East Mexican Canyon Trail, Fort Robinson State Park, July 2022 Fort Robinson, a former U.S. Army base dating to the late 19th century, may be the most popular destination in the state park that bears its name—but the natural highlights lie beyond to the north and west in the sedimentary rock canyons and high bluffs …
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Blackhills Overlook Trail, Chadron State Park, July 2022 Rising suddenly and surprisingly, the scenic Pine Ridge cuts like a furrowed eyebrow across northwest Nebraska, revealing an elevated landscape of thick ponderosa forests and chalk canyons. The 100-mile ridge is a sudden break from the flats of the Great Plains and bears some of the best …
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Fort Falls Trail, Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, July 2022 A pioneer of environmental conservation, President Theodore Roosevelt created, with the stroke of a pen in January 1912, Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in northern Nebraska, protecting a “preserve and breeding ground for native birds.” The refuge also protects herds of bison and elk—rarities on …
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Gavin's Point Nature Trail, Lewis & Clark Recreation Area, July 2022 Created by the Gavins Point Dam on the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark Lake spans more than 31,000 on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota. While the massive reservoir conceals the original river embankments, it is paralleled on both sides by Niobrara chalk …
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Circle Trail, Pipestone National Monument, July 2022 Pipestone National Monument in southwest Minnesota preserves the site of an active pipestone quarry used by the Sioux and other American Indian tribes to craft famed “peace pipes” popularized by groups in the northern plains of the United States. The Sioux Quartzite that predominates in the park dates …
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Cascade Falls, Osceola, July 2022 Osceola, Wisconsin, situated on the St. Croix River and border with Minnesota, is a charming small town that is a popular day trip for Twin Cities residents. It owes its destination status in part to the natural landscapes immediately surrounding it, from the high bluffs to the gentle riverside to …
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Pothole Trail, Interstate Park, July 2022 Evidence of ancient lava flows, prehistoric seas, and glacial erosion abounds at the Dalles of the St. Croix, a narrow gorge situated on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, about an hour’s drive from the Twin Cities. In addition to the high basalt walls that frame the dalles, the …
Fire Point Loop, Effigy Mounds National Monument, July 2022 Perched on the bluffs high above the Mississippi River Valley in northeast Iowa lies a hidden treasure of burial mounds, estimated to have been created by American Indians between 850 and 1,400 years ago. And these are no usual resting places: best viewed from the air, …
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Natural Bridge, Natural Bridge State Park, July 2022 Nestled in the unassuming woods northeast of Leland, Wisconsin, a sandstone bridge some 35 feet long and 25 feet high constitutes the largest natural arch in the state. Just below the aperture is the impressive Raddatz rock shelter, named for the family who once owned the land …
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West Bluff Trail, Devil's Lake State Park, July 2022 It’s not too often that visitors are able to walk in a mountain range with rocky bluffs dating to 1.6 billion years ago, in addition to a rare freshwater endorheic lake—a body of water situated in a natural depression with no external drainage. And yet one …
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