Rankin Ridge forms part of the southeast edge of the Black Hills and at 5,013 feet in elevation, it is the highest point in Wind Cave National Park. A lookout tower rises above the ridge top, which can be reached via a 250-foot ascent on a 0.55-mile long single track. Take a wide dirt trail back down the ridge to form a one-mile loop. Although this hike is short, it is not short on rewards. ...Read more.

It is not every day that you can hike to the top of a 563-foot tall granite carving honoring an American legend. Actually, you can only do this hike a few days a year when the active construction on Crazy Horse Memorial is suspended so that the public can get a close look. The hike passes through forests and fields below the work-in-progress memorial and follows the same road used by construction vehicles up to the arm of the monument where you can walk out and stand below the 8-story tall face of Crazy Horse! ...Read more.

The smart people who shaped Binghamton University knew that deep-rooted oaks can teach us more than ivory towers. With the good foresight, the SUNY Binghamton campus set aside 182 acres of wetlands and woodlands for the benefit of students, faculty, and the community. On a first visit to Binghamton University Nature Preserve, Pond Trail and Marsh Trail are recommended routes for appreciating the heart of the preserve. ...Read more.

Some centers of higher learning probably overlook nature's value in education, but not Binghamton University. This SUNY Institution in Vestal, New York set aside 182 acres for the benefit of students, faculty, and the community. Several intersecting trails explore Binghamton University Nature Preserve, creating numerous hiking options, like this one — a figure-eight loop on the easiest and most scenic trails around the wetlands in the middle of the preserve. ...Read more.

We can learn a lot from nature, which is probably why Binghamton University, a SUNY Institution in Vestal, New York had the foresight to preserve a 182-acre natural space right on its campus. Binghamton University Nature Preserve has hillsides and valleys full of forests and marshes with lots of interconnected trails open to the students and the public. ...Read more.

On the lower west side of Manhattan, an old raised rail line that was headed for demolition has been transformed into an attractive asset, a surprising park that hovers above city streets. The High Line has become a New York City landmark, offering a one-of-a-kind walk with a refreshing perspective of NYC. Like the rest of New York City, the High Line Trail has something for everyone, whether you need a bit of nature, crave art, enjoy bird watching or people watching. ...Read more.

Spencer Butte rises high above the south end of the Willamette Valley near Eugene, Oregon. A 5.2-mile round trip hike to the mountaintop crosses through a lush forest covered in ferns and ascends to a nearly treeless 2,060-foot summit where there are round-the-compass views over Lane County's bucolic valleys and evergreen-covered hills. The woodland walk at the start is pleasant enough to be its own attraction, and the panoramic summit really puts this hike over the top. ...Read more.

Latourell Falls is a stunning waterfalls tumbling into the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland. More precisely, there are two waterfalls on Latourell Creek totaling 359 feet of falls. Lower Latourell Falls is a beautiful 225-foot single drop waterfall that can be seen right from the trailhead along Historic Columbia River Highway. Farther up the canyon is Upper Latourell Falls, which is 134 feet tall, sliding down a basalt overhang before twisting to a freefalling plunge. ...Read more.

The New York State Park website describes Clark Reservation as 'a geologic wonder of the last ice age and a botanist's paradise.' It's all that and just 5 miles from Syracuse! The star of the park is Glacier Lake, a glacial plunge pool lake surrounded by dramatic limestone cliffs. Over a dozen trails explore this 365-acre park, allowing visitors to put together several different hikes. ...Read more.

For a soaring view over Labrador Hollow Unique Area, a state forest in Central New York, take a hike up Jones Hill to a scenic overlook at a Hang Glider Launch Site. There are two overlapping routes to the launch site from the trailhead for Tinker Falls Trail (a short hike to a lovely waterfall). Onondaga Sky Line Trail is a wide dirt road offering a 1. ...Read more.