When officials partially reopened Death Valley National Park on October 15, a rare spectacle was awaiting visitors: a brand-new lake in Badwater Basin.

Badwater Basin is a large salt flat that鈥檚 North America鈥檚 lowest point at 282 feet below sea level. Nearby Furnace Creek holds the record for being the on Earth after temperatures reached 134.1-degrees in 1913. (Though some scientists have cast doubt on that figure, almost all agree that Death Valley currently owns the heat record.)

Typically, Badwater Basin is extremely dry. But after Death Valley National Park in August, water inundated the area. The storm dropped about a year鈥檚 worth of precipitation in a single day, prompting the park鈥檚 closure and causing road and infrastructure damage across the region. The closure was in effect for two months鈥攖he longest that the park has been closed since the U.S. established it.

Rangers the depth of the lake, but estimates suggest there could be as many as two feet of water in the basin. The last time the basin accumulated such a significant amount of water was nearly 20 years ago, in 2005.听

鈥淭his is a really special time,鈥� Death Valley National Park鈥檚 Superintendent, Mike Reynolds, . 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty rare to see a lake in Death Valley.鈥�

In addition to hosting a new lake, Badwater Basin is also experiencing unseasonable flower blooms, surrounding the lake with yellow and orange pops of color. While the basin isn鈥檛 totally inhospitable to life鈥攊t even has its own species of endemic snail鈥攊t鈥檚 very uncommon for the basin to support flowers after spring ends due to rising temperatures and a shortage of water.听

Ranger Shelby McClintock told the that the park is particularly buggy, and the flowers 鈥渁re really confused, and they鈥檙e in bloom.鈥�

If you鈥檙e hoping to see the lake, however, you鈥檒l need to hustle: In addition to being extremely hot, Badwater Basin has one of the highest evaporation rates in the world, which means that the lake will be short-lived. It could disappear in a matter of weeks.

Park officials remind visitors that Death Valley National Park is , and to expect delays and lowered speed limits until the damage can be fully addressed.听

The post Death Valley Has a New Lake. See It Before It Disappears. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I first saw the Everglades more than 30 years ago, as a kid from Chicago dragged along by my parents. Buggy, hot, and flat, what I laid eyes on then was a sodden grassland, and I wasn鈥檛 much impressed. But there鈥檚 a reason the Glades remained wild well after the continent had been 鈥渃onquered,鈥� why the migrant Seminoles were able to hide so long in its redoubts from the U.S. Army. Even today, this national park is massive. Its 1.5 million mostly inaccessible acres make it the third-largest national park in the lower 48 after Death Valley and Yellowstone. Now, after living on its doorstep for 20 years, I鈥檝e become enthralled with its untamed nature.

A catch-all term for many different ecosystems, the Everglades once stretched more than 200 miles, from the Kissimmee River in Orlando, south past Lake Okeechobee, to the state鈥檚 southernmost tip and the Gulf of Mexico. Today the national park preserves just 20 percent of that, and cities, suburbs, and agricultural land abut its very edges. But the preserved Glades are as wild as it gets. Crocodiles and alligators, the Florida panther, manatees, and a vast number of flora, fauna, and invasive species of all sorts call the place home. Fragile and always changing, this Unesco World Heritage site is under threat of real inundation as sea levels rise, as well as from red tide and blue-green algae blooms (possibly caused by agricultural runoff), which have been devastating in recent years. The Glades are also a premier dark-sky zone, a sanctuary for migratory birds and raptors, and a refuge to get absolutely lost and forget the modern world exists at all. Here鈥檚 our guide to the Everglades on how to do just that.

What You Need to Know Before Visiting Everglades National Park

There are two main seasons in the Everglades:听the wet and the dry. From April to October, it is so hot and humid that even short excursions can be draining, and some park facilities, such as the remote Flamingo Visitor听Center, are staffed only intermittently. I鈥檝e found myself wiping masses of mosquitos off my bloody arms in summer, and the no-see-ums can be even worse, driving the stoutest of hearts bonkers. The upshot is that there are fewer crowds during these months. The dry season, which runs November through March, can be idyllic and mild. But whatever the season, pack bug repellent or netting, and be prepared for drenching rain.

Surrounding the park, especially its western parameters, are small, interesting towns听like Everglades City, which some of the fabled Gladesmen鈥攏on-native people who managed to decipher the mysteries of the swamp and carve out frontier lives for themselves鈥攕till call home. The Everglades City area was so lawless听in the recent past that bales of cocaine and marijuana were alleged to have regularly washed up on the shore. In 2017, Hurricane Irma tore through the area, and the people who live there are still recovering.

Finally, there鈥檚 no better way to prepare for a journey to the park than to pick up a copy of by the late journalist and conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. A seminal work on South Florida鈥檚 unique ecology, the book was published in 1947, the same year the Glades were designated a national park. The ecosystem was not seen as something worth saving by the many developers who drained and ditched this region all through the 20th century. That a significant part of the Everglades remains is due in large part to Douglas鈥檚 activism.

How to Get There

The Glades are so expansive that seven airports serve as听access points. Though some require longer drives than others, none are more than four hours away (and most much less). So it鈥檚 best to pair your arrival city with other things you might like to do: Orlando has theme parks; Tampa and Miami, nightlife and museums; Sarasota, Fort Myers, and Naples, fine dining, golf, and charter fishing; and Key West, Hemingway kitsch, history, and endless margaritas.

Once you choose your airport, there are three main entrances and four visitor centers, as well as an information station in the park. The Shark Valley and Ernest F. Cole Visitor听Centers and the Royal Palm Information Station and Bookstore鈥攁ll easily accessed from Miami鈥攁re close to civilization听on the park鈥檚 east side听and offer ranger-led programs. Shark Valley鈥檚 45-foot-tall, 360-degree observation tower is a popular stop. On the park鈥檚 west side, in Everglades City, the Gulf Coast Visitor Center is easily accessed from Naples and is the best entry point for the coastal Ten Thousand听Islands region, a birding, fishing, and kayaking paradise. There鈥檚 also the Flamingo Visitor Center on Florida Bay, on the park鈥檚 far southern tip, accessible听by car from Miami听or by boat from the state鈥檚听east and west coasts.

