Planning spring break is high pressure. You only get a one-week respite from school or work, and the timing, late March or early April, makes it tough to find a location with consistently good weather. Those months could offer spring ski conditions or prime surf weather—or not.

More than a few times, I’ve had to pivot at the last minute, having thought it would be warm enough for family surfing on the Outer Banks for spring break and then found temperatures in the low 50s. We moved our vacation further south.

Yes, south is the operative word. So relax, because I’ve found seven national-park units in the Southeast and Southwest that offer gorgeous landscapes, many days’ worth of adventures, and just-about-guaranteed warm weather for the perfect spring break trip.

1. Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Best for: Swimming, Camping, and Contemplating History

Average Temperatures in March and April: Highs from mid 70s to mid 80s

Cumberland Island is wild. The largest barrier island off the coast of Georgia, Cumberland is a 17-mile-long, 36,000-acre swath of pristine beaches, tall dunes, maritime forests, fresh lakes, and marshy canals. Even though the Carnegie family once owned the island, and descendants still have some private property, Cumberland protects almost 10,000 acres of federally designated wilderness. The only way to reach the island is by a 45-minute ($20 one way) or private boat, and once you’re there the only way to get around is by foot or bike on hiking trails and 50 miles of sandy roads.

The island has no stores, so bring everything you’ll need, and be prepared to pack it all back out. You’ll see some ruins from a Victorian-era mansion built in 1884 as a winter home for Thomas Carnegie, as well as the remnants of a freedmen’s community of former slaves. You may spot members of the colony of feral horses that still roam the island, which are likely descendants of the horses brought over by the British during the War of 1812.

As for beaches, Cumberland offers 15 miles of undeveloped sand and dunes facing the Atlantic. For solitude, keep heading north away from the docks until you reach a patch of sand that’s too far for day-trippers to claim. It’s tough to find this much raw beach on the East Coast, so soak it in. The Atlantic is rough, but fine for swimming. Stay out of the marshes on the west side of the island, as they’re popular hangouts for alligators.

Where to Stay: is an all-inclusive hotel operating in one of the Carnegies’ former vacation homes (from $895 a night), but most visitors . Sea Camp has bathrooms and showers and allows fires (from $22 a night). Stafford Beach is more remote, requiring a three-mile hike from the docks, and it, too, has bathrooms with showers (from $12 a night). Book your spot early, up to six months in advance.

2. Big Bend National Park, Texas

Best for: Hiking, Biking, Climbing, Canoeing, Stargazing

Average Temperatures in March and April: Low to high 70s

The 800,000-acre Big Bend National Park has been a spring-break destination for decades. My mother-in-law still talks fondly about spending college spring breaks camping there during the 1960s.

Late March and early April are the busiest times to visit the park. But “crowded” is a relative term; I hit the place a few years ago at the end of March and never felt overwhelmed or discouraged by other visitors, mainly because the park and its neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park are so large. I hiked, rode my bike, camped, and enjoyed the “Far West Texas” vibe of it all.

The Big Bend landscape is straight out of a Western, with its vistas of canyons, the towering Chisos Mountains, and big stretches of rocky desert. It’s a great place to explore by boot, bike, or boat, an ideal multi-sport national-park trip.

Hikers should tackle the 5.5-mile out and back Window Trail, which descends 1,000 feet from the Chisos Trailhead, at 5,400 feet elevation, through Oak Creek Canyon to a sheer drop-off framed by towering cliffs. Be prepared (and take water) for the steady climb back to the trailhead. Depending on recent storms, there could be a small stream in the center of the canyon, but the trail is still navigable. Subject to changes in the water level, you can paddle a 20-mile section of the Rio Grande through Santa Elena Canyon, which narrows to 100 feet wide, with limestone cliffs blotting out the sun. The area has been in a drought for the last couple of years, so spring trips aren’t guaranteed, but check with for water levels and trip options (from $160 per person).

Rio Grande Angell Expeditions video by Taylor Reilly

Just outside the national park is , with its bounty of mountain biking, where you can pedal to a backcountry oasis and through a slope filled with sparkling gemstones. Regardless of what you do, at the end of the day you must soak in the historic hot springs that are carved out of the Rio Grande.

Where to Stay: Chisos Mountain Lodge inside the park has 72 rooms, a restaurant, and a general store (from $170 a night). has 60 sites up almost a mile high in elevation; make reservations up to six months in advance ($16 a night).

3. Death Valley National Park, California

Best for Cycling, Hiking, Stargazing

Average Temps in March and April: Highs from 65 to 75

It would be borderline crazy to visit Death Valley National Park in the summertime, but in early spring, the temperatures are chef’s-kiss perfect. Visitors in spring may also have the huge bonus of seeing the wildflowers pop off, particularly in the lower elevations, in fields of desert gold, poppies, and verbena. If you’re really into hitting the park during peak flower power, watch the rangers’ on which wildflowers are blooming throughout spring and summer.

Also cool: the park is home to one of the world’s rarest fish, the Devils Hole pupfish, an endangered species found only in a water cavern in Devils Hole here. The pupfish are visible during the annual spring migration as they move within the hole seeking warmth from direct sunlight. Scientists counted 191 of them last April, the highest count in 25 years.

You don’t need to be a cyclist to enjoy Death Valley—there are plenty of hiking trails—but two wheels is a hell of a way to explore this landscape, with 785 miles of roads open to bikes. Cruise through otherworldly terrain like salt flats, expansive sand dunes, and red-rock formations, before climbing into mountains of up to 11,000 feet.

Artist’s Drive, a paved nine-mile one-way loop, is the park’s signature ride. It climbs from below sea level to 880 feet above it, offering views of the surrounding moon-like white sands and mountains on the horizon. At the crest, you’ll be surrounded by pink and tan hills, which narrow to canyon-like proportions on the fun downhill to finish the loop. To give you a sense of the terrain, parts of the Star Wars franchise were filmed off this road.

Where to Stay: If you’re looking for nice digs, will put you in the heart of the action, and with a pool (from $507 a night). is the best developed campground in the park, with 136 sites on the valley floor and mountain views. Book up to six months in advance (from $30 a night).

4. White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Best for Hiking and Sand Sledding

Average Temperatures in March and April: 70 to 80

One of the newest national parks (established in 2019), White Sands isn’t huge, just 175,000 acres, but it protects half of the world’s largest gypsum-crystal field. The dunes roll through the Tularosa Basin like bright white waves, creating a landscape unlike anything else on this planet. You can see the San Andres Mountains on the horizon beyond the park, but it’s the sloping dunes that will mesmerize you.

The eight-mile Dunes Drive scenic road delivers you into the center of the dunes from the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle, and the road also accesses the park’s five different hiking trails. The Dune Life Nature Trail is an easy one-mile loop that serves as a good intro to the landscape. But if you really want to dig into the dunes, hike the five-mile , which traces the edge of an ancient lake that has been replaced by the waves of dunes. You’ll climb and descend 60-foot sandy mounds throughout.

If you can time it right, hit the park on a , when White Sands is open into the night, and ranger-led programs include guided hikes. And definitely bring a sled (or buy one in the park gift shop). The dunes at the are open to sledding, and the gypsum hills behave exactly like snow slopes.

Where to Stay: There is currently no camping inside the park: its backcountry campsites are closed for rehabilitation, with no timeline as to when they will be in service. The town of Alamogordo, 15 miles east of the park, has a variety of chain hotels.

5. Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida and Mississippi

Best for Island Hopping, Swimming, Surfing, Fishing, Birdwatching

Average Temperatures in March and April: Low to mid 70s

A lot of people have discovered the Gulf Islands National Seashore. In 2023, visitation jumped 40 percent, from 5.7 million to 8.2 million people, making this unit the fifth-most-visited in the park service. People are showing up for the white-sand beaches on the mainland and for barrier islands that you can only reach by boat. The national seashore is made up of a series of parks, beaches, and islands, split between Florida and Mississippi, and all surrounded by clear, aqua-blue waters that are home to gopher tortoises, bottlenose dolphins, starfish, crabs
and the 300 species of birds that migrate through the area.

The easiest island to reach is Ship, 12 miles off the coast and accessible by regular from Gulfport and Biloxi ($44 per person, round trip). Once you’re on the island, you can explore the historic fort, lounge on the beaches, or swim in the Gulf. The recreation area is fully developed with concessions and restrooms, so it’s a convenient getaway.

If you’re looking for something wilder, consider venturing to , an eight-mile-long barrier island protected as a federally designated Wilderness area, so there are no commercial ferries to the island and no facilities on the ground. But if you have your own boat or want to hire a charter (from $675 at ), you’ll find an island ringed with sugar-white sand beaches and grassy dunes, while pine trees and lagoons pack the interior. Mind the occasional alligator.

Where to Stay: The campground, on the mainland near the town of Ocean Springs, sits inside a maritime forest, with marshes and fishing docks ($25 a night, book six months in advance). You’re also allowed to on the beach on a few of the barrier islands (Petit Bois, West Petit Bois, and Horn Island) inside the park, but stay off the dunes and any vegetation, don’t bring any mechanical devices (ie, no coolers with wheels), and be prepared for a true wilderness experience, as there are no facilities.

6. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona

Best for Boating, Swimming, Hiking

Average Temperatures in March and April: Highs from 60 to 69

Glen Canyon protects the incredible 1.25 million acres of land and water where the Colorado River pours into Lake Powell. The blue water of the lake contrasts sharply with the red and pink sandstone walls that rise directly from the edge, and the lake has countless fingers and canyons to explore by boat.

The water levels of Powell are constantly shifting, and have generally been in decline the last 20 years. Check the park site’s to make sure the boat ramp or launch you have in mind is operational. The lake was low when I visited a few years ago on a biking and paddle trip, and we had to contend with some mud on the banks, but the place was no less stunning.

The Antelope Point ramp typically has the least boat traffic, so it’s conducive to use of kayaks or canoes. From there, you can head south on the lake for a mile and paddle into Antelope Canyon, a narrow slot canyon that’s also a no-wake (no motorboating) zone. Under normal water levels, you can follow the creek upstream for about a mile. offers rental kayaks (from $75 a day). You can also launch directly from the beaches at Lone Rock Beach and Stanton Creek and explore the lake surrounding those alcoves.

Off the water, an easy 1.25-mile hike leads to one of the overlooks at , where the Colorado River takes a drastic turn around a massive sandstone escarpment.

Where to Stay: All inside the recreation area are first-come, first-served. Lees Ferry Campground has 54 sites, potable water, and restrooms ($26 a night). Lone Rock Beach has primitive sites on a sandy beach right next to the water ($14 per night).

7. Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument, Arizona

Best for Overlanding, Hiking, and Seeking Solitude

Average Temperatures in March and April: High 50s to mid 60s

The Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is primitive. This Northern Arizona park has no facilities, no campgrounds, and no paved roads. Instead, visitors are treated to the sights of 1 million acres of expansive plateaus, rugged canyons, and Mojave Desert, all traversed by a series of unimproved dirt roads and hiking trails. In other words, this monument is ideal for self-contained overlanding. I spent three days cruising Grand Canyon-Parashant in a side-by-side with a rooftop tent, while hiking and biking at various spots throughout, and was as mesmerized by the solitude as the grandeur of the landscape.

If you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, the monument is yours to explore. The park service details an 80-mile adventure to that cruises through a variety of terrain, from cattle fields to ponderosa forests, and ends on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. If you choose this route, you’ll also have the chance to get out and stretch your legs on the Burnt Canyon Trail, an easy three-mile out-and-back on a grassy road bed that leads to a big view of the western edge of the Grand Canyon. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mount Charleston, just outside of Las Vegas.

I took a roundabout, multi-day route to reach , with its long view into the Canyon, and an optional side hike down to the water. The last seven miles to Whitmore Point drop 1,500 feet over rocky, rutted terrain that was super fun to bomb on a mountain bike. The fastest way to this perch is a 50-mile traverse from Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse.

Where to Stay: Primitive camping is allowed throughout the monument, but if you’re looking for a bit of refinement in the midst of all this rugged adventure, the has hotel rooms and covered wagons on an inholding close to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s only accessible by a 70-mile dirt-road drive through the national monument or an airplane (the place has its own landing strip), but once you’re there, you’ll be able to refuel your vehicle and have a damn fine dinner (starting at $172 a night).

Graham Averill is șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű magazine’s national-parks columnist. Every year, he agonizes over how to maximize his kids’ spring break, dragging them to campsites in Florida, beaches in South Carolina, and lakes all over the Southeast. He recently wrote about hiking in Joshua Tree National Park and his absolute favorite mountain town on the East Coast. His latest article is all about visiting national parks for free.

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The Grand Canyon is stunning. At șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű, we’re in love with that giant ditch, and chances are, you are, too. This river canyon, measuring 278 miles long, roughly 10 miles wide, and in places more than a mile deep, is unlike anything else in the country. Artists paint pictures of it. Musicians write songs about it. Scientists read the history of North America in the layers of its rock walls. The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, with other standouts like Mount Everest and the aurora borealis.

I’ve been fortunate enough to explore the Grand Canyon a handful of times, trekking from rim to river within the national park and exploring lesser known aspects beyond park boundaries. The beauty and sheer volume of the ditch gets me every time. Some people are moved by the quiet of the landscape or the depth, which can be awesome in the literal sense of the word, but personally, I’m struck by the time it took the Colorado River to carve through all those layers of rock.

We’re talking about 6 million years of slow, steady work, which seems like forever, but that timeframe is just a blink when you stack it up against the two-billion-year-old layers of rock inside the canyon. Staring into the Grand Canyon is like staring at time itself. How can you not ponder the brevity of your own time on this planet here?

But not everyone is impressed. Lately, on a notion, I dug into online reviews of our most famous river gorge and found a decade’s worth of angsty complaints, with people moaning about everything from the weather to the lack of trees.

Here, and always with a nod to the classic , are the (best) worst reviews of the Grand Canyon, one of the most magnificent natural landmarks in the world:

“A great example of uncontrolled erosion leaving a dangerous and ugly scar on an otherwise beautiful forest. The park service personnel were nice and friendly, however. We probably need a dam to stop erosion and refill this hole.” —Yelp

“I would really love help understandin[sic] what is so grand about a canyon.”—Yelp

“Went to the Grand Canyon this past week and let me tell YOU it’s a big ole waste o[sic] time! There was dirt EVERYWHERE and the hiking trail was too long! Also where are the vending machines?? And nowhere to charge my phone! It’s way too deep to even see the bottom! 
Grand Canyon more like grand blandyon.” —Yelp

“There is nothing there! It looks like California’s drought that I am dreading of. Easy place to commit murder. Just push the dude over the cliff.” —Yelp

“Once you have been to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon is a joke, and I’m an Arizona native. There are no animals, no greenery, no clear blue streams… just a muddy river, rock, and sheer cliffs. You’ll go ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ for 30 seconds.”—Yelp

“I have been to Yellowstone twice, with buffalo herds walking near my car, an entire elk herd passing me when I went hiking, bald eagles so big I thought it was Jurassic Park, bears twice, and even a wolf trying to steal a baby buffalo and the standoff among a herd. And at the Grand Canyon? A hole. A very, very large hole.”—Yelp

“[P]retty much all of the really awesome things you could potentially do in the Grand Canyon are basically off-limits for a day tripper:

• Hike down to the Colorado River. You need a minimum of two days. Yes, people have done it in one day before, but many have also died trying, and the park service does everything short of an outright ban to discourage anyone from attempting it [too quickly], for good reason.
• Raft down the Colorado River with spectacular canyon walls towering over you on either side. You need a minimum of seven days.
• Follow a stream down a narrow side canyon and see waterfalls and springs. This is a multi-day backpack from the rim or accessed from the river during a rafting trip (see above).

