Stories

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

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

Hike with sea turtles, watch the dolphins play, and share the beach with ghost crabs.

Gorgeous gorge: Where the arches outnumber the footprints.

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

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

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

A precious backcountry jewel amid the hardwood forests.

Where you can look down on soaring eagles and feel the power of the Missouri River.

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

It's amazing what nature can do with pasture a decade after the cows go home.

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

The current carries you through the Great Plains, where buffalo, elk -- and snapping turtles -- roam.

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

Wooded trails, tea-colored waters -- and the Jersey Devil.

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

Hike or climb this pristine pink-granite wonderland just outside Austin.

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

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

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

Where you'll share the mountain with curious goats and mysteries of the past.

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

Classic eastern mountain scenery along West Virginia's skyline pathway.

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

Near-complete isolation just a few miles from Virginia Beach.

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

Check out William Oglesby's author page.

Waterfalls and swimming holes aplenty.

Sunny beaches, cool forests, and a birder's paradise along the shores of Lake Michigan.

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

A slice of Utah canyon in the heart of Dixie.

Where the shadows on the sandstone offer lessons from the past and there's not a soul to be found.

Old, haunted New York mountains, thick with legend.

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

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

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

Heavy forests and the roar of whitewater wait in this section of the Appalachian Mountains.

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

Connecticut's South Taconic Mountains have bald peaks, deep, forested gorges, and trees as old as the Mayflower.

Tiny Gibson Lake will take you out of Denver in a hurry with its big-wilderness feel and smirking brook trout.

Behind the forbidding name lies California's glacier-polished playground.

Ishi Wilderness trails run through stream-carved canyons, past stunning vistas, back to gold rush days.

Hiking and backpacking at its finest, through pastoral grasslands and forests of pine and fur.

You're as likely to bump into Sasquatch as another human.

Where does the aurora borealis come from?

Forthwith, interesting tidbits about Great Smoky's largest forest dwellers.

Only have a short time to tackle the Pacific Northwest Trail? Our guide will give you the best the PNT has to offer.

With the click of a shutter, Ansel Adams captured the beauty and soul of wild places and showed us that in nature, there is magic.

Mills Canyon is a hidden treasure where you can bushwhack through history.

In the Wind Rivers range, you can hike for days without seeing another soul, which is why it brings a pair of brothers back again and again.

In a region known for soggy times, Juniper Dunes is a warm sandbox where you can dry out.

The blaze of fall color in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is unequaled.

North Dakota: America's own Serengeti.

No color in nature comes close to matching the heart-stirring golden aspen found in the Rockies in autumn.

The majestic San Juan Mountain range is often called America's Switzerland. -- and the wildflowers match.

Figure on 9 days to do the entire 100-mile hike—unless you're slowed drastically by all the blueberries.

Observe the uncanny resemblance between the good doctor's famous Truffula Trees and a field of fuzz-topped flowers 5 miles up Long Canyon.

A chaotic chorus of loon calls penetrate the darkness, the warbling sounds echoing off the wooded hills around the New Hampshire lake.

In winter, the glasslike menagerie of icicles in the Cumberland Plateau will send a chill down your spine.

California: Journey through a desert to bear witness to some of the loveliest wildflowers you'll ever see.

In Whites Creek Cave you can explore in nature's own cooling system, and observe its grateful inhabitants.

Arizona: Every year millions of ladybugs head to Arizona and coat trees, rocks, and brush like a layer of living paint.

The typical Delaware River float trip offers the opportunity to spy more bald eagles than people.

At a campsite along the Snake River, the bugling goes on night and day.

Wisconsin: Explore 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland shoreline where strings of cliffs and caves are bejeweled in ice.

The Purple Trail through Chase Prairie or the Green or Red Trails through Floyd's Prairie are good routes for viewing Sandhill cranes.

You can spend days exploring the Dry River Valley forest without seeing another soul, even if it sounds like you're being chased by a well-armed militia.

You'll emerge from a forested hallway into a wilderness playroom, and there before you will be skidmarks in the snow.

The ungodly wailing that sometimes drifts through the dark woods is only an animal.

Have your camera ready near dusk, when sunlight warms the landscape with intense color.

Combine a full harvest moon with a remote island trail for the greatest show on Earth.

Even if you don't see a moose, you'll hear the bulls' low grunts echoing off the hillside.

Montana: The Pryor Mountains harbor the nation's last free-roaming wild mustangs, not to mention wilderness that is as wild as the horses.

Life in the high desert in autumn is sweeter and more irresistible than any place on Earth.

Enjoy Vermont's autumn colors while you can -- they disappear all too quickly, and the Green Mountains recover their namesake hue in the spring.

Pine Mountain and Wilson Ridge command high-country vistas stretching across rock-strewn meadows.

Encountering a rattlesnake is a splendid moment in time, a cherished wilderness event--at least that's the view of Arizona researchers trying to change public perception of all things fanged.

The lunarlike landscape and dark skies of this preserve make White Sands one of the best places for star watching.

Maine's seal pups are usually born in May, making early summer an ideal time to witness the youngsters learning to swim and fish.

"October is the month for painted leaves," Thoreau mused. He could have been talking about Kentucky's Red River Gorge.