#hiking

#hiking

In 2025, the mountain rescue service faced an unprecedented number of operations, with 13,037 rescues conducted, averaging 35 missions a day, reflecting a significant increase in demand.

Goblin Valley State Park is often overlooked and relatively undiscovered, making it a perfect alternative for those seeking solitude away from crowded tourist spots like Bryce Canyon.

Just 10 miles south of Yellowstone, this incredible national park is home to beautiful sights, breathtaking nature, and some great hotels and vacation rentals to boot. As a local, I've visited Grand Teton National Park countless times, and I've spent just as many nights camping in a tent in the park as I have in one of the wonderful accommodations nearby.

I used to find dating quite fun: the flurries of excited texts, first-date nerves, debriefs with friends, and endless dinner reservations. But, by 2024, drawing chairs at restaurants had started feeling stilted - boring, even. I wanted to quit the "speed dating" experience and, to be honest, enjoy my food in peace. I was craving adventure, novelty, and the opportunity to fast-track an evaluation of someone's character.

"I've had my fair share of beach vacations, but I'm telling you, there's no place like Margaret River," Hardy, the vice president of Friends of the Cape to Cape Track, shares in his tour of his home region. "You don't have access to waves like this anywhere else in the world." While Hardy happens to be a seasoned local, he explains that it's still a wave for everyone, especially at spots like Gnarabup Beach, with plenty of surf schools around to show you the ropes.

Don't let them push you around, my youngest son said halfway through the Camino de Santiago. You don't have to get up early if you don't want to. I didn't know that was an option, replied his brother from his bunk. This subversive banter is what our family sounds like now. The old hierarchy has loosened. We are four adults negotiating the day.

Split into Dutch Sint Maarten in the south and French Saint-Martin in the north, this Caribbean island offers a unique mix of cultural and historical influences in one effusively hospitable destination. St. Martin is one of the region's most accessible islands for travelers from the U.S., and numerous daily inter-island flights and ferries make it a popular stopover for people headed to Anguilla or to hidden gem islands like Saba and Sint Eustatius. Visitors will find stunning stretches of sandy coast, international flavors, and thrilling adventures from zip lining to shark diving as well as more relaxing things to do.

A week's hiking in Jotunheimen national park (230 miles north of Oslo) last summer brought me tranquillity and peace. During four days of challenging hiking and wild camping through the area we saw hardly anyone else, having entire lush green valleys and still glacial lakes to ourselves. We were fortunate to have stunning weather throughout and, despite it being July, still had a reasonable amount of snow to traverse.

Scotland's Knoydart peninsula is sometimes called Britain's "last wilderness." The land juts out between Loch Nevis and Loch Hourn-that's "Loch Heaven" and "Loch Hell," respectively-and has no through roads, no connections to the U.K.'s road network. What few locals live here, in the craggy Highlands of the west coast, get around on foot, by boat, or drive between their tiny communities down narrow lanes. They help each other with whatever resources they have.

I trekked it in December 2023 with plans and a permit to camp at Bright Angel Campground, a scenic cottonwood-shaded hideaway just near the famed Phantom Ranch (the only lodging on the world wonder's floor). Then, two days before my trip, a miracle happened: One last-minute reservation became available for Phantom Ranch. The ranch digs typically book out over a year in advance, but if you're lucky, you can either get in via the lottery or a last-minute opening. This made the grueling but gorgeous hike down and up the steep South Kaibab Trail even more memorable.

The water bubbles up hot from the earth and sunlight filters down through the branches of mighty oaks. But before you can soak in Santa Barbara County's highly popular Montecito Hot Springs, you'll need to hike a little over a mile uphill, threading your way among boulders, oaks and a meandering creek. And before the hike, there are two other crucial steps: getting to the trailhead and knowing what to expect.

I'm waiting to turn down the road toward my hotel. The cars in front of me have slowed nearly to a standstill, but not for the standard traffic jam: a group of elk is grazing in the grassy patch at the street corner. People idle by, rolling down their windows to take pictures, making sure to give these unofficial locals a wide berth. In the background, the snow-capped Rocky Mountains rise dramatically behind the town.

The run clubs that took off in the past few years were outpaced by hiking. That's according to new data from Strava, a fitness tracking app, and AllTrails, a hiking navigation app. Strava's end-of-year report, analyzing data from over 30,000 users, found that hiking clubs grewsixfold in 2025 - nearly double the pace of run clubs. In 2025, AllTrails saw a 20% increase in users (i.e., people who created an account on the app) to 90 million.

My first stop for the day took me just outside of Wheeling, West Virginia for a beautiful little hiking trail as part of the Oglebay Park. There I hiked the Driehorst Trail, as well as walked around the Falls Vista trail, the junction, and around the education center. Absolutely beautiful area and it looked like there was still so much more to see and do there especially for families with children.

"Green Friday."

Arthur's Seat, an ancient, extinct volcano, is a defining landmark of Edinburgh's skyline and often tops lists of must-see attractions. Although I love its ridge walk and summit hikes, I think it tends to overshadow its equally striking and lesser-known neighbors: the Pentland Hills and Blackford Hill. I gravitate toward the Pentlands, which offer about a 62-mile network of trails for a range of abilities, less than an hour from the city center.

Perched 1,350m above the Dolomites, this family-run hotel offers luxury wellness, a gravity-defying SkyPool, an innovative 'Heaven and Hell Spa', daily guided hikes, yoga and fine dining with locally sourced ingredients and wines. Featured on the BBC's Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby series with Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti, this stunning hotel is the perfect blend of local hospitality, luxury wellness and sustainable innovation - all anchored in South Tyrolean family values.

The first big site for hikers is the McAfee Knob, which juts out over the valley (much like Pride Rock in "The Lion King") and is one of the most photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail for its sweeping valley views. The next big stop is the Tinker Cliffs, which overlook the Catawba Valley. The third and final major sight is the Dragon's Tooth, a jutting tooth-like rock formation that's impossible to miss. The best part? You can climb partially up the 35-foot spire.

About 18.5 million years ago, giant volcanic eruptions forever changed the landscape of what is today a swath of protected California desert land, bound by two major interstates between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The eruptions left behind unique rock formations, including cliffs and canyons made up of rhyolite tuff, a volcanic rock formed by different particles and rocks merging together from the heat of an eruption.

Hiking shoes are the unsung heroes of any trail adventure, and from my experience as a lifelong hiker, the right pair can make or break a hike. Unlike heavy boots, well-chosen hiking shoes strike a balance between support, traction, and comfort, allowing you to move efficiently over varied terrain without feeling weighed down. I've hiked all over the world, from rugged trails in the Hajar Mountains of the UAE to the windswept paths of Patagonia.

A patchwork quilt of rustic reds, fiery oranges, and bright golds stretch endlessly into the horizon. From my perch atop Castle Rock, the lake sparkles, dotted with a smattering of foliage-cloaked islands. The autumn air is crisp and refreshing in one of my favorite places to explore this time of year; Blue Mountain Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. The tiny hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake might be small, but it delivers big on beauty.