“I just don’t understand why they won’t build a road, aerial tramway, elevator, or SOMETHING that gives easier access to the canyon’s depths?” —Yelp

“Dude seriously it’s just a big hole in the ground and it’s all dirt. No shade trees, nothing interesting at all. Honestly, the desert is all just dirt so that was no surprise but the way everybody talks about the Grand Canyon I thought there’d be some stuff to do there
. Oh yeah that’s right
you can walk around on the dirt and look at the giant gaping hole in the ground and take pictures of the dirt. Big whoop.” —TripAdvisor

“It was pretty cool I guess, the canyon. A bit much though. Maybe less canyon next time would be better if you guys can fix that.”—TripAdvisor

“Don’t go in early October. We was[sic] expecting sunshine like in las vegas where we was[sic] staying. We got there we had rain. You could not actually see the canyon. Was covered in fog so a wasted journey.”— Google Maps

“Grand Canyon? More like average canyon. Seen better.” —Google Maps

“Not that big, bad weather, bad food, too many people. Also why would they put so many trees everywhere. Terrible design, just terrible.” —Google Maps

“WORST wonder of the world! 
. Only a big hole in the ground.”—Google Maps

“Very underwhelming experience. Totaly [sic] an overrated location. Cluster of ugly looking rocks and a gorge that runs for miles. Boring is an understatement. Don’t waste your time visiting.”—TripAdvisor

“Not much different from pictures. Besides, the views are about the same everywhere
the only reason to go to GCNP is to be[sic] see one of the Seven Wonders in the world. But after gazing at the canyon for 3 minutes from the rim, you have seen it all.” —TripAdvisor

“No lift, no real chapel, no real movie theatre… You really know how to make a hole in the ground a hole in the ground.” —TripAdvisor

“Look, don’t get me wrong, the views were ok. However, I just find it unacceptable that in this day and age wifi was non-existent. I had lots of good photos but was unable to Snapchat them!”—TripAdvisor

“I guess I was seeking some sort of deep existential revelation that so many of my friends experienced, but I got nothing. I planned on spending a few days here but left after five hours.” —TripAdvisor

From the author: Despite what you may have gathered above, the Bright Angel Trail was one of the greatest hiking experiences of my life. I do agree with the reviewer above that you don’t want to try it it one day. For most, that is folly or worse. But as for the hike itself, it’s a panoply of views all the way, and it opened my eyes to what space could be.

Graham Averill is șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű magazine’s national-parks columnist. He’s visited the Grand Canyon many times and never had an existential revelation there, either. But that’s probably his fault, not the canyon’s. He’s also never left a bad review on TripAdvisor or Yelp. Graham recently covered “The 9 Wildest Golf Courses in America,” Ìę“9 Most Underrated National Parks for Incredible Fall Foliage,” and “8 Surf Towns Where You Can Learn the Sport and the Culture.” His essay “This Is What It’s Like to Live in Asheville After Hurricane Helene” was an on-the-ground account of experiencing the life-changing natural disaster.

The post The Grand Canyon Is One of Our Most Beloved National Parks. These Reviewers Beg to Differ. appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

Ski trips shouldn’t be relegated to the rich and even richer. We all deserve to go powder chasing midwinter without dissolving our bank accounts. But these days, finding a budget way to ski requires serious homework. You can always venture away from the headliner areas to smaller, less crowded local ski hills that want to entice visitors through budget deals, but you may have to sacrifice quality of terrain and convenient lodging. Or you could go early or late season, but that means gambling on snow conditions.

So, what if you want to go big—like, say, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in mid-winter—but not spend big? It’s tricky but not impossible. Here’s how to visit a popular, world-class destination like Jackson Hole on a ski-bum’s budget. It’s also a great destination year-round, for hiking, biking, climbing, boating, fly fishing, and camping.

Getting to Jackson Hole, Wyoming

To reach Jackson, Wyoming, located at the base of the Teton Range, you can drive, fly, or take a bus. If you’re coming by car, it’s four and a half hours from Salt Lake City, Utah, or eight hours from Denver, pending road and weather conditions. offers bus routes into Jackson from Salt Lake City, Boise, or Las Vegas starting at $75. The Jackson Hole Airport has nonstop direct flights from 12 major U.S. cities, including Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, and Newark, but flights aren’t exactly cheap. United Airlines does offer an and $400 flight savings if you bundle lodging and airfare (deadline is by November 30, so save the idea for another year).

From the airport, hop a public bus or taxi into town. Don’t bother renting a car. Parking at the ski resort starts at $18 a day, so your best bet is to take the local ($3) from town or the Village Road Transit Center, and you’ll be dropped at the base of in Teton Village.

Lift-Ticket Deals in Jackson

If you can make it here early season, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has a weekendÌęfrom December 6-8: show up wearing denim, and you can ski Saturday for $25 or get a three-day lift ticket for $199, plus half-priced gear rentals at and . Another great deal is that early or late season (November 29 through December 19 or March 17 through April 13), season passholders from any other ski area in the world can receive a 50-percent-off at Jackson Hole. Have an ? You can come midwinter and have up to seven days with the full Ikon Pass; five days with the Base Pass Plus (which has select blackout dates), . Otherwise your best option is to buy tickets online well in advance for the lowest rate (they start at $218 a day).

The best deal for skiing here isn’t at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort; it’s at , the town ski hill, which has big steeps and steep discounts. This is a much smaller ski area—500 acres compared to Jackson’s 2,500 inbounds acres—but its convenient location in town and minimal crowds make it a worthy destination, especially on a powder day. Single-day lift tickets start at $95, or with a $30 uphill ticket you can skin up under your own power and ski back down. The other hidden gem? , a 2,602-acre powder mecca just over Teton Pass, 45 miles or about an hour and 10 minutes from Jackson, where you can score a half-day ticket for $132. run from Jackson to Targhee and start at $199, which includes your lift ticket.

Hire a Backcountry Guide or Take a Lesson: Info But Sorry, No Discounts

There’s no discount way to book a ski lesson or hire a backcountry guide. You’ll pay a premium for these services. At Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, full day for experienced skiers start at around $379 (excluding lift ticket) per person. Resort for those just getting started skiing or wanting to progress to the next level start at $250 a day. If you’d rather not originate at the ski area, you can hire an AMGA-certified guide from for a tour of the terrain off Teton Pass or in Grand Teton National Park starting at $265 a person.

Find Cheap Lodging in Jackson

If you want to stay at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for the closest access to the lifts, your best budget option is (from $49), located right in Teton Village, which has both shared bunks and private rooms, plus a ski-tuning space, game room, and basic kitchen supplies.

Otherwise, stay in town—12 miles away—and you’ll have your choice of a few wallet-friendly accommodations. has newly renovated rooms starting from around $177, and . The (from $55) has pod-style bunks, free coffee, and storage lockers for stashing your gear. And the recently redone (from $160) has hot tubs and firepits, an on-site burger joint, and a walk-through or drive-through liquor store that also sells breakfast burritos in the morning.

Affordable Food and Drink Here

If you’re on the mountain or staying in Teton Village, prices for food and drink aren’t cheap, so you’ll want to know where to look, and you can always pack a PBJ in your pocket. Start with a cup of high-quality espresso from the take-out window at , next to the Mango Moose. The , at the gas station across the parking lot from the team in Teton Village, has a food truck out front and grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches and burritos. Mid-day or after skiing, hit up inside the Snake River Lodge for a $9 hot dog or tacos, or the , one of the most classic aprùs ski bars ever, which has $6 pizza by the slice. For fuel on the mountain, ride the tram to the top of Rendezvous Peak, take in the view of the Tetons from the observation deck, then pop into for an $8.25 house-made waffle with brown-sugar butter or Nutella. (Trust us, it’s worth every penny.)

In town there are lots of options for dining out, but many of them are pricy. Buying groceries at Albertson’s will save you. For other options, has tasty burritos from $11 or $6 tacos. Up a flight of stairs from Town Square, you’ll find , which slings thin-crust large pies starting at around $17, or pick up a $5 slice from .

With locations in downtown Jackson and, seven miles away, the town of Wilson, is a locals’ favorite for no-fuss coffee and bagel sandwiches (a naked bagel costs $1.50). And the best breakfast burrito in town is served until 2 p.m. out of a take-out window on Glenwood Street called , where for $12 you can get a massive burrito that’ll feed you for two meals.

Other Cool Outdoor șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs Here

It’s $5 to skate in the or on the (through the famous elk-antler arches) if you have your own skates (or $18, including the entry fee, to rent skates).

You’ll need to cross-country ski, snowmobile, or dog sled to reach , located south of town on Granite Creek Road, which is closed in the winter. It’s a 19-mile round trip ski to get there, but that’s the least expensive option ( rents Nordic skis from $40 a day; entry into the hot springs is $12) for this memorable day. Otherwise, you’ll need to throw down for a guided snowmobile trip ( leads them starting at $231) or a dogsled outing ( has full-day trips to the hot springs from $460).

It costs nothing to cross-country ski or fat bike along , a locals’ favorite trail that’s groomed in the winter and is a great biking and hiking trailhead in the summertime.

Another excellent year-round option is the short multi-use in the nearby town of Wilson.

Pro Tip

Here’s a fun way to be a conscientious visitor to the area, while scoring a discount: Support Jackson Hole’s community radio station, KHOL 89.1, with a of $60 or more, and you’ll get a member-benefit card for discounts to heaps of local businesses, including $2 off a burrito, 10 percent off Philly cheesesteaks at , 15 percent off at , 10 percent off at classes at , and free cross-country ski rental for two people at (that alone is worth $80).

Megan Michelson is an șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor who loves skiing but not how expensive it is. She prefers the strawberry waffle from Corbet’s Cabin, and her favorite line at Jackson Hole is the very steep and very fun Tower Three Chute off Thunder Chair. Other recent articles by Michelson include “Why My Family Replaced Thanksgiving with Campsgiving,” about a great decision; a description of a tiny, remote backcountry hut, “This Is Hands-Down the Coolest Airbnb in Colorado”; and, more help with costs, “Shred This Colorado Mountain for $11 a Day—Plus Other Incredible Ski-Resort Deals.”

The post How to Visit Jackson Hole on a Budget—Know These Tips appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

Golf gets a bad rap. The sport has a reputation for being too expensive and too resource-intensive, which are true in some cases. There are private clubs so expensive you need to be a billionaire to join, and courses where the landscape was bulldozed to make way for overwatered and overfertilized fairways.

But not every golf course is that way.

A movement is afoot to make golf more accessible and sustainable. How do I know? I’m an avid golfer. I play twice a week, mostly on public courses that are cheap and built over repurposed farmland. Affordable golf is actually easy to find, but better yet is the sustainability movement that’s creeping into destination courses.

“The golf industry has made tremendous strides in the area of sustainability over the past 20 to 30 years,” says Frank LaVardera, director of environmental programs in golf for , which operates America’s first and most comprehensive green-golf-course certification program. “Traditional courses use a significant amount of water and chemicals, but many courses are reducing their amount of managed turf”—the manicured lawns that require so much water and fertilizer—“and creating native areas that require less water, while enhancing wildlife habitat.”

What an Eco-Conscious Golf Course Means

Audubon International’s certification process can take years, and requires evaluation of a course’s impact on wildlife habitat, water quality and conservation, pest management, and energy efficiency. In turn, eco-minded course managers reduce the amount of turf, use recycled gray water to irrigate, emphasize walking over use of gas-powered carts, and create wildlife habitats with natural grasses and trees that attract birds, bees, and even the occasional bear. Since 2001, when the program was introduced, Audubon’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf has grown to include more than 2,000 certified courses in the U.S. and beyond.

The timing of this sustainability movement couldn’t be better, as America has rediscovered its love of golf. According to the (NGF), 3.4 million new people played golf in America last year. Each of the past 10 years saw more than 2 million beginners, with the past four topping 3 million.

Golf’s Changing Demographics

The that since the pandemic era, women and people of color have been flocking to the game; the biggest demographic jump has come from traditionally under-represented populations, with the number of Asian, Black and Hispanic golfers rising by 43 percent in the last five years. Of the 26 million people who play golf recreationally, 23 percent are people of color and 26 percent are women.

The demographic makeup of the Professional Golf Association (PGA) is still skewed (80 percent of pro golfers are white), but the game is changing from the ground up as recreational players trend toward being younger and more diverse. The most sought-after clothing brands in the sport, like Malbon and Eastside Golf, bring streetwear aesthetics to the golf industry, while many prolific and successful golfers on social media are women and people of color. If you’re not following on Instagram, you should be.

Part of the issue with diversifying the outdoors is access. There were 480 ski resorts in operation last year, with most of them located in remote, mountainous regions. Compare that to the 16,000+ golf courses scattered all over the country. I live in a southeastern mountain town that is not known for its golf, but I can play on any of 10 courses situated within half an hour of my home. There are three courses within three miles of downtown, and I play on two of them for under $20 a round. A program called enables members aged 18 and under to play any of its 2,133 enrolled courses across the U.S. for just $5 a round.

My 15-year-old son is a YOC member, and able to play half a dozen courses within 10 miles of our home. He and I can walk nine holes of golf for $20 combined, $35 if we want to play 18.

Why I Love Golf

As for the argument that golf shouldn’t be considered an outdoor sport because of its environmental impact, most things we do leave footprints. I’ve been a dedicated skier since age 12, and I don’t love the fact that the ski industry has gotten cartoonishly expensive and is resource-intensive, especially in water use. But I do love skiing. I have the same relationship with golf. It’s not perfect, but I love it.

This surprises people because I make a living writing about adventure sports, and I have the scars and expensive-gear habit to prove it. People assume golf and surfing or mountain biking are a world apart, but look closely in my garage and you’ll see a set of golf clubs tucked between my mountain bike and longboard.

When I play, I always walk, carry my bag, and try not to focus too much on my score. It’s a slow, meditative walk in the woods. I like the challenge of golf as well. I recently picked the sport up again after a 20-year-hiatus, and I’m consumed with the pursuit of getting better, but I also know that I’ll never master golf. No matter how good I get at hitting a little white ball in the air, there will always be room for improvement.

Golf is cerebral and thought-provoking in a way that the other fast-paced sports I love are not. The game is 99.99 percent mental, allowing me to see how my thoughts impact my actions. Golf is a chance to clear your head and be outside.

Fortunately, there are certain destinations where golf and adventure go hand in hand. Some of the most sustainable golf courses in America are located in places that could be on any adventure-traveler’s radar, so you can play 18 holes one afternoon and go mountain biking or surfing the next morning.

Here are nine of the wildest, most sustainable golf courses in the world, each paired with a local adventure to round out the perfect weekend.

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1. Bear Trace, Harrison, Tennessee

Fee: Starting at $41 for 18 holes

Even if you’re not a golfer, you know the name of Jack Nicklaus, one of the game’s most famous professionals. Not only was Nicklaus a legendary golfer, he was also a designer, creating courses all over the country, including this 18-hole masterpiece sits in the 1200-acre , 20 miles outside of Chattanooga. In the last two decades, managers have addressed every aspect of the course to minimize its impact, converting the greens from bentgrass to a less-thirsty Bermudagrass, removing 50 acres of turf to cede that area to natural grasses, and eliminating irrigation beyond the greens. The place has also purchased all-electric maintenance equipment, and installed mallard nesting tubes, wood duck boxes, and feeders for bluebirds and wild turkey.

As a result, as of 2008, Bear Trace is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, and restored the wildlife habitat to the point where the course was home to a pair of nesting bald eagles for a decade.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Paddling on in Harrison Bay State Park makes for a fun afternoon (paddle boards are $8 an hour through the park). If you’re looking for something more adventurous, , 45 miles west of the state park, offers trips (from $50 per person) on class III-IV whitewater full of play spots and wave trains that formed the 1996 Olympic whitewater course.

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2. Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, Missouri

Fees: ÌęStarting from $80 for the 13-hole short course

OK, is a behemoth. The brainchild of Johnny Morris, the founder of Bass Pro Shops, the 4,600-acre retreat features five distinct public golf courses, all set amid a dramatic Ozark Mountains backdrop, with routing that regularly nears ancient limestone cliffs. In recent years, Big Cedar Lodge has become one of the country’s top golf destinations, regarded as the best public golf in the Midwest.

Big Cedar Lodge was the first golf resort in the world to receive Audubon International’s highest certification, the Signature Sanctuary status, given for all five of its courses. Water conservation and improving wildlife habitat are priorities, with more than 75 percent organic fertilizer used, while chemical runoff and water use are addressed through a water-recycling program with reclamation ponds, as well as moisture meters embedded in the ground to help minimize watering in general.

One of Johnny Morris’ founding principles is the notion of connecting people and the outdoors. On several holes his courses put the golfer between towering limestone cliffs, and, extra cool, those who play Big Cedar Lodge’s Buffalo Ridge course can spy herds of bison that roam and feed on the natural-grass prairies surrounding the fairways.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: You could spend your entire weekend playing different courses at Big Cedar Lodge, but bring your mountain bike, too. The resort is on the edge of , which has 11 miles of cross-country trails in a stacked-loop system that hugs the shoreline of Table Rock Lake. Or you could hit the gravity-minded , which has 10 trails and a pump track and skills area. The place has something for everyone, from the kid who’s just learning how to brake, to the adult who thinks he’s a kid sending gaps (day passes start at $45).

3. Streamsong Golf Resort, Bowling Green, Florida

Fees: Starting at $249 for 18 holes

This massive golf retreat 60 miles east of Tampa wins my vote for best use of scarred land. built its courses on 16,000 acres of land that was previously used for a phosphate strip mine. After the mining ended, sand dunes took over, and course designers used all of that bumpy elevation to create a whimsical playground where fairways wind through grassy mounds and small ponds.

