Gaylor Lakes, Great Sierra Mine, & Granite Lakes (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Lower Granite Lake, Yosemite National Park, August 2023 The out-and-back hike to Gaylor Lakes is a popular hike in the eastern reaches of Yosemite National Park; this is a pleasant, 2-hour trek with terrific views across Tioga Pass to Mount Dana and access to two trout-filled lakes below the Sierra Crest. It is nearby Granite …

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Round Top – Winnemucca Lake Loop (Mokelumne Wilderness, CA)

Winnemucca Lake, Mokelumne Wilderness, Eldorado National Forest, July 2023 Situated in the underappreciated section of the Sierra Nevada between bustling Lake Tahoe to the north and Yosemite to the south, the Round Top – Winnemucca Lake Loop is one of the more easily-accessible half-day hikes in the Mokelumne Wilderness. The two glimmering alpine lakes sit …

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Anniversary Narrows (Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV)

Anniversary Narrows, Muddy Mountains Wilderness, February 2023 Anniversary Narrows is Nevada’s best answer to the challenge laid down by neighboring Utah: give us your best, most picturesque slot canyon. Better yet, extend the slot for more than 1/3 mile, place the trailhead less than an hour’s drive from the state’s largest metropolis (Las Vegas), and …

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Sutton Mine Trail (Uncompahgre National Forest, CO)

The Sutton Mine Trail—situated just south of Ouray, Colorado—rewards hearty hikers who brave the initial, gut-wrenching ascent with spectacular views of Ouray, Uncompahgre Gorge, Bear Creek Falls, and Abrams Mountain. Ending at an abandoned mine, this 2.2-mile jaunt packs nearly 700 feet in elevation gain into the first half-mile before leveling out atop a rocky …

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Headhouse Trail (New River Gorge National River, WV)

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 …

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