Coal mining was once the ticket to wealth in rural West Virginia. Today it is a struggling industry—the number of coal jobs in the state has halved since 1983. Yet even as more coal mines close, they remain an integral part of West Virginia’s heritage, and a number of sites are protected by organizations like …
Continue reading Headhouse Trail (New River Gorge National River, WV)
Many visits to New River Gorge National River in south central West Virginia begin at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, situated off Route 19 on the east flank of the gorge. While some of the best hikes in the park lie elsewhere, the short Canyon Rim Boardwalk Trail offers excellent and convenient views of the …
Continue reading Canyon Rim Boardwalk (New River Gorge National River, WV)
- Civil War Series - In September 1862, Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson used Loudoun Heights as a staging ground for the bombardment of the picturesque—but also strategic—town of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Today, remnants of the Civil War have mostly disappeared from the ridgetop, but spectacular views of Harper’s Ferry and the confluence of the …
Continue reading Loudoun Heights Trail (Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, WV)
At 595,400 square miles—roughly double the size of Texas—the French Canadian province of Quebec is enormous. Yet, because the vast majority of population centers are in Quebec’s extreme south, it is hard to get a sense of perspective unless you drive north into the oblivion. One such option to experience Quebec outside the Montreal-Quebec City-Sherbrooke …
Situated 2-3 hours’ drive north of Quebec City, Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay boasts one of the world’s longest and southernmost fjords, a rare sight along the Atlantic coast of North America. Here the Saguenay River, a prominent waterway flowing into the even larger Saint Lawrence, twists and weaves through a glacial valley, the result of …
Continue reading Sentier des Chutes (Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay, QC)
At roughly 270 feet high, Quebec’s Montmorency Falls (a.k.a. Chute-Montmorency) dwarfs the better-known Niagara Falls in height. Situated less than a 20 minutes’ drive from the old town in Quebec City, the falls are named for an obscure duke, Henri II de Montmorency, the viceroy of Quebec (then New France) between 1620 and 1625. Today, …
It’s not the largest city in Quebec, but it’s in many ways one of Canada’s most historically important: founded in 1608, Quebec City is one of North America’s oldest European settlements, a walled fortress situated at a strategic point along the Saint Lawrence River, one of New France’s—and eventually Canada’s—most important shipping and trade routes. …
It’s been more than a year since Live and Let Hike featured a hike outside of the United States (see here and here). No more. Today’s post takes us north to Canada—specifically Quebec City, one of North America’s oldest European settlements, founded in 1608 by esteemed explorer Samuel de Champlain. In the heart of Quebec …
Situated just north of today’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Washington, DC, Piney Branch carves a wooded valley that was a longtime source of quartzite and boasted the first road through what would become Rock Creek Park. A smattering of trails zig-zag across the steam valley, but the description below covers a 1.5-mile loop around the …
Cunningham Falls, Maryland’s tallest, is the focal park of the state park bearing its name, but there are plenty of other worth destinations in this 6,000-acre wilderness a short striking distance from Frederick, Maryland. Cat Rock offers nice, albeit not fantastic, views of the surrounding Catoctin Mountains, but the real gem is the “rock” itself: …
Continue reading Cat Rock Loop (Cunningham Falls State Park, MD)
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