No place in the country has embraced mountain biking like Northwest Arkansas. The mountainous corner of the Natural State has more than 400 miles of singletrack, the vast majority of which has been built specifically for mountain biking. The neighboring cities of Bentonville and Bella Vista have gone all-in on bikes, integrating new trail systems into the fabric of their communities, while endless ribbons of singletrack traverse the surrounding mountains and bluffs. The result? Northwest Arkansas has become the hub of mountain biking in America. “I can’t think of anywhere else in the U.S. that approaches trail riding in quite the same way,” says Anneke Beerten, a three-time world champion mountain biker and .

The cycling community is so unique that it must be experienced to be believed. What’s in store? Here are eight reasons Northwest Arkansas is the ultimate mountain biking destination.

A Seamless Riding Experience

Are Bella Vista and Bentonville towns with world-class mountain biking, or is it a 200-plus-mile network of world-class trails that comes with two charming cities? Either way, what you get is two distinct communities with an amazing all-levels trail system that connects them. Can’t decide where to ride? Bella Vista’s Tunnel Vision never disappoints. Beerten also points new visitors to , just north of Bentonville: “You’ll find me here most of the time,” she says, “because it has super fun, flowy trails with some really playful jump lines.”

Options for Every Rider

The diversity of trails throughout Northwest Arkansas is unmatched, largely because most systems are built with progression in mind. The 49-mile , for instance, has the well-groomed (ideal for beginners) but also the black diamond Sick-A-More trail that’s stacked with features for expert riders. At , there are beginner jumps and drops where kids and newer riders can safely get comfortable with airtime, but also advanced jump lines and big-air features.

True Proving Grounds

The area gets a lot of well-deserved credit for welcoming beginners (see above), but there’s plenty of technical terrain for experts as well. That’s why the U.S. National Mountain Bike Team chose Northwest Arkansas as its home base, and why many pros are moving to the area. Nat Ross is a former world champion XC racer who relocated specifically for the trails, and notes the many backyard opportunities to test his skills. “There’s so much for intermediate riders here,” Ross says, “but you’ll find dabs of black diamond terrain everywhere because the Ozarks topography, and all the rock here, make for excellent technical riding.” Want to push your climbing prowess to its limit? Try out , a black-diamond cross-country test piece in Coler Mountain Bike Preserve (pictured atop article).

A Culture of Two Wheels

Biking isn’t just a pastime in Northwest Arkansas, it’s woven into the community’s culture and economy. Trails are more than just magnets for visitation, they improve life for locals—kids riding bikes to school, parents commuting on two wheels, and a record number of designated . Beyond its substantial economic impact, biking shapes the nature of the community for the better. “The trails, the community, and the slower pace of life really stand out,” Beerten says of her choice to live in Bentonville year-round. “It’s inspiring to see the community continuously striving to make cycling part of everyday life.”

Innovative Urban Trails

Bentonville has benefitted from its growth as the country’s new biking epicenter, with a 70-mile incorporated seamlessly into the small city. And it’s not just singletrack in the forest; bike integration means sidewalks built into pump tracks. “Every time I ride from my house into town, I feel grateful,” Beerten says. “I’ll roll down a sidewalk with jumps built in, cut into a few singletrack trails, then hop onto the greenway that takes me straight downtown.” Beerten likes to bookend a day on the bike with a morning latte at and a cold beverage at .

Instant �����ԹϺ���

From any one of 400-plus bike-friendly vacation rentals, you can connect to three trail networks with more than fanning out through forested bluffs, caves, and lakes. The Little Sugar trail network includes Huntley Gravity Zone where mountain bikers can lap features like drops and tabletops without worrying about uphill traffic. For a big ride, the network includes 40 miles of singletrack for all levels, including hanging bridges that span waterfalls and bluffs. The Blowing Springs network includes the Gear Garden, an outdoor beer garden next to a natural spring. Recharge overnight at the new adventure lodge, which packs amenities like a bike wash, sauna, and cold plunge. Looking to build your skills? “In Bella Vista,” says Rich Drew, former enduro racer and founder of The Ride Series coaching system, “you’ll never run out of trail styles to improve your bike handling, mindset, and endurance.”

Lift Service

Arkansas’ first lift-served mountain biking, the , is currently being developed in Bella Vista with easy access from Bentonville, featuring a high-speed quad chairlift (rendering pictured below) and 20 miles of gravity trails, all of which connect with the existing network. In true Arkansas fashion, art installations will be featured throughout the system.

The Bigger Vision

The extensive riding in Northwest Arkansas is only one part of a larger statewide investment in outdoor recreation dubbed Trail Vision. The initiative encompasses everything from the , a collection of purpose-built trail systems scattered throughout Arkansas’s state park units, to the new , which will be comprised of 100 miles of singletrack on Ouachita National Forest, connected to the town of Mena and serviced by three chairlifts.

Northwest Arkansas, where the cities of and unite to create the ultimate mountain biking destination and provides the training ground for the US National Mountain Bike Team. These neighboring cities offer 200-plus miles of connected trails ranging from urban flow to backcountry adventure, anchored by the . The OZ Trails network radiates across the region creating a cycling destination where year-round riding meets genuine Arkansas hospitality, an expansive culinary scene, and a thriving outdoor culture. Welcome to Arkansas – , a mountain biking paradise.

The post Meet Mountain Biking’s Ultimate Ecosystem appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Shoulder season. It’s the overlooked cousin of ski season and summer. Deep powder is right around the corner, so it could be tempting to simply wax your skis and count the days until the lifts start running, but I refuse to dismiss the next couple of months as nothing more than adventure purgatory. October, November, and much of December is prime mountain biking season as far as I’m concerned. Sure, the temperature is dropping and the end of daylight savings throws a wrinkle into the mix, but with the right layers and proper gear, you can make the most of shoulder season and shred dirt until the snow piles up in earnest.

Here are my favorite pieces of colder-weather mountain bike gear that help me make the most of the most underrated season of all: shoulder season.

My Favorite Fall and Winter Mountain Bike Gear

The post This Gear Helps Me Stay on the Bike During Shoulder Season appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

This story was produced in partnership with , an independent, nonprofit news organization.

The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail forms a 5.5-mile loop through dense hardwoods, hugging the mountain slopes like a stretch of bench-cut singletrack for cars. Massive trees rise from the edge of the narrow one-lane blacktop, and waterfalls are scattered throughout the forest. It would be a transcendent cruise if it weren’t for all the minivans, safari-style Jeeps, and side-by-side ATVs clogging the road.