Course designers used compost in the soil before grassing to reduce the need for fertilization, and limited the acreage of maintained turf, opting instead for natural grasses and dunes beyond the fairways. The resort has a water-treatment facility that captures rainwater, and reuses it for irrigation. Streamsong features three 18-hole courses, and a short course, called The Chain, that has no set tee boxes or suggested pars. This short course is a “choose your own adventure” sort of experience.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: You can keep the reclaimed land theme rolling by driving 25 miles west to , 7,714 acres of surprisingly hilly terrain on a former phosphate mine, with more than 20 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails through a forest and alongside lakes and the banks of the Alafia River. Streamsong wasn’t impacted much by Hurricane Milton when it hit October 9, both because the courses were designed to manage water and the place had few trees for high winds to damage. But much of this area of Florida was devastated by the storm, so check with surrounding businesses and parks before exploring the area.

4. Chambers Bay, University Place, Washington

Fees: Starting at $85 for 18 holes

This 18-hole course is links-style, meaning that like Scotland’s St. Andrews, believed to be the oldest course in the world, it has little to no manipulation of the land, resulting in rugged terrain, with many dunes covered in tall grasses. Similarly set on a craggy shoreline of Washington, it might also be the pinnacle of sustainable design. was built on reclaimed mine land, turning a former gravel pit into a championship course that now enhances the landscape. Designers shaped the course with native plants and wildflowers like douglas iris, and sodded with drought-resistant fescue grass species.

The fairways are irrigated with recycled gray water and fertilized with treated bio-waste from the county’s wastewater plant. Chambers Bay doesn’t have golf carts; it’s a walking-only facility. (Some courses in the U.S. require golfers to use carts on weekends to maintain a quick pace of play.) Maybe the best part is that Chambers Bay is a municipal course, with affordable fees. It’s also located within a county park with trails adjacent to the links and coast, so you don’t have to play golf to enjoy the scenery.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Chambers Creek Regional Park, which is home to the golf course, is a 930-acre preserve with two miles of shoreline and more than five miles of paved trails with views of Puget Sound. You should also drive 50 miles east to Mount Rainier National Park, where you can hike the 5.5-mile loop on , bagging copious views of the eponymous 14,411-foot active volcano in all its glaciated glory.

5. Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah

Fees: Starting at $300 for 18 holes

A 19-hole course that opened in May 2023, was built from the ground up with the surrounding environment in mind. The entire property is only 600 acres, with just 75 acres of turf, all irrigated with non-potable gray water, and the fairways are made from a drought-tolerant bentgrass species that needs less maintenance and fertilizer than many other common turf grasses. Almost 70 percent of the grounds are dedicated as protected open space, and sustainability was a factor throughout the property’s design, from having a low-voltage power infrastructure for the resort to using an irrigation system in a grid, where each section can be adjusted individually.

The coolest aspect of the course is that it’s become a haven for endangered fish species. The property managers partnered with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to relocate 400 Virgin River Chub, a kind of rare minnow, to the lakes on the golf course, so they can live and breed in a stable environment. The course itself is gorgeous, running through fields of black lava rocks with views of the surrounding red cliffs.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Long-term plans for Black Desert include building several miles of hiking trails. Moreover, the resort sits nine miles north of St. George, just an hour (48 miles) west of Zion National Park. If it’s your first time to Zion, snag a ($3 plus a $6 registration fee) and hike , a 5.5-mile out-and-back that involves a bit of scrambling and ridgeline traversing and might just lead to one of the most iconic photo sites in our national-park system.

To dig deeper into the park, consider trekking through , a slot canyon where the walls of Zion Canyon rise 1,000 feet up while pinching to 30 feet wide at certain points. You’ll be hiking through the river, so be prepared to get wet. The shortest route is a 9.5-mile out and back from the Temple of Sinawava, a red-walled natural amphitheater, to Big Spring, which is as far as you can go without a permit, but hits some of the skinniest portions of the gorge. Just don’t attempt it when there’s rain in the as flash floods are common and fatalities have occurred. Save it for a stellar day.

6. The Mountain Course at Spruce Peak, Stowe, Vermont

Fees: Starting at $165 for 18, and you need to stay at The Lodge at Spruce Peak to play (rooms start at $249).

Surrounded by 2,000 acres of preserved land, the rambles along the flank of the mountain it is named for, with views of the adjacent Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s tallest peak, to boot. Spruce Peak, which sits at the base of Stowe Mountain Resort, was designed with the environment in mind, input from Audubon International, and a focus on preserving local black-bear populations by routing around their preferred habitat of beech trees. Designers also created buffers around streams and ponds to protect water quality, and planted a mix of native flowers and grasses, like milkweed and false sunflower, around tee boxes.

Peregrine Lake serves as a water feature for golfers to admire and avoid, but also a reservoir capturing rainwater that is used to feed snowmaking operations at Stowe Mountain Resort. Course management hosts an annual field trip to teach a local fifth-grade class about the elements of water quality.

The course fits into the greater ecosystem of the Spruce Peak community, a resort and residential property at the base of Stowe Mountain Resort that was built around eco-sensitive principles like a property-wide composting program and a renewable energy program that provides more than 50 percent of its power.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: You’re close to Stowe, a town renowned for its ski culture (and beer). Sadly, ski season and golf season don’t overlap. But don’t fret; during the warmer months, there is plenty of hiking, fly fishing, and climbing nearby. Do it on your own or if you want a guide, Spruce Peak Resort offers hiking and fly fishing adventures. If you’re into climbing, runs trips on the granite walls around the Stowe area, from top-roping routes suitable for beginners to multi-pitch cliffs that will please experienced trad climbers (from $250 per person).

7. Bandon Dunes, Bandon, Oregon

Fees: From $50 for the par 3 courses

has become one of the most coveted golf destinations in America, with seven public courses spread throughout the 2,525-acre coastal resort. All seven courses have earned Audubon International Sanctuary status, too, as the designers have kept Oregon’s coastal beauty and environmental harmony in mind throughout the process, from construction to management.

The course looks wild, thanks largely to the use of native plants and grasses, including the threatened silver phacelia, outside of the fairways, while for the turf on those mowed areas Bandon Dunes uses fescue, a type of grass that requires less fertilizer than others. And when fertilizer is applied, it’s organic and used sparingly. Roughly 85 percent of the resort’s energy is supplied by renewable resources, with more solar panels still to be installed throughout the property. The maintenance department has moved to electric-powered equipment.

Most of the resort’s landscape holds native plants that require no irrigation, but with six courses, roughly 600 acres that need to be watered. The resort’s own wastewater-management system supplies non-potable gray water for the job, recycling roughly 50,000 gallons of water daily.

One of the courses, Bandon Preserve, puts net proceeds directly to local conservation projects in Oregon’s southern coast through a , which has helped restore salmon fisheries and funded mountain bike trails. Bandon Dunes is working towards the lofty goal of becoming a completely carbon neutral resort.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Bandon Dunes sits on Oregon’s southern coast, which is a multi-sport adventurer’s dream, with miles of singletrack and wild beaches punctuated by dramatic sea stacks. Go for a trail run at , where several miles of trail wind through a pine forest and access five miles of hard-packed beach.

The surfing is good too, with beach breaks found throughout this part of the coast. Head north for 25 miles to Coos Bay, where the bluffs of Yoakam Head hang over the breaks, which have something for all levels of surfers. Beginners should head to Bastendorff Beach for a wide, sandy-bottom break with a cool backdrop of rocky headlands. The water temperature is cold year round, but winter brings the most consistent waves, so in that case pack a thick wetsuit.

8. The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Fees: Starting at $110 for 18 holes

The a resort five miles south of Colorado Springs, is home to two of the most respected golf courses in the U.S., designed by legends Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones and hosting marquee tournaments like multiple U.S. Amateurs, U.S. Women’s Opens, and U.S. Senior Opens. At 6,250 feet in elevation, the course was the highest in America when it first opened in 1918, and several holes feature views of Pikes Peak.

The place has become significantly more eco-friendly with age. Managers have replaced more than 50 acres of turf with native grasses and wildflowers, and use gray water to irrigate the fairways and greens. Mulching mowers return grass clippings back to the soil, and the property uses no pesticides Over the years the resort has added bird-nesting boxes and habitats for bees and butterflies. All of the carts are electric, and otherwise the place promotes walking and its caddy program. Resort chefs harvest honey from the property’s own hives, and source meat from the Wagyu beef raised on the ranch. Even the resort’s cooking grease is recycled into biodiesel.

The Broadmoor participates in one of the most heartwarming recycling programs I’ve ever heard of: all of their spent tennis balls are donated to local senior-citizen facilities to be used on the ends of walkers and canes.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Colorado Springs offers so much to do. The 14,115-foot Pikes Peak, with trailheads six miles from town, has to be the most accessible fourteener in the U.S.; you can drive your car or take a train to the summit, but I say earn it by hiking the ($20-$37 parking fee, depending on day of week), a 13-mile one way trek that gains more than 7,000 feet on its way to the top. Don’t worry, you can take the down from the summit ($30). Or go explore the iconic red sandstone fins that rise from the center of Garden of the Gods Park. operates half and full day trips for all abilities (starting at $221).

9. Rising Sun Golf Course, Emigrant, Montana

Fee: Greens fees are included in the cost of your stay (one week minimum, and you must contact the for pricing).

It’s hard to beat Rising Sun’s location. The 18-hole course sits on the 17,000-acre Mountain Sky Ranch, within the aptly named Paradise Valley and with near-constant views of the surrounding Absaroka and Gallatin Mountains. This is the biggest splurge on this list, and for most, a once-in-a-lifetime situation at best, but the rest of us can dream, right?

Rising Sun is not an easy course to play, thanks to its remote location and the fact that tee times go only to guests of the ranch, but you couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting, and the Rising Sun was the first course in Montana to be designated an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary. The course was built on a hayfield with an emphasis on maintaining as much natural habitat as possible, converting dry pastures to prairie grass, and maintaining native plant buffers along bodies of water.

Course managers also installed bird-nest boxes to encourage multi-species nesting, and have put in bat houses. They regularly consult with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on issues concerning elk and Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. Aided by a dry, cold environment, course managers use no pesticides for the turf and greens, and they’ve limited water usage by keeping the irrigated acreage to only 52 acres, almost a third of the average 18 hole course in America. Maintenance crews regularly monitor the quality of water in the course ponds as well as Big Creek.

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Mountain Sky Ranch is an adventure-minded “dude ranch” with a host of activities located on property. The resort also offers guided horseback tours in Yellowstone National Park, with an entrance just 30 miles south. But I say to pair a round of golf here with some fly fishing. If you’re new to the sport, Mountain Sky has a trout pond where pros can teach you the nuances of casting, but if you can hit the ground running, head to nearby Big Creek, which is loaded with cutthroat and rainbow trout. Or sign up for a of the iconic Yellowstone River, which offers opportunities for long, wide open casts that just might net a cutthroat or brown. (From $595)

Nearby șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Mountain Sky Ranch is an adventure-minded “dude ranch” with a host of activities located on property. The resort also offers guided horseback tours in Yellowstone National Park, with an entrance just 30 miles south. But I say to pair a round of golf here with some fly fishing. If you’re new to the sport, Mountain Sky has a trout pond where pros can teach you the nuances of casting, but if you can hit the ground running, head to nearby Big Creek, which is loaded with cutthroat and rainbow trout. Or sign up for a of the iconic Yellowstone River, which offers opportunities for long, wide open casts that just might net a cutthroat or brown (from $595).

Graham Averill is șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű magazine’s national parks columnist and an avid golfer who is dying to play every course on this list. Follow his golf shenanigans on Instagram at @the_amateur_golf. Graham recently wrote “This Is What It’s Like to Live in Asheville After Hurricane Helene” and answered some questions about it while standing in line at FEMA offices. He has also recently written “9 Most Underrated National Parks for Incredible Fall Foliage,” “8 Surf Towns Where You Can Learn the Sport and the Culture,” and “The 9 Most Fun șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Lodges in North America.”

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Most of Colorado’s 1800s boomtowns lived fast and died young. Leadville is an exception, evolving from being one of the wildest Wild West outposts to the heart of Colorado’s high-altitude outdoor adventures.

Colorado’s two highest mountains, the 14,440-foot Mount Elbert and 14,429-foot Mount Massive, dominate the horizon west of Leadville. For good measure, the state’s third-highest mountain,Ìę Mount Harvard at 14,423-foot, is about an hour’s drive from town. The trio represents the three highest peaks in the whole of the Rocky Mountains. Aside from its situation amidst such resources, the town of Leadville since 1983 and 1994 has hosted major hundred-mile running and mountain-biking races, respectively. What keeps Leadville relevant and thriving today is outdoor recreation.

Leadville materialized in 1860 with the discovery of placer gold (gold extracted from eroded rock), and the mining boom was on. Gold and zinc deposits eventually took a back seat to Leadville’s dominant metal: silver. There are rumors of misdirection behind the misleading name, but the “lead” in Leadville wasn’t entirely disingenuous. Lead ore was indeed mined in the area, but it was the silver-bearing lead-ore blend called cerussite that gave the town its official title.

“Leadville” was bestowed by Horace Tabor, a developer known variously as the Bonanza King and the Silver King, in 1878 after trying out names such as California Gulch, Boughton, Slabtown, and my favorite, Cloud City.

1893 – The Year the Silver Barons Went Bust

In 1880 Leadville reached a peak population of 14,820, recorded in the city’s first official census. An explosion of wealth brought along with it a desire for refined culture in a rough place. Horace Tabor fast-tracked the Tabor Opera House in 1879. Opening in the same year was the elegant Interlaken Hotel, on the shores of Twin Lakes, a gorgeous but ultimately doomed retreat for well-off visitors.

The luxury starkly contrasted with the abysmal conditions in the perilously unsafe mines. An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 miners died from 1860 to 1899 in cave-ins, explosions, and equipment accidents. A lack of safety standards (and reports on mine accidents) makes it difficult to pinpoint the number of fatalities.

The Panic of 1893 and President Grover Cleveland’s initiative to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, however, jointly tanked Leadville’s fortunes. The Sherman Silver Act had required the government to purchase a monthly allotment of 4.5 million ounces (roughly 280,000 pounds) of silver. Its revocation was the beginning of the end for Leadville’s mining prosperity—but not for the city itself.

Visiting America’s Highest City

Leadville is America’s highest incorporated city. At 10,152 feet, it is a mere 408 feet away from being twice as high as Denver (5,280 feet). The city’s history is rich and well worth exploring. Strategic visitors can benefit from a day or two in (and below) town while acclimating to the thin air. Moving up gradually is a solid plan for both local Coloradans and out-of-state guests who aspire to hike the high peaks.

Mountain hiking in the Leadville region is world-class. Seven peaks over 14,000 feet lie within an hour’s drive of Leadville, and all of them can be hiked on established trails without use of ropes or technical climbing equipment. The two highest Colorado peaks, Elbert and Massive, have trailheads less than a half mile apart.

Dozens of excellent 13,000-foot peaks explore the nearby backcountry. Ski Cooper, 11 miles from Leadville, may be moderate in terrain but captures a family-friendly, authentic aesthetic lacking in Colorado’s mega-resort ski towns. The repurposed backcountry cabins of are open to visitors year-round (though winter reservations can be challenging to secure.)

And because people are crazy, Leadville hosts two 100-mile races: the for bikers and the .

Colorado’s Highest Summits

I’ve hiked Mount Elbert 12 times at the time of writing and might have added to that count by the time you’re reading this. Mount Elbert and neighboring Mount Massive have established hiking trails requiring good fitness and altitude acclimation. Still, with proper acclimatization and preparation, they are attainable by “everyman” hikers who want to stand on the highest ground in Colorado.

I could about the excellent hiking around Leadville. The 14,197-foot Mount Sherman is a great first 14er, and one route starts from Iowa Gulch on the Leadville side of the mountain. The Mosquito Pass Area has some of my favorite 13ers, including Treasurevault Mountain, Mosquito Peak, and London Mountain. These peaks don’t see the crowds the 14ers do but offer all the same great views and rolling, rounded ridge lines. French Mountain and Oklahoma Mountain are two more remote 13ers I also count among my favorites, offering wilderness solitude with the historical flashes of mining ruins. Oklahoma Mountain was the site of a plane crash in 1954, and some of the wreckage can still be seen on the mountain.

Seeing Leadville Through New Eyes

For over 20 years, my visits to Leadville were almost exclusively to climb and hike in the high mountains. On a recent trip, I decided to shift my focus and dive into the city’s brief but ample history. Rather than sleeping in one of my battered tents, I took a more civilized approach and rented an Airbnb right in town. Leadville’s compact layout makes most interesting sites a short walk or bike ride away.

