Larry Rice

16 wild ways to find backcountry solitude and big-time scenery. All this, and you can bring the ice chest, too.

Roads end in Arizona with tall tales, natural gardens, cacti forests, and shoe scorpions.

Hike up and down oak- and hickory-covered ridgetops, or explore underground.

Not your laid-back summer holiday -- canoeing and hiking galore.

Exploring hills and "hollers" in the Land of Lincoln.

A pristine prairie river winds through a sea of corn and beans in the shadow of Chicago.

A big Midwestern sandpile turned into an otherworldly escape by pounding surf and forests.

On its way from the Ohio to the Mississippi, Illinois' new River to River Trail takes you through a surprisingly wild side of the Corn Belt.