I was on the Roaring Fork on Labor Day weekend, one of the most visited weekends in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), the 500,000-acre swath of mountains and historic farmland straddling the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. GSMNP is by far the busiest national park in the country, attracting in 2024—almost 8 million more than the runner-up, Zion. Those visitors spent more than like Gatlinburg, Cherokee, and Pigeon Forge.

During my visit, it seemed like most of those people were on the road ahead of me. But that’s why I was there: to see how a nationwide staff crisis was impacting America’s most popular national park.

Even before the White House furloughed 9,300 National Park Service staffers during , this year has been a brutal one for the agency. By August it had lost 4,055 permanent employees, nearly a quarter of its full-time staff. On October 20, the Department of the Interior revealed in court documents that it intended to abolish 2,050 more positions, including at least 272 in the park service.

But hard data from specific parks has been hard to come by. The questions I sent to Great Smoky Mountains’ acting superintendent, Charles Sellars, were politely passed on to the national communications office in Washington, D.C., which declined to comment on personnel matters. , a nonprofit that works on behalf of park employees, estimated that 12 of the park’s 274 full-time employees were let go after the initial wave of layoffs in February, but the group hasn’t been able to update those numbers since.

“Park Service employees aren’t talking with us right now, because they’re fearful of termination,” says Bill Wade, the group’s executive director. “Information stopped flowing. They’re hunkering down and unwilling to speak about anything at all that’s going on inside the parks.”

Kristen Brengel, the senior vice president of government affairs for the , echoes that sentiment. “There has been a steady rate of attrition at parks across the country, but the park service is withholding all of this information from us and the media, so we can’t get firm numbers for specific parks.”

One thing we do know: Great Smoky Mountains National Park is unique because of the sheer volume of visitors. The Smokies see more people in a single month than many park units see in an entire year. Last October alone, 1.5 million people visited the park, after a million in September and another 1.5 million in August.

“Twelve million people a year is a lot of flushing toilets and a lot of feet on the trails,” says Dana Soehn, president of , the nonprofit partner that provides operational funds for the park. “The needs and challenges are many.”

I wanted to see how the park was handling it. I live about an hour from Great Smokies, and I’ve been exploring this landscape for more than 20 years—so I know places where you’re guaranteed to see a crowd. Cades Cove Loop Road, an 11-mile loop road through a pastoral valley, is famous for its traffic jams. Two million people a year ascend to the park’s highest point, 6,643-foot Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome), where a concrete lookout tower offers 360-degree views. About the same number cruise the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. These are the spots I usually avoid, but on this trip, I wanted to go where the tourists were going and see what they were seeing.

The post Everything’s Fine in the Great Smokies! (Seriously, There’s Nothing to See Here.) appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Fall means a lot of things to me: more mountain biking, more raking leaves, more flannel shirts. Mostly, though, it means more sitting around a fire in my backyard. Since night comes earlier, I like to pretend I’m a caveman and gather around a flame with my friends and family as often as possible.

Backyard fires are like a lot of the adventurous pastimes that define our lives. You can approach your fires as a minimalist by arranging rocks in a circle and lighting some sticks with a match. Or you can give some thought to the practice and elevate the experience with a few choice items. Here are five key pieces of gear that I’ve used to upgrade my own backyard fire pit experience.

The post 5 Easy Upgrades That Turned My Backyard Fire Pit Into a Chill Hangout Zone appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Congressional leaders could not come together on a deal to fund the government ahead of the October 1 deadline, so a nationwide government shutdown is in effect as of October 1. That includes. Conservation groups that raise fight for the health our national parks have urged the president to close the parks to visitors in the event of a shutdown to protect the resources within. Still,��the Trump Administration is determined to keep the majority of our national parks open and is planning to use entrance fees already collected to pay a skeleton crew of staff at certain parks.

Thousands of park staff have been furloughed without pay, while the majority of the 433 national park units remain open without the requisite staff to protect the resources. When a shutdown looked imminent, more than 35 former national park superintendents to President Trump urging him to close the parks to visitors.

This isn’t the first government shutdown we’ve experienced under the Trump Administration. The last shutdown lasted 35 days, between December 2018 and January 2019. Parks remained open during that period, and the results were disastrous. Some parks were vandalized, cultural sites were damaged, and trash overflowed. Petroglyphs at Big Bend National Park��were vandalized. Joshua Trees were chopped down in Joshua Tree National Park. Campgrounds were kept open in Death Valley, but the bathrooms were closed, causing sanitation problems, while many visitors drove off-road vehicles across sensitive areas of the desert. The trash was piled so high at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks that they eventually had to shut the gates.

“If the government is shut down, the parks should be too,” says David Lamfrom, vice president of regional programs for the National Parks Conservation Association NPCA. “The reality is, when you say the parks are open, but don’t staff them, you’re taking America’s best idea and inviting in the worst. This isn’t speculation. This is what we saw happen last time around. We lived through this before, and we don’t want to see it happen again.”

As of October 1, the administration still plans to keep the majority of national park units open. What does that mean for visitors? It depends on the park you’re hoping to visit. According to the National Park Service , park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will remain accessible to visitors at most park units. Law enforcement and emergency response personnel��will still be in operation as well.

The number of employees still working will vary from park to park, but remember that this shutdown is coming on the heels of a massive reduction in the national park staff from the Trump administration��that saw a 24 percent reduction in park staff. Parks that collect fees will use available recreation fee balances to provide basic visitor services to maintain��restrooms and trash collection in certain areas, some campground operations, and law enforcement staff.

What to Expect at National Parks During This Shutdown��

It can be difficult to find park-specific information regarding what facilities are open in each park. During the last shutdown, the level of access and staff varied from park to park. But here’s what you can expect this time around on a fundamental level:

Park gates will remain open, but but staff will likely not be available to collect entrance fees. The NPCA estimates parks will lose as much as $1 million in fee revenue every day the shutdown continues. Reservations will also not be accepted during the shutdown. Roads and trails will remain open unless they become dangerous because of weather.

As a general rule, if a facility is locked during non-business hours, like buildings and gated parking lots, it should remain��locked for the duration of the shutdown. So don’t roll into a park expecting to hit a bathroom at the visitor center.

Some guide services will still operate inside our parks, depending on their permit. , which runs trips in national parks throughout the country, released a statement saying they will continue to offer their services throughout the shutdown unless the situation changes prohibiting them from doing so.

Park websites will not be maintained, ��and conditions within the park will not be updated. Ditto for the NPS social media accounts.

Should You Visit a National Park During the Shutdown?

The tourism industry relying on these parks will tell you yes. For instance, Utah’s Bureau of Tourism��released a today reiterating that its��“Mighty Five” national parks are open to visitors. During the previous shutdown, the state stepped in to ensure that a basic level of visitor services, such as visitor centers and shuttle services, were available in certain parks.