The original inhabitants of the region were the Indigenous Ute and Arapaho tribes. Both have oral histories of the area going back hundreds of years. This history is told in detail at the in Montrose, Colorado, about a three-hour drive away.Ìę

Most of Leadville’s historical displays focus on the mining era from 1860 onward. I started at the . Exhibits showcase an unflinching look at the dangerous art of extracting minerals from the earth. My next stop was to a place highlighting the human toll of immigration to a cold and remote place: theÌę in Evergreen Cemetery, completed in 2023, honors over 1,300 Irish men, women, and children who sought something better in America and are buried in unmarked graves. As the eloquently states, “The Irish occupied the bottom rung of Leadville’s social ladder, worked the mines and smelters, loved, struggled, dreamed, and died young.”

Evergreen Cemetery is set in the peaceful shade of stately ponderosa pines, a mosaic of pine needles and native grasses underfoot. The tasteful memorial features a short labyrinth walkway that ends at the sculpture of a miner holding a pick-axe and a harp, one of Ireland’s national symbols.

Leadville’s mining community was represented by two major groups, including Jewish as well as Irish immigrants. Jewish pioneers’ history here has been preserved at , built in 1884 for a community that then numbered some 400 and contributed to business and municipal life.

The top echelons of Leadville society were those on the winning side of the mining equation. One was August R. Meyer, a mining engineer who built the ornate nine-bedroom atop a small hill above the city proper. You need to make a reservation to tour the grounds in winter (by phone, 719-486-0487; $10 for adults, free for ages 18 and under), while in summer the place is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 A.M to 4 P.M., with walk-in tours. It’s worth a look inside to see what top-of-line comfort looked like in 1878.

Into Leadville’s Wilderness

Surrounding Leadville in an 11.6-mile circle is the paved , accessible to runners, cyclists, and dogs, and wheelchair friendly. In winter, the trail is a popular cross-country ski destination. The pathway weaves through mining ruins on the south side of town, with informational signs at relevant sites. One is the dusty mine where the Guggenheim family made their fortune, prior to founding the sophisticated Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

I wished I had allotted more time to explore the whole trail, but I had a year-old border collie that was itching to explore some of Leadville’s aquatic sights: its brilliant alpine lakes.

is the perfect place for a peaceful lunch break. In the summer, the lake is a popular destination for boating, camping, and fishing. Come autumn, when I visited, it’s a much quieter scene. On this day, it was a detour en route to a hike to the restored site of the .

Most of my hiking adventures in Leadville are in the high peaks, so it was a nice change of pace to explore a new trail—one that leads to a haunted hotel from the 1800s. At least I assume it’s haunted.

The trail to the resort site is along a mostly flat shelf that borders the southern shore of Twin Lakes, 22 miles from town. About five miles roundtrip, with a total elevation gain of about 335 feet, the outing would be great for a family. You can even mountain bike the trail if you’re in a hurry to see the hotel.

While the main hotel is closed, the long-ago millionaire owner James V. Dexter’s private cabin, built in 1895, is open to the public. Dexter bought the resort in 1883 and supported it as a luxury draw for 13 years, until Twin Lakes were dammed, a mere year after the cabin’s construction. The shoreline became shallow and stagnant, and fears of malaria and other diseases were the death knell of the once-popular resort. It was abandoned in the early 1900s.

I could easily see the appeal of such a stunning location, especially in early October when shimmering waves of hyper-yellow aspen leaves contrast with the inky waters of Twin Lakes, set in a valley below Colorado’s tallest mountains. The buildings are surprisingly well-preserved. The place looks as if it could open for business next spring.

Leadville Past and Present

I didn’t forget about our pal Horace Tabor. When Tabor was (briefly) at the top of the world, he built the , which is still in operation with guided and private tours and events. Tabor, a businessperson and industry titan who came here from Vermont, went from rags to riches and then back to rags, dying of appendicitis in 1899 in Denver, where he worked as postmaster. His wife and widow, Baby Doe Tabor, was equally famous, having lured Horace Tabor away from his first wife with her reportedly unmatched beauty. Baby Doe’s story ended 35 years later, when she froze to death, alone and destitute, in a cabin near the Matchless Mine, in her early 80s.

The list of famous people who visited Leadville reads like a who’s who from the 1800s. Mark Twain, Doc Holliday, the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown (who survived the Titanic disaster of 1912), Buffalo Bill, Bat Masterson (a Wild West lawman), Ulysses S. Grant, and Susan B. Anthony all set foot in the city. Leadville still fondly remembers its visit from Oscar Wilde in 1882. In a lecture at the Tabor Opera House, Wilde remarked upon a sign he allegedly saw in the Leadville saloon, “Don’t shoot the piano player; he is doing his best.”

For a small place, Leadville has a good selection of dining options. I like to pair a visit to my favorite pizza place, (featuring a dog-friendly yard), with a stop next door at the kitschy , a humble museum showcasing the furnishings of homes from the 1880s-1930s. The Golden Burro Cafe and Lounge and the Silver Dollar Saloon are solid American dining options in historic, old-timey settings—the food is good, and don’t worry, both establishments are family-friendly.

Leadville, Where the Ghosts Are Young

Historians place April 26, 1860, the day Abe Lee discovered placer gold a mile from town in the surrounding California Gulch, as the day that started the Colorado gold rush and gave rise to the human drama that would unfold, tangled in ambition, greed, luck, and misfortune. Leadville’s 2020 census showed a population of 2,633, far smaller than the boomtown days when the town was second in size only to Denver.

Leadville today may have fewer people, but the spirit of the place is far from diminished. Pivoting to outdoor recreation has created a new kind of boom that balances the region’s natural beauty with the authentic grittiness that put Leadville on the map.

The city has settled into a good place, trading its pick axes for hiking poles. Leadville’s sharp edges have been smoothed down like the towering mountains surrounding it. Summer days in the high mountains cede to relaxing evenings on the casual confines of Main Street. Take your dogs for stand-up paddleboarding on Turquoise Lake or a run on the Mineral Belt Trail. As I discovered on my most recent visit, Leadville always has more to uncover.

About the Author

James Dziezynski is the author of six Colorado mountain hiking guidebooks and the SEO Director at șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű. The Leadville area is one of his favorite hiking destinations in Colorado—and may very well be his top-ranked dog-hiking playground. James has also written about “The 10 Best Summit Hikes in Colorado” and, near his home, “The Best Hikes in Boulder, Colorado,” as well as another gritty and gorgeous place: “This Colorado Town Is Off the Beaten Path and Full of șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű.”

Looking for more great travel intel?Ìę

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Born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, I grew up chasing after horned lizards, flying off inflatable tubes pulled behind boats, and camping in triple-digit-degree summers. Family vacations were a mix of relaxing on the Galveston coast and testing my athletic abilities slalom water skiing on Lake Arrowhead.

Texas sometimes receives eye rolls and groans from the rest of the country, and I get it. We can be a little loud and braggy, and I’ve got a bone to pick with some state policies. But the thing I’ve never understood is why more people aren’t aware of the bounty of outdoor experiences here. There’s something indisputable about the diverse geography of the Lone Star State that I’ll defend time and time again. We’ve got outdoors to rival them all, y’all.

My state has some of the biggest and best landscapes in the country, filled with diverse wildlife, awe-inspiring views, and adventurous activities. I am proud to put on my braggart Texan cap to explain how to experience it all. These are my favorite places and experiences to get outside in Texas.

1. National Parks

It was hard to believe Texas had “real” mountains until, in the most spiritual experience I’ve ever had in a state where churches sit on every corner, I saw them rising gloriously out of the desert in Big Bend National Park. On my first visit, seven years ago, I stayed with an 80-year-old in Terlingua whom I found through couchsurfing.com. He took me to the national park for a hike and we gazed at exposed ancient pictographs, which seem to show darts or arrowheads for hunting, in red pigments on the gold limestone.

Then we soaked in the Langford Hot Springs, outdoor baths above ancient faults where Tornillo Creek enters the Rio Grande. Big Bend National Park offers float trips through canyons, horseback riding, hiking, and stargazing; it’s an International Dark Sky Park.

That night I joined Terlinguan locals and national-park visitors on an impromptu walk through old mining tunnels, followed by porch-side singing of 1990s classics, and then a swim in the Terlingua Creek. I had thought I’d spend most of my time in Big Bend hiking alone; instead I was surrounded by a host of characters with big personalities. Sometimes a trip to a Texas national park takes you on a journey you don’t expect.

You can find many of the same activities at our other national park, Guadalupe, two hours east of El Paso. Guadalupe National Park has eight of the ten highest peaks in Texas, the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef, and 80 hiking trails through unique geological formations, like thousand-foot cliffs and rocks with dark water-ripple streaks.

2. Kayaking and Canoeing

In 2021, I paddled a folding kayak on a voyage under the downtown Dallas skyline for a 12-mile portion of the 130-mile . The serenity of the experience was only interrupted by a few car honks when I floated under bridges—and the sight of a passing gator.

Texas has located throughout the state, and with 3,700 streams, 15 major rivers, and 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline, an abundance of other places to paddle or row as well. You can kayak with dolphins in the Galveston Bay or canoe with gators through , home to one of the world’s largest cypress forests, the trees covered in Spanish moss. Autumn paddle trips are ideal for fall-foliage views and cooler temps, not to mention a chance to witness thousands of monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico over the Devil’s River in West Texas.

3. Climbing

Rock climbing has become popular in Texas—you now see just as many dating profiles with rock-climbing photos as you do of folks holding up dead fish they’ve caught. Climbers from here and elsewhere are scrambling to places like , a bouldering hub 30 miles east of El Paso featuring problems (meaning short routes done ropeless) from V0-V16, and near Austin, which offers bolted sport climbs. Some Texas property owners are opening their private lands to climbers for limited camping and use. For instance, new routes are being developed among the granite cliffs and boulders at .

4. Hiking

I’ve hiked through flat North Texas fields of bluebonnets, across dinosaur tracks at , and up hills and limestone canyons full of Uvalde bigtooth maple trees at . Even within our cities there are spectacular hiking trails: like Austin’s ; or, just an hour-and-fifteen-minute drive from Houston, the 129-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail, which winds through the , the largest national forest in Texas.

For less crowded hikes, aim for natural areas in the South Texas Plains, Pineywoods, Panhandle Plains, and Big Bend Country. I hiked about eight miles on that follows the rim of Seminole Canyon in in Big Bend Country and saw only two other people.

East Texas holds the four national forests—Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Sabine, and Angelina—with the Caddo-Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands, also Forest Service-managed, located in northeast Texas. All are laced with hiking trails.

Texas hiking tips: Always pack more water than you need, and then pack an extra bottle—and if you hear a rattle, move your ass. We have 15 varieties of venomous snakes, so be careful. But to keep it in perspective, more people die in Texas from lightning strikes than snake bites. So don’t chance the storms, either.

5. Cycling and Mountain Biking

You have to admire how most Texans aren’t fazed about cycling and biking in extreme temperatures in outdoor environments. Take me—I rode 100 miles in 100-degree-heat for a cycling ride aptly called in my hometown. My parents thought it’d be a “fun” challenge for us to do together. They took me to a cycling shop and urged me to buy a bike. “It’s a good investment,” my dad said. “You’ll use it all the time.”

My mom and I completed the Hotter N’ Hell Hundred ride more handily than I expected, while my dad, who was 60 at the time, outshone us by completing the Triple Threat (a 12-mile mountain-bike ride on Friday, 100-mile road ride on Saturday, and a 12-mile trail run on Sunday).

Our big ol’ state has cycling trails of all kinds—like the 30-mileÌę, which passes by historic Spanish missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. The challenging 133-mile follows the old Union Pacific and Chaparral railroad right-of-ways through small towns and over railroad bridges from northeast of Dallas to Texarkana.

Let’s not forget mountain-biking trails. Looking for steep hills, granite outcrops, and other forms of technical terrain? Hit up Hill Country State Natural Area for 40 miles of mountain-biking trails like the .

6. The Coast

The Gulf of Mexico is warmer than the Atlantic or Pacific oceans—so why suffer the cold when Texas has 367 miles of shoreline and sandy beaches. Camp on the beach at places like or the remote , made up of 56,000 acres of offshore barrier islands and bayside marshes. You can swim, parasail, surf, water ski, boat, fish, kayak, and go horseback riding.

Despite what you may think, there is surfing along Texas’ coastline, at Surfside Beach, Port Aransas, and South Padre, especially during hurricane swells. Corpus Christi has among the largest number of kite-able days in the U.S., making it a well-known kitesurfing destination.

Dying for a surf experience but can’t make the drive to the coast? Do what I did and catch waves at located between Austin and Dallas, an hour and a half from each. The two-acre surf lake makes waves for beginners, intermediates, and pros. I easily caught 10 smooth waves in an hour and had a blast cheering other surfers between the ages of 10 and 78.

7. State Parks

Years ago, my friends and I packed our tents and drove to the Texas Panhandle to stay in the United States’ second-largest canyon, . During the day, we hiked through red strata rock formations, and at night we marveled and sang:

The stars at night

Are big and bright (clap four times)

Deep in the heart of Texas

Texas has 89 state parks, natural areas, and historic sites that display its geological variety. near San Antonio is a tropical getaway with dwarf palmetto plants, while has a 70-foot waterfall and 400 underground caves. Board across sand dunes in the , see the Texas State bison herd roaming in , or jump into the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool in .

8. Lakes, Rivers, and Springs

We’ve got every flavor of water you could want, from the picturesque swimming holes of to the crystal-blue reservoir at . I have many memories boating on Lake watching daredevil youths (and some adults) jumping off cliffs, sticking my backside in an inner tube to , and trying not to fall off paddle boards. There is scuba diving in , which has 200 artesian springs and the densest population of turtles in the country.

Come on out! Hope to see you on the trails.

Ìę

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.ÌęLearn more.

ÌęAlex Temblador was born and raised in North Texas, the traditional homeland of the Caddo, Comanche, Kiowa, Tawakoni, and Wichita peoples. She lives in the Dallas area, a short drive from hills, rivers, lakes, and springs, and continues to find beautiful places in her state to paddle, hike, and explore.Ìę

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The big ones you already know: Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia, Yosemite. All of these national parks have well-documented fall-foliage displays. They’re stunning, but the crowds can be stunning, too.

So, let’s spread the love. Here are nine national parks that have managed to fly under the leaf-peeping radar while boasting an autumn display that rivals that of the big hitters.

1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is named for the “crooked river,” as it was known by the Lenape, the indigenous tribe that called the area home in the 1600s and 1700s. It may be the most amazing park you’ve never seen. Does it have towering peaks? No. But it protects a lush river valley between Cleveland and Akron that is loaded with waterfalls, mossy cliffs, historical sites, and a hardwood forest that absolutely pops come fall.

It’s also a comeback story I celebrate. In the mid-1900s, the Cuyahoga River was a cautionary tale, actually catching fire at least a dozen times from pollution. The last such fire, in 1969, was so devastating it sparked creation the next year of the first Earth Day and the Environmental Protection Agency. Today that once-abused waterway is part of a flourishing national park of over 33,000 acres of river valley, wetlands, farmland, and rolling hills.

Peak Color: Show up in the middle of October. You can expect the sugar and red maples to turn first, with displays of red, yellow, and orange, while the white oaks follow, turning a deep, rich brown. Bonus: in early October, the New England aster wildflower blooms purple along the towpath trail, where in the 1800s mules pulled boats up and down the Erie Canal.

The Best Way to See Foliage: , a 100-mile crushed-gravel trail that once carried goods and passengers between Lake Erie and the Eastern U.S., is now the playground of hikers, runners, and cyclists. Twenty miles of the towpath, between the Lock 39 and Botzum trailheads, reside inside the national park. Ride this section and you’ll pass through small towns and Beaver Marsh, a hotspot of wildlife viewing.

You can purchase a on the scenic railway to go out and return by bike on a 13-mile stretch of the towpath between the Akron North station and Peninsula Depot through October ($5 per person). has bike rentals (from $60 a day).

There are 125 miles of trail in Cuyahoga, but the 2.5-mile loop is a must-hike, as it follows a tall band of sandstone cliffs covered in moss. You’ll have the chance to scramble Ìęup and over boulders, but the trail also puts you deep into a forest alive with color. Look for the yellows of hazelnut trees.

2. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

The 14,410-foot Mount Rainier, a volcano adorned with white glaciers, is the obvious focal point of this 236,000-acre national park. While every season offers a different reason to visit, I’d argue that fall is the best, or at least the most colorful. And it has nothing to do with the trees.

Sure, the deciduous forests change in September, but most of the color in Rainier comes from the shrubs and ground cover that blanket the vast meadows surrounding that famous three-summited mountain amid 26 glaciers. Mount Rainier is full of elderberry and huckleberry bushes, as well as vine maples, all of which turn different shades of yellow, orange, and red in autumn.