Road access is straightforward. On the west side, U.S. Route 41 is the only road in from Tampa, Sarasota, Fort听Myers, or听Naples. From Miami, U.S. Route 41 and Florida State Road 9336, which turns into Main Park Road, are听the main points of entry. From Orlando, either side is equally convenient. But no matter where you鈥檙e coming from, if you want to explore the west coast, where the river of grass meets the sea, it鈥檚 easiest to bring your own canoe or kayak or rent one in Everglades City at the . Beware: the waters are shallow, and the underwater environment is fragile. If you get stuck in the mud, you鈥檒l have to get out of your boat and push, which tears up the underwater seagrass habitat. Depth finders should be used, and knowledge of tides and nautical maps and an awareness of vulnerable manatees are also essential.

Where to Stay In or Near the Everglades

Despite the park鈥檚 massive size, traditional front-country camping and RV services are limited to just two sites inside the park. Long Pine Key Campground, near the Royal Palm Information Station, is only open November through May ($30 per night, no electric hookups available), while Flamingo Campground is open all year ($30 per night, $45 for electric hookups) and offers watercraft rentals. Reservations are recommended during the dry season.

There鈥檚 plenty of Gulf of Mexico beach camping on the park鈥檚 west coast, and much of the park is only accessible by canoe, kayak, or flatboat, so backcountry campers will be rewarded with solitude like few other places left in the U.S. But you must take trip planning seriously and pack your canoe or kayak with enough food and water for the length of your excursion. You鈥檒l also need to know how to orient yourself with GPS and nautical maps鈥攊t鈥檚 easy to get lost in this landscape of repetitive landmarks. Backcountry camping permits are only issued on a first-come, first-served basis in person at the Flamingo and Gulf Coast Visitor Centers ($21 fee, plus $2 per day).

If you like a bed and shower, Everglades City is a great base camp. The town has a museum, restaurants, and an eclectic assortment of hardy inhabitants. Places to stay include (from $129) and the cottages at the turn-of-the-century (from $125). Longer-stay self-catering options include the (from $109), great for large groups, and the waterfront one- and two-bedroom cabins at (from $130). You can also rent kayaks and gear at Ivey House, take swamp-buggy tours, and hire park-approved fishing charters and guides to lead you into the Glades.

The Best 国产吃瓜黑料s in Everglades National Park

Most of the park鈥檚 one million annual visitors don鈥檛 penetrate much farther than a visitor-center walking tour, but the Glades offer myriad activities for those willing to brave the maze-like waters, tall grasses, and mangrove isles. Whatever activities you choose, they鈥檒l all have at least one thing in common: you鈥檙e probably going to get wet.

Bird-Watching 听

If you鈥檙e a birder, there is no better place in the country to check off your life list than the Everglades, which boasts more than 360 of the winged species. Just pick a bird on your list鈥攆or me it is always the skittish and pink-hued roseate spoonbill鈥攁nd in the Glades you know you are going to see it. Snowy egrets and wood storks are everywhere, osprey鈥攁nd the bald eagles that steal their fish鈥攃ircle overhead, and if you find a lucky spot in the mangroves, flock after flock of curved-beaked ibis will zip over your head as they head home to roost in the evenings. Keep an eye out for black skimmers, a shorebird that is making a rebound; you鈥檒l know them as the seagull-like birds with an incredible underbite that seem to have no eyes at all because of their black and white coloration. Reserve tickets online for the to see wading birds, like limpkins. Kayakers can turn a corner in the islands and mangroves and happen upon a rookery that鈥檚 filled shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of birds: ibis, herons, egrets, wood storks, anhingas, and cormorants galore, and the spring- and fall-migration periods will offer you dozens of species a day without any struggle. Even if you never leave your car, you鈥檒l see birds. That鈥檚 the charm of the Glades.

Paddling

Launch your canoe or kayak at either the Flamingo or Gulf Coast Visitor Centers for a day trip or a two-week expedition. Between the two points are 100 miles of interconnected, watery wilderness, backcountry campsites, and a few marked canoe trails to help keep you from getting lost. The 5.2-mile loop through the grass marshes and mangrove islands around is a favorite for day-trippers. Still, those听who lose their way keep park rangers busy with regular rescues. If you want an expert to lead you, based in Everglades City, offers excellent, private ecotours.

The water is murky and full of creatures that will splash near your craft. Don鈥檛 worry, the usual cause of听commotion is not alligators听but mullet, a fish that schools here and is an important part of the food chain. For some reason that scientists听still don鈥檛 understand, the foot-long, thick-bodied fish loves to leap out of the water, and it happens all day long. You will see gators, but they鈥檒l leave you alone. That said, I keep my distance from any reptile longer than I am tall. If you camp on the beach, don鈥檛 tread on sea turtle nests, and if you paddle or boat along the coast, you will at some point be accompanied by dolphins.

Fishing Trip

There are nearly 300 species of fish here, and the first step to landing them is to get a license online at the 听(the park itself has some special regulations听). Light tackle is fine for freshwater areas. I use crawlers and land plenty of panfish, catfish, and bass. Unfortunately, you鈥檙e also likely encounter the invasive Southeast Asian walking catfish, a creature that can 鈥渨alk鈥澨齩n its front fins overland to infest ever more bodies of water. If you catch one, you can release it. But if you decide to keep one, by law it must be killed.

In the brackish water of听the mangroves, anything can happen, and you never know what you鈥檒l hook, from the delicious and gorgeous black-lined snook to equally delicious sheepshead and snapper. I use live shrimp for bait both here听as well as out in the saltwater. If you want to land a tarpon, one of the region鈥檚 premier saltwater game fish, heavier tackle and wire leaders are musts, and it鈥檚 better to go out with a guide. They have the local knowledge and all the expensive gear that will improve your听chance of tight lines.

One of the great joys听of my life was learning to throw a ten-foot, lead-skirted net for mullet. It isn鈥檛 easy, but all the local guides can offer lessons for the determined and interested. These fish will not take a hook, but if you have the shoulder and core strength to throw the net, it鈥檚 a true South Florida experience, and you can haul in a biblical bounty of these delicious silver beauties.