However, conservation groups with a mission of protecting park resources are emphatic when they say people should not visit national parks during this government shutdown. Even if you have the best intentions and go to the park with ��and the ability to take out your own trash, you could put a strain on already limited resources if something goes wrong and you get hurt or lost.

“Every human being that goes into a park will create some sort of impact, whether it’s having to go to the bathroom, or walking across soil you’re not supposed to traverse, or getting hurt, and there won’t be the appropriate staff available to deal with that,” Lamfrom says. “These parks belong to us, and we want people to use them safely, but in a way that honors, respects and protects these special places now and into the future.”

Given the demand on resources, you might want to consider switching your trip to nearby state parks, which are fully staffed and operating with a business-as-usual mentality.

Need ideas of where to go? Check out this article I wrote about the best state parks in the country.

The post What to Know About Visiting National Parks During the Government Shutdown appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Backpacking stoves solve a basic problem: You’ve just hiked several miles into the woods, you’re tired and hungry, and if you don’t have a hot meal you’ll throw a tantrum like a toddler who doesn’t get ice cream at the fair. Jetboil and MSR have a long history of addressing this predicament and both companies make iconic backpacking stoves. set the standard for quiet, lightweight stoves in the ’80s, while Jetboil reinvented the “personal cooking system” with an emphasis on efficiency when they introduced their first stove in the early 2000s.

Both iconic brands recently introduced new stoves designed for the backcountry—the Jetboil Zip and the MSR Switch—so I decided to pit them against each other in a head-to-head test.

Jetboil Zip vs. MSR Switch: What You Need to Know

Both stoves are designed to be lightweight, compact cooktops for the backcountry, but they take slightly different approaches to accomplish the job. While they have similar aesthetics, the specs and features vary enough that you need to think about your priorities and how you like to cook while you’re backpacking before you make a purchase.

Neither the Zip or Switch would be considered ultralight by purists standards, but they’re plenty light and compact for backpackers who aren’t shaving the handles off of their toothbrushes. And both stoves are very packable, with a design that allows you to stack all of the parts, even the gas canisters, inside the main cooking pot. It’s a convenient approach that keeps everything you need for dinner in one spot. They’re also both easy to use thanks to intuitive systems that even beginner backpackers would have no problem understanding. Although, I did have a friend ruin a Jetboil once because he didn’t take the plastic protector off the bottom of the pot before trying to boil water. So make sure you do that.

Jetboil Zip: Straightforward, Efficient, But Not Versatile

The Jetboil Zip is basically the little brother to the popular Jetboil Flash cooking system. Instead of the Flash’s 1-liter volume, the Zip gives you a slightly more demure .8-liter volume, so it’s designed for a single backpacker cooking for themself. Like all Jetboils, the Zip is a water-boiling device, with a stove that’s designed specifically to be used with the pot.

The post MSR Switch vs. Jetboil Zip: Which Backpacking Stove Is Best? appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Our national park system is gorgeous year round, but some park units are made for fall, thanks to their abundance of hardwood forests. The annual changing of the leaves is like nature’s version of performance art as those hardwoods put on a dazzling show of color before winter sets in. The fact that the performance is fleeting is one of the reasons��it’s so spectacular. Summer is gone and winter is coming, but for a brief window in September and October, we get to experience the outdoors with near-perfect temperatures, reduced crowds, and a forest canopy that is ablaze with color.

Here are the top national parks for witnessing mother nature’s last gasp before winter takes hold—and the best fall adventures in each park.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Shenandoah National Park might be the perfect fall foliage destination. The mountains are covered with hardwood forests, while drastic elevation changes within the park extend the window for finding color from mid September to mid November. The 200,000-acre park is covered with beech, birch and hickory trees that turn yellow, while black gums and maples offer shades of red. And it’s not just the hardwoods that perform during the fall; Virginia Creeper, a vine that covers most of the rock walls inside the park, turns a reddish purple in September. A two-lane road cruises through the heart of the park for 100 miles, giving you fast access to long range views with every overlook. It’s also a great park for late fall adventures, as the season finishes with giant poplars that occupy the stream valleys, and turn yellow in the middle of November.

The �����ԹϺ���: Hike Upper Hawksbill Trail

Half the fun of visiting Shenandoah is cruising Skyline Drive, a 100-mile two lane road that follows the crest of the mountains through the heart of the park. Overlooks that give broad views of the peaks beyond and the valleys below are situated at regular intervals, so you’ll have plenty of reasons to stop and nab a photo or two. Shenandoah is a hiker’s park, and dozens of trails begin and end on Skyline Drive. There’s no bad hike when it comes to foliage views, but I like the perch on top of Hawksbill Summit, the tallest mountain in the park with a 360-degree view that encompasses the Shenandoah Valley below, Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, and the Piedmont to the east. Start at�� at milepost 46.5 on Skyline Drive and tackle the 1-mile climb to the top of the 4,049-foot peak.

Where to Stay: Fall weekends are busy and campgrounds and lodges inside the park are booked well in advance, but has 30 first come/first serve sites that remain open until December 1. It’s tough to get these sites on a weekend, but if you show up on Thursday, you have a good shot at scoring one ($30 a night).

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park is best known for its rugged coastline, where the Atlantic meets the rocky edge of Maine. But when the weather turns crisp, visitors should turn their attention to the interior of the park, where New England hardwoods like oak, maple, and beech offer punches of color to the evergreen forest. According to the National Park Service, mid October is typically peak color inside the park. You can check the state of Maine’s for weekly updates so you don’t miss the show.

The �����ԹϺ���: Bike the Carriage Roads

Acadia manages 45 miles of , which were built in the early 1900s by landowner John D. Rockefeller Jr. on Mount Desert Island. The roads traverse the forest on the interior of the island, crossing streams via 17 stone bridges. The crushed-stone roads aren’t open to vehicles, so you can enjoy a car-free ride as you pedal through history. Target the Tri-Lakes Loop, an 11-mile romp through the heart of Mount Desert that skirts the edges of Eagle Lake, Bubble Lake, and Jordan Lake. The grades are casual and the climbing is minimal, so you can knock it out quickly if you’re in a hurry, but you’ll also have the chance to extend your ride into a full day adventure if you’d like.

Where to Stay: , on the interior side of Mount Desert Island, has wooded sites and is open until October 20 this year. Tent sites are $30 a night. I found open sites throughout September and October, but if you can’t score the nights you’re looking for, the gateway town of Bar Harbor has plenty of camping resorts and hotels.