Peak Color: Aim for the beginning of October, as snow begins to descend on the park towards the end of the month.

The Best Way to See Foliage: Hike the around Reflection Lake, which is famous for holding the mirror image of Mount Rainier on calm, clear days. The two main tarns on this trail are flanked by subalpine meadows with a variety of shrubs and wildflowers that change colors in the fall. You’ll also see some mountain ash turning yellow within the dense evergreen forest on the edge of the water.

For bigger views and an abundance of color, the 5.5-mile has long-range vistas of the area’s most famous volcanoes, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams, while also passing through expansive stretches of huckleberry and vine maple, which are turning red and orange.

3. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

I know what you’re thinking: West Texas is the desert, man. No trees. While it’s true that Guadalupe Mountains National Park occupies 86,000 acres of dusty, high-desert terrain best known for cactus and towering buttes, the place is also home to forests of deciduous trees that undergo the same transformation as the better-known hardwood forests of the East and Midwest.

The higher elevations in the park receive twice as much rain as the desert floor, creating a more diverse habitat that includes oaks, maples, and ash trees as well as a few aspens, all mixed in with ponderosa pines and Douglas firs.

Fall foliage is easy to find in a place like Vermont, where trees are literally everywhere, but you’ll have to work for it in Guadalupe Mountains; every foliage focal point requires at least a short hike, but the effort is part of the appeal as you move through dusty canyons into high alpine forests.

Peak Color: Fall comes surprisingly late in Guadalupe Mountains, with trees starting to change in mid October and hitting their peak towards the end of the month. The first week of November can also deliver bright hues.

The Best Way to See Foliage: Hike the 15.2-mile out-and-back (or a shorter variation) which has the greatest concentration of fall color in the entire park. The trail follows the canyon floor, tracing the edge of a small, clear creek for four miles before steepening to climb up and out of the canyon to McKittrick Ridge. You’ll gain 2,700 feet of elevation, most of which comes during that two-mile rise.

Make it to the dense forest of Pratt Canyon, 4.7 miles in, or hike all the way to McKittrick Ridge and a view of the canyon in its entirety, as it splays out in a mix of fall color and tan desert floor.

4. Zion National Park, Utah

Zion can hardly be considered an “underrated” park (as opposed to being one of the lesser-visited national parks, it was the third-most-so in 2023, with 4,623,238 visits), but the element of surprise is that few people think of this desert oasis as a hotbed of fall color. It is. I’ve visited the park in the spring and summer on a number of occasions, and really want to see it Ìęduring fall, when the oaks and maples scattered throughout various canyons turn shades of orange and red.

The Virgin River, which runs through Zion’s entrance and carves the iconic canyon at the heart of the park, is surrounded by cottonwoods that turn bright yellow. The crowds are typically thinner, too, as the summer-rush people are back to school and work.

Peak Color: Trees at higher elevations will start turning in September, but the best color in the park goes from late October into early November.

The Best Way to See Foliage: You’ll spot the cottonwoods along the Virgin River as you enter the park, but for a bird’s-eye view of the foliage, hike the mile-long on the east side of Zion, which traverses a relatively flat expanse of sandstone to an outcropping with an all-encompassing view. From your lofty perch, the main arm of Zion Canyon looks as if it’s carpeted by yellow cottonwoods.

5. Congaree National Park, South Carolina

I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never explored Congaree National Park, even though it’s only a few hours from my home, in Asheville, North Carolina. But I need to rectify the omission, because by all accounts, Congaree is a one-of-a-kind landscape that is home to some of the most impressive trees in the country. The national park protects the largest intact old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the Southeast, with stands of 500-year-old bald cypress trees, loblolly pines that stretch 165 feet in the air, and towering elm, oaks, tupelos, and sweet gums.

In the fall, most of those massive old trees put on a show, with the tupelos turning red and gold and oaks deepening into reds. Even the bald cypress get in on the action. The species is best known for its knobby “knees,” roots that rise above the dark water of Congaree’s Cedar Creek, but these giant trees are deciduous conifers with leaves that turn cinnamon and orange.

The park is small, just 26,000 acres, and best explored by canoe or paddleboard, as the Congaree and Water rivers merge here to create an extensive floodplain that dominates the terrain.

Peak Color: Fall hits late, beginning at about the end of October and running into November. This also happens to be the best time to visit Congaree, as temps are mild (up to the 70s), bugs scarce, and the water levels ideal for paddling.

The Best Way to See Foliage: Explore the Cedar Creek Canoe Trail from Bannister’s Bridge to the Congaree River. The current is essentially non-existent, so you can choose your own out-and-back adventure. If you want to go with a local, runs guided trips into Congaree ($100 per person). And while you’re here for the trees and color, keep an eye out for otters, turtles, and the occasional gator in the water too. Congaree is also a hotbed of woodpecker activity, with all eight southern species found in the park.

6. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Named for the French-Canadian fur traders that used to travel through the area in birchbark canoes, the 218,000-acre Voyageurs National Park is comprised mostly of lakes: four big ones—Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sandy Point—and 26 small ones. There are also 500 islands and 650 miles of shoreline ripe with fall color in September, as stands of aspen, basswood, oaks, maples, and birch trees shake up the green forest palate of spruce and fir. I like the idea of paddling a canoe surrounded by a forest canopy ablaze in red and orange.

Voyageurs is situated against the Canadian border at a high enough latitude for visitors occasionally to glimpse the aurora borealis. Your chances of seeing these mystical northern lights increases in the fall as nights grow longer and darker. The University of Alaska operates a service that the activity of the lights up to a month in advance.

Voyageurs is also an International Dark Sky Certified Park, so whether or not you can see the northern lights, clear nights reveal a cornucopia of stars above.

Peak Color: Aspens and birch trees begin to turn yellow in the middle of September, and the oaks and maples follow with reds and oranges as we move into October. Aim for the end of September or beginning of October for the most color. Keep in mind that while the park is open year round, the Rainy Lake Visitor Center is the only visitor center operating into October. The other two close at the end of September.

The Best Way to See Foliage: For a quick immersion in fall color, hike the 1.7-mile , which starts at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center and loops through a hardwood forest on mostly flat trail via double track and skinny boardwalk over marshy sections. You’ll also get views of marsh grass shimmering in the wind leading to Rainy Lake itself. If you want to go out on the water, the park service runs a 2.5-hour , which cruises the island-studded Rainy Lake seeking out wildlife and delivering postcard-worthy views ($50 per adult).

7. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska

In a state that’s absolutely crammed with dramatic public landscapes, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve often gets overlooked. Its neighbor Katmai National Park, after all, is home to the cutest bears on the internet. But Lake Clark has much splendor of its own, from sheer granite-walled peaks to ice-blue glaciers and wildlife worthy of any safari. (Grizzlies! Moose! Caribou! Otters!)

Lake Clark is located just 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, but relative to other national parks, gets a scant 200,000 visitors a year. Credit the lack of roads; the only way to access the park is via aircraft or boat.

Peak Color: Fall is by far the best time to visit Lake Clark, and by fall, I mean September, as the snow typically begins in October here. Hit the park during the three- to four-week window, and you’ll see groves of birch trees turning gold amid their conifer neighbors, as lakeside lowland shrubs go orange and red. Fall is also berry season (look for cranberries and blueberries), and bears are particularly active, foraging for food in anticipation of hibernating through winter.

Lake Clark itself is 42 miles long and five miles wide. The tiny Port Alsworth (pop: 130) sits on the east side of the lake, serving as the gateway town to the park, and has its only visitor center. The National Park Service maintains of air taxis with permits to fly into the park if you want to venture deeper into the terrain.

The Best Way to See Foliage: Maintained day-hike trails are scarce in Lake Clark, but the four-mile out-and-back offers convenient access and a bevy of fall color. The hike begins on the edge of Port Alsworth and passes through stands of birch trees to Tanalian Falls, a 30-foot beauty that drops over lava rock, all surrounded by spruce and birch forest. Turn this hike into a loop by taking the Beaver Pond Trail back to the trailhead, hitting more golden-hued birches as you meander past a small beaver pond.

8. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

I’m convinced Theodore Roosevelt National Park would be more appreciated if it were located closer to larger cities. The Dakotas are among the most interesting states in the Midwest, and this park is a highlight. The 70,000-acre park protects a landscape in transition, where the great plains meet the canyons of the badlands. It’s divided into three sections—South Unit, Elkhorn Ranch Unit, and the North Unit—stitched together by the Little Missouri River.

The North Unit has the deepest canyons and most remote trails, the Elkhorn Ranch Unit preserves Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting cabin, and the South Unit blends broad, grassy plains with wide river gorges. You’ll find beautiful foliage throughout the park, as the Little Missouri River is shrouded in a cottonwood forest. You’re also almost guaranteed to see some epic wildlife, too; big species like feral horses, elk, and bison roam free.

Peak Color: Shoot for mid-September to mid-October for the most vibrant colors. Trees in the North Unit tend to shift earlier, while the South Unit pulls up the rear in the middle of October.

The Best Way to See Foliage: Is it lame to recommend a scenic drive? Not when it’s the 28-mile Scenic Drive in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The byway rambles through grassland and the tan-colored badlands, with pullouts that feature views of rock outcroppings and canyons and the Missouri River aglow with cottonwoods. Stretch your legs on the Achenbach Trail, a 2.4-mile out and back that leads through grassland (keep an eye out for bison) and ends at an overlook that takes in a bend in the Little Missouri.

9. Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Way out in eastern Nevada, close to Utah, Great Basin National Park protects 77,180 acres of scrubby desert, caves, and imposing peaks. It’s not the most obvious fall-foliage destination, but a legit one, and you’ll likely have it all to yourself: Great Basin only gets 140,000 visitors per year. Rest assured, that low attendance is strictly a factor of location (Great Basin is far from everything), because the landscape is destination-worthy, from the craggy 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak to the underground world of Lehman Cave. As for foliage, picture groves of aspens turning shining gold.

Peak Color: Great Basin is a higher-elevation park, so aspens begin to turn in the middle of September and are typically done by mid-October.

The Best Way to See Foliage: Cruise the 12-mile long Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, which gains 4,000 feet from the park entrance to the flank of the mountain it is named for. The way passes through a variety of different habitats, from sagebrush to evergreen conifers, and by the 10,000 feet, you’ll drive through so many colorful aspens you’d almost think you’re in the Rocky Mountains. At the end of the scenic drive, hike the 6.4-mile , which passes through a high-elevation meadow and delivers you into a dense grove of the aspens.

Graham Averill is șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű magazine’s national parks columnist. He lives in the Southern Appalachians, a hotbed of leaf-peeping activity. Fall is his favorite season for bike rides and trail runs, largely because of the technicolor backdrop in his backyard.Ìę

For more by this author:

9 Beautiful Mountain Towns in the Southeast

The 10 Best Bike Towns in America, Ranked

8 Surf Towns Where You Can Learn the Sport and the Culture

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Don’t worry about the sharks. They’re large, yes, but they’re sand-tigers, which are relatively docile compared to other species in the water. It’s the barracudas you might consider. From where I’m standing, on the edge of a light tower in the middle of the ocean, I can see dozens of them floating around the structure, waiting for a snack.

“They have a mouthful of K-9-like incisors. Creepy fish,” says Dave Wood, one of the owners of the off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. “They typically leave people alone, but don’t wear anything shiny into the water. It gets them going.”

Not that I’m planning on falling in, but when you’re 32 miles out in the middle of the ocean, perched on top of a 60-year-old light tower, watching a bunch of predators swimming below, you wonder.

This is definitely the most adventurous and remote place I’ve ever stayed.

What Is the Frying Pan Tower?

The Frying Pan Tower is a decommissioned Coast Guard light station built on the tip of Frying Pan Shoals, an unusually shallow stretch of water running for 30 miles from the tower west to the Barrier Islands along the coast. Between the 1600s to the mid 1900s, hundreds of ships wrecked on the shoals—known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic—and the lighthouse was built in 1964 by the U.S. government to help keep mariners safe.

The building was decommissioned in the early 1990s when sailors started using GPS to navigate around dangerous obstacles. Frying Pan sat empty until 2010, when Richard Neal, fresh off a corporate job and looking for a project, purchased it in a government auction for $85,000. Since then, Neal has been working tirelessly to restore the structure, passing ownership on to 10 investors and taking over as the caretaker and head of a non-profit, FPTower Inc., tasked with keeping the tower from falling into the ocean.

“Frying Pan can still help keep mariners safe. It’s the only structure out here,” Neal says. Various things can go wrong for ships out at sea, from systems failures to people getting injured. “And it’s a resource for scientific research. We’ve had marine biologists out here, NASA, NOAA, people from MIT. Frying Pan can be a point to collect wave data, hurricane data, shark data
It still has value.”

The șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs Are Endless at the Frying Pan

It’s also one hell of a basecamp for adventure. Imagine all the benefits of ocean-front property, but put that property in the middle of the sea without any neighbors (or, granted, amenities like grocery stores). Frying Pan sits in only 55 feet of water. On a clear day, you can see the coral on the sandy floor from the catwalk that wraps around the living quarters.

These are ideal conditions for scuba, snorkeling, and free diving. Anglers can drop a line off the edge of the tower and pull up grouper and cobia for dinner. Several times during my two-day visit, I stood mesmerized on the edge of the catwalk watching sharks rise to inspect the bait we cast into the water.

If you get bored with your immediate surroundings, you can explore the Greg Mickey, a fishing vessel about 1,000 yards north that was sunk in 2007 to become an artificial reef in honor of a fallen diver. Or take a 20-minute boat ride to the Gulf Stream for deep-sea fishing for wahoo and tuna.

“I would pass by this tower when I was a kid on small boats, and it was always a comfort to see, because you’re so far away from land,” says Jason Guyot, an owner of Frying Pan who grew up fishing the area with his dad. “It’s nice to know there’s something out here if things go bad.”

And the view? Climb to the very top of the structure, 135 feet above the surface of the water where the actual Coast Guard light stands, and you see ocean. Flat and blue and all around you without a spec of land in sight. As far as vacation real estate goes, it’s one of a kind.

Staying on the Frying Pan

Originally intended to house a crew of 17 Coast Guard personnel, Frying Pan looks like an oil platform. The 5,000-square-foot living space boasts eight bedrooms, a commercial-grade kitchen, two bathrooms, and even an entertainment room with a pool table. A stainless-steel catwalk hangs outside the main floor of the tower, while a helicopter pad occupies the top deck. The actual lighthouse stretches out from that pad, standing 135 feet above the water.

While most lighthouses are located on land, the Coast Guard built seven of these offshore towers, modeled after oil platforms, in the 1960s for added safety. Three of those original towers have been dismantled because of their deteriorating structures; another was destroyed in a storm. The three remaining towers were all scheduled for dismantling until private owners stepped in to purchase them.

According to Neal, Frying Pan is in the best shape of the existing structures, but it still needs constant maintenance. There’s a small movement of private citizens working to preserve lighthouses in this country, and Neal is in the thick of it.

When Neal took over Frying Pan nearly 15 years ago, it had been abandoned for decades. The windows were broken, bullets were embedded in the walls from vandals, it had no power, there were holes in the floors, and rust was eating away at much of the exterior structure.

Restoring the Frying Pan

Neal spends every other week on the tower, working through various projects, while others pop out as often as they can. The renovation project has attracted an interesting mix of investors, all of whom are DIY advocates. They come out together to weld, re-wire, re-build, and generally figure out how to maintain the building. They each bring something different to the situation. One is a helicopter pilot, another a retired contractor. Others are divers and anglers and carpenters, providing fish for the kitchen and practical skills for the restoration.

Technically, Frying Pan is in international waters, so the owners could turn the tower into anything they want–a casino, a bordello, even its own sovereign nation. But they just want to make sure Frying Pan continues to be a resource to the maritime and scientific communities.

The biggest single room is the workshop, loaded with metal cutting-band saws, welding torches, cranes, chains, power cords, two wave runners on racks, massive diesel generators, canisters of oil and soy bean oil. Neal and his cohorts have replaced the windows, installed air conditioning, reconfigured the bedrooms to handle paying guests, and renovated the bathrooms. Neal estimates he’s put $300,000 of his own money into the tower, and it likely needs another $1 to $2 million more to be fully restored.

The largest hurdle in that restoration work is also Frying Pan’s greatest appeal: its location. It’s remote. For my trip, I take a 2.5-hour ride on a 27-foot fishing boat in rough seas and spend the majority of the time trying not to vomit. Supplies need to be either shipped in by boat or flown in by helicopter, neither of which is cheap. This means that Neal and his cohorts end up improvising a lot on site.

“I can’t just run to Home Depot. If I need something, I’m probably going to make it,” Neal says. “If I can’t make it myself, I try to find smart people who can.”

