon’s coast offering a fat bike rental fleet. ($20 per hourĚýor $50 perĚýday.) This spring, the shop willĚýleadĚýnew guided tours along the sevenĚýsandy and scenic (whale sightings are possible) miles between South Beach State Park and Ona Beach State Park.Ěý

From Snow to Sand in Alaska

Homer, AlaskaĚý

Alaska was one of the first states to embrace fat biking as it evolved from the mountain biking scene in the late 1980s and early ’90s. The west-facing beach on Homer Spit—the world’s longest road into ocean waters—is popular with riders who do the nine-mileĚýout-and-back at low tide to take advantage of Kachemak Bay’s far-flung vibes. Stop for a drink at the . Every February, more than 100 riders (a lot for this town of 5,000 people) turn up for the , a low-pressure weekend of fat biking and beachside bonfires. Check out , where travelers can rent Mukluk Fat Bikes for $55 perĚýday or $325 perĚýweek.Ěý

Go Year-Round in San Diego

Coronado Beach, San DiegoĚý

Being a meteorologist in San Diego is boring at best, but being a fat biker in the “City of Motion” is 365 days of riding on the beach. From San Diego’s mainland, take your own fat bike on the Coronado Ferry (no extra charge for the bike) or rent one for $10 per hourĚýfrom , located near Coronado Beach,Ěýhome to the annual event where the Navy invites thousands to ride and run the 8.2-mile stretch of sand running south. It’s scenic, but be careful:ĚýIf you ride too far past Imperial Beach and the wetlands of the Tijuana Estuary, you’ll find yourself in Mexico.

Compete on the Atlantic

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

On March 14, 2015, Ěýhosted the country’s first . Thirty fat bikers in threeĚýdivisions (8-, 16-, and 24-milers) battled each other and man-made hurdles, including inclines built of sand and speed bumps fashioned from logs. There was even a fat bike unicycle division (digest that for a minute). If obstacles and one-wheeled exploits are too daring, rent a fat bike from for $100 perĚýday and admire the Atlantic as you cruise around on island time. Ěý

Bomb the Dunes in Michigan

Ludington State Park, Michigan

Bombing dunes are part of the thrill of beach fat biking, and there’s no better place to find a sand hill than Michigan’s , on the coast of Lake Michigan. The park’s 5,300 acres include some of the country’s most impressive dunes—some as high as 140 feet. One popular ride is to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse (allegedlyĚýhaunted), where riders have reported seeing 15-footĚýwaves breaking just offshore. Only 20 miles inland is the town of Free Soil,Ěýhome to the headquarters of , the go-to place for custom-built tandem fat bike frames. Ěý

Float the Hardpack in Florida

Daytona Beach, Florida

The hard-packed sand of is easy to glide over and ideal for extended hours of fat biking. It was here that Mike Unklesbay set a for greatest distance cycled in 24 hours on a mountain bike (they call it a “fatĚýtire”Ěýmountain bike) when he rode 283 miles (in laps) in April 2014. Unklesbay’s bike of choice? A 29-inch fat bike built by ,Ěýa company specializing in ultralight fat bikes designed for racing. When in Daytona, do as the locals do. Rent a fat bike from , which carries classic fat bikes and the new Xtreme Fat Tire Electric Bikes, or check Craigslist, where on any given dayĚýit’s easy to find more than a few dozen fat bikes for sale.Ěý

Bonus: Fat Tire Beach Biking TipsĚý

1. Resist the temptation to ride in the ocean. Saltwater will ruin your bike faster than you can curse the rust it causes.
2. Rinse your bike off as soon as you return from riding. Don’t delay, and use a wax-based lube after your rideĚý(most people make the mistake of lubing before) so it has time to dry.
3. Pay attention to the tides and your timing. Otherwise, you run the risk of the high tide cutting you off and trapping you miles from where you need to be.Ěý

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The National Park Service doesn’t turn 100 until August 2016, but the celebration took off in earnest a few weeks ago with the launch of ,ĚýaĚýmultimedia marketing campaign with the goal of makingĚýthe National Parks System a destination for millennials (who records show aren’t visiting National Parks nearly as much as the generations before them) and urban dwellers.