Everglades City remains a fishing paradise, as it was not hit by the red tide that ravaged the state in 2018. Fishing guides of note include听 and听, though听as Kathy Brock, publisher of Everglades City鈥檚 newspaper, The Mullet Rapper, notes, 鈥淎ll our guides here are good. They can鈥檛 survive if they鈥檙e not.鈥�

Hiking Trails

Short, interpretive trails are offered at all of the park鈥檚 visitor听centers, but while wonderful and easy, they won鈥檛 satisfy those looking for a demanding, all-day trek. For that, head to the 鈥攁ccessed from Royal Palm鈥攆or a 20-mile round-trip trek in absolute solitude on what was once a paved road听but has long since fallen into wild decay. 鈥攁ccessed from Flamingo鈥攊s a 15-mile round-trip that offers backcountry camping at Clubhouse Beach. The campsite requires a permit obtained at the Flamingo Visitor Center.

Ecotours

If you鈥檙e听pressed for time or want a better understanding of the Glades鈥� ecosystem, sign up for a guided airboat tour. On the park鈥檚 northern edge, just off U.S. 41, three park-approved airboat companies鈥�,听, and听鈥攚ill take you into areas adjacent to the park听(airboats are not allowed in the park itself due to听the risk of damaging听fragile submerged flora), schooling you on the region鈥檚 unique environments as you go.

Where to Eat and Drink Near the Everglades

Shop around in Everglades City, and find a menu that offers smoked mullet. It tastes like a moist, jerky delicacy. Restaurants include the year-round and as well as the seasonal (closed in summer). Also look for any menu that offers wild hog. The first Spanish explorers to Florida brought domesticated Iberian pigs with them as walking meat lockers. Some escaped, and now more than half a million feral hogs call Florida home. In Spain, these animals were raised on acorns and are to this day considered the highest-quality meat in that country. Here on this peninsula, they roam free in the Everglades, tearing up the environment with their bulldozer-like snouts, which means their meat is both delicious and good for the environment.

Stone crab season runs October to May. After taking just one claw from these thick-shelled crustaceans, fishermen throw the living crabs back into the water, where they will regenerate the missing claw over three years. All the local restaurants feature them.

Speaking of crab, I prefer the blue variety, which you can catch in the mangroves. Don鈥檛 bother with a trap (though you can set up to five if you insist). Just cast out any hunk of meat on a hook, and as soon as your line goes tight, reel it in very slowly: the crabs are so greedy that they won鈥檛 let go. All you鈥檒l need is a dip net. Sex them on capture, and release any females. Males have a thin, narrow 鈥渁pron鈥澨齩n their undersides, while females鈥� aprons are wide and triangular. There鈥檚 no special permit required听and no better backcountry meal.听They鈥檙e delicious boiled live in a pot.

If you can, plan your trip for early February when Everglades City hosts its annual Its post-Irma resilience was on full display in 2018 as more than 60,000 people descended听to show their support and eat local seafood of every variety while enjoying the live local music.

If You Have Time for a Detour

If you fly into Orlando, stop by Eatonville, a town founded by African Americans at the turn of the 19th century and now consumed by Orlando鈥檚 sprawl. It鈥檚 the site of the writer Zora Neale Hurston鈥檚 acclaimed novel Their Eyes Were Watching God,听which has many scenes set in the Everglades and chronicles the 1928 hurricane, during which the banks of听Lake Okeechobee overflowed听into the Glades,听killing听2,500 Floridians, including many poor African Americans. Like Stoneman鈥檚 The Everglades, Hurston鈥檚 novel should be read in advance of any visit to the Glades. Popular attractions include the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts and, in late January, the popular听, which has been celebrated for more than 30 years.

Those who find themselves in the Keys should be sure to hike the trails of the In ecological terms, a hammock is a type of habitat found in the region鈥檚 higher, drier elevations, and this park is home to one of the largest remaining West Indian tropical-hardwood hammocks in the world. In Key West, hop on the for a听ride over to Garden Key and Dry Tortugas National Park. Explore imposing Fort Jefferson before paddling a rental kayak to Loggerhead Key to camp on the island or dive the Windjammer, a 19th-century shipwreck. And听off the coast of Summerland Key is Looe Key Reef, my favorite place to dive in the Keys. Part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, this听is a special sanctuary preservation area. Corals are under threat all across the region due to climate change and ocean acidification, but Looe Key teems with corals and fish and reminds us of how things once were.

The Tamiami Trail, a听60-mile stretch of U.S. 41 that cuts right across Florida from east to west along the northern edge of the Everglades, offers campgrounds and RV parks. You鈥檒l also find many federally recognized Miccosukee Indian villages, recognizable by their thatched homes and security gates. At Miccosukee Indian Village and听Airboats, you can watch demonstrations of wood carving, beadwork, basket weaving, and doll making as well as taste unique dishes like fry and pumpkin breads and frog legs or witness alligator demonstrations. During the last week of December, the Miccosukee also host the听Indian Arts and听Crafts Festival.

The trail is also home to听鈥檚 Big Cypress Gallery. Known as the Ansel Adams of the Everglades, the storied photographer鈥攚ho is a friend of mine and many other South Florida environmentalists鈥攕truggled to support his family and make a living most of his life. But following the death of his 17-year-old son, in 1986, Butcher stepped into the Everglades to heal and produced his now iconic black and white photographs of the region鈥檚 wild places. Today听even Queen Elizabeth owns one of his prints. His gallery, located almost halfway between Naples and Miami, offers guest stays and walking tours. If you鈥檙e听lucky, Butcher will be there during your visit. In failing health, he鈥檚 still a library of information about the history of the conservation work that made the preservation of the Everglades possible.

Editor’s Note: We frequently update this National Parks guide, which was originally published on May 13, 2019.

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As recent have opined, our globe-trotting ways are killing the planet. The proof is in the numbers: tourism has the of any industry in terms of energy consumption. While air travel has been at the forefront of recent discussions, lodging also has a significant carbon footprint. Globally, tourist accommodations account for of CO2 emissions, and hotels rank among the most energy-consuming buildings in the service sector, behind structures like hospitals.