When I reach the tower, Neal and the owners are fabricating braces to hang on the side of the tower to support a row of solar panels, welding together custom-fit stainless-steel tubes. Neal stands on top of a six-foot-tall ladder, set on the edge of the catwalk, roughly 100 feet above the ocean, with a welding torch in his hand to burn a hole into the top of the exterior wall to fit a bracket that will eventually hold the brace for the solar panels.

“I love this stuff,” Neal says, hanging precariously above the ocean with a lit torch in his hand.

While I’m on site, he works from sunup to sundown, tackling one task after another, the half-dozen other owners on the tower at the time working right alongside him. Most of the owners started out as working volunteers, spending a few days on Frying Pan scraping rust or putting down carpet, and fell in love with the property and the challenge of figuring out the solution to the next problem.

Later in the day, Neal and a volunteer will scuba dive below the tower to replace the that stream a live feed of the bottom of the ocean to . After the solar panels are in place, the team will replace some of the exterior doors that are rotting through. Eventually, they’ll have to address some of the structural supports beneath the living quarters that are reaching the end of their shelf life. It all costs money, which is where guests play a part.

How to Visit the Frying Pan

Frying Pan Tower hosts visitors every other week throughout the year, with the proceeds going straight back into restoration. Guests can sign up for a ($900), where they’ll spend most of their time working alongside Neal, welding or cleaning or rewiring. Or they can sign up for an ($1,950) and spend their time diving or fishing or just soaking up the view. When I was there, a volunteer was cooking and the owners brought food, but on most trips you would bring food and cook it yourself.

Most people who find themselves on Frying Pan are infatuated with the open sea. They’re divers and snorkelers, anglers casting off the sides of the tower or taking quick trips to the Gulf Stream. The tower has also seen cliff jumpers and free divers, scientists and Boy Scout troops.

The potential for adventure is only limited by your imagination. Jason Guyot dreams about bringing a kitesurfing rig to the tower and exploring the surrounding seascape. I want to come back with a paddleboard and snorkeling gear. I’d also love to bring my wife and kids; they’d have a blast snorkeling at the base of the tower and watching the sharks from above.

The Stargazing Is Incredible

The night sky is the darkest I’ve ever seen. Not a single light competes for the attention of the stars in any direction on the horizon. Our group of owners and volunteers gravitates to the helicopter pad after the sun sets, and settles in to watch the sky above for shooting stars. The Milky Way is a broad white paint stroke across the darkness.

I don’t go in the water during my brief stay at Frying Pan, but I do help with restorations when I can, hit biodegradable golf balls filled with fish food into the sea below, cast for fish, and generally try to grasp the nuances of life in the middle of the ocean. This is the most isolated I’ve ever been in my entire life. The nearest Starbucks is more than 40 miles due west. If something goes wrong, it would be hours before help arrives.

That sort of isolation makes a lot of people anxious. But for others, it’s relaxing. All of the distractions of life on the mainland are gone. Your priorities shrink. There is only the task at hand, whether it’s fishing or hanging a solar panel, food, and rest.

For dinner, we fire up a grill on the helicopter pad. Jason Guyot, who owns car dealerships and runs a real-estate business on land, is constantly in motion, cooking steaks brought in from a farm in eastern Carolina. He turns the meat slowly, looks around and says, “I wonder what the rest of the world is doing right now?”

Graham Averill is șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű magazine’s national parks columnist. His time on Frying Pan was brief, but he’ll always remember the brightness of the Milky Way above and the sight of sharks feeding below.

For more by this author, see:

9 Beautiful Mountain Towns in the Southeast

The 10 Best Bike Towns in America, Ranked

8 Surf Towns Where You Can Learn the Sport and the Culture

The post I Stayed at This Coast Guard Station in the Middle of the Ocean. So Can You. appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

Mountain towns in the Western U.S. get a lot of love. I’ve written plenty of articles that highlight places like Jackson, Boulder, and Crested Butte, but these high-profile burgs aren’t the only badass adventure basecamps.

I’ve lived in North Carolina in the Southern Appalachians for the last 20 years, and while the Southeast is often overlooked for adventure and mountain culture, we have a bevy of cities with quick access to the diversions we all crave. Not to mention downtowns so charming you’d think you were on a movie set.

These are my nine favorite mountain towns in the Southeast, ranked according to my experience and personal preferences, with special points given for bike rides that end at breweries.

1. Asheville, North Carolina

Population: 93,775

Best Known For: Breweries and Bike Rides

Am I biased because Asheville is my home? Yes, but there are reasons why I chose to settle here 20 years ago, and many more why I stay. Life here is too damn good for me to consider moving anywhere else.

Asheville is the cultural center of the Southern Appalachians, with one of the best food-and-beer scenes on the East Coast. The street art and local music rival that in bigger cities, too. The town itself is so fun you could easily forget that all this activity sits in a valley surrounded by 5,000- and 6,000-foot mountains that are perfect playgrounds for adventure athletes.

World-class road cycling begins and ends in town, while epic hiking and mountain biking options start within 20 miles in every direction. The French Broad River provides mellow daytime paddling options on the west side of downtown as well as multi-night adventures, thanks to developed campsites along the , while hardcore paddlers have flocked to Asheville for the prevalence of class IV and V creeks deeper in the mountains.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Asheville, North Carolina

• There are hundreds of miles of singletrack in the surrounding Pisgah National Forest, but for a quick post-work ride, I head 15 minutes west of downtown (12 miles) to , which has more than 20 miles of trails. is my favorite piece of singletrack, partly because of the long gravel climb to reach it, but mostly for the two miles of flowy, mildly technical downhill.
• Roadies should head straight for the Blue Ridge Parkway, which forms a half-circle around Asheville. I like the climb up Town Mountain Road, which leaves directly from downtown and heads north on the parkway until I either get tired or hit 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell 33 miles later. has both mountain- and road-bike rentals (from $85 a day).
• For an epic hike or trail run, drive south on the Blue Ridge Parkway for 30 miles to the 6,214-foot Black Balsam, a high-elevation bald with 360-degree views of the surrounding peaks. It’s my wife’s favorite spot for a scenic photo shoot. You can reach the summit in a .5-mile hike along the Art Loeb Trail, or you could knock out a bigger loop that takes in Black Balsam and neighboring Tennent Mountain, another 6,000-footer with its own tree-free summit views. A five- and 10-mile option each uses the same
  

  

Where to Eat and Drink in Asheville, North Carolina

• Everyone is going to have an opinion, but I like the vibe at Burial Brewing, where you can drink the potent Surf Wax IPA in a beer garden next to a mural of Tom Selleck and Sloth from Goonies.
• Asheville has its fair share of James Beard-nominated chefs, but I get excited about eating a Bibim Bap from El Kimchi, a food truck with shifting locations throughout town each night. Try to catch El Kimchi at New Belgium Brewery, which has a massive lawn above the French Broad River.

Where to Stay in Asheville, North Carolina

• Wrong Way River Lodge and Cabins has one-bedroom A-frame cabins, each complete with a record player and selection of vinyl, next to the French Broad River within walking distance of a climbing gym, greenway system, and the bars and restaurants within the River Arts District (from $198 a night).

2. Chattanooga, Tennessee

Population: 185,000

Best known for: Rock climbing and singletrack

Chattanooga is easily the largest city on this list, but don’t let the size dissuade you. The location is perfect, as Chattanooga sits in the foothills of the Southern Appalachians with the steep slopes of Lookout Mountain and the Cumberland Plateau rising from the edge of town. I’m always amazed by how close the adventure is to downtown Chattanooga.

The lush hardwood forests of the surrounding mountains hold expansive sandstone cliffs and boulders, making Chattanooga a hotbed of rock climbing, while recent years have brought an explosion of mountain-bike trail development. Meanwhile, the Tennessee River wraps around downtown, giving paddlers immediate access to endless miles of flat-water boating. I’ve spent a lot of time paddling a SUP on the Tennessee River, in awe of the buildings and bridges that comprise downtown.

And the city has whole-heartedly embraced the outdoors, with leaders actively working to make it one of the first designated in the world, trying to apply a national park ethos to the entire city.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Chattanooga, Tennessee

• There are more than 100 miles of singletrack within 20 miles of downtown Chattanooga, and most have been purpose-built in the last decade for mountain bikers. , a city park with six miles of bike trails in town, offers a great quick spin, but I’ve spent entire days geeking out on , eight miles from downtown, where roughly 30 miles of fast, technical single track unfold.
  

• Rock climbers might have more to choose from than mountain bikers around Chattanooga. The city opens up the , a 50-foot-tall limestone pier holding up a city bridge, to climbing occasionally, via toprope and on bolted-on holds. But the , a sandstone cliff hanging over the Tennessee River in Prentice Cooper State Forest, 15 miles from downtown, has to be the crown jewel. The T-Wall has more than 600 established routes, most of which require trad skills and gear. The routes range in difficulty from 5.5 to 5.13, with something for everyone.
  

  

• There are whitewater runs in the mountains surrounding town, and the runs for 45 miles through the Tennessee River Gorge, offering multi-day flatwater canoe trips. But I’m always drawn to the eight-mile-long Tennessee Riverpark, which has multiple access points for boaters downtown. Rent paddleboards at ($30), in Coolidge Park, and see town from the water.
• What you can see above ground is just the beginning; there are more than 7,000 caves within an hour’s drive of Chattanooga. Most are wild caves on private property that are closed to the public, but offers guided adventures through a network of chambers and tunnels that have streams and waterfalls (from $60).
  

Where to Eat and Drink in Chattanooga, Tennessee

• For years, my one complaint about Chattanooga was the prevalence of chain restaurants over local options, but recently the food scene has exploded with great one-of-a-kind options, especially in the Southside neighborhood, which is tucked into a revitalized industrial district. Check out , which serves well-crafted Chinese-inspired dishes with fun tiki drinks. I’m a sucker for tiki drinks.

Where to Stay in Chattanooga, Tennessee

• There are plenty of hotels throughout Chattanooga, but I have a soft spot for , an upscale hostel with private rooms (starting at $70) that caters to the adventurous, with a lobby stocked with local guidebooks and free crash-pads for guests who want to boulder.

3. Boone, North Carolina

Population: 19,756

Best known for: Appalachian State (go Mountaineers!) and 5,000-foot peaks

Nestled inside North Carolina’s High Country and surrounded by 5,000-foot peaks, Boone is the perfect blend of college town and adventure hub. Downtown blends with Appalachian State University’s sprawling campus, which absolutely bustles with life when school is in session, especially during football season in the fall.

But Boone would make it on this list even without all that youthful vibrancy, because the mountains that envelope the community are stacked with adventure, from cycling the winding blacktop of the Blue Ridge Parkway to climbing in the Linville Gorge. Boone has skiing in the winter, rock climbing from fall through spring, and plenty of hiking and road and mountain biking year round.

As for the town itself, it’s a mix of college-friendly dive bars, boutique shops, and high-end restaurants with elevated southern fare. I like Boone more and more every time I visit, and I’m secretly hoping my kids decide to go to college at App State so I can go more.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Boone, North Carolina

• Mountain bikers should head straight to , which boasts10 miles of purpose-built trails with features designed to help rippers progress through technical challenges as well as jumps and drops. A paved pump track has fast lines and great views of the surrounding mountains. To be honest, I’m jealous of this park.
  

• If you prefer your adventures on two feet, take the opportunity to explore the Linville Gorge Wilderness, which protects 12 miles of the 2,000-foot-deep canyon of the same name. The terrain is steep, loaded with granite cliffs and boulders and shrouded in a dense hardwood forest. At the bottom of the gorge is the tumultuous Linville River. I’ve scrambled around the gorge many times and am always blown away by the views and the solitude it offers. Most people just hike the short distance to Linville Falls, but check out the 2.4-mile , which requires a scramble to the top of a rocky outcropping, but delivers a view into the heart of the gorge, as well as of neighboring Shortoff Mountain and Hawksbill Mountain. You can extend your hike down to the river via the Linville Gorge Trail.
• When winter sets in, choose from among three downhill ski resorts: Appalachian Mountain, Sugar Mountain, and Beech Mountain. I like for the mountaintop bar and view from its 5,506-foot summit.

Where to Eat and Drink in Boone, North Carolina

• A lot of students survive on the massive burritos at Black Cat, and I’ve certainly enjoyed my share of their All Nighter (eggs, sausage and potatoes smothered in melted cheese). But I’m also in love with the fried chicken and biscuits served at the slightly more refined Proper. Appalachian Mountain Brewing makes some of my favorite beer in the South, especially their Spoaty Oaty Pale Ale.

Where to Stay in Boone, North Carolina

• Grab a room in , a boutique hotel in a renovated 1960s-era roadside motel. The lobby bar makes great cocktails, and the lodge has recently partnered with the locally owned to offer guided fishing and hiking packages (from $130 a night).

4. Damascus, Virginia

Population: under 800

Best Known For: The Appalachian Trail

There’s small, and then there’s Damascus. Damascus has fewer people than my graduating high school class in the suburbs of Atlanta (go Harrison High Hoyas!). And yet this tiny hamlet in the mountains of southwest Virginia has become known as Trail Town USA.

Damascus is the crossroads for a handful of high-profile paths, most notably the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has its headquarters here, and one weekend every May, more than 25,000 people descend on the town for , a celebration of the world’s most famous footpath (I’ve attended several times and can tell you that through-hikers like to party).

And the A.T. is just one option here. The 34-mile is one of the greatest rail-trail bike rides in the South because of its length and mountain scenery, and the is a rocky hike and bike trail with ridgeline views that was part of the Appalachian Trail until a reroute in the 1970s. But I like Damascus mostly for its proximity to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, which protects 200,000 acres of Virginia’s tallest mountains, boasting more than 400 miles of trail for hiking and biking.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Damascus, Virginia

• If your idea of a good time is riding a bike for 17 miles downhill without ever having to pedal (and really, who wouldn’t like that?), you should definitely do the Virginia Creeper Trail, part of which passes through the Mount Rogers rec area. I took my kids to ride the Creeper when they were in elementary school, and it was probably the only time they didn’t complain about the pedaling. Start at Whitetop Station and cruise the crushed-stone path back into town. There’s at least one ice-cream stop along the way. has bike rentals (from $15) and shuttles (from $24).
• To see the best of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, hike this on the A.T. that starts in Grayson Highlands State Park and crosses Wilburn Ridge, where a herd of wild ponies roam, and ends on top of the 5,729-foot Mount Rogers. I go for the above-treeline views, and I could spend an entire afternoon scrambling on the trail’s boulders, but it’s the feral ponies that make this hike so unusual and photogenic.

Where to Stay in Damascus, Virginia

• has 13 suites in the heart of downtown. The place partners with Speckled Trout Outfitters for stay-and-play packages that include guided hiking and fly fishing (from $157 a night).

Where to Eat and Drink in Damascus, Virginia

• The Wicked Chicken focuses on hot wings (dry rub and sauced) and burgers, served on a large outdoor patio. Appalachian Heritage Distillery and Brewery is located directly on the A.T. in downtown Damascus. It makes vodka, gin, and a variety of whiskies out of a pot still, and the bar serves classic cocktails and hosts live music and karaoke on weekends.

5. Davis, West Virginia

Population: 660

Best Known For: Skiing. Seriously. The skiing is great.

I mentioned Davis in my guide to West Virginia, but this tiny town deserves its own spotlight. Thanks to a duo of downhill resorts and a cross-country touring center, Davis is a ski town first and foremost, which is a rarity in the Southern Appalachians, but it has just as much to offer bikers and hikers.

The chain of mountains running along the border of West Virginia and Virginia make Davis hard to reach if you’re driving from the east, and the 100 miles that separate it from Harrisonburg can take more than two hours, but this journey of a thousand curves (a challenge to my motion-sick-prone stomach) is worth the effort.

Davis is small, but has just enough conveniences (a few restaurants, a brewery, cabins, and a couple of hotels) to make it comfortable, and it certainly has more than its share of outdoor adventures, from waterfalls to single track to the ski runs.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Davis, West Virginia

• There are almost 20 ski resorts scattered across the Southern Appalachians, but Davis might be the region’s only true ski town. Canaan Valley Resort and offer a combined 200 acres of lift-served terrain. Canaan Valley is great for beginners and intermediates, with long, usually uncrowded groomers, but I love Timberline’s steeper terrain and gladed runs, which will entertain even the best skiers. has rentals (from $35) and a full array of winter gear, such as the gloves you forgot at home. is the cultural hub of the town, not just for its 18 miles of groomed track and copious backcountry XC options, but for its lively apres vibe. I’ve never had a bad time at Whitegrass. Never.