Gauley River National Recreation Area, West Virginia

The Gauley River National Recreation Area is situated less than an hour from New River National Park, but gets a fraction of the attention. To be fair, the national recreation area protects a rugged gorge without much visitor infrastructure, but what it lacks in visitor centers, it makes up for in beauty. The recreation area is particularly stunning��in the fall, when its 25-mile long gorge—which is blanketed by a hardwood forest—is ablaze with color.

The �����ԹϺ���: Whitewater Rafting

For seven weekends in September and October, recreational releases fill the Gauley, turning a 25-mile stretch of the river through the National Recreation Area into a torrent of high-volume whitewater. Pairing that rare adventure opportunity with the annual kaleidoscope of colors that paint the wall of the Gauley’s gorge, is an absolutely transcendent adventure known as “Gauley Season.” The river drops 668 feet over 25 miles and is known for its big volume waves and drops. It’s divided into two sections, the Upper Gauley being the most intense (rafters have to have some whitewater experience and be at least 16 years old), while the Lower Gauley is a slightly more tame (12 miles of class III-V open to all boaters 12 and up). The ultimate move is to combine the two sections of the Gauley with an overnight camping trip in the middle ( from $459 per person).

If you want to experience the Gauley River without the thrill of whitewater, show up any day outside of the release days and bring your fly rod. The Gauley is loaded with��trout, smallmouth bass, and walleye, all of which are feeding heavily during the fall.

Where to Stay: Try to score a spot at the , situated below Summersville Dam. There are only 18 drive in sites, and you’d be��pitching a tent in the grass, but it’s as close as you can get to the Upper Gauley put in. (And it’s free!) If you’re looking for something a little more refined, ��has cabins and campsites on an expansive campus 30 minutes from the Gauley (from $39 a night).

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Aspens and cottonwoods: that’s what you come to Rocky Mountain National Park to see in the fall. Oh, and the elk, which are busy sparring and bugling as part of their annual mating ritual. Because of the high elevation of the park, the changes to the leaves begin to happen in the middle of September as the aspens and other hardwoods turn gold, yellow, and red. October can be the sweet spot with color still lingering in the lower elevations and crowds thinning all over the park.

The �����ԹϺ���: Hike Fern Lake Trail

Fern Lake Trail is a�� along the Big Thompson River, passing the 60-foot Fern Falls along the way. At the lake, you can see several 11,000 and 12,000-foot peaks on the horizon, including the 12,331-foot Knobtop Mountain. The majority of the trail is forested, so you’ll be treated with a canopy full of cottonwoods, aspens, and willows turning different shades of yellow and orange throughout fall.

For elk viewing, head to the meadows in Upper Beaver Meadows or Moraine Park, where elk are known to gather around dawn and dusk. But stick to the roads and established trails—the meadows are closed to foot traffic during September and October to protect the annual rut. The Kawuneeche Valley, on the west side of the park near Grand Lake, is a great place to see aspens and elk at the same time. The 7-mile Green Mountain Loop passes through forests of lodgepole and quaking aspen as well as the Big Meadow, which draws elk in the morning and late afternoon.

Where to Stay: Camping inside the park gets scarce come fall. Longs Peak Campground and Glacier Basin Campground are both closed for 2025, and Moraine Park Campground and Aspen Glen Campground both close for the season at the end of September. is open until October 6 this year, though. It’s a quieter campground on the west side of the park near Grand Lake with 30 tent-only sites, but you’ll need reservations ($35 a night). has historic cabins on the edge of the park if you want a roof over your head as the temperature drops (from $137).

The Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee

The Natchez Trace is 444 miles of rolling scenic road through the heart of the South that follows the original trading route established by Native Americans and later adopted by European settlers. It’s particularly stunning in the fall as the hardwood canopy forms a tunnel of color surrounding the sinuous blacktop.

The �����ԹϺ���: Bike the Natchez Trace

Technically, the road was built for vehicles, and a thru-drive beginning in Nashville, Tennessee and ending at the Mississippi River is certainly a worthy endeavor. But the Natchez Trace also offers a primo opportunity to pedal through that same gorgeous landscape, and the Parkway operates bicycle-only campgrounds and bicycle service stations throughout its corridor. Riding the entire road takes at least a week. The��guides regular trips (from $2499 per person). If you want to tackle a piece of the Parkway, check out the northernmost 60 miles, where you can use Nashville as your basecamp and pedal the hilliest portion of the road past waterfalls and overlooks as you cruise through a deciduous hardwood forest.

Where to Stay: Nashville is loaded with hotel options, and there are two campgrounds within the northernmost stretch of the Parkway. ��is bicycle only at milepost 408, but the , at milepost 385, is more scenic as it’s tucked into the forest. Both are first-come first-served and free.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park put on one of the best displays of fall color in the west. The forest surrounding the iconic craggy peaks of the park are scattered with aspens, cottonwoods, and willows, all of which turn different shades of yellow in September and October. You’ll also find splashes of red from the black hawthorn shrubs that grow along streams and wetlands. But the colorful landscape is just part of the show; the park’s wildlife is the most active during this season so it’s a good time to see pronghorn sheep gathering before migrating south for the winter and elk bugling and sparring in the meadows.

The �����ԹϺ���: The Fall Safari

You’re going to see color if you hit Grand Teton in late September and October—the aspens and cottonwoods are hard to miss. But put in a little effort and you can increase your chances of seeing some spectacular wildlife, too. You can take your chances on your own and head to easy to reach spots like Oxbow Bend, a slow moving section of the Snake River where elk and moose are known to frequent. Or explore the park on a guided tour with naturalists who know exactly where to go to see the big game, and have the best equipment, like binoculars and spotting scopes, that will allow you to see these animals at a safe distance. offers half day tours through October (from $170 per person).

Where to Stay: If you want to camp inside the park, , which has 81 sites near Jackson Lake, is open until October 14. ($55 per night). If you want to stay in town, the is a renovated motel with a variety of accommodations, from RV spaces to bunk rooms to suites (RV sites start at $139 a night; rooms start at $344).

Glacier National Park, Montana

Winter comes early to Glacier National Park, but the hardwoods that are peppered throughout the park’s evergreen forests put on one last show in September and October before the snow begins to fall in earnest. Glacier is a particularly good spot to see larch trees, which are common in the western side of the park, and turn gold in the middle of October. Maybe the best part of visiting Glacier in the fall? The crowds have thinned, so you don’t have to worry about timed entries or angling for a parking spot. And while many of the park’s facilities shut down for winter at the end of September, Going-to-the-Sun Road is typically open until the third week of October.