According to a 2019 by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), 70 percent of global travelers would be more inclined听to book eco-friendly accommodation. The industry seems to have taken the hint: are trending. But these days, it can be difficult to discern between environmentally friendly digs and those just trying to profit from听the craze. Globally, there are an estimated 250 to 300 entities that claim to certify tourist accommodations as sustainable. They vary in reputation and offer somewhere in the ballpark of 8,000鈥攜es, 8,000鈥攃ertifications, many of them meaningless.听

Take the , for example. To the uninitiated, its endorsement seems to be a legitimate seal of approval. But dig a little deeper and you鈥檒l discover that the organization does not certify establishments or even require that members adhere to any standards鈥攕cience backed or otherwise. Rather, it鈥檚 a marketing operation that lists accommodations on its website in exchange for an annual fee, starting at $201. The association distributes newsletters to its members featuring听ideas and advice that听ranges听from the rudimentary, such as enforcing smoke-free rooms, to the downright false: 鈥渓ive听potted plants keep air healthier,鈥� its website reads, a claim which has been by scientists. The GHA then uses its member directory essentially as a distribution list to shill products, like , and sell merchandise (flags reading 鈥淎 鈥楪reen Hotel鈥� Committed to Help Save Our Planet鈥� go for $68 a pop).

So how can you tell if a hotel is just stamping a feel-good leaf on its literature or if it鈥檚 actually taking steps toward sustainability? We鈥檝e consulted the experts on the questions you should be asking to make sure you鈥檙e putting your dollars in the right place.

Is it certified as sustainable by a reputable organization?

Gregory Miller, executive director of听the听, a research group based in Washington, D.C., tells travelers to look for the Global Sustainable Tourism Council听logo on hotel websites. The organization听publishes minimum for the travel industry that account not only for environmental aspects, such as energy and water conservation, but cultural considerations as well, including the protection of sensitive or meaningful sites. While the nonprofit does not certify hotels itself, it verifies that the standards used by third-party certification bodies, such as and , do evaluate whether听hotels comply with GSTC criteria. Its听icon, a听 fashioned out of an infinity symbol, seen on a hotel or certification agency鈥檚 website, is an easy way to identify businesses that have been through a rigorous vetting process.听

The website is another great resource for finding reputably certified hotels. It aggregates lodging options that have been verified by a variety of organizations, such as 听and听听(which have good reputations but are not yet GSTC certified) and other GSTC-vetted organizations like and . Book Different that all certifying bodies listed on its website perform in-person audits. Then听Book Different applies its own labels to hotel listings, which it terms 鈥渟taygreen checks.鈥� The site鈥檚 鈥渟taygreen鈥� indicators鈥攌elly-green check-mark icons that show up next to each listing鈥攁re based on four tenets: long-term management plans, fair interaction with the local community and employees, cultural sensitivity, and, of course, environmental concerns. Hotels can be awarded checks for any or all of those categories.

What is its carbon footprint?

It鈥檚 not yet standard for eco-lodges to list their carbon footprint, so it鈥檚 a good sign when they do听and indicates a strong level of accountability. Alongside filters for basic amenities such as parking or breakfast, Book Different provides carbon-footprint scores using听a听 developed at Breda University of Applied Sciences鈥� 听in the Netherlands. It yields an estimated value based on听the amount of direct greenhouse-gas emissions鈥攖he CO2 released by any machines owned or controlled by the hotel.

As far as interpreting the score, Randy Durband, CEO of the GSTC, says that going carbon neutral鈥攚hen there鈥檚 no net release of human-caused CO2鈥攊s what hotels should be striving to achieve. While hotels that fit the bill do exist, including the in Amsterdam and the in Aruba, the industry at large is playing catchup with the . Book Different employs an easy-to-spot green foot icon for businesses that emit less than听33 pounds of CO2 per guest per night, which it deems the average hotel output. It uses a gray foot icon for anything greater than that.听

Paul Peeters, a professor at Breda, stresses the urgent need to decarbonize the industry while starting with a more realistic baseline figure: for the current state of the industry, he suggests that 50 pounds of CO2 a night听per guest听is reasonable. But he thinks eco-lodges can鈥攁nd should鈥攕trive for close to zero, using only renewable energy such as wind or solar.

How were locals consulted?听

The GSTC鈥檚 Miller recommends seeking hotels that have addressed social considerations as well as environmental ones. In addition to the obvious positive effects of enhancing cultural heritage and economically benefiting the area鈥檚 existing community, involving locals is a good way to mitigate immediate environmental problems. People who live and work in the surrounding areas are the experts in its history of land use and speak up about issues like water and noise pollution, the disruption of ecosystems, and potential stresses on the community from overtourism.听

It should go without saying that a hotel should never jeopardize local resources, and that its acquisition of land and water should comply with local rights. Some other signs to look for are whether a hotel has contributed to necessary infrastructure to handle additional tourists; whether its employees, including managers, are from the resident population;听and if it prioritizes local and fair-trade products. In short, lodges and their neighbors should be equally excited to talk about what the business is adding to the community.

How does it conserve resources on a daily basis?听

鈥淒aily practices are essential,鈥� Durband asserts. Despite all the resources that go into the construction phase, operational practices once a hotel is up and running鈥攆rom cooking to housekeeping to overhead lighting in common areas鈥� the vast majority of energy consumption during the property鈥檚 lifetime.听

Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are particularly important as they鈥檙e the greatest carbon emitters. Lighting and hot water also of wasted energy. Ask if efficient appliances have been installed and whether they鈥檙e regularly serviced for optimal performance.听

Likewise, protocol should be in place for both guests and staff to reduce energy consumption. For example, hotels can set up automated systems to turn off lights and HVAC systems when guest rooms are unoccupied. Alternatively, the housekeeping checklist can include a peek at the thermostat to ensure it鈥檚 set at a reasonable temperature while no one is there听and to turn off the lights when they鈥檙e through.听

It鈥檚 worth noting, though, that even when sustainable policies exist on paper, practices can vary across different green markers. 鈥淗otels may operate very sustainably in certain aspects and do poorly on others,鈥� Durband says. For example, they might use motion detectors and other energy-savings devices and processes听but make little effort to minimize the use of plastics. Others may make false claims, such as saying, 鈥淲e won鈥檛 wash your towel if you hang it on the rack,鈥� only to have听housekeeping staff put it through the laundry anyway despite the guest following the printed instructions.