• The warm months are full of hiking and biking. protects 2,358 acres a mile south of downtown, including a chunk of the 1,000-foot-deep Blackwater Canyon. The hike to Lindy Point is only .3 of a mile, but you should do it, as a prominent rock outcropping gives you a bird’s-eye view into the chasm.Blackwater Falls State Park, in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, feature the 62-foot cascade of Blackwater Falls, and 20 miles of trails.
• Mountain bikers can pedal the 18-mile , a gravel and dirt forest road that traverses the valley, crossing streams, running through meadows and leading to a variety of singletrack options, like the , which connects with Canaan Loop Road, dropping 600 feet in under three miles of rocky, rooty fun. Check out for rentals (from $50 a day) and more local trail beta than you could ever possibly need.

Where to Eat and Drink in Davis, West Virginia

• brews a variety of beers in town, but is at its best when crafting an IPA. Try their Holy Citra double IPA if you don’t have to wake up early in the morning. has always had what I need to fix that double IPA fog, and is a town staple.

Where to Stay in Davis, West Virginia

• has lodge rooms and cabins, all renovated in the last few years (from $178.50), and you’ll be able to pick up the trail system right out your door.

6. Harrisonburg, Virginia

Population: 51,000

Best Known For: Mountain biking and Shenandoah National Park

Harrisonburg sits in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley, sandwiched between Shenandoah National Park to the east and the Allegheny Mountains to the west. It’s one of the larger towns on this list with a busy downtown full of breweries and eclectic restaurants, all with a progressive vibe thanks in part to the presence of James Madison University and its college-student demographic.

Venture past downtown and you hit bucolic pastures quickly, as Shenandoah Valley is known for its patchwork of small farms. Outdoor adventure is also imminently accessible.

Harrisonburg is probably a bike town first, hosting a number of events, from the Shenandoah Mountain Bike Festival to the Alpine Loop Grand Fondo, and the town has earned Bronze Level Ride Center status from the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) for its quality of trails and events and prevalence of good bike shops. But there’s also downhill skiing 15 miles east of town at Massanutten Resort and hiking and fly fishing 25 miles east in Shenandoah National Park.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Harrisonburg, Virginia

• OK, I made a big deal out of the mountain biking around Harrisonburg, but if I have to pick a single ride to do in the area, it’s a road ride of , the 105-mile two-lane blacktop that runs through the center of Shenandoah National Park. This is bucket-list road-ride territory with dozens of overlooks, more than 10,000 feet of climbing if you do the whole thing, and national-park lodging, like , along the route so you can break it up into multiple days. I haven’t done it yet, but friends have told me it’s amazing.
• For a quick hike, head to the Hone Quarry Recreation Area, in George Washington National Forest, 20 miles west of town, and climb the steep but short one-mile out-and-back to a rocky outcropping with long-range views of the Allegheny Mountains. Several trails begin in the recreation area, so you can pick up others if you want to go longer, or hit the 5.5-acre Hone Quarry lake to fish for stocked trout.
• Mountain bikers will love , a stacked-loop system built by the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition in the 75-acre Hillandale Park, with short cross-country loops, jump lines, and a pump track. Stop into for tuneups or in-depth info about the local trails. The place also has beer on tap.

Where to Eat and Drink in Harrisonburg, Virginia

• Harrisonburg is home to half a dozen breweries, but is my favorite. Their downtown Collab House always has a small batch beer on tap that rotates weekly. has an upscale college-bar vibe with a great whiskey selection and southern fare, like the Wafflewich, which places fried chicken between two thin waffles.

Stay: Most of the lodging in Harrisonburg trends towards big chain options, but if you want something more historic, book a room at , a bed and breakfast in a restored Civil War-era home (from $159 a night).

7. Ellijay, Georgia

Population: 1,927

Best Known For: Mountain biking

Ellijay is the unofficial mountain-bike capital of Georgia, with some of the prettiest and most technical singletrack I’ve ridden east of the Mississippi within 10 miles of the town. The mountains aren’t particularly tall (most peaks tap out below 3,000 feet), but the forest is dense and the trails are decidedly old school, with plenty of fall-line descents and climbs. Or go whitewater paddling or check out the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail close to town.

The town is just 75 miles north of downtown Atlanta, and has become a popular weekend getaway for adventure-minded city dwellers there. Ellijay is a little sleepier than many other mountain towns this close to the South’s biggest city, so you come here for the adventure, not the nightlife.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Ellijay, Georgia

• There’s plenty to do around Ellijay, but mountain biking is the main attraction. In general, the singletrack is technical with lots of roots and plenty of steep climbs, and you’re riding through a thick hardwood forest loaded with creeks to cross and waterfalls to see. The 22-mile loop is my favorite ride, because it combines choice pieces of the best downhills in the area on Bear Creek Trail and Pinhoti Trail with plenty of gravel road climbs.
• You can paddle or tube a three-mile section of the Cartecay River upstream from downtown Ellijay with class II-III whitewater. I grew up an hour from Ellijay, and this was the first whitewater I ever paddled. The rents out kayaks (starting at $30) and runs shuttles (starting at $7 per person).

Where to Eat and Drink in Ellijay, Georgia

• Climb up to the covered third-floor patio of The Roof Ellijay, which has southern comfort food, from boiled peanuts to shrimp and grits, with a view of downtown and the green slopes rising beyond. Cartecay River Brewing, a small operation on the outskirts of town, has a beer garden overlooking the river.

Where to Stay in Ellijay, Georgia

• is a mountain-bike camp with cabins and campsites on a property that has its own pump track, bike shop, hot tubs, and restaurant (rustic cabins start at $60 per person). It’s a very cool scene that attracts mountain bikers from all over the southeast; I try to hit Mulberry Gap at least once a year. The facility is 12 miles west of downtown, but you can ride straight from the property and hit some of North Georgia’s most storied trails.

8. Helen, Georgia

Population: 578

Best Known For: Its Bavarian-themed downtown

OK, let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way: Helen has a faux Bavarian vibe. Last time I was there, they were pumping polka music through outdoor speakers hidden in the bushes. Towns with themes aren’t for everyone. I’m not even sure they’re for me. But I still love Helen because the cheese factor is harmless and the location of the town is prime.

I’ve used the Bavarian burg as a basecamp for road-cycling adventures, hiking excursions, and fly-fishing escapades for years. You can even (or fish) the Chattahoochee River right through downtown. Helen is surrounded by Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, within striking distance of North Georgia’s best hiking and rock climbing, while Unicoi State Park’s 1,029 acres sit just two miles north of downtown.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Helen, Georgia

• Hikers should head six miles south of Helen to ascend Yonah Mountain, a 3,166-foot-tall knob with a granite face (located on one side, with the main area southwest-facing) that’s been attracting Atlanta-based climbers for decades. But the views from the top are just as sweet if you hike the 4.4-mile out and back , which rises 1,500 feet over a mix of dirt road and single track trail before delivering you to a grassy meadow at the granite-edged summit. On a clear day, you can make out the skyline of Atlanta 80-ish miles south.
  

• The mountains of North Georgia are loaded with high-quality fly fishing, from wide, floatable rivers to tight backcountry creeks. The Chatahoochee is the obvious draw for anglers visiting Helen, although the tubers do a good job of scaring away the fish in the section through town. For quieter water, I head to Smith Creek, within Unicoi State Park, where a mile-long section of the stream below Unicoi Lake is known for producing foot-long rainbow and brown trout. Ìęeven offers an intro to fly fishing class if you’re new to the game.
• A number of classic road-cycling rides begin and end in Helen, including the classic , which takes in six iconic mountain climbs surrounding the town. I’m not always game for a century ride, so I typically choose the the , which is part of the annual Gran Fondo, a large group ride that focuses on camaraderie over racing, on a smaller loop through Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, but still climbing more than 1,700 feet.

Where to Stay in Helen, Georgia

• Unicoi State Park has a variety of lodging options, from lodge rooms to barrel cabins. Check out the , which are fully-furnished safari tents within walking distance of Smith Creek (from $149 a night).

Where to Eat and Drink in Helen, Georgia

• You’re in a cute facsimile of Germany, so you should probably get a bratwurst and pretzel at Hobfrauhaus, and then wander down the street to King Ludwig’s Beer Garden and have a German lager outside.

9. Travelers Rest, South Carolina

Population: 8,486

Best Known For: Greenway pedaling and the Great Blue Wall

The western border of South Carolina is defined by a string of mountains that rise steeply from the Piedmont in a dramatic fashion known as the Great Blue Wall. Travelers Rest sits at the base of that wall of peaks, making it the perfect basecamp for exploring the area’s lakes, waterfalls, and thick, jungle-like forests.

It would be easy to label Travelers Rest as just a bedroom community for the larger city of Greenville, South Carolina (you can ride your bike the ten miles between the two towns, after all). But Travelers Rest has its own small-town charm as well as access to the Upstate’s copious outdoor gems, from steep cycling routes to steeper rock climbing routes and everything in between.

I’ve watched downtown Travelers Rest grow with new restaurants and breweries over the last several years, thanks largely to the development of the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 17-mile paved rail trail, popular with cyclists and runners, that begins on the edge of town and finishes in Greenville. There’s also downhill mountain biking, rock climbing, and plenty of hiking.

Best șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs in Travelers Rest, South Carolina

• Travelers Rest offers quick access to a trio of public lands. Let’s start with Paris Mountain State Park, eight miles east of downtown, which has almost 20 miles of mountain-bike trails. The park is known for its technical climbs and fast, flowing downhill. A 10-mile lollipop loop, the , takes in the best trails, including Sulphur Springs Trail, which is loaded with sweeping, banked turns and drops.
• Higher up on that great blue wall, Jones Gap State Park and Caesars Head State Park combine to form the 17,000-acre Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, with more than 60 miles of hiking trails. The Middle Saluda River offers quintessential backcountry trout fishing, thanks to the tight corridor and steep nature of the stream, which drops 1,000 feet in four miles. Or hike the easy to Jones Gap Falls on Jones Gap Trail.
  

  

• A 2,684-tall granite dome, the Cherokee landmark Table Rock, is the centerpiece of Table Rock State Park, 20 miles west of town. It’s a beacon for climbers looking for a multi-pitch adventure with a long approach hike and mega exposure. Access is limited to certain sections of the monolith because of peregrine-falcon nesting, but the of the rock are open. has all the gear you could need, as well as bike and boat rentals (from $20 for a half day).

Where to Stay in Travelers Rest, South Carolina

• Splurge for a room at , a high-end lodge owned by the retired pro cyclist George Hincapie that draws inspiration from European chateaus in its architecture and cuisine. The inn also has an onsite sauna and cold plunge, as well as a fleet of rental bikes that come pre-loaded with Hincapie’s favorite training routes that begin from the property (rooms start at $378 a night).

Where to Eat and Drink in Travelers Rest, South Carolina

• The food scene in Travelers Rest has come a long way in recent years, so you can get everything from Caribbean fusion to street tacos. Check out Monkey Wrench Smoke House for BBQ staples like pulled pork and brisket, served on an expansive back lawn. Swamp Rabbit Brewery, which is known for its award-winning stout, sits in downtown.

Graham Averill is șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű magazine’s national-parks columnist. He’s lived in multiple mountain ranges and on both coasts, but settled down in the Southern Appalachians 20 years ago and has yet to regret it.

For more by this author, see:

The 10 Best Bike Towns in America, Ranked

8 Surf Towns Where You Can Learn the Sport and the Culture

The Best Ways to Get șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű in West Virginia

The post 9 Beautiful Mountain Towns in the Southeast appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

When I had the chance to spend some time in Europe this year, the first thing I wanted to do—well, besides find some really good cheese—was figure out how to visit as many national parks as possible. As the editor in chief of , °żłÜłÙČőŸ±»ć±đ’s sister brand, I spend a lot of time thinking about national parks. Whether it’s figuring out how to pack as much as possible into a weekend in Yellowstone, thinking about the implications of reservation systems, or dreaming about units to visit, I eat, sleep, and breathe America’s best idea.

But narrowing down the European parks to visit proved tougher than I’d imagined. While the 27 EU member countries share a market and (mostly) a currency, each nation’s approach to public lands is vastly different. Some European national parks are all pristine wilderness areas and have strict recreation-use laws. In others, you’ll find trendy bars serving Aperol spritzes, with Vespas parked outside. There’s even a Croatian national park with a zoo, complete with an elephant, ostriches, and zebras. Slovenia has just a single park; Finland has dozens.

While European parks run the gamut, they all have one thing in common. They’ve been set aside as meriting designation, meaning they’re worth a visit to see something meaningful, whether that’s glistening glaciers, spectacular mountain peaks, hanging bridges across thundering rivers, or ancient vineyards clinging to cliffs above the sea.

These are the European national parks that top my travel bucket list. I’ve been to several of them and can’t wait to see the rest.

1. Triglav National Park, Slovenia (Triglavski Narodni Park)

Admission: Free

WHY GO: While Alpine countries like France and Austria get most of the love, many people know almost nothing of one of the Alps’ best destinations: Slovenia. On my first visit to the country I was instantly charmed by the country’s rolling pastures, pretty churches set against the backdrop of mountains and blue lakes, and university-town capital, Ljubljana, which, with its avant-garde metalwork and dragon mascot, has a decidedly punk feel. When I realized that a subrange of the Alps was protected in the northwestern corner of the country as Triglav National Park, I knew I had to return.

Nestled up against the Italian border and nearly touching Austria, Triglav is home to thick forests, rivers, mountain villages, and big peaks that quickly made it one of my favorite national parks. Mount Triglav is the crown jewel at 9,396 feet, but plenty of other impressive summits draw peak baggers from across the world. Vogel Ski Resort can be found here too, offering 14 miles of terrain.

BEST ADVENTURES: Most park visitors flock to the Lake Bohinj region, a nearly 800-acre glacially carved valley filled with deep blue water where you can rent traditional wooden rowboats ($16/hour), among other watercraft. Vogel is in this area, and you can take the gondola and chairlift ($34 roundtrip for adults) partway and hike to the summit. The 6.1-mile trail isn’t technical, but it is steep in places, secured with cables and pegs. Keep your eyes peeled for the ibex and chamois that live here.

Watch the weather for wind gusts that could shut down the lifts, and stay aware of the time, because it’s a long trek back down if the chairs stop running before you reach them (they close at 4 p.m. in the summer). At several traditional huts on the mountain, you can enjoy local cheese and mountain dishes like goulash.

While the Bohinj area is the most popular, venturing further into the park is absolutely worth it. Head up and over the steep and narrow VrĆĄič Pass to Triglav’s more remote west side (my favorite), where you’re as likely to encounter a herd of sheep blocking the road as cyclists riding on it. Tackle the 15-mile , a hike that can be done in a long day, or at a slower pace, where you spend the night in one of several villages along the way. The beautiful trail follows the river, which is so clear and bright it almost hurts to look at. My husband, dog and I got distracted on our hike and instead spent a pleasant afternoon wadingÌę in the cold snowmelt. Wind your way gradually down valley under larches and across swinging bridges.

If you really want to get away, several long-distance trails, including the Via Alpina red route (1,500 miles) and the Alpe Adria Trail (466 miles), run through Triglav. For less of a commitment than those, head into the Seven Lakes Valley on a multi-day excursion, where you can spend the night in several maintained huts (no camping is allowed in the backcountry).

HOW TO GET THERE: Slovenia has a great public transportation system, making it easy to get from Ljubljana to Bled by train (40 minutes) and then Bled to Bohinj by bus (40 minutes), so you can stay in the capital and still explore the park. Buses run to other parts of Triglav, too, but pay attention to timetables, as they are less frequent and getting a taxi or rideshare won’t be an option in remote parts of the park.

BEST TIME TO GO: June to September is high season for hiking and hut availability, but can also be crowded. Snow melts early in this part of the world, so low elevation hikes can be done in the spring and fall to avoid the crowds. Ìę

WHERE TO STAY: Accommodations, from private hotels and guest houses to campgrounds and mountain huts, abound inside the park. My husband and I like staying in Bohinj on the west side for easy access to Vogel and the pretty town of Bled, or the quiet village of Trenta on the east side. For an alpine experience, book a bed at Tičarjev Dom ($47 per person with breakfast), the mountain hut at the summit of Vrơič Pass. You’ll sleep dormitory-style and rise to incredible mountain views the next morning from the patio over a bela kava (coffee with milk).

2. Oulanka National Park, Finland

Admission: Free

WHY GO: If you’re looking to get into some of the most remote wilderness on the continent, head to Oulanka National Park in Finland. The park hugs the Russian border in the far northeastern part of the country above the Arctic Circle and is an experience in solitude. In fact, the wilderness doesn’t stop at state lines. It continues east, bleeding quietly into Russia’s PaanajĂ€rvi National Park, with a simple rope forming the border and keeping canoeists in the EU. Last year I visited Levi Ski Resort in Finnish Lapland, four hours to the north, and fell in love with polar night. Getting back is at the top of my list and this time I want to get deeper into the wilderness, specifically at Oulanka.