Their plan is to give Park diehards a direct platformĚýto pull newbies into the outdoors.Ěý“To preach the gospel about being active in these incredible places,ĚýFind Your Park equips our veteran explorers with a mobile and online sharing platform to use with the tools they already have, like their smartphones and apps,” says Clarence Fluker, Centennial Public Affairs Specialist at the National Park Service.Ěý

To do your part, visitĚý, a site where visitors can upload photos and videos illustrating their national park experiences in hopes they will impact and inspire others to do the same. Kiosks that are appearing in , will display your work.ĚýThen take the “,” really a series of three questions about your ability level, interests, and location that will suggest Park ideas, or if you allow the website to know your location, it will spit out suggestions based on where you are. Hit up the website’s which offers free guides including The Places Nobody Knows (off the beaten path parks), 25 Unforgettable National Park Hikes, and Gimme Shelter (where you can sleep in and around National Parks).Ěý

With the help of corporate sponsors, Find Your Park is promoting aĚýĚýcontest showcasing 100 Find Your Park stories and featuring prizes including annual national park passes, camping gear, adventure kits, and a fully guided weekend getaway for two. These sponsors are also raising awareness aboutĚýFind Your Park in their own ways.ĚýThe American Hiking Society is inviting the public to upload headshots and their favorite hikes for a chance to be featured as the “.” Through 2017, , a corporate sponsor of the campaign, will roll out new gear and programs tailored for national parks. Another sponsor, , will launch preferred access to national parks via its Subaru owner loyalty program. And there are celebrities.Ěý, Honorary Co-Chair of theĚý, is just one of the big names lending her face and voice to theĚýĚýmovement though online videos—Ěýand are some of the others.ĚýThe U.S. Department of Interior and Glacier National Park are adding to the social noise by using the new live-stream app,Ěý.

Even though much of Find Your Park’s programming has yet to be announced (there will be periodic roll outs throughought 2015 and 2016), the national parks push that started in December following the announcement of the NPS’ largest expansion since 1978 is already starting to make an impact.Ěý

“We’ve been guiding national park multisport tours for more than 40 years, but these past four months have been insanely busy. Our 2015 bookings are up 32 percent from last year’s,” says Dan Austin, President and Founder of , an adventure travel company owned by the largest national park concessioner in the U.S., .Ěý

Last year saw the , with 292.8 million visits. But the NPS expects to surpass that number in 2015 and 2016.

The post Why You Should Care About the ‘Find Your Park’ Campaign appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

People would look at like she had two heads when she started paddleboarding 10 years ago. “But nowĚýI can do a headstand on my board and it barely warrants a double take,” says Bellofatto, one of the pioneers of SUP yoga and a ambassador. Case in point: , only 75,000 boards were sold in the United States. By 2011, that number had doubled. Today? It’s hard to pass a body of water that doesn’t offer some kind of SUP-based experience.

The sport has moved from obscurity to partĚýofĚýtheĚýscenery because it can be either challenging or relaxing. Adrenaline junkies can battleboard on rapids; endurance athletes can race for miles on open sea; peaceĚýseekers can meditate on flat water or under the stars. The sport has its U.S. roots in , which still has a robust scene, but with SUP’s rapid growth, these other communities have also made big names for themselves, each for their own reasons.

Best for: Relaxation

Hamptons, New York

How do New Yorkers de-stress and get their SUP fix? Head to Penn Station, hop on the LIRR, take a three-hour nap, wake up in the Hamptons, and rent a board. East Hampton–based Ěýis famous for building female-friendly boards and for its popular Sunset, Stargazing, and Full Moon Paddles, co-hosted by Bellofatto, who brings yoga and meditation to the board. (Since it’s always safety first, participants sport glow sticks or headlamps when the darkness sets in.) The next morning, paddlers can treat themselves to a thalasso tub seawater hydrotherapy massage at .

