- Civil War Series - The Twin Forts Loop Trail in Virginia’s Newport News explores the site of the Battle of Dam No. 1, a failed Union attack on a Confederate fortification on April 16, 1862. Part of the three-month Peninsula Campaign, the Union defeat was the second of the month (a similar effort failed …
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It seems like every state park in America has a man-made reservoir, and Babcock State Park in south-central West Virginia is no exception. After checking out the area’s historic grist mill, beautiful waterfalls, and sweeping views, finish off your day with an easy-to-moderate loop hike around Boley Lake, stocked with trout between February and May …
Continue reading Lake View Trail Loop (Babcock State Park, WV)
Aside from having the best food and greatest football team in the country, Buffalo, New York is much maligned for its miserable weather, post-industrial cityscape, and, well, for having the most aggravating football team in the country. Like any city, however, the Buffalo area has its fair share of parks (the most famous of which, …
Aside from the short, easy trail around Maroon Lake, the moderately difficult Crater Lake Trail is probably the most popular hike in Colorado’s magnificent Maroon Bells Recreation Area. The 1.5-mile hike (plus 1/3 mile on the Maroon Lake Trail) takes visitors to over 10,000 feet, ending at a fantastic basin near the confluence of Minnehaha …
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There is perhaps no landscape more iconic in Colorado than the classic view—used in nature calendars everywhere—of Maroon Lake, set before the beautiful backdrop of aspen trees and the snow-streaked Maroon Bells. Situated less than 11 miles from Aspen, Maroon Lake is a popular destination for photographers and hikers, and the short Maroon Lake Trail—wide …
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Though the state’s five national parks—Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion—often steal the show, Utah also boasts a handful of very impressive state parks, from Snow Canyon to Goblin Valley to Kodachrome Basin. Another is Antelope Island State Park, a peaceful refuge for wildlife and wonder, a beautiful landscape surrounded by Utah’s famously …
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Considering the hundreds of thousands of outdoors-lovers in and around Denver, it should come as no surprise that there is an endless array of parks and trails within a 90-minute drive from the state capital. This includes Arapaho, Roosevelt, and Pike National Forests; more than a dozen state parks; the impressive Denver Mountain Parks system; …
Continue reading Buck Gulch – Strawberry Jack – Park View Trail Loop (Pine Valley Ranch Park, CO)
Though America remains the focus of Live and Let Hike, why not do a brief write-up on a short hike I completed last month from much further afield? Despite its petite size, the mountainous European nation of Slovenia presents considerable hiking opportunities, boasting access to the southeastern fringe of the world-famous Alps. Arguably the most …
Continue reading Mala Osojnica & Ojstrica (Lake Bled, Slovenia)
The 1.8 mi. (one-way) hike to Emerald Lake is a Rocky Mountain NP classic: excellent mountain views, wildflowers, and flowing rapids, interrupted only by the serenity of three high-altitude lakes (four, if you include Bear). The final leg, from Dream to Emerald Lakes, is particularly spectacular. The downside, of course, is that the relative ease …
Continue reading Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes (Rocky Mountain National Park, CO)
For all its wonders, Rocky Mountain National Park boasts relatively few half-day to day loop hikes, so the Lake Haiyaha loop described here stands out as an exception (for a full-day loop hike, try the Fern-Odessa-Cub Lake loop). In addition to Haiyaha, the loop hits several other notable destinations, including Alberta Falls and Dream, Nymph, …
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Live and Let Hike 