Theoretically, hotels should be able to show you records of staff-education sessions and training materials. In practice, however, the easiest way to find out is to simply ask hotel staff. All of an organization鈥檚 employees should be able to tell you the last thing they did to meet the hotel鈥檚 sustainability goals鈥攚hether it鈥檚 waiting to run the dishwasher until it鈥檚 full or diverting food scraps to the compost鈥攁nd why it matters.听

What is its long-term sustainability plan?听

According to Miller, a deliberate, demonstrated commitment to long-term sustainability is perhaps the most significant indication. While short-term practices, such as replacing small shampoo bottles with bulk containers, are important, look for more permanent investments,听like locally sourced, rapidly renewable building materials (such as cotton and bamboo)听that allow for passive heating and cooling. These design features may be more expensive for properties up front听but actually end up saving them money in the long run听and are less easily reversed according to the whims of management.听

Sustainability is an ever evolving project. If nothing else, hotels should have a thoughtful, written plan for enacting their environmental听goals. This document should lay out precisely when staff training sessions occur听and how they go,听as well as when and how regularly resource audits happen, including what benchmarks are used. As Miller notes, 鈥淓nvironmental sustainability is hard, committed work.鈥�

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In the remote Soviet听mining village of , resident听 is driving a tourist economy. From filmmaker , in collaboration with , shares how he鈥檚 highlighting regional attributes by using social media.

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First, the DJ starts playing. Then the bats come out. It could be a coincidence, or it could be that bats like electronica. The graffiti artists definitely don鈥檛 like the music; they clear the dance floor pronto, leaving the bats to flutter to the rhythm. I鈥檓 using the term dance floor loosely here. It鈥檚 a slab of concrete in the center of an abandoned rum distillery in the middle of the Colombian jungle. Dictador, a premium Colombian rum brand, has invited a dozen of the world鈥檚 most renowned graffiti artists to paint the tanks and walls of its former distillery. For the past two days, I鈥檝e been watching them create massive murals while enduring the country鈥檚 infamous heat. Dictador鈥檚 owners want to use this project to raise money for conservation in Colombia. The artists will produce bonus canvases for auction; the proceeds will go to , a nonprofit that鈥檚 helping Colombia establish policies to protect its mountains.

It鈥檚 a strange project, but Colombia is in a weird place right now. The country was devastated by a half-century-long civil war, which had the inadvertent effect of preserving vast landscapes that were once controlled by rebels. Since the 2016 peace treaty, the country is enjoying its first break from wide-scale violence in a generation and is now trying to figure out what to do with all that pristine land. Meanwhile, deforestation and development have ramped up significantly since the peace treaty was signed. Call it an identity crisis.听

And, oh yeah, the war is over, but while most of the country is trying to move on, there is still some lingering tension where bad guys don鈥檛 want to give up their bad-guy ways. Most of the violence is in remote rural areas that the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, used to control, particularly the regions that border Venezuela and Ecuador. Cocaine production has hit an all-time high, and 3,000 militants have decided to ignore the peace treaty and continue fighting. Some of them don鈥檛 take too well to the government creating parks and preserving land where they鈥檙e growing or transporting coca. Call it a postwar hangover. But cities like Bogot谩 and the coastal towns where tourists venture are generally considered safe for travelers.听(The U.S. State Department has softened its travel advisory for most of Colombia, labeling it a Level 2 risk, on par with Germany, Denmark, Burma, and Spain, but there are certain regions of the country that the government flags as being too violent for Americans to visit.)听

I鈥檓 in Colombia to watch artists听paint听but also to explore the mountains and coast. The adventure potential is off the charts down here鈥攍ush forests full of waterfalls and canyons, lonely beaches with cliffs and surf breaks, mountain biking on ancient footpaths that might comprise the world鈥檚 best adventure cycling. And then there鈥檚 the birding. Colombia is widely recognized as the single greatest birding destination in the world鈥攁nd the world is starting to notice. According to Colombia鈥檚 trade ministry, tourism has increased 300 percent in the past decade, with more than 3 million foreign visitors in 2018. The increase in tourism is promising, and certain leaders insist ecotourism is the country鈥檚 future. But Colombia is still trying to figure out how to capitalize on its natural attributes. In other words, while it has tourism potential, the country听definitely does not feel like a tourist destination鈥攜et.听So, if you鈥檙e looking for a place that offers raw adventure where you鈥檒l sweat through police checks and sleep in working coffee farms and trail run through jungles, a place where abandoned distilleries are tagged by the best graffiti artists in the world, then go to Colombia. Now.听

But first, a brief, oversimplified recap of Colombia鈥檚 recent history. The South American country spent more than 50 years in a civil war, as the FARC听fought the government over inequality and land rights. In the midst of the unrest, the cocaine business boomed. Pablo Escobar. Narcos. Romancing the Stone. Colombia developed a reputation for violence over the years that caused most Americans to eschew the country for tamer destinations.

The FARC听occupied some of the most remote corners of the country, controlling hundreds of thousands of acres of mountains and jungle. People fled the land where the group established encampments, and development ceased. As a result, Colombia is one of the few countries in South America where more than half of its acreage is still forested. It鈥檚 considered the most biodiverse country in the world. It鈥檚 a phenomenon known as gunpoint conservation, and as wild as it sounds, it has听happened in other countries, like Myanmar, which suffered a 70-year civil war that left certain regions untouched by loggers. But Colombia stands as the quintessential example, where conflict limited access to vast stretches of the Andes mountain range and the Amazon.

Since the peace treaty was signed in 2016, Colombians have started exploring these previous no-go zones, experimenting with ecotourism and researching landscapes that had been lost to the scientific community. Scientists are discovering new species in the mountains (Colombia鈥檚 Humboldt Institute found six new species of frogs and beetles in a single forest near Medell铆n), and adventurers are finding听forgotten paths that are perfect for cycling, hiking, and trail running.