Best for: Romance

Dana Point, California

Dana Point is the birthplace of the ,Ěýan event ranked as 2014’s . But Dana Point also has a decidedly romantic SUP side. Paddling around the harbor guarantees wildlife sightings, including garibaldi fish, dolphins, seals, and, depending on the season, migratory whales. Stay at the luxurious ,Ěýwhere you can book a private “surf butler” to take you out for a couple’s paddle and gourmet picnic. For the best views of the bay, climb the bluffs and crash at the B&B-style , and then book an intro SUP lesson with SUP Fitness Laguna.

Best for: Variety

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

Bordered by the Atlantic’s breaking waves to the east and the calmer Intracoastal Waterway to the west, this Ěýboasts convenient access to varied water conditions. Because of its summer wind pattern, Wrightsville Beach is a prime place to go a mile offshore and Ěýfor the entire length of the five-mile-long island. The East Coast’s largest SUP race, the , is held here and was one of şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř’s must-attend SUP races in 2014. Refuel at Ěýin nearby , but if you prefer to paddle to your next meal, there are plenty of dock-and-dine options, like ,Ěýa favorite among local paddlers, who recommend the flounder po’boy washed down with a Mason/Dixon.

Best for: Challenging Yourself

Honolulu, Hawaii

The American birthplace of SUP has no choice but to push the boundaries. That means island hopping by paddleboard, which paddlers attempt each July at the 32-mileĚý. The race finishes just east of Honolulu, where paddlers find a lively local SUP scene. Stay at the , which offers board storage for guests who bring their own boards and is a 15-minute drive from Hawaii Kai, where Ěýand Ěýhost weekly Wednesday technique coaching and two-mile time trial lessons for more advanced paddlers.

Best for: Bespoke Experiences

Bend, Oregon

We awarded Bend the 2014 world’s best SUP getaway because of its diversity of venues. Want flat water? Head to the Cascade Lakes, ensconced in the mountains of Deschutes National Forest. Looking for speed? Float down the Deschutes River right though town. Exploring the outlying lakes and rivers is easy—rent a jacked-up camper vanĚý(complete with board rack and six-pack of Oregon craft brew) from Bend-based . In town for more than a few days? Design and build your own board at

Best for: Whitewater Paddleboarding

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the only urban area with Class IV rapids right in town (and it’s our 2012 Best River City), so it’s no surprise that whitewater paddleboarding (akaĚýbattleboarding) is serious business here. Stay at the new in Schockoe Slip, where you can walk to Brown’s Island and rent a board at the outpost, recognized by the American Canoe and Paddle Association for having the world’s largest whitewater paddleboarding school. In May, the city’s annual features SUP cross and SUP enduro events.

Best for: Finding an SUP Lifestyle

Austin, TexasĚý

Austin, the self-proclaimed “SUP capital of the world,” lays claim to the world’s largest (5,620 members), the world’s largest paddleboard manufacturer (), and SUPZilla—a 25-foot-long, 8-foot-wide paddleboard. Weekly SUP gatherings include , but for more productive paddleboard functions, local businesses schedule corporate “”—yup, you can conduct your office meeting on a paddleboard. Stay at the , and strengthen your core in its ABS-olutely Paddleboarding class.

Plus: 3 Always-FollowĚýSUP Commandments

1.ĚýWear a leash. It may seem silly to be attached on flat water, but if the wind unexpectedly picks up, you don’t want to fall off and become separated from your board as it drifts downwind.

2.ĚýDig deep and plant your paddle.ĚýWith proper paddle strokes, you can paddle in any condition and wind direction. Submerge your paddle blade, extend your arms, and use your core to pull the paddleĚýalong the board’s rail. Take it out at your feet, not the tail of your board.

3.ĚýLook up, not down. For good balance, especially if you’re riding waves, focus on the horizon. Looking down limits your perspective and is more likely to put you in the drink.

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