Mount Tammany Loop (Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, NJ)

Mount Tammany, Red Dot Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, May 2018 At the Delaware Water Gap, part of a broader National Recreation Area bearing its name, the Delaware River slices through a weakness in the mountains, forming a picturesque valley on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Two peaks, part of the …

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Crater Lake Trail (Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, NJ)

The Crater Lake Trail (no, not that Crater Lake) is a pleasant—although not particularly inspiring—loop hike in a remote section of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the New Jersey side. Access to Crater Lake requires a lengthy drive on unpaved roads, which helps thin out the crowds in an otherwise crowded park, although …

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Raymondskill Falls Trail (Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, PA)

The 150-foot Raymondskill Falls, when at full strength, is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Mid-Atlantic and the tallest in the state of Pennsylvania. Nestled in a shaded valley in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the three-tiered falls are reached by way of a short but steep trail. While Raymondskill is just …

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Billy Goat Trail – Section C (Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, MD)

The Billy Goat Trail is well-known to DC-area hikers, but most hike only one of the trail’s three sections. While Section A is swamped with visitors on any given weekend, Sections B and C are usually quiet and serene. Section C, the closest to DC, covers relatively level terrain above the north banks of the …

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Chesterfield Gorge Trail (Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area, NH)

Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area in southwest New Hampshire—not to be confused with another Chesterfield Gorge in Massachusetts—features a short, 0.7-mile walking trail that follows Wilde Brook as it tumbles over a series of cascades. While the park is a mere 13 acres, the Chesterfield Gorge Trail makes for a pleasant quick stop along the road …

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Whiteoak Canyon – Cedar Run Trail Loop (Shenandoah National Park, VA)

Cedar Run Falls, Shenandoah National Park, April 2018 The nearly 8-mile trail up Whiteoak Canyon and down Cedar Run is easily one of the most scintillating loop hikes in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park and features a string of excellent waterfalls that is perhaps unparalleled in the state. Except for a dull connector trail between the …

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Malvern Hill Trail (Richmond National Battlefield Park, VA)

- Civil War Series - Malvern Hill is one of the country’s best-preserved Civil War battlefields and marked the culmination of the Seven Days’ Battles, a series of engagements outside Richmond, Virginia in June-July 1862 that ended Union Gen. George McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac, in the midst of a retreat to …

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Gaines’ Mill Trail (Richmond National Battlefield Park, VA)

- Civil War Series - Following General Robert E. Lee’s defeat the day prior at Beaver Dam Creek, the Confederate Army won a decisive but costly victory on June 27, 1862 in the Battle of Gaines’ Mill. Attempting to catch the Federal Army as it was retreating south to the James River, Lee sent the …

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Nature Trail (George Washington Birthplace National Monument, VA)

- Revolutionary War Series - The roughly one-mile Nature Trail at Virginia’s George Washington Birthplace National Monument offers a short journey through peaceful woodlands situated across Dancing Marsh from the main historic area. The forest was the old stomping grounds of George Washington, who, despite moving area from the Pope’s Creek area when he was …

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Trading Post Trail (Red Rocks Park, CO)

Rising abruptly from the dry prairielands at the base of Colorado’s Front Range, the ruddy sandstone outcrops at Red Rocks Park are a popular destination in the Denver area. A short drive from the bustling metropolis, Red Rocks feels in some ways like an urban spectacle: the park is most well-known, after all, for its …

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