The �����ԹϺ���: Float the Flathead River

The North Fork of the Flathead River forms the southwestern border of Glacier, and is a fun, family-friendly whitewater rafting experience during the summer months when snowmelt creates bigger rapids. But by fall, the water level has dropped and the river has mellowed, making for a relaxing float where you can take in the fall splendor without worrying about taking an unexpected swim. runs full-day float trips through September on a remote section of the North Fork that’s surrounded by hardwoods exhaling their last gasp of color (from $152 per person).

The North Fork is also a world-renowned fly fishing destination, famous for its fiesta cutthroat trout. runs half day float trips where you’ll stay dry and cast from the boat with Glacier’s peaks as the backdrop (from $550 for two).

Where to Stay: A lot of the park’s facilities shut down at the end of September, but operates primitive camping until November 1, unless the snow falls heavy and early. It’s a remote campground at the end of a long, dirt road drive with 48 sites tucked into the trees near Bowman Lake. Sites are first come/first serve. ($15 per night).

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

You can’t talk about national parks and fall foliage without mentioning Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). This 500,000-acre preserve protects one of the most biodiverse forests in the world—a forest that is made up predominantly of hardwoods that turn every shade of the rainbow in fall. The show begins at the end of September at the higher elevations of the park and carries on through the beginning of November in the lower valleys.

The �����ԹϺ���: Backpack to Big Trees

GSMNP is crowded most weekends throughout the year, but it reaches another level of activity during peak leaf peeping. Fortunately, most of those people stick to the same spots—Cades Cove, Newfound Gap Road, Kuwohi—so it’s easy to find solitude, especially if you’re willing to put in some leg work. Hike the 14-mile Cataloochee Divide Loop and you’ll bag the trifecta of fall splendor inside the park: expansive mountaintop views, the chance to see elk, and massive old growth forests. The backpack combines , Caldwell Fork Trail, and Rough Fork Trail trail on the eastern border of the park, far away from the crowds at Gatlinburg, and crosses over Hemphill Bald, a 5,000-foot grassy mountaintop, before dropping deep into the forest where a stand of massive old growth poplars can be found. Elk also frequent the area, so keep an eye out in the morning and before sunset. You can tackle this loop as a full day hike, but it’s best as an overnight trip, which will give you time to cast for trout in Caldwell Fork, a narrow backcountry stream near that forest of poplars.

Where to Stay: The best backcountry campsite on this loop is closed because of damage from Hurricane Helene, but you can pitch your tent at the next best site, , Big Hemlock, at mile 10 of the loop, and still be a quick stroll to Caldwell Fork for fishing. Get a backcountry permit for the campsite ($8) in advance.

Graham Averill is �����ԹϺ��� magazine’s national parks columnist. He believes that fall is one of nature’s greatest magic shows, especially in the Southern Appalachians where he lives. He recently wrote about the most picture-perfect spots in Yosemite National Park.��

The post The Best National Parks for Fall Foliage �����ԹϺ���s appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene brought 100-mile per hour winds to the mountains of Western North Carolina and dropped up to 30 inches of rain. The devastation was swift and heartbreaking and resulted in one of the worst natural disasters in the area’s history.

The mountain communities situated along the French Broad River, such as Asheville, Hot Springs, and Marshall, saw devastating floods, while Pisgah National Forest lost an estimated 100,000 acres of trees from a combination of high winds and an overly saturated forest floor. More than 100 people lost their lives in North Carolina, and countless others lost their homes and businesses. For the last twenty years Asheville has been home, and I covered Helene from my perspective during the immediate aftermath of the storm.

News of Helene’s destruction dominated the news cycle at the time, but the story of the region’s recovery, which began immediately after the rain and wind stopped, has gone largely unnoticed.

A year has passed and the communities that survived the destruction have been working tirelessly to rebuild. It started with carving paths through the downfall on city streets and has been ongoing with debris removal, building restoration, and trail reconstruction. I’m amazed by the progress that’s been made the past year. More than 85 percent of Asheville’s hospitality businesses have reopened. In Pisgah National Forest, hundreds of miles of trails are ready for bikers and hikers, and sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway have been restored.

It just was announced that a key 26-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway heading north from Asheville to Craggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell State Park is reopening. This is such an exciting development; cycling that piece of the Parkway from Asheville to the tallest mountain on the East Coast is one of my favorite road rides.

The recovery isn’t complete though. You can still see scars from Helene. A number of businesses are still shattered. In Asheville, parts of the popular River Arts District are still vacant. In the smaller towns of Marshall and Hot Springs, some buildings remain empty as reconstruction moves forward. Some recreation areas in Pisgah National Forest still need significant restoration work before they can be safely explored.

But we’ve come so far in a year, and the towns (and the mountains surrounding them) are safe and open for visitors again. As fall approaches, along with the year anniversary of the worst natural disaster to hit the area, it’s time to come back and see the recovery story for yourself.

Consider this a local’s guide to adventuring in and around Asheville and the surrounding mountains one year after Hurricane Helene.

Asheville

If you walk through downtown Asheville today, you’d never know a powerful storm ripped through the community a year prior. Downtown was mostly unscathed, but the River Arts District, just west of downtown on the banks of the French Broad River, was hit hard. Flood waters rose to 20 feet above the French Broad’s typical level, pushing the river into��breweries, restaurants, and studios that made up the popular entertainment district. Many of the buildings are still vacant or have been demolished entirely. But there is a resurgence of businesses in that district, from artists occupying studios again to breweries re-opening in their former locations.

Here are a handful of spots you should check out:

Hi-Wire Brewing

has reopened its River Arts District beer garden after being closed for eight months after the storm. The location was more than just a beer garden, it was the brewery’s headquarters and distribution center. Hi-Wire lost 100 percent of its packaging inventory and 80 percent of its finished beer in the flood. The newly restored space is loaded with murals and games and has 24 different beers on tap. Their Lo-Pitch Hazy IPA is my top choice.

Wrong Way River Lodge

has A-frame cabins on stilts on the bank of the French Broad. They saw water levels rise to their front row of cabins, and submerge the bottom floor of their lodge, but the entire property has been fully restored (from $223 a night).

The Bull and Beggar

has been a staple of Asheville’s culinary scene for more than a decade, but the building took in almost two feet of water during the storm and had to be completely renovated. It reopened in January 2025 and is back to serving the best steak frites in town. Too fancy? Their sister location, , makes what I believe to be the best burger in town.

The Next Phase

The next phase of recovery in the River Arts District is just as exciting. , a 50,000-square foot bazaar that housed the studios and galleries for more than 300 artists, is set to re-open this fall with the majority of its artists returning. was just a few weeks away from opening a 13,000-square foot bouldering gym and cafe on Foundy Street before the flood hit. The company is on schedule to open that new climbing gym in the Foundy this fall. And should open their popular Wedge Foundation, which was one of my favorite places to drink a beer outside, this fall as well.

