Stories

Everyone's heard of the Cascades, but no one seems to know about Tillamook State Forest.

Gain a raptor's-eye view of the world in Colorado's Eagles Nest Wilderness.

Relax and sniff the azaleas among Missouri's Whispering Pines.

Don't expect the red-carpet treatment in Arizona's Galiuro Mountains, just wilderness on its own terms.

For almost half a century, California's rugged Ishi Wilderness hid "the last wild Indian." Even today, it is a place that can keep a secret.

As ice-cream makers in Los Angeles once knew, the Cucamonga Wilderness is the essence of cool.

Once a bumpy stagecoache route, Arkansas's Butterfield Trail now jostles hikers.

Where artists once found inspiration, the Catskills' Escarpment Trail now challenges hikers.

Where 100 unknown Sierra miles wait.

The William O. Douglas Wilderness is a monument worthy of a great man.

Way up in Nevada's East Humboldt Wilderness, finding solitude and water are sure bets.

Play out your Lawrence of Suburbia fantasies at Indiana Dunes.

A Thoreauvian classic hike in New Hampshire.

What have you done lately for the trails and backcountry you use? Join a Volunteer Vacation and save the trails you love.

While Sawtooth Lake grabs the limelight, behind the scenes lie crowd-free peace and splendor.

Why choose between breezy peaks and cool streams when you can have both at Big Frog Wilderness?

If you look beyond the occasional cow, you'll find the BLM has lots of ruggedly beautiful land to offer. No mining, no oil rigs, just lots of solitude.

Leave the book in the tent and make a date to chat with some owls and sing with the frogs.

The ambling Wisconsin River has only one speed: full-out relaxed.

Here's how to find the best of Wyoming's expansive Bighorn range.

While the wolf reintroduction debate rages across the country, in Wisconsin the animals are simply reclaiming their rightful place.

Crowd-free, rocky mountain highs -- you'll find this and more in Colorado's South San Juan Wilderness.

Great Smoky's Gregory Bald features an amazing crown of wild azaleas.

Oklahoma's own Tennessee awaits intrepid hikers.

Luckily, Aldo Leopold's prediction about Mt. Baldy didn't come true -- these Arizona forests are just as verdant as always.

Get away from the Ozarks crowd on the Berryman Trail.

Hickory Creek Wilderness in the Allegheny National Forest remains a great hiking destination all year -- even in winter.

Hikers often overlook the the quiet meadows, wildflowers, and mountaintops of New Mexico's Latir Wilderness. Their loss is your gain.

Bears electrify an already incredible experience at Glacier National Park's Bowman Lake.

Boy Scouts paved an excellent trail in this Ozark gem.

James Peak is a gem just 50 miles west of Denver.

Burnt Rock Mountain provides great views along Vermont's Long Trail.

A hidden spot in Washington's popular Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

The bare rocks of Oklahoma's Charons Gardens will haunt and delight hikers.

Find a new kind of California beach on the undeveloped shores of Santa Catalina Island.

The best way to see all Olympic has to offer is on the grand Valley Loop.

An Ozark oasis loaded with wildlife and fall colors.

Texas' Big Slough is as wet as the Big Bend is dry.

Dark, volcanic mountains soaring along the Pacific Crest make for a forbidding wilderness perfect for U.S. Marines in training -- or solitude-seeking hikers.

The colorful walls of Palo Duro Canyon will delight hikers with masterpiece washes of color.

Never heard of Utah's George Washington Hayduke Route, have you? That's because it's brand new.

Visit Arkansas' Buffalo National River Trail, where the huckleberries are plentiful and the views are wondrous.

Highest, biggest, wildest: Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness is a land of superlatives.

Waterfalls and wonder: Both are plentiful in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge.

History and landscape meet at Caprock Canyos State Park.

Escape from the urban at Wisconsin's Governor Knowles State Forest.

Like to start your hikes up high? Then Arkansas Huckleberry Trail is for you.

Kentucky's Cumberland Falls provide spectacular waterworks, day or night.

Think Iowa is nothing but flat? You haven't visited the Yellow River State Forest.

Secret scrambles and lakes abound in this northern California wilderness.

The most old-growth forest in the east resides in North Carolina's Joyce Kilmer Wilderness.

Lake Superior's best coast lies on Wisconsin's Apostle Islands.

Hiking through wetlands in Pennsylvania? Believe it.

High, cool peaks rise over 7,000 feet above the desert flats in New Mexico's White Mountain Wilderness.

Cumberland Island's south shore provides remarkably pristine beaches and mossy forests.

It's not complete, but North Carolina's Mountains To Sea trail rivals Inman's journey in "Cold Mountain."

Get spectacular Appalachian Trail mountain views without much effort on the Riga Plateau.

A hike up New Hampshire's Carter Dome has it all -- mountains, forests, water, views, solitude, and even a little challenge.

Break the long Michigan winter with a lengthy hike on Michigan's Riding and Hiking Trail.

These quiet summits feature the best views of New York's high Adirondacks.

Check out Ted Stedman's author page.

Great Basin's Mt. Moriah is a big mountain of solitude.

History and nature intertwine when you hike South Dakota's stunning Black Hills.

Get above treeline in Maine's wild Saddleback Range.

Go through the looking glass in Utah's canyon country.

Texas' Lost Maples has beautiful desert vistas -- and mountain lions.

Wilderness worthy enough to inspire any classical landscape painter.

The Marietta Unit provides some of the greatest river trails in Ohio.

Can you find solitude in Sequoia National Park? You can if you go off trail.

Walk among giants in Redwood National Park.

In New Mexico's Pecos Wilderness, it's just you and the bighorn sheep looking down on the world.

Three Bay Area hikes that'll quickly make winter a distant memory

To understand what goes on beneath the sea, find a rocky shoreline and explore away

You won't get a nosebleed on the Knobstone Trail, but you will get a taste of Hoosier high country.

In Alaska's Tongass, the ancient trees have something to say...if you're willing to listen.

The Tordrillo Mountains are so rugged, you'd swear you're the first human to set foot there.

Extend the hiking season at these three destinations, all perfect for winter newbies.

Wrangell-St. Elias National park is known for its jaw-dropping scenery, but there's just as much beauty at your feet.

You don't need a canoe to reach some of the Everglades' best beachfront campsites.

In the fortress-like Mazatzal Wilderness, you can barricade yourself in solitude.