鈥淲e spend a lot of time exploring routes we find on Google maps,鈥� says Julian Manrique, a Bogot谩-based cyclist who recently founded , a tour company that specializes in providing support and logistics for people looking to pedal Colombia鈥檚 mountains. The country鈥檚 terrain goes from sea level to almost 20,000 feet, with two massive mountain ranges, the Andes and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, dominating most of the country. 鈥淭here are so many narrow roads crossing the Andes, the potential for cycling is unlimited,鈥� Manrique says. 鈥淵ou just have to be willing to put in the work, cross rivers, and ride where nobody has ridden before. It鈥檚 an open map ready to be discovered.鈥�

Sometimes the roads are paved, sometimes they鈥檙e a mix of dirt and gravel, which means much of the riding is tailored to today鈥檚 adventure-hungry gravel bikers. The scenery can shift from busy city streets to dry, almost desert-like scrub flatlands to dense cloud forests on a single ride. I spent several days biking with Manrique in Colombia four years ago, just before the peace treaty was signed. We pedaled through the crowded streets of Bogot谩听and climbed an impossibly steep grade to a caf茅 overlooking the city, where we drank agua de panela, a hot drink with melted cheese. Manrique calls it Colombian Gatorade. It tastes good, like sweet tea. Later, we pedaled forgotten, half-paved roads deep into coffee country, then set out for long climbs into the mountains near , known for its high-altitude, sponge-like forests and small alpine lakes. Colombia already has the longest road climb in the world鈥擜lto de Letras, which rises at a 4 percent grade for almost 50 miles鈥攂ut Manrique says that the famous climb is just a drop in the bucket.

鈥淚f you like riding through unknown terrain and love climbing, Colombia is it,鈥� Manrique says. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do a day that starts at sea level, covers 125 miles, and climbs 10,000 feet back into the mountains. It鈥檚 mad.鈥�

Cycling has had a foothold in Colombia for decades. Bogot谩 was the birthplace of the 肠颈肠濒辞惫铆补鈥攁 weekly Sunday听event where听the city shuts down one of its main streets for bikers鈥攁nd the country has a strong group of pro cyclists competing on the international circuit. Since the peace treaty was signed, several companies have started offering multiday cycling tours using relatively well-established routes in the mountains, most of which incorporate Alto de Letras at some point in their itinerary. But road cycling isn鈥檛 the only sport to catch a postwar bump. Trail running is also booming, with a burgeoning portfolio of races, most notably , a 50-mile听ultra sponsored by Merrell. The event drew a thousand runners from 15 countries last year. They tackled a course that starts on the beach and finishes on the side of the tallest coastal mountain in the world.

鈥淭he whole scene is growing quickly here,鈥� says Emily Schmitz, a Minnesota-born trail runner who has lived in Bogot谩听for the past decade听and works in the humanitarian rights field. 鈥淲ith each race, the prizes get better, the routes get better, the logistical support gets better, and there are so many trails to run here.鈥�

Schmitz says she can leave her home in Bogot谩听and within 15 minutes be running in the mountains on ancestral trails that were once used to connect the city to surrounding communities. 鈥淓ven after ten years here, I鈥檓 still amazed at the beauty of the countryside,鈥� Schmitz says. 鈥淪o many areas have remained untouched in a manner that we do not see in the U.S., where so much of the land has become incredibly overdeveloped.鈥�

But as Colombians rediscover their own country, development has kicked into high gear. Deforestation has reached epidemic levels, with almost a billion acres of forest lost since 2016听and new conflicts arising between conservationists and paramilitary groups and criminal gangs.听

鈥淎nyone wearing a green uniform and carrying a gun is the same to us,鈥� says Jaison Perez, a representative for the Arhuaco, an indigenous tribe that lives in the coastal mountains of Colombia. 鈥淭he paramilitary are still active, and they鈥檙e still killing people. We don鈥檛 see as many deaths as before, so things are better from a social perspective听but worse from an environmental perspective. The peace treaty has accelerated people鈥檚 thirst for short-term gain.鈥�

There鈥檚 a race to dictate the future of Colombia鈥檚 mountains鈥攑reservation or development鈥攚hich brings us back to Dictador鈥檚 old distillery. It sits literally in the middle of the battle. The building is positioned between the coastal Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range, once controlled by paramilitary groups, and the Perij谩听Mountains, a biodiverse range that was a hotbed of guerrilla activity. Six new bird species have been discovered in these mountains in as many years, and a new trail has been established to help throngs of tourists explore these bird-rich peaks.听

This is the second edition of the graffiti project. A handful of large murals were painted at the distillery last year, and the entrepreneurial rum owners are planning to do an event each year, bringing in new artists until they feel the distillery has become the world鈥檚 greatest graffiti exhibition. Then they might open the distillery as a museum of sorts to raise money for conservation efforts.

The list of painters involved is a who鈥檚 who of illegal art. Nychos, an Austrian. A Colombian named Toxicomano, who likes to paint jaguars. Daleast, from China. Faith, from South Africa. You鈥檒l notice they all go by one-word pseudonyms. The distillery itself is a mix of concrete, brick, rusted steel, and tin roofs that are peeling back at the seams.听

The artists aren鈥檛 adjusting very well to the heat at the distillery. The temperature is in the mid-90s Fahrenheit, with humidity pushing 45 percent. They flew in from Cartagena on a small Cessna, landing on a dirt airstrip next to the distillery, and have spent most of their first day acclimating to the environment by napping and drinking tiny bottles of Coste帽ita, a cheap Colombian beer.听

While the art project seems disconnected from its surrounding landscape, it actually fits in with the unique style of conservation emerging in Colombia, where private companies, nonprofits, locals, and the government work together toward听goals. Fabio Arjona is Colombia鈥檚 former vice minister of the environment and current director of Colombia鈥檚 branch of Conservation International. He says working with various groups who claim control of an area is imperative specifically because of the country鈥檚 troubled past: 鈥淧eople have to collaborate here because of all of the conflict. A company could build a pipeline, but it would just be bombed over and over. If you don鈥檛 partner with all of these groups, you won鈥檛 get anything done.鈥�

Ivan Duque, a conservative president, took office in 2018, and environmentalists are worried that he won鈥檛 preserve the country鈥檚 progressive approach to conservation and the peace agreement established by the previous administration, led by president Juan Manual Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for signing the 2016 treaty. The left-leaning Santos made massive conservation gains, tripling the amount of public land, adding and expanding several parks, and passing a corporate carbon tax. Tourists took notice, some coming to bike in the mountains, others coming to听beach resorts popping up along the Caribbean coast. A lot of them are coming for the birds. A 2018 study shows birders from the U.S.听could contribute up to $46 million a year and create more than 7,000 jobs. With almost 2,000 species of birds, Colombia is the most bird-rich country in the world, t of destinations.

