Far from Arlington’s finest, the Lubber Run Trail nonetheless offers a pleasant, paved stroll through a pretty stream valley south of Ballston, Virginia. The namesake creek is flanked by thousands of gray stones, and a series of minor dips make for some trickling cascades. Picnic tables abound, and a gargantuan outdoor amphitheater marks roughly the …
Tag: wheelchair-accessible
Bluemont Junction Trail – Custis Trail Loop (Arlington County Parks, VA)
Cutting southwest through the Bluemont section of Arlington, Virginia, the paved and accessible Bluemont Junction Trail traces an old railroad line constructed in 1912. Together with segments of the Custis and Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trails, the Bluemont Junction path forms a 3.2-mile loop starting and ending near the Ballston Metro Station. Have no …
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Maroon Lake Trail (White River National Forest, CO)
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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Haul Road Trail (Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, VA)
Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, like the much better-known Theodore Roosevelt Island ten miles to the north, is a living reminder of what the Washington, DC area looked like before it became the metropolis of today. In the days of the Founding Fathers, the Potomac River weaved through a swampy floodplain, a natural wetland habitat for …
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Nature Trail (Kodachrome Basin State Park, UT)
Though not the most beautiful—nor the most diverse—hike in the area, the short, self-guided Nature Trail at Kodachrome Basin State Park is the most accessible, making this the best option for aging travelers, families with small children, and visitors in wheelchairs. The well-graded path (a hard-packed dirt-gravel mix) weaves through a dense community of junipers …
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Petroglyphs Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
In a move partially influenced by a thirst for additional fodder for this blog, I just started a temporary gig as a seasonal interpretive volunteer at Capitol Reef National Park in central Utah. Often overshadowed by nearby national park behemoths like Grand Canyon or Zion, Capitol Reef is nonetheless a fantastic place (to work in or …
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Bluebird Meadow – Homestead Trail Loop (Alderfer Three Sisters Park, CO)
Alderfer/Three Sisters Park has the look and feel of a local park, populated mostly by trail runners, bikers, dog-walkers, and Evergreen residents on their evening strolls. (On the Saturday evening I visited, a gaggle of high-school girls were filming a skit for their Spanish class.) The rolling foothills and pine-lined meadows at Alderfer/Three Sisters are …
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Narrow Gauge Trail – Eastern Section (Pine Valley Ranch Park, CO)
Note: This post is the second of two trail descriptions from a blissful October day at Pine Valley Ranch Park, an hour’s drive from the Denver area and a refreshingly quiet alternative to the crowded Jefferson County parks around Evergreen or Morrison. (The first, the 2.1-mile Buck Gulch – Strawberry Jack – Park View Trail …
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Dariva, Miljacka Canyon, & Kozija Cuprija (Goat’s Bridge) (Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina)
In Europe’s great cities—from Paris to London to Rome—public parks, though grand and well-manicured, are a dime a dozen. But rushing waters, bounded by colossal canyon walls, indeed a fisher’s or rock climber’s paradise—just a 20-minute walk from the city center? Now that is a rare sight…and a feature that makes Sarajevo—the political and economic …
Prospect Hill Park (Somerville, MA)
- Revolutionary War Series - Though not a hike per sé, I thought it might be fun to include a short note about a hidden gem I discovered today in my own neighborhood outside Boston. Prospect Hill Park is just 1/5 mile northeast from Union Square (follow Stone Ave. 350 yards to the park) and …
Live and Let Hike 