The Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park Service and the Healthy Community Design Initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention got together and produced a Parks, Trails and Health Workbook.  It is widely recognized that parks are critical to the health of communities and the people that live in them.  This […]

The Backbone Trail opened officially today, June 4, 2016.  The trail begins at Thornhill Broome Beach in Point Mugu State Park on the coast just west of Malibu, California.  It extends 67 miles up, into and through the length of  the Santa Monica Mountains to Will Rogers State Historic Park near Santa Monica, California. Decades of Development […]

  Next Saturday, June 4, is National Trails Day. The event is coordinated by the American Hiking Society and includes events in every state.  These include hikes, biking and horseback rides, paddling trips, birdwatching, geocaching, gear demonstrations, stewardship projects and more.  It’s a great opportunity to kick off your summer adventures with one of many pre-planned […]

The National Bicycle Challenge in the U.S. began on May 1 and ends September 30.  The idea is to ride your bike more miles and the challenge offers a commitment device to help you do it.  To get committed to your bicycling goals, hop on over to nationalbikechallenge.org and create an account with your email address. […]

May is National Bike Month in the U.S.  During the month, the benefits of bicycling are highlighted in an effort to encourage more people to get their bikes out of storage and onto the roads and trails. Urban Bicycling People around the world enjoy bicycling on a daily basis and you can too.  If you […]

The Trans Canada Trail is a patchwork of interconnecting segments that not only crosses Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but also reaches to the Arctic Ocean.  The southerly portion of the trail crosses Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, with a detour through Prince Edward Island, then tracks along Canada’s southern border as far as Manitoba.  From […]

Whitewater parks are becoming increasingly popular across the United States, but what are they?  In most cases these parks are in a river that has been modified to enhance the opportunities for recreation, generally kayaking and sometimes surfing or stand up paddle boarding.   Done properly a smooth-flowing stream can become a complex whitewater adventure. In […]

  A great way to explore is day hiking.  An even better way is to set up a base camp and day hike in all directions over several days.  Camping trailers make outstanding base camps, as opposed to those big RV’s, because you can park the trailer and get deeper into the woods with your […]

Adventure racing had it’s modern roots in 1968 with a two-day race in the United Kingdom.  That race had two-person teams following an unmarked wilderness course over 52 miles.  Competitors were required to carry all their own gear for an overnight camp.  Besides the physical aspect, competitors had to be skilled in orienteering, since the […]

In March and April each year kids aged 15 to 18 are applying for positions with the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC).  They will send their applications to the location they would like to work and wait.  After the enrollment period ends,  the Park Service, Forest Service and other participating agencies will randomly select the participants at […]