鈥淭he twitchers showed up first,鈥� says John Myers, the social innovation specialist for Conservation International. He鈥檚 been involved with developing Colombia鈥檚 birding infrastructure for the past several years. He also helped bring Dictador and Conservation International together and has been watching the graffiti artists paint the tanks with me at the distillery. Twitchers are hardcore birders,听obsessed with ticking off elusive species. Myers says they started showing up before the peace treaty was signed, quietly bagging species. Birding was a clandestine operation then, with few guides or infrastructure听and heavy on risk, because the best sites were often in guerilla- or paramilitary-ruled mountains. But in 2015, Myers began designing the Northern Colombia Birding Trail, a collection of preserves and lodges serviced by trained local guides and designed to give the country鈥檚 ecotourism a boost. The centerpiece of the Northern Colombia Birding Trail is the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, an imposing mountain that rises directly from the Caribbean听and is known worldwide for its abundance of endemic species.

According to Colombia鈥檚 four indigenous tribes that live on the mountain鈥攖he Arhuaco, Wiwa, Kogi, and Kankuamo鈥攅verything begins and ends with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a beast of a mountain that starts as a cluster of coral in the Caribbean and rises to an 18,700-foot glaciated peak. The tribes consider it the heart of the world. As for its size, the mountain is the kind of thing you can appreciate only from a distance. I spent several days on and around the mountain and never once caught a glimpse of its white caps听because of a veil of dense clouds. It鈥檚 an isolated mountain, separated from the Andes by a gap on the Guajira Peninsula, an ecosystem unto itself.

鈥淪anta Marta is like an island, with so many species evolving all on their own,鈥� Myers says. 鈥淚magine the Galapagos听but as a mountain.鈥�

With 28 endemic species of birds living only on its slopes, Santa Marta Mountain is the exclamation point on the . It鈥檚 also ground zero for conservation, representing the largest remaining coastal forest in the Caribbean听and home to Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park, as well as a pilot program where indigenous tribes take part in a progressive carbon sequestration program. The ancient ruins of La Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City, is also tucked into the recesses of this mountain. Archeologists think it鈥檚 650 years older than Machu Picchu and served as the political and spiritual epicenter of Colombia鈥檚 original tribes. Treasure hunters听鈥渄iscovered鈥� it in 1972, but the indigenous tribes of Santa Marta have visited the site for decades. You can visit it, too, if you鈥檙e up for a four-to-seven-day trek through Santa Marta鈥檚 steep slopes.

Myers and I decide to leave the distillery and head toward the mountain for some trail running and birding. Our driver and guide for the next few days is named Gabriel Utria, but the world knows him as Gabo. If birding in Colombia has a celebrity, it鈥檚 Gabo. He grew up on the side of Santa Marta and is arguably the most knowledgeable birding guide in the country. Gabo once went on a three-day hike along the spine of Santa Marta to see a hummingbird that lives only at a certain elevation on the mountain. Colombia sends him all over the world as a representative for the country鈥檚 burgeoning birding industry. A few years ago, a former U.S. state department diplomat鈥攖he most successful birder in the world, with more registered species sightings than anyone else鈥攖raveled to Colombia to add a couple endemics to his list, which had stalled as it grew toward听9,000. He called Gabo, who听delivered with five species the man had never seen before.

So, yeah, Gabo goes by one name, like the graffiti artists back at the distillery. And Prince.

We hit two private birding preserves as we make our way through the Guajira Peninsula, on the border of Venezuela. The first is a dry forest in the valley, full of scrubby-looking trees and cute, puffy owls that Gabo calls toward听us as we walk a dusty dirt road. The second is a 1,200-acre preserve at the base of the mountain as we get closer to the coast. Gabo helped a handful of locals establish the preserve, building a bathroom and training guides. A restaurant is coming that will focus entirely on local dishes, like sancocho, a vegetable stew with an ear of corn resting in it. Gabo says it鈥檚 exactly the sort of project the area needs.

鈥淭he local communities need money from legal things,鈥� says Gabo, as we pull away from the new preserve. 鈥淭he coast was full of coca plantations 15 years ago. It鈥檚 what most people know. But now, maybe ecotourism is the future.鈥�

The Guajira Peninsula is one of the poorest regions in Colombia, full of families displaced by decades of conflict and refugees fresh from Venezuela. We see people selling cheap Venezuelan gas in old Coke bottles on the side of the road. There are occasional police checks. At one point, some middle school girls pull听a rope across the road and start听dancing in front of the car, charging a toll for the 鈥渃arnival.鈥�

Gabo helped Myers create the Northern Colombia Birding Trail, which stretches from on the coast along the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and into the Perij谩 Mountains, on the other side of Dictador鈥檚 abandoned distillery. Together, they trained 43 guides鈥攆ormer hunters, fishermen, and farmers鈥攊n the art of birding. Gabo鈥檚 been working to fill out the amenities on the trail, establishing new preserves and training coffee farmers to turn their homes into lodges.

Other lodges are also popping up along the trail. Near Tayrona National Park, the busiest in Colombia鈥檚 expanding system, we stop for lunch at Gitana del Mar, a posh new resort complete with a palm-thatched yoga studio, manicured landscaping听with private access to a pristine beach, and a high-end restaurant with a menu that focuses on local fish, veggies, and fruit. The resort is close to a legit surf break, as well as the beaches and cliffs of Tayrona and the waterfalls and trails of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Meyers says the resort is the first of its kind in this part of Colombia, but it鈥檚 a sign of things to come as the small towns that line the coast and mountains, which have been popular with international backpackers for a few years, get discovered by American travelers looking for finer digs.

