#mount-charles

#mount-charles

The Black Lantern Inn was a familiar place where I ate with my kids, sometimes once a week. My room was well beyond my expectations for a last-minute booking: a king-sized bed, separate living area, jacuzzi bath, and many thoughtful details, including several back issues of Skiing History Magazine to flip through.

The average elevation across the United States varies significantly, creating a divide between the high-altitude West and the lower-lying East and South, which impacts skiing conditions.

The New River Gorge's moist, shaded forests are an ideal habitat for flowers that color the hillsides in April and early May, making it an excellent time to see the gorge in bloom.

"Stretches of the float feel quite secluded and peaceful, while others pass parks and restaurants. I like the connection-it's always good to be reminded of the wild in the urban."

Three Falls State Park is centered around three waterfalls, including the 128-foot Frontenac Falls, which cascades down through a wooded gorge before meeting the lake.

"For the first time, we can truly see how popular and meaningful the Appalachian Trail and its landscape are to millions of people," says Cinda Waldbuesser, president and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, in an official March 2026 statement.

If you could have a trail that went through Warren County and connected with a trail that goes up to Tahawus, then you could connect that to the Albany trail, and you could go all the way from New York City on a multi purpose trail into the heart of the Adirondacks, which would be pretty cool.

Get up early to drive into the hills and park in the main lot, which opens 30 minutes before sunrise. This will leave you with enough time to make your way to the peak through the wildflower-scattered trails and watch the sunrise over the Bay.

The body is a shifting landscape transformed by surfaces and sensations. Each look captures a different tactile world: the heat of blood, the cool weight of metal, the yielding drift of water. The result is a sculptural study of how the elements carve, shield, and release the self. The materials we embody become the emotions we carry, and the body becomes a materialised exhibition of our emotions, from the pulse of Blood to the discipline of Metal to the surrender of Water.

Located just upstream from where the Arroyo Seco and Los Angeles River merge, Mount Washington has been home base to a former mayor, a world-famous yogi and the official witch of Los Angeles County. The Arroyo Seco - which, after all, begins near a place called Devil's' Gate - has always been a location known for the offbeat, a neighborhood that was keeping it weird before Portland, Ore., or Austin, Texas, ever was.

BASIN Glacial Waters to function as both architectural frame and sensory mediator, a space where the physiological effects of thermotherapy meet the raw power of protected wilderness. With an opening last September at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, this marks the first thermal bathing facility in North America to fully integrate European sweat culture traditions with glacial-fed hydrotherapy at this scale.

Jornet's well-publicized States of Elevation project in 2025 was a feat in human endurance, mountain running, and planning. Starting on September 3, he linked 72 of the 14ers in the contiguous U.S in a human-powered fashion - on foot and bike - with a support crew following him and helping with logistics. He started with the 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Colorado, then went on to California and north to Washington, finishing on the 14,410-foot Mount Rainier.

Though trails have reopened, hazardous winter conditions still persist and hikers should come prepared to meet snow-covered trails, icy sections, limited visibility, and the possibility of sudden storms, said the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in a news release. That means evaluating weather conditions, carrying appropriate gear, and understanding personal limits.

Picture yourself standing on a small platform in the middle of a Quebec forest, balancing on what feels like an oversized bird perch. The moment your weight settles, something magical happens. A bird call rings out, blending seamlessly into an ethereal soundtrack that seems to rise from the forest itself. Welcome to Human Perches, the latest installation from Montreal design studio Daily tous les jours that's making us rethink how we experience nature.

A sudden weather change, a mechanical, a missed turn, or a momentary lapse in judgment can all turn a "quick ride" into a surprisingly long day. The good news? While some of those problems are big, the solutions are often small. A last-second weather check. An extra granola bar. A quick link and a zip tie that's been living in the bottom of your bag for the last five years. Little things can often be the difference between a perfect ride and a problem ride.

Vermont actually resembles California - not because of its beaches but due to its distinct regions. For example, Burlington correlates to the Bay Area. And in the Northeast Kingdom, where I grew up, we classified everything below White River Junction as 'Southern Vermont.' Down there, half the towns seem to channel Boston or New York City, kind of like Santa Barbara to L.A., which makes the Kingdom something like Humboldt County - rural and spectacular, with a recalcitrant outlaw streak.

Many of them were built for purposes that no longer exist - cattle drives, mining prospecting, early U.S. Forest Service fire patrols - while others were packed by the footprints of the Chumash people well before the colonization of North America. Sections of trail cling to steep slopes that seem to barely resist gravity, shedding soil and stone with each winter storm.

My father was a petroleum geologist. A lot of my childhood, he was gone, away on oil rigs in the Powder River Basin and remote parts of Wyoming, living in man camps long before cellphones. We had to wait days to talk to him. When he went into the nearest town to shower, he'd find a payphone and call us. I was always breathless with news.

Mt. Baker is the PNW's snow vacuum. It's close enough to the Pacific to get storm after storm, and the North Cascades do what they do best: force moist air straight up, wring it out, and bury everything in sight. Maritime storms roll in wet and heavy, then pile up fast when they hit terrain.

Wildlife populations are in decline. Recreation sites are crowded and often underfunded. Wildfires are larger, more destructive and harder to control. Climate change is reshaping natural systems, from ocean fisheries to mountain snowpacks, faster than institutions can respond. At the same time, communities are being asked to host new energy projects, transmission lines and mineral development - often without clear processes, adequate resources or trust that decisions are being made in the public interest.

While most are familiar with the world-class Mont Tremblant, the route there is dotted with independent resorts-each with a distinct vibe-that light up the Laurentians ( Les Laurentides ) like constellations against an ancient sky. These ranges offer something different than towering peaks: intimate terrain steeped in character. They tease the eye, spark the imagination, and possess a certain magic for producing champion skiers and snowboarders. Their ancient geology creates a singular landscape of rolling, forested hills and tight tree runs that feel worlds away from the mega-resorts.

The statement, released Saturday, February 21, followed a press conference by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office confirming that recovery efforts had concluded earlier that morning. "We continue to grieve the devastating loss of life from the February 17 avalanche near Castle Peak," the statement by Blackbird Mountain Guides read. "Following the release of the names by Nevada County, we hold each individual and their loved ones in our hearts."

AllTrails, a hiking app with trail maps and reviews, dug into insights from their 90 million-plus members and team of trail experts to spotlight lesser-known places where the trail alone is worth planning a trip around. Their guide, Travel-Worthy Trails for 2026, spotlights eight unexpected destinations around the world where the trail is the destination.

The province of Alberta is home to several iconic international ski destinations, including Lake Louise, Banff Sunshine Village, and Marmot Basin. But one resort seems to fly under the radar: Castle Mountain, which sits at the southern end of the Canadian Rockies. It often gets overlooked when booking a ski vacation, as this old-school mountain is not the easiest resort to get to-but it is definitely worth the trip.

Killington Ski Resort in Vermont more than earns the nickname "Beast of the East." After all, it's home to the second-highest summit across the entire Green Mountain range. But that's not its only superlative. It's also the largest ski resort on the East Coast, with six mountain peaks, 19 lifts, 155 trails, a half-pipe, and the highest vertical drop in New England at 3,050 feet.

The Creole Nature Trail is a 180-mile scenic byway that cuts through Louisiana's Cajun Country, also known as Acadiana. The area, which is often called "Louisiana's Outback," is different from the Louisiana you thought you knew; instead of bayous, this part of the state is home to vast marshes, coastal prairies, waterways, and undeveloped Gulf beaches. And it's all accessible off of the Creole Nature Trail.