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Backpacker Magazine – October 2009
Quick Escapes: 10 Trails Near Major Cities
The perfect metro-area trail: close, wild, uncrowded. Here are 10 major city options.
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- California |
- Texas |
- Arizona |
- Massachusetts |
- Illinois |
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- Washington |
The Wild Edge: Exploring Portland's Forest Park
When urban trails blend with raw wilderness, the sum is much greater than the parts. By Bill Donahue
Free Maps! Our Contributors Favorite Local Hikes
Online or via your cellphone these trips are ready to be downloaded and explored.
When urban trails blend with raw wilderness, the sum is much greater than the parts. By Bill Donahue
Free Maps! Our Contributors Favorite Local HikesOnline or via your cellphone these trips are ready to be downloaded and explored.
Phoenix | San Diego | San Francisco | Boston | New York | Philadelphia | Chicago | Seattle | Los Angeles | Austin
Los Angeles, CA
The best vista in Hollywood? Right under its iconic sign.
No need to brave freeway gridlock to stretch your legs. Griffith Park–with 4,000 acres of open space–lies right in the Hollywood Hills. And its best trails aren't overrun, because the park's surprisingly sharp vertical gain discourages casual hikers. Top hour-long escape: Enter at the Cadman Drive entrance and drive to the start of the Coolidge Trail, on the left. Ascend switchbacks up the mountainside to a bird's-eye view of Glendale and downtown L.A. At the intersection of the Upper Beacon and Fern Canyon Trails (at 1.1 miles), stay left on Upper Beacon for 300 yards, then snake 1.2 miles down the Lower Beacon Trail to close the loop. ci.la.ca.us/rap/dos/parks/griffithPK/index.htm
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READERS COMMENTS
I think you forgot Portland.
that's the very area i like to hike when i'm in nyc after some appalachian tr hiking. get to nyc a day before your departure flight, the hostel's only a half mile from the park. a few blocks from the subway. perfect.
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