Planning a trip to this remote land filled with boreal forests, rushing rivers, and limestone gorges isn’t easy, but I promise the hardest part will be picking which season to visit–winter or summer? This far north, the year is capped by eternal night in the deep winter, when you can snowshoe, cross-country ski, and try to spot the Northern Lights, and permanent sun in the height of the warm months, with plenty of daylight for canoeing and hiking trips.

BEST ADVENTURES: Summer visitors have two main choices for exploring: by water or by land. Paddlers can rent canoes and camping gear from to embark on a trip down the Oulankajoki River. The lower section is calm, with a short two-hour option to a takeout or a seven-hour route that makes an excellent overnight trip with a stop at any of several campsites or the first-come, first-served AnsakĂ€mppĂ€ Wilderness Hut. There are rapids and a portage on the upper section of the river, so skip it unless you’re an experienced boater.

On foot, try the , a loop that crosses some of the park’s famous hanging bridges. In summer months, the trail is one-way (clockwise). Backpackers can head out on the 50-mile Bear’s Ring, aka . Finland’s most popular hike traverses the park from north to south, with each stage ending on a bus route in case you’d prefer to sleep in a real bed, or campsites and huts along the way if you’d rather rough it. Thundering rivers, placid streams, bogs, hanging bridges, and delicate purple orchids await. Look out for traditional Sami herders and their reindeer, who still inhabit the area today.

In the winter, I love how the mercury plunges when Finnish Lapland freezes over, rewarding intrepid and cold-tolerant visitors with a magical landscape. It’s my favorite time of year to be in Finland. Pines and spruces thick with frozen snow stand like fuzzy sentinels over ice-crusted rivers and cross-country ski trails. In December and January, you’ll find a scant three hours of daylight. In late winter, you’ll still experience plenty of darkness for northern lights spotting, but will also be treated to long sunrises and sunsets, turning the landscape into a cotton-candy-colored forest.

Use an app like My Aurora Forecast to monitor northern-lights conditions for your best chance at spotting the undulating colors. Other winter options are to rent snowshoes or cross-country skis in nearby Ruka and set off on the park’s many trails.

HOW TO GET THERE: The closest airport to the park is Kuusamo, which has several flights from Helsinki each day, plus a few other major European cities like Brussels and Frankfurt. While renting a car in Kuusamo is the easiest mode of travel, a bus route from the airport accesses the Karhunkierros Trail, Oulanka National Park Visitor Center, and Ruka, if you’re eager to add downhill skiing to your itinerary. Ruka Ski Resort is Finland’s best known, and has a long season lasting October to May.

BEST TIME TO GO: Peak season for hiking and canoeing, the park’s main attractions, is July through September when the weather is warmest and most predictable (think 50s) and the days are the longest. To see the Northern Lights and get out on snowy trails, December through March are the best season, but be ready for temps from freezing to below zero.

WHERE TO STAY: For the most options, base yourself at Ruka Ski Resort. Ruka offers all sorts of lodging options and the park is a quick 30-minute drive away. Winter visitors who want to go all out should stay at , with glass igloos perfect for aurora spotting (from $347/night with breakfast). If you want to be closer to the park, ’s cozy wilderness hotel borders it (from $109/night for a double room).

3. Cinque Terre National Park, Italy (Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre)

Admission: $21-$35/day for train and trail access

WHY GO: I’d seen the brightly colored Italian houses clinging to cliffs above an azure sea on my Instagram feed, but had no idea that the five villages making up the Cinque Terre (note the article “the,” as you’ll be judged mightily for dropping it) are actually a national park until I visited this past spring. The land here is characterized by its human influence. The steep hills leading straight into the sea have been terraced and cultivated for more than 1,000 years.

BEST ADVENTURES: The most popular hiking route is the Blue Trail (also called the Sentiero Azzuro or SVA), the main path that historically connected all five villages. In 2019, a landslide took out the section of trail between Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, and maintenance work is ongoing, though the Manarola to Riomaggiore section reopened in July. The sections between Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare remained open. Whenever you choose to travel, start out as early in the day as possible or plan an evening hike to dinner to avoid the crowded midday hours. Taking the train back is also always an option if the trails get packed (we had to turn around and take the train in April because the pathway was gridlocked).

(grab a focaccia made with the region’s famous pesto for my favorite mid-hike snack) and on to Monterosso is 4.1 miles one way with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. A less popular, but in my opinion even better, hike on the Blue Trail is the . You’ll climb up to the tiny town of Volastra, perched above the Cinque Terre, and then back down to Manarola. Time your hike so that you can grab a glass of wine and bruschetta at Cantina Capellini, a winery producing the Cinque Terre DOP white wine. The simple patio is right on the trail, situated amongst the vines, and overlooks the sea. Make sure you have room in your pack for a bottle to take home.

Heading south from Corniglia and ending in Manarola is 3.6 miles one way, with 1,300 feet of elevation gain. The descent on this route is heinous (you’ll end lower than you began), so you may want to skip this one if your knees are bad.

When you’re not on the trail, take advantage of amazing food (cornettos! pesto! wine! fried anchovies! focaccia!) on a patio, or head down to the water. Each town has sea access for swimming, though you won’t find much of a beach anywhere besides at Monterosso. Spread a towel on the rocks and sunbathe, or ($10.75/hour rentals from Riomaggiore) to explore the coastline.

HOW TO GET THERE: Fly into Florence, Milan, or Rome. Trains run directly from these major hubs to La Spezia Centrale, the closest city to the Cinque Terre, or you can drive to La Spezia Centrale and park your rental car in the large garage at the station. From there, it’s a quick seven-minute train ride to the first village, Riomaggiore. Each additional village is just a few minutes further up the tracks. If you plan on utilizing both the train and the trails, purchase a in advance, which allows unlimited train rides between villages (including La Spezia), access to the trails, and free use of the toilets at each train station ($21-$35/day).

BEST TIME TO GO: Hiking the Cinque Terre is best done in the off-season. Summer crowds are epic, and the trails can get packed by late morning even in the spring and fall.

While it’s a gamble to visit in the colder months (November through March), as the trails can close when weather is bad and you’ll have fewer lodging and dining options, it’s the least busy season. Plan a visit for the fringe months of March or November to capitalize on good weather and to beat the masses.

WHERE TO STAY: You’ll find hotels in Monterosso and Riomaggiore on each end, as well as in the larger city of La Spezia, a quick train ride away. But for the most authentic experience stay in one of the three central villages. Book a vacation rental (Airbnb has plenty of options) in Vernazza, Corniglia, or Manarola, and you’ll get to experience the towns when all the day tourists from the cruise ships have left. Quiet restaurants, empty streets, and coffee with the locals each morning are treats.

My favorite village is Corniglia, for its smaller size and gorgeous view from atop a hill, though the walk from the train station up a long set of stairs to the town makes coming and going a chore. We ended up skipping our dinner reservations one town over in favor of staying put here with a bottle of wine and take-out focaccia.

4. Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park, Italy (Parco Nazionale Dolomiti Bellunesi)

Admission: Free

WHY GO: While each region of Europe’s Alps has its own flavor, the Italian Dolomiti are particularly impressive. Craggy mountains, mist-filled valleys, and sweeping forests provide one of my favorite landscapes in the world.

The range, which encompasses northeastern Italy, is home to the 12 world-renowned ski areas that make up the Ikon Pass destination Dolomiti Superski. It’s also a Unesco World Heritage Site and the location of several incredible regional parks, such as Tre Cime. But you’ll only find one national park, Dolomiti Bellunesi, in the region. I’ve somehow missed this corner of the Dolomiti in all of my adventures here, so I can’t wait to plan a trip back to see it.

Stretching 12-square-miles northwest of Belluno, this somewhat under-the-radar park offers visitors the best of the Dolomiti, with fewer crowds than the area’s better-known and more northerly destinations of Tre Cime, Seceda, and Lago di Braises. Home to via ferratas, two of the famous Alta Via trails, and countless quintessential Italian villages, this is the place where you want to start your Dolomiti adventure.

BEST ADVENTURES: You’ll want to experience this national park by foot–miles of trails cross the mountains, including two of the Alta Via, or “high routes.” Alta Via 1 is a classic and one of the least technical of the routes, running 75 miles from Lago di Braies to La Pissa. The final four stages, which are often the least crowded, wind through the park. Alta Via 2 also includes three stages in the national park, from Passo Cereda to Passo Croce d’Aune. This route is more technical, with via ferratas required along the way. A climbing harness, helmet, and gloves are needed to tackle this option ( in Cortina d’Ampezzo for $23/day).

Whether or not you embark on one of the park’s through-hikes, you should definitely experience a via ferrata while in the Dolomiti. Popularized during WWI in the region to help troops navigate vertical terrain, these “iron paths” use ladders, rungs, pegs and steel cables affixed to rocks to help people move across the cliffs. The park’s highest peak, Schiara, has three via ferratas ringing it: Zacchi, Berti, and Piero Rossi, which, linked up, make for a long but doable day in the mountains if you stay at ($74/night for half board). These routes lean toward being difficult, so hiring a guide is advisable. I found to be excellent on my most recent via ferrata adventure, on the Punto Anna route in Cortina d’Ampezzo, an hour and a half north.

Cyclists can test their mettle on the grueling stage 20 of the 2022 Giro d’Italia route, which runs 104 miles (168 kilometers) from Belluno to Marmolada, crossing through the park on SR203. Whatever activities you choose to get up to, make sure to include some time on either end of your trip for a quick detour to the so-called Prosecco Road between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, where the prestigious DOCG (the highest quality designation) sparkling wine is produced in the hills. My favorite producer, Adami, is one of the oldest in the region and has an excellent tour and tasting experience.

HOW TO GET THERE: Venice offers the closest major airport, and train service to Belluno takes approximately two hours. From there, the Dolomiti bus services many of the roads within the park, but note timetables, as service can be limited. Unless you’re planning a through-hike, the best way to explore the Dolomiti is by renting a car in Venice or Belluno, then driving to trailheads.

BEST TIME TO GO: Most staffed rifugios (mountain huts) away from the ski resorts are only open to hikers in summer, so June through September are the best months to visit if you’re planning an overnight adventure. The weather often stays pleasant through October, though, and travel then is a great way to skip out on some of the crowds if you’re prepared for the possibility of an early season snow storm.

WHERE TO STAY: Hiking the Alta Vias, even just a few linked stages, takes forethought, as many of the rifugios along the route fill up early in summer. Start planning in January or February when availability opens. Otherwise, you’ll find accommodation options—including hotels, guesthouses, rifugios, and vacation rentals—in and around the park, but book early as options can be limited. Belluno, with 36,000 inhabitants, is the closest major town.

For a unique experience, plan a stay at an agriturismo, a working farm where you’ll be treated to meals with homemade products like cheese and salumi. Mountain pasture cheesemaking has become a somewhat lost art in the Dolomiti, but this park has worked hard to restore five of these “malga” operations. If you don’t stop at an agriturismo, watch for latterias (like Latteria Perenzin in San Pietro di Feletto) where you can buy the locally made cheese alongside salumi and other products perfect for a picnic.

5. Samaria National Park, Greece

Admission $5.50

WHY GO: Encompassing the longest gorge in Europe, Samaria National Park showcases the best of the Mediterranean, from towering cliffs to fragrant cypress trees, and from white limestone riverbeds to the sparkling sea itself. Since the park is comprised almost solely of one long, steep , you can experience the place in its entirety, from the White Mountains to the Mediterranean, in one day. Samaria Gorge is located on the western side of Crete, Greece’s biggest island. I haven’t gotten to Greece yet, but a friend and colleague promises me that it’s the first place I’ll want to go.

BEST ADVENTURES: The park is open, weather permitting, from May through October. Entry begins at 7 a.m., and it’s an excellent idea to start out then, before the heat of the day. Much of the trail is exposed and sunbaked, so going the first or last month of the season is wise to avoid the mid-summer heat. The park closes down during excessively hot stretches, or if flooding is possible in the shoulder season. Pay attention to the heat and hold off if the temperatures are dangerous. It’s usually a five- to seven-hour hike without services, so pack plenty of water and snacks; bring sun protection, a hat and a neck gaiter to help stay cool; and wear hiking footwear. Water from springs is often available along the route, but don’t count on it.

You’ll start hiking steeply downhill, taking in the views of the surrounding White Mountains, before continuing through a pine and cypress forest and reaching the church of St. Nikolas inside the ruins of an ancient temple. Look around for kri kri, wild Cretan goats. Cross a few streams and you’ll find yourself in the ancient village of Samaria, which is now solely inhabited by park staff.

The gorge gradually narrows as you cross through a (hopefully) dry riverbed, alongside striped rock walls, into the skinniest point in the canyon, where the walls are just under 10 feet apart. The park closes at 6 p.m., so make sure you’re through the exit by then. Either walk another 1.5 miles or hop on a cheap shuttle to get to the village of Agia RoumĂ©li, where you can grab a late lunch or early dinner at one of several restaurants and, if time allows, take a well-earned dip in the Mediterranean.

The single ferry leaves the village at 5:30 p.m., only once per day, so don’t miss it or you’ll have to arrange a taxi boat or stay in the village. Depart at Chora Sfakion or Sougia and take the bus back to your car or lodge. If arranging your own transportation stresses you out, many tour companies offer guided excursions in the park.

HOW TO GET THERE: From Athens, fly into Chania International Airport for the closest access to the park. In Chania, you can either rent a car and drive to the gorge, or purchase a bus ticket to Xyloscalo, at the start of the trail. The full hike is one way, and at the end you’ll take a ferry to Sougia ($16/person) and then the bus either back to your car at the trailhead or your hotel in Chania. Be sure to reserve your return tickets in advance to avoid getting stranded.

BEST TIME TO GO: Samaria Gorge is open May through October, with the beginning and end of the season providing the coolest temperatures.

WHERE TO STAY: Most visitors base in the city of Chania and do the trip to Samaria Gorge in one long day, but if you, like me, would prefer a slower pace and to experience the secluded village of Agia Rouméli without the crowds, you can stay at one of the few hotels or vacation rentals in town. offers rooms, breakfast and beach loungers starting at $79 per night. You can spend the entire next day enjoying the beach before catching the ferry back.

6. Écrins National Park, France (Parc National des Écrins)

ADMISSION: Free

WHY GO: Écrins National Park, a glacier-filled alpine paradise with more than 150 peaks topping 3,000 meters, sits near the Italian border in eastern France. The Alps are one of my favorite landscapes in the world and, after visiting them in Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein, I put this French national park squarely on my to-do list. Barre des Écrins is the tallest summit here, towering 13,458 feet above the park, the most southerly 4,000-meter peak in the Alps. Here, amongst the chamois you’ll almost certainly spot, you’ll feel like you’re at the top of the world.

BEST ADVENTURES: You could hike the park’s many trails, including a section of the Grand Écrins, but this is also a space known for its alpine climbing. If you’re looking for adventure, a three-day mountaineering- and glacier-skills course with will help you tag the summit of Barre des Écrins, staying in remote mountain huts ($1,645).

Within the boundaries of Écrins are two ski areas, and two others just bordering the park might be the area’s most famous, especially for cyclists. Les Deux Alpes bike park is one of the biggest in the Alps and is home to beginner- to competition-level courses in everything from downhill to enduro with pristine alpine views. Alpe d’Huez offers one of the Tour de France’s most iconic climbs in addition to the wild Megavalanche, a mass-start mountain-bike race on a glacier. Ride into the national park, which has around 100 miles of marked bike trails.

HOW TO GET THERE: The closest major city is Grenoble, France. Fly into Lyon, Geneva, Marseille, or even Paris and take a high-speed train to Grenoble. From there, if you plan on some serious exploring, it’s best to rent a car, but bus service is also available to Les Deux Alpes if you will stick to the resorts or hire a guide to get into the mountains.

BEST TIME TO GO: July through September are the months to visit to avoid snow in this mountain environment.Ìę

WHERE TO STAY: The ski resorts and villages in and around Écrins provide ample lodging, but to really get away from it all, book a stay in one of the 40 throughout the park. While some of these mountain huts simply serve as basic overnight shelters for mountaineers, others are staffed in the summer, offering hot dinner and breakfast and often a lovely patio on which to take in the setting sun in a gorgeous high-alpine setting.

Refuges almost always require a hike to reach, so choose your trail, do your research and book ahead to ensure you have a bed waiting at the end of your day.

Mikaela Ruland is the editor in chief of National Park Trips. She lives for the outdoors, and you can usually find her hiking, skiing, or mountain biking. She’s been to national parks on three continents, including 23 of the 63 U.S. national parks. Her favorite is whichever one she’s traveling to next.

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