Pisgah National Forest

Asheville is flanked by the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest, which was hit hard by Helene. There was damage to roughly 850 miles of trail and��30 percent of the forest’s road beds.

Bent Creek Experimental Forest

Bent Creek Experimental Forest, which sits in the Pisgah Ranger District, is the closest section of Pisgah National Forest to downtown Asheville, and has more than 20 miles of trail that locals and visitors flock to for mountain bike rides and trail runs. Bent Creek experienced flooding and heavy winds, and lost a number of trees, but local volunteers were able to clear the damage quickly after the storm. The��forest started reopening to visitors at the end of October 2024. , which has a two-mile, technical downhill, is the signature trail, but I like , which doesn’t get as much attention but has plenty of flow and cruisy benchcut singletrack.

Grandfather Ranger District

While the Pisgah Ranger District endured its share of destruction, Helene did the most damage in the Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah east of Asheville. The tall, steep mountains that rise to 6,000 feet in elevation in the Grandfather District saw triple digit winds and some of the heaviest rainfall of the storm with hundreds of miles of trail and road destroyed. Forest Service staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly, restoring access to more than 250 miles of trail within the Grandfather District.

Mountain bikers in particular should be excited by this, as the , just outside of downtown Old Fort, is now open with a new parking area. Bikers now��have full access to this 14-mile trail system that emphasizes flow and fun. is designed for hammering fast laps, with a gravel road climbing to the top of a ridge that provides access to the downhill singletrack. If you want a taste of old school Pisgah singletrack within the Grandfather District, you need to ride , which is at the heart of a 10-mile loop between the towns of Old Fort and Black Mountain, and features a monstrous switchback climb preceding a fast, technical downhill through a thick forest canopy. It’s a classic for a reason.

Old Fort

Regardless of which trail you ride, be sure to drop into downtown Old Fort after your adventure. Old Fort is a town of 800 that was leaning heavily into outdoor recreation as an economic anchor before Hurricane Helene hit. The storm damaged more than just the trails within the national forest; it sent a flood surge through downtown that destroyed��more than 40 buildings and homes. The town is scrappy though, and working hard to rebuild. Grab food and beer from the town’s social anchor, , which had flood waters four-feet deep inside its building.

The Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile long two-lane highway that runs through the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, connecting Great Smoky Mountains National Park with Shenandoah National Park. It is the most visited unit of the National Park System with more than 17 million visitors each year. The Parkway wraps around Asheville connecting the town with the tallest peaks in the Eastern U.S., but��the road is more than a scenic drive. Hundreds of trailheads are scattered along the corridor, and cyclists flock to the blacktop in droves for the scenic pedaling and tough climbs.

Helene brought heavy winds and rain that caused landslides and eroded sections of pavement both south and north of Asheville. Now a year later, 114 contiguous miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway are�� open to travelers once again through the Asheville area, including a newly reopened 26-mile stretch north to Craggy Gardens and beyond. The National Park Service has been working hard to reopen the impacted sections of the Parkway, the most exciting of which (to those of us who are Asheville locals) is the 38-mile section of road from Asheville south to milepost 420, which gives hikers and cyclists access to two popular destinations: Graveyard Fields and Black Balsam.

Graveyard Fields, at milepost 418, is a mile-high valley with a popular trail system that accesses waterfalls and swimming holes along the Yellowstone Prong. The mile-long offers a quick tour of the goods, but climb the 1.5-mile for the best chance of solitude and an up-close look at the 40-foot falls.

At milepost 420, you’ll find access to Black Balsam Knob, a 6,214-foot tall grassy bald with 360-degree views of the surrounding forest. You can also trek��up the popular which runs for 29 miles through Pisgah National Forest, and has��short loops or epic multi-day hikes.

The French Broad River

The French Broad River runs for 146 miles from the small town of Rosman to Newport Tennessee. In recent years, the French Broad has evolved from a source of industry, with paper mills and coal plants along its corridor, to more of a source of recreation. The non-profit, Mountain True, developed a with established campsites from its headwaters to its tailwaters.

Thousands of people tubed and paddled several miles of the river through the River Arts District every day this summer. Helene caused significant damage and essentially shut the river down for months as thousands of pounds of debris, from PVC pipe to tractor trailers, were deposited into the river from the storm. But Mountain True and the Army Corps of Engineers have been working tirelessly and the majority of the river is open again for recreation, with a number of put-ins and takeouts fully restored.

Boaters looking for some excitement should head to of the French Broad, which runs for eight miles from the town of Marshall to Hot Springs, offering the best whitewater on the entire river. While Helene caused its fair share of damage to the river corridor, the rapids on this stretch are largely the same as before the storm. I had the chance to run a rafting trip on Section 9 earlier in the summer, and was so happy to see the character of the whitewater had not been changed. The run is highlighted by class III waves and a couple of big class IV rapids, the most famous of which is Frank Bells, a river-wide ledge with several different routes depending on how crazy you want to get. runs half day and full day trips on Section 9 (from $59 per person).

The towns of Marshall and Hot Springs both sit directly on the French Broad River and both were devastated by the storm. After the flood waters receded, Marshall was left with several feet of mud to contend with, while the storm surge ripped through the sides of certain buildings in Hot Springs. But both communities are coming back strong, each with businesses that are open and eager for visitors.

In Marshall, grab a beer and pizza at ��on Main Street. In Hot Springs, serves tacos and great beer in its beer garden. If you’re looking to camp, grab a site at , which has tent sites overlooking the French Broad within walking distance of downtown Hot Springs (from $45 per site).

Graham Averill is �����ԹϺ��� magazine’s national parks columnist. He’s lived in Asheville for more than 20 years, and has personally seen the town flood twice in that time. He recently wrote about the in the country.��

The post A Year After Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina Is Ready For You�� appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

The first was patented in 1953. It was a big, insulated box that looked a lot like a Yeti, but without the handles. Early versions of the cooler were called a “Leisure Chest” (great name) and promised cold groceries out in the wild, as long as you loaded them down with ice.

In the 75 years since, cooler design hasn’t changed all that much. Ice retention has certainly improved, but even with the best, most insulated coolers, you’ll still need to restock it with ice over the course of a weekend camping trip. Then you have to try to keep your food out of the melting ice so it doesn’t get soggy. And when you get home, you have to dump the water, wipe down the cooler, and leave it open to dry out so it doesn’t get moldy. It’s all a hassle, and yet I’ve been loyal to the old technology for decades, even when others insisted that an electric cooler was the superior option.

