Backpacker Magazine – June 2012

Trail Mix: East

Explore wilderness bounty, see fawns in Shenandoah National Park, and experience three perfect days, all this summer and all in the east.

by: Rachel Zurer

Tags:
• East
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• June
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• TrailMix
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• Destinations
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Explore: Atlanta 
East Palisades Loop, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area
Enjoy wilderness bounty (woodpeckers, orioles, herons, and late-spring blooming mountain laurels) without leaving the city on this 3.8-mile riverside loop (Trip ID* 60116). Download our free smartphone app, GPS Trails, to check out 25 more hikes within the metro area and a waterfall-filled trip in north Georgia’s hills.

3 Perfect Days

Charleston, SC: Palmetto Trail
Get an early start on this 8.2-mile out-and-back through the cypress swamps of Francis Marion NF. That’ll leave time to see a flight demo and visit the hawks, falcons, owls, and eagles at the Center for Birds of Prey on your way home (Thurs.-Sat., $12, thecenterforbirdsofprey.org). Trip ID 20785

Manchester, NH: Mt. Madison
Get pumped by starting your day on the half-mile zip-line at Wildcat Mountain ($20, skiwildcat.com; tickets first-come starting at 9:30 a.m.). With summer’s long days, you’ll still have time to conquer nearby Mt. Madison on foot, via a steep, 7.8-mile hike to a 5,267-foot summit with views stretching all the way to Maine. Trip ID 5670

Washington, DC: Billy Goat Trail B & C
Raging whitewater—not chattering crowds—provides the soundtrack to this 5.8-mile semi-loop along the Potomac River. Down the road, Glen Echo park offers more music: Ride the 1920s-era Dentzel Carousel—you’ll feel like a kid again ($1; glenechopark.org). Trip ID 36431

6/2 National Trails Day
Spotlight: New York
Join one of 75 simultaneous section hikes as part of a one-day traverse of the 568-mile Finger Lakes Trail (fltconference.org). Find an event near you: americanhiking.org/ntd.


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