Stories

A good pile of animal scat speaks volumes about your backwoods neighbors, if you know what to look for.

In the 1800s, cowboys didn't think much of the Grand Canyon's Parashant National Monument. Luckily, times and attitudes have changed.

The best trips are littered with mistakes, frustration, and, if a river called the "Little Misery" runs through it, boot-sucking mud.

For Deep South scenery, try Alabama's Conecuh Trail, where the gopher frogs and armadillos outnumber the people.

Glacier National Park possesses scenery that'll suck the breath out of your lungs, quiet so intense you'll wonder if your ears still work, and enough wildlife to make a zookeeper drool with envy.

When leaves turn the colors on a painter's palette, head to the Adirondack's High Peaks Wilderness.

The best way to honor a wilderness-minded senator is to hike the Jackson Wilderness.

When you have park visitors asking such questions as, "The animals aren't really wild, are they?" you have a recipe for disaster.

If land has a personality, then Vermont's 270-mile Long Trail is one moody, unpredictable way to hike through New England.

Where the words "wild" and "life" take on new meaning

When summer ends, crowd-free hiking begins in Colorado's Indian Peaks.

What's good for elk is good for backpackers on Michigan's High Country Pathway.

New research suggests that bear bells don't work, and colorful tents and clothing may attract bruins.

The greatest backpacking parks in the United States, chosen for their scenery.

Is the legendary jackalope the most endangered species in the Lower 48 or just an old cowboy tale that refuses to die?

Out of mistakes, miscues, and unexpected turns in the trail, we find the perfect trip.

Sure, you can summit Mt. Rainier, but the real treasure isn't on top. It's the Wonderland Trail down below.

Washington's gentle "forgotten mountains" -- The Kettle River Range -- are ignored by those in a hurry to reach the Cascades.

The French-Canadian trappers are long gone, but the grizzlies and waterfalls remain in this alpine nirvana.

Its bite is more than painful -- it could be deadly.

If you think the last truly wild, unexplored land is in Canada or Alaska, you haven't been to Wyoming's Absaroka range.

Follow Jesse James's footprints to a land of shady valleys and cool, clear lakes.

History is carved in stone in this wild and scenic southern river corridor in North Carolina and Georgia.

Are you antsy? Need to get away? Try New York's Tongue Range.

Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest is just what the hiker ordered.

Some people head to Wyoming to summit the Tetons. But outdoor legend Paul Petzoldt had a better idea: Create a route for foot travelers along the spine of the great range.

Even when you're trapped in the nation's most crowded metropolis, backwoods relief is only a short hike down a Long Path.

Rare stands of virgin hardwood and creekside camping beckon sunburned hikers.

In a strange way, music and wilderness go hand in hand.

Chambers Lakes are too cold for swimming, but a great place to watch 'bergs drift by.

Montana and Wyoming's incredibly wild and beautiful Absaroka needs your help.

Here's what little we've learned about the mysterious Jackalope.

On the hoof, antlers and horns are a regal sight. Once discarded, they speak volumes about the former owner.

Horns or antlers?

A quick guide to antler spotting in the wild.

Cool your feet and warm your brow in this Arizona desert wilderness.

Alaska's premier area for fish and wildlife.

In the shadow of magnificent Mt. Shasta lies a relic of ancient times.

Lay claim to your own California mountain valley and bask in utter solitude.

Porpoises escort you to a rugged island where buffalo really do roam.

A primordial oasis of rivers, bighorn sheep, and canyons.

Mountain vistas: the ups and downs of a mountain-biking/hiking paradise.

A high point offering a year-round getaway for lovers of southern wildlife, lush forests, and redeye bass.

Myths and cactus in California: A life-filled land of sand and mountains.

California's second largest park has an impressive trail system.

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

A slice of Utah canyon in the heart of Dixie.

Trade your flip-flops for hiking boots and explore a seaside trail.

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

Hike from Kentucky to Tennessee along an inland peninsula.

Once an impassable, swampy "ghost river," now a paddler's dream.

Watch for ghosts among the mushroom-shaped rocks in this weird, lovely landscape.

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

Not much company along this stretch of Deep South blackwater -- and that's just fine.

A peaceful rest stop in the shadow of the nation's largest city.

Frozen fire shaped by cataclysmic forces and the footsteps of the ancient ones.

Gorgeous gorge: Where the arches outnumber the footprints.

A precious backcountry jewel amid the hardwood forests.

Take a lazy cruise through exotic scenery, where monkeys swing and eagles soar.

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

Too small to get much attention and a pain in the neck to reach: The perfect Wisconsin escape.

Waterfalls and swimming holes aplenty.

A hiker's oasis in the hills and valleys of the Midwest.

All trails lead to the top in this lake-lover's paradise.

Olympic National Park is pristine and isolated -- rare commodities these days.

A water-lover's Wisconsin wonderland with forests, prairies, and the occasional eagle.

Check out William Oglesby's author page.

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

Lose yourself in the past on part of the Buckeye, America's longest loop trail.

Just beyond the neon and greenbacks of Vegas lies a priceless wilderness gem.

Old, haunted New York mountains, thick with legend.

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

A bit of nerve opens up the stunning canyonlands made famous by Wile E. Coyote.

Majestic peaks rise in all directions in Washington's Boulder River Wilderness -- elegant, jagged, draped in snow.

If you're a fan of eskers, moraines, kettles, and kames, Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Forest is the right place for you.

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

A rugged land of sweet-smelling wildflowers, bald mountains, and stone Indians.

There's more to the Louisiana's deep South than swamps and Cajun food.

Raft or hike this desert paradise's secretive canyons -- but don't pass up the hot springs.

Tucked away in a New England corner is an old-growth paradise.