Trail

Visit the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. You can hike, snowboard, ziptrek, white water raft, golf... The list goes on. Oh and the nightlife is pretty great too.

If you'd like to escape the summer heat of the Salt Lake Valley, and entertain and educate your kids while you're at it, you can take this short hike at the base of Alta Ski Area. Take the first Alta entrance you get to off the Little Cottonwood Canyon road. It's called the Wildcat Base. You'll see a large parking lot once you go down a short hill. Park near the Gold Miner's Daughter building.

If you're in wine country and want to get out for a nice hike or a quick jog try the Sonoma Overlook Trail. It's a short drive or walk from the Sonoma town square. The trail is a two mile loop and with a fairly gentle grade. If you're hiking, there are a number of benches to sit down and take in the view, (and maybe enjoy a picnic or glass of wine). The trail is very well marked and a bit rocky in some spots; however you can do the hike or run in regular running shoes. During the rainy season the trail can get pretty muddy.

The drive out of Flagstaff was cloudy and cool. Unseasonably cool for Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. "Snow at the higher elevations, [of the San Francisco Mountains] up to a foot I hear" said the barista at the coffee shop. As we drove toward the canyon, Sam brought up the Death March, a hike he had dreamed of doing since moving to the southwestern desert 7 years ago. It involved hiking from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, to the North Rim, and back in 24 hours. 44 miles, 20,000 feet of elevation change, 24 hours. Sure, it has been done, but the question was could WE do it.

North Georgia is a hikers dream. Whether you are from the South or from some place far away you will find peace in the North Georgia Mountains. With the famous Appalachian Trail starting in North Georgia at Springer Mountain and ending in Maine Georgia gets thousands of thru-hikers each year. Some begin in Georgia and some end but all get treated with warmth and hospitality that the Southern mountains are known for. There are plenty of Georgia
hikes you will love.

Bell Canyon is a welcomed outdoor haven from the sprawling and often smoggy Salt Lake Valley. The canyon is only 20 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, but it's a world away once you get on the trail. There are trailheads on Wasatch Boulevard and off 9400 South. You can see the canyon on this map (just zoom in on Utah).

There are a variety of activities to do in Bell Canyon, during all seasons of the year. Bell Canyon is a watershed area so no Dogs are allowed, and yes they do patrol this.

If there is such a thing as magic, it is surely found on southern Oregon’s spectacular Rogue River hiking trial. Hikers from all over the world come to experience this protected trail…and yet you will rarely see another hiking group on the trail…true magic. This moderately difficult trail hike is unique because over the course of the four-day experience, you can stay each night in riverside wilderness lodges. Rooms are double occupancy; with hot showers and real beds. Superb family-style dining is the hallmark of each of the lodges.

The Skyline to the Sea Trail starts in Castle Rock State Park and then makes its way through Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California's oldest State Park (established in 1902), before ending at the beach in the adjacent Theodore J. Hoover Natural Preserve. The entire trail is 30 miles long.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park covers over 18,000 acres of old growth and recovering redwood forest from sea level to over 2,000 feet, and is home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco.