| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Also on Backpacker.com
Backpacker Magazine – May 2012
Local Hikes
Jump-start your hiking season on these spring-ready trips from around the country.
-
Tags:
- Destinations |
- California |
- Oregon |
- Washington |
- New Mexico |
- Idaho |
- Colorado |
- Montana |
- Arizona |
- Texas |
- Illinois |
- Ohio |
- Minnesota |
- Oklahoma |
- Missouri |
- Pennsylvania |
- Massachusetts |
- New York |
- Maine |
- North Carolina |
- Georgia |
- Tennessee |
- Florida |
HIKES IN THE SOUTHEAST
Asheville, NC
Appalachian Trail: Brown Gap to Max Patch
Delicate pink-and-white mountain laurel hits peak bloom in late May along this 6.9-mile section of the AT, which traces the North Carolina-Tennessee border en route to 360-degree views atop grassy, 4,629-foot Max Patch. Trip ID 42374
Atlanta, GA
Gahuti Backcountry Trail
Tunnel through thickets of May-blooming rhododendron on this undulating 7.9-mile lap circling Fort Mountain State Park. Look for the remains of an 855-foot-long rock wall believed to have been built by Native Americans (the park is named for the relic). Trip ID 8223
Knoxville, TN
Ridge-to-Waterfall Loop
The hollows and ridges of 3,500-acre Bays Mountain Park serve up a sweet sampling of Appalachian spring. On this 12-mile route, you’ll find pink lady slippers beneath trailside hemlocks, and hooded warblers, scarlet tanagers, and pileated and downy woodpeckers in the leafy canopy. Keep an eye out for black bears and beavers, too. The latter are particularly active in spring, when sap flow returns. Another highlight: 50-mile views into four states (Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina) from the 2,465-foot lookout. Trip ID 36480
Memphis, TN
Chickasaw Bluff
The 13,467-acre Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park’s blend of mature bottomland hardwoods and upland forest boasts 200 species of birds and a wide variety of vegetation. Look for blooming yellow tulip poplar trees and red buckeye in the understory on this 7.7-mile, one-way trek to 125-acre Poplar Tree Lake. Trip ID 6948
Tallahassee, FL
Leon Sinks Loop
Explore a swampy, sinkhole-laden landscape—with a network of caves and deep blue pools—beneath the shade of oaks, tupelo, and citrus-smelling magnolias (blooming April and May) on this 4.4-mile loop inside a half million-acre national forest. Trip ID 22892
Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter
Reader Rating:
-
Editors' Choice 2013
412 trail-tested products
Boost Your Apps
Add powerful tools and exclusive maps to your BACKPACKER apps through our partnership with Trimble Outdoors.
Carry the Best Maps
With BACKPACKER PRO Maps, get life-list destinations and local trips on adventure-ready waterproof myTopo paper.
FREE Rocky Mountain Trip Planner
Sign up for a free Rocky Mountain National Park trip planning kit from our sister site MyRockyMountainPark.com.
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat BetterThe Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only.
Canadian subscriptions |
International subscriptions
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
READERS COMMENTS
new nfl jersey cheap, 2013 new nfl jersey sale, nfl jersey 2013, cheap baseball jerseys
http://www.jersey2shopsale.com/
sf giants jersey cheap, baseball jersey for sale, wholesale nba jerseys, wholesale nhl jerseys,
http://www.jersey2shopsale.com/Nike-NFL-Jerseys-c124/
wholesale nike nfl jerseys, new nfl jersey wholesale
http://www.jersey2shopsale.com/MLB-Jerseys-c94/
cheap mlb jerseys, cheap nhl jersey
http://www.jersey2shopsale.com/NBA-Jerseys-c77/
cheap nba jerseys, wholesale mlb jersey, cheap nhl jerseys
I agree with Andy B. about the quality of the Backpacker website. Lots of good information but a challenge to get around in the site plus slow response time. Needs an overhaul. And being a subscriber to the magazine, it's maddening to have the ever present pop-up urging me to subscribe. Why not offer a way to have subcribers log in and avoid that nuisance?
I agree with Andy B. about the quality of the Backpacker website. Lots of good information but a challenge to get around in the site plus slow response time. Needs an overhaul. And being a subscriber to the magazine, it's maddening to have the ever present pop-up urging me to subscribe. Why not offer a way to have subcribers log in and avoid that nuisance?
The trip ID for Phantom Falls is not right, or I'm not doing something right. Is it too difficult for you to provide a direct link to these hikes in the article??? I swear, the Backpacker website is one of the worst on the web. So much potential not realized.
And don't forget to read Felix! the Sugar Glider Be Safe Hike Smart (Amazon). Learn what survival items to keep in your vehicle, how to get rescued, and how to navigate your way with and without a map or compass. A fast, easy read that could save your life and will definitely make your adventure more safe and enjoyable!
What no Michigan hikes???
"Trip ID: Get free maps and GPS data by adding the Trip ID to backpacker.com/hikes/______."
This is the web, is adding a link to each hike too much for you? You should add the link instead of requiring us to manually piece it together.
Bays Mountain Park is located outside of Kingsport, TN, not Knoxville.
Bays Mountain Park is located outside of Kingsport, TN, not Knoxville.
ADD A COMMENT