| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Rip & Go: Lost Maples Loop, Lost Maples State Natural Area, TX
Warm up for hiking season with a mellow escape to a maze of limestone plateaus.
Local Hikes in the Central U.S. — March 2013
Snag a dozen great winter trips, including a texas Hill Country overnight, a Lake Superior snowshoe, and a hike to Apostle islands ice caves.
Local Hikes in the Central U.S.
Camp lake-side in Arkansas, summit 800-foot Nebraska bluffs, see Wisconsin's best foliage (alone), and dayhike near Dallas. Plus: 8 more autumn hikes.
From the Field: BACKPACKER trail scouts' top Central local hikes
Try a 9-mile out-and-back in Ohio's Hemlock Gorge or hike through history in Per Marquette State Park or on the Saddle Rock Trail in Nebraska.
Trail Mix: Great November Hikes in the Central U.S.
Your region's go-now guide: Perfect days in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Tulsa.
Killer Trips: Weather
Our favorite high-risk, high-reward adventures in North America.
From the Field: Central
Our trail scouts' top local hikes
Trail Mix: Central
Your region's go-now guide
Local Hikes
Jump-start your hiking season on these spring-ready trips from around the country.
Local Hikes: Midwest
Hike these long trails in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and head south to Texas to see Horned Lizards.
The High Life: Hiking Utah's Highline Trail
Watch your step on Utah' Highline Trail. The nonstop views and rampant wildlife are distractingly spectacular. Plus: Gaze away on 9 more elevated hikes.
Local Hikes: Midwest
Discover east Texas's longleaf pine forest; see the Boundary Waters on foot.
Rip & Go: Turkey Creek Trail
Hike through three ecological zones in east Texas's carnivore country.
Readers' Choice: Southwest
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the Southwest.
Trip Finder: Southwest
Your favorite Southwest hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.
Rip & Go: McKittrick Canyon
Soak up high-desert views amid the Lone Star State's tallest peaks.
Local Hikes: Austin, TX
The best hikes near Austin, TX.
Local Hikes: Dallas, TX
The best hikes near Dallas, TX.
Local Hikes: Midwest
The best hikes in the Midwest, as recommended by the region's best hiking clubs.
Print & Go: Enchanted Rock Loop, Enchanted Rock State Park, Austin, TX
Circumnavigate a 425-foot-tall pink granite monolith on this 4.9-miler, which crosses a sandy creek and cruises classic Texas Hill Country west of Austin. Spur trails to Moss Lake (backcountry campsites available) and the summit are short and worthwhile.
Print & Go Weekend Trip Planners
Free Print & Go PDFs give you turn-by-turn trail instructions and photos embedded on a usable topo map. Also: Gear checklists, driving directions, and geo-references for finding the nearest campground, restaurant, gas station, and grocery store.
Secret Hikes: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Climb from sublime desert to pine forests and peaks with 100-mile views.
Secret Hikes of the National Parks
The perfect dozen: Embark on one of these 12 treks, and turn America's most iconic preserves into your own private paradise.
Local Hikes: New Hikes Near You
Our army of reader-reader scouts mapped 59 local hikes from South Carolina to Northern California. See their favorites, then learn how to download tracklogs and waypoints.
Local Hikes: Midwest
See moose, bag a high-desert peak, and sample a quiet long trail. (Click linked trips for GPS waypoints, photos, and more.)
Reader Essays: Going in Circles
Reece Price finds himself lost and alone in the desert.
National Parks Hall of Fame: Best Solitude
If less people, more elk has become your mountain mantra, check the Guadalupe Mountains backcountry camping sites and trails and get that so sought after alone time.
Quick Escapes: 10 Trails Near Major Cities
The perfect metro-area trail: close, wild, uncrowded. Here are 10 major city options.
Natural Wonders: Tallest Hoodoo, Largest Gators, Lost Maples
These three treks to life-list phenomena will take you to Bryce Canyon, Florida gator land, and fall foliage in the Texas desert.
Master the Steeps: High-Angle Hiking Trails
First, check out our tips for healthy hiking on steep terrain in the May 2009 issue then, put them to the test on one of our favorite high-angle trails from California to North Carolina.
Hikes and Trips in US Cities
Use our comprehensive city-specific pages to find hikes near your hometown or in a city you're planning to visit.
Quick Fix: Big Bend National Park
Scout for gold–and desert views–amid this Texas park's spray of late-fall foliage.
Where Can I Find: Fall's Best Birdwatching?
Looking to catch some migrating birds? Find out where to look.
Top 3 Paddling Treks
These weekend float trips have side hikes that rival the paddling for scenery and solitude.
Highpoint Texas
Traverse Guadalupe Mountains National Park to the state's airiest perch.
How to See More Bats
Whether you fear, respect, or applaud these complex creatures of the night, the tips below will help you find and observe them.
Three Southwestern Hikes to Test Your Senses
Joshua Tree, Zion, and the Guadalupe Mountains are three hike-worthy desert destinations.
Paddling's Greatest Getaways
16 wild ways to find backcountry solitude and big-time scenery. All this, and you can bring the ice chest, too.
Adventure Guide: Big Bend National Park
Texas-sized solitude is practically guaranteed when you explore the high peaks and striking river canyons of this lightly visited wilderness.
Ultimate Summer Escapes: The Best Dayhikes and Backpacking Trips Near You
Coming soon to your city: far-out adventures that are shockingly close to home.
High Points: Guadalupe Peak, Texas
This peak lives up to its reputation.
Hike Texas's McKittrick Canyon
This canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains offers an endless cluster of colors mixed together with some famous geology
Dinosaur Valley State Park
This Texas park holds true to its name with some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world.
Best Backpacking In Texas
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Texas.
Quest For The Jackalope
Is the legendary jackalope the most endangered species in the Lower 48 or just an old cowboy tale that refuses to die?
Big Bend Birding In Texas
The best bird window coincides with the best hiking season in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Texas' Hill Country State Natural Area
It's amazing what nature can do with pasture a decade after the cows go home.
Texas' Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Hike or climb this pristine pink-granite wonderland just outside Austin.
Lone Star Hiking Trail, Texas
Smooth and easy hiking deep in the heart of Texas.
Texas: Lost Maples State Natural Area
Texas' Lost Maples has beautiful desert vistas -- and mountain lions.
Texas' Big Slough Wilderness
Texas' Big Slough is as wet as the Big Bend is dry.
Caprock Canyons State Park
History and landscape meet at Caprock Canyos State Park.
Texas' Palo Duro Canyon
The colorful walls of Palo Duro Canyon will delight hikers with masterpiece washes of color.
Texas' Guadalupe Range
If you think west Texas is nothing but tumbleweeds and cattle, you haven't walked 62 miles across one of the world's most famous geological formations.