The post This Is the Electric Cooler That Finally Won Me Over appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Summer is fleeting. You’d think I’d have learned this by now, considering I’m 49 years old, but the end of the season sneaks up on me every year, and I find myself trying to cram as many warm-weather adventures as I can into August. My favorite summer pastime? Floating. Grab an inner tube or a standup paddle board (or an inflatable camping mattress in a pinch) and point it downstream on a lazy river and just … float.

Tubing has always been an integral part of my summer adventures. As a kid, I grew up tubing the Chattahoochee River through metro Atlanta. We hunted for rope swings and jumping rocks. Since those early days, I’ve hunted for ideal tubing scenarios, getting stuck on rivers with no currents and freezing my unmentionables off while careening down snowmelt creeks. I love tubing because it forces you to slow down and move at the speed of the river. It’s less about exploration and more about relaxation.

So I’ve done the research and found some of the best floating rivers in the country. Sure, some of these rivers have the occasional rapid, but these aren’t whitewater paddling trips. These are languid, let the sun beat down on you while draping your toes in the cool water below, trips.

Before summer is over, make the most of it with these epic float trips across the country.

Upper Iowa River, Iowa��

The Upper Iowa is a gem of a river that runs 136 miles through the northeast corner of Iowa before meeting the Mississippi. It was one of the first bodies of water to be nominated for a National Wild and Scenic River designation in the state, and because of that protection, it remains a pristine paddle to this day.

Kayakers and canoeists explore multiple sections of this river, but the perfect stretch runs for almost 20 miles between Kendalville Park access and Bluffton Fir Stand Access, where multiple public access points allow you to tailor the length of the trip. This section also cruises through the most interesting terrain, from natural springs pouring into the river to limestone outcroppings to expansive forests of balsam firs. The highlight has to be the Bluffton Palisades, a half-mile–long stretch of cliffs that rise 300 feet from the edge of the water.

Logistics: Start your trip in the morning to avoid afternoon crowds. rents tubes and runs shuttles of varying lengths (from $25, including the shuttle).

Where to Stay: has campsites and cabins on the river (from $100 a night for the cabins, from $38 a night for campsites). They also rent tubes (from $10) and run shuttles.

Niobrara National Scenic River, Nebraska��

Think Nebraska is just corn fields as far as the eye can see? Think again. The Niobrara River is a 535-mile–long waterway that begins in Wyoming, but the prettiest parts are in Nebraska where a 76-mile-long stretch was designated a National Scenic River in 1991. Here, the mild-mannered river runs through sandstone canyons, rolling sandhills, and forests of aspen and birch. The best section runs for 12 miles from Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge to Smith Falls State Park. It’s a full day of cruising with the occasional swift water ripple and the opportunity to see wildlife like eagles, herons, and otters. You can also spot deer and the occasional elk grazing in the meadows. The section is known for its waterfalls, with the opportunity to park your tubes and take short hikes to Fort Falls, a 30-footer over an exposed canyon, and the 63-foot-tall Smith Falls, Nebraska’s tallest. There’s also Berry Falls, which drops directly into the side of the Niobrara River, giving you a chance to feel the spray from the eight-foot drop as you cruise by in your tube.

Logistics: The park service estimates 60,000 people paddle or tube the Niobrara River every year, most of them on Saturdays during the summer, so if that’s your plan, aim for an early morning launch to avoid the majority of the crowds. Or show up during the week if that’s a possibility. Nearly a dozen outfitters rent tubes and run shuttles. such as

If you put in at the Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, you’ll need to pay the daily access fee and wear a wristband.

Where to Stay: has a campground on the river, as well as Nebraska’s tallest waterfall. It’s a popular takeout spot for outfitters running trips, so pitching your tent here makes for a seamless adventure (from $15 a night for a site).

The Russian River, Sonoma County, California��

Northern California’s Russian River cruises for a hundred miles through Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. This is wine country, and most visitors are here for the grapes and the food, but a two-mile stretch of the Russian River from Steelhead Beach to Sunset Beach has become a hotbed of floating during the summer months. It’s a slow-moving affair with no rapids to speak of, so the trip typically takes four hours, but there are pebble beaches for lounging and plenty of opportunities to cool off by dipping in the water. If you’re an angler, consider turning this into a float/fishing trip, as the Russian River is known for its striped bass, steelhead, and salmon fishing.

Logistics: Parking at Steelhead Beach ($7 per car) fills up fast, so get there early on weekends. It’s a five-minute drive between the parks, so it makes for an easy self-shuttle. The county also runs a between the beaches on weekends ($5 per person). , located at Steelhead Beach, has tube rentals (from $25 a day).

Where to Stay: This is wine country, so boutique hotels abound, as do private campgrounds. has RV and tent sites (from $60 a night) tucked into the redwoods with river frontage and quick access to the restaurants in Guerneville and Forestville. They also offer tube rentals ($25 a day).

The Lower Salt River, Arizona��

The Salt River stretches for 200 miles through the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona. While the Upper Salt is a hot spot of whitewater paddling and rafting, with class III-IV rapids, the Lower Salt, below Sauguro Lake, is a more mellow affair with mild water moving through classic desert terrain with 1,000-foot cliffs and more saguaro cacti than any mortal can count.

The most popular stretch for tubing is just 45 minutes outside of Phoenix, where the river cruises through Tonto National Forest. Multiple public put-ins allow you to tailor the trip to your needs, with options from just a few miles to up to 13 miles. Plenty of people opt for paddle boards and kayaks for this run, but it’s quintessential tubing territory with just a few ripples to contend with early on in the trip. You also have the chance to spot wild horses, which graze along the river banks and wade into the water. An estimated 300 feral horses live in a 20,000-acre section of the national forest along the Lower Salt. Coon Bluff Recreation Area, roughly halfway through the tubing run, offers the best chance to see the mustangs. Your odds improve if you’re on the river at sunrise or sunset.

Logistics: rents tubes and runs shuttles for trips of varying lengths on the Lower Salt ($28 for tube and shuttle). You’ll also need a Tonto National Forest recreation pass ($8).

Where to Stay: The sits near the top of the Lower Salt River. If you stay at the ranch, you can launch directly from the property and start paddling beneath tall cliffs right away. The ranch has kayaks for rent and guided trip options, too.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey��

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a special place. From a topography standpoint, the “Water Gap” is a notch carved into the Kittatinny Mountains by the Delaware River that’s a quarter mile wide at the bottom and a mile wide at the highest peaks. That’s cool, but the recreation area is even more impressive from a public land standpoint, as it protects 40 miles of free-flowing river in the heart of the most densely populated region of the United States. This National Recreation Area is an oasis of pristine water and lush, forested slopes in an otherwise urban landscape, and it’s best experienced from the hull of a boat or the��seat of a tube while meandering on the Delaware River. The current is mostly mild throughout the recreation area, which has a dozen access points, enabling you to create a trip to suit your needs. The six-mile stretch from Smithfield Beach to Kittatinny Point is popular with paddlers, ending at the actual gap in the mountains. Tubers flock to the next section of the river, which runs for four miles from the gap to the small town of Portland, floating beneath the Slateford Bridge and through the occasional class I/II wave train. The river is protected from its source in the Catskills, so the water is pristine and often clear enough to see straight through to the bottom.

Logistics: There are no entrance fees to the national recreation area, but there are some day–use fees at certain put-ins. The Delaware Gap National Recreation Area runs a to the four Pennsylvania access points of the river on weekends until August 31. has kayak and tube rentals and shuttles (starting at $40 per person).

Where to Stay: has 78 campsites along the river on the New Jersey side of the recreation area (from $20 a night). Sites here not only get you close to the water, but you’ll have fast access to great hiking on the Appalachian Trail, too.

Yampa River, Steamboat Springs, Colorado��

The Yampa River is a free-flowing tributary of the Green River, and it has some classic whitewater sections, particularly through Dinosaur National Monument. But the river is relatively mellow as it cruises through downtown Steamboat Springs, offering locals and visitors an enticing way to cool off without leaving the city limits. A variety of parks and access points allow you to tailor the trip to your timeframe, and several outfitters rent tubes and run shuttles in town. It’s more than a scenic float, though, as there are plenty of standing waves and small rapids to keep things interesting, but nothing you can’t handle in a tube or standup paddleboard. The river has a very relaxed, social vibe.

In addition to plenty of other tubers and paddlers, you’ll pass kids swimming in eddies and people lounging on rocks and beach areas. In other words, it’s a popular respite from the heat, so much so that the city limits the number of commercial trips on the river each day, and divides the river into sections, each with a dedicated user group. The upper stretch is reserved for anglers, while private boaters can launch from Fetcher Park and cruise downstream. If you’re renting a tube, you’ll put in at 8th Street and float two miles to the James Brown Bridge.

Logistics: Local outfitter has rental equipment and shuttles right at the 8th street put[[-]]in ($25 includes a shuttle). Typically, tubing season runs through August, but check in with the outfitter before your trip to check water levels. Commercial outfitters like a sweet spot of 500 to 600 cubic feet per second for trips. You want to hit the river before noon to miss the crowds.

Where to Stay: Downtown Steamboat Springs has limited camping, but has plenty of hotel options. Check out the , a renovated motel with retro vibes, in the heart of town within walking distance of the river (from $159 a night).

Ichetucknee River, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Florida��

Florida can get a bad rap, but the center of the state is a veritable jungle packed with natural springs and lazy rivers that meander beneath a lush, hardwood canopy. I love Florida’s cold springs, and I’d argue that there are so many beautiful rivers in Florida that the state is ground zero for tubing in the U.S. It’s tough to pick one river to focus on here, but the Ichetucknee takes the prize.

The six-mile-long river is fed by eight natural cold springs, and the Upper Ichetucknee, within the 2,500-acre state park, is one of the most pristine bodies of water in the state. Put in at Dampier’s Landing and float for about a mile (the trip takes about an hour) beneath a canopy of cypress and pine. Bring your goggles and head to the head of the river, where you’ll find deep pools with underwater cavern systems formed by the springs; my family got a kick out of snorkeling in these pools. Just keep in mind that the water is a crisp 72-degrees year–round because of the springs bubbling up from below.

Logistics: Entrance fee to the park is $6 per vehicle. Try to get there early,��as the park closes when it reaches max capacity. You can get tubes or boats at the park’s (from $8). You can take the tram or hike the trail back to the put-in next to the General Store.

Where to Stay: There’s no camping inside Ichetucknee Springs State Park, but there are several privately owned campgrounds near the park. has campsites and cabins on the Santa Fe River, less than five miles from Ichetucknee, and gets rave reviews by Hipcampers (from $45 a night).

The Lower Green River, Saluda, North Carolina��

The Green River has one of the most lauded class V whitewater runs in the country, with a three-mile section that’s packed with class IV and V rapids and home to the annual Green River Race. But below the Narrows is the more mellow, six-mile Lower Green, where the whitewater settles down to some easy class II waves and drops leading into gentle eddies. If you’re paddling, consider doing the whole Lower Green, which is a four-hour adventure that’s perfect for experienced standup paddleboarders. Most tubers opt for the lower three miles of the run, which is two hours of floating with half a dozen rapids that pass through the protected forest of the Green River Gamelands. The water is clear, and the banks are lined with granite outcroppings and the occasional rocky beach.

Logistics: If you’re doing the full six-mile run, you can set your own shuttle, stashing cars at the Fishtop Access and Bigrock Access points. If you’re tubing, your best bet is to rent tubes and get a shuttle from , which has an outpost directly on the river (rates start at $20 per person).

Where to Stay: Hotels in the area are scarce, but there are a handful of private campgrounds. has three-sided camping shelters as well as A-frames and a deluxe treehouse roughly 20 minutes from the river (shelters start at $55 a night).

Truckee River, Reno, Nevada��

Tubing the Truckee River into downtown Reno is all about timing. Hit the river during the spring snow melt, and it’s a torrent of whitewater popular with kayakers. But wait until late summer and the flows have mellowed, creating ideal tubing territory. It’s an urban experience that has you floating past neighborhoods, wooded slopes,. and several parks before getting out in downtown Reno. And the water is crisp and swift, so you can expect some small rapids even at low volume.

The best part is the finish: tubers take out at Reno’s Truckee River Whitewater Park, a manmade playground with half a mile of waves and drops. If the water level is low enough, you can run tubes through some of the rapids at the Whitewater Park, running laps on the more fun features until you’re exhausted.

Logistics: Multiple parks allow you to vary your trip length, but most people run from Mayberry Park, where there’s plenty of parking, to the Truckee River Whitewater Park. , which is located next to the whitewater park, has tube rentals and runs shuttles. ($69 per person including shuttle).

Where to Stay: It’s Reno, so there are hotels (and casinos) everywhere. has the world’s tallest outdoor climbing wall and is only a couple of blocks from the Reno Riverwalk and Whitewater Park (from $195).

______________________________________________________________________________

Graham Averill is �����ԹϺ��� magazine’s national parks columnist, and spends as many days as he can tubing the rivers near his home in Asheville, North Carolina. He recently wrote about the best swimming holes in our national parks.��

The post The Best Float Trips in the U.S. to Go with the Flow appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.