But in the midst of this burgeoning tourism industry, violence has erupted. A park guard at Santa Marta National Park was killed, possibly by a paramilitary group, the week before I arrived, and the director of the same park has received death threats. His family left for Bogot谩听while I was watching graffiti artists tag Dictador鈥檚 distillery. Myers took the director鈥檚 deposition before he and his family fled town. 鈥淚magine if someone threatened to cut your family into pieces,鈥� he tells me. 鈥淚t sucks to have to talk about this stuff again. For the last few years, all we talked about was how great everything is.鈥�

Myers says the murder and death threats are centered around Santa Marta National Park and the government鈥檚 conservation priorities, which expanded the park to include 鈥渢he tongue,鈥� an area stretching from the mountains to the coast that has traditionally been ruled by paramilitary groups who would use the deep bays to move shipments of drugs at night. The park director worked with indigenous groups to restore a sacred site in the area called Katanzama and to eliminate any further development. 鈥淭hese disputes are always about land,鈥� says Myers, adding that the current violence around the park is targeted and hasn鈥檛 proved to be a threat to tourists. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a gringo on vacation, you鈥檙e safe. It鈥檚 a different story if you鈥檙e an environmentalist here.鈥澨�

Fabio Arjona tells me that the new rash of violence is an extension of the old problems that existed before the peace treaty was signed: 鈥淭he threats are the same they鈥檝e always been. Drug trafficking has lessened in recent years, but it鈥檚 still a big threat to conservation in general, and it contributes to deforestation. It鈥檚 hard to find a substitute for growing coca. It鈥檚 too lucrative.鈥�

Colombia鈥檚 national parks aren鈥檛 like parks in the United States. The government can declare a certain landscape as a park, but people are still allowed to live inside the area. So, with Santa Marta National Park, you have the government trying to enforce Colombia鈥檚 conservation priorities, but also 100,000 indigenous people calling the park home听and countless other residents who fled their ancestral homes during the FARC rebellion. It has听also traditionally been a hotbed of drug trafficking, thanks to nearby coca plantations and the coastal access to move the drugs.

鈥淭here鈥檚 such an overlap of jurisdictions, both legal and illegal,鈥� explains Myers as we drive up the side of the mountain on a road that quickly goes from pavement to a four-wheel-drive track. For the most part, the indigenous tribes are allowed to manage their land as they see fit. Conservation International is working with them on carbon offset programs, but most of the tribes are notoriously reclusive when it comes to the outside world. Tourists are typically not allowed to visit their villages, so while the national park is public land in theory, there are large swaths that people can鈥檛 access. The glaciated peaks, for instance, are rarely visited by anyone but the indigenous. Meyers, who works closely with the tribes, tells me he gets at least one request a year from a professional snowboarder or skier who wants to ski the snow.

According to Gabo, Santa Marta has always been a mess. His parents managed the biology station inside the park, and Gabo grew up on the side of the mountain. During the prolonged civil war, Santa Marta was controlled by paramilitary groups and drug traffickers, who were at odds with the FARC听and, often, the government.

鈥淭he paramilitary controlled everything around Santa Marta,鈥� Gabo says. 鈥淭hey ran the town, the schools, the hospital. We were always afraid. Even just 15 years ago, it wasn鈥檛 safe here. But birding has gotten popular since the peace process, and you can go places you couldn鈥檛 go before.鈥�

We stop for the night halfway up Santa Marta Mountain at a 12-acre coffee farm that does double duty as a birder鈥檚 hostel. The view from the farm is stellar, encompassing the dramatic ridgeline of Santa Marta as it drops steeply into the ocean. We sit on a patio and watch the sun set below the ridge while the family who owns the farm cooks chicken and rice for us at an outdoor kitchen. A young boy plays with a remote-control car at our feet. Gabo says this home, called Casa Caf茅, is an example of how ecotourism can directly impact the people of Colombia.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been working with this family for three years, and they just opened six months ago,鈥� Gabo says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going well. They take in birders and backpackers, make them dinner and breakfast. It鈥檚 good income for them, which is important because the price of coffee is dropping.鈥澨�

We wake up the next morning at 3:30 for a predawn assault on San Lorenzo Ridge, a birding hotspot on the flank of Santa Marta Mountain. Myers and I plan to run from the coffee farm to the ridge, timing our ascent with sunrise. We begin with headlamps in the dark, tiptoeing our way through the small boulders and streams in the dirt road.听

It鈥檚 a beautiful nine-mile run through a jungle that turns into a dank cloud forest, the temperature dropping as we climb 3,000 feet. We pass the occasional hostel and caf茅, but mostly it鈥檚 just a thick canopy of palms and succulents growing out of the limbs of trees. We hear howler monkeys in the distance and catch quick glimpses of tarantulas with our headlamps. When we reach the peak of the San Lorenzo Ridge, it鈥檚 covered in mist, the sun burning orange behind a thick layer of clouds. At first, the birding is shit. We drink rum and wait for the mist to burn off, but it never does. The clouds are soupy, and the forest is thick with dew. We hear one of Colombia鈥檚 signature birds, the white-tipped quetzal, but never catch a glimpse of it. But the clouds burn off as we make our way down the mountain, and we stop near Gabo鈥檚 childhood home and wander down a trail. Within a few minutes, we see a Santa Marta Blossomcrown, a tiny hummingbird that鈥檚 found only here. We eventually bag three endemic species. Myers is giddy as we head farther down the mountain, detouring on a dirt road to grab a beer at Nevada Cerveceria, a brewery that a German transplant opened a few years ago.

Birding is probably the brightest example of how Colombia has pivoted to capitalize on its natural beauty since signing the peace treaty. The Northern Colombia Birding Trail is used as a model for other ecotourism projects within the country, spawning a handful of other birding trails in other parts of the country. I get the sense that this is just the beginning, that the ecotourism potential in this country is huge鈥攂ut also fragile because of the remaining instability.听

鈥淭his rise in ecotourism could force the current government not to mess up the peace agreement, because if they do, they鈥檒l lose out on the tourism boom,鈥� Myers says.听

There鈥檚 plenty to lose. Just ask Gabo.听

鈥淓verything we鈥檝e done the past couple of days, none of this would have been okay before the peace agreement,鈥� he says听as we drink lagers on the brewery鈥檚 patio, which overlooks听a creek that tumbles down the mountain. He鈥檚 another best-case scenario for what ecotourism is doing for Colombians. His company, Birding Santa Marta, has grown so much in the past few years that he鈥檚 had to hire several of his family members. 鈥淚n the beginning, my family didn鈥檛 believe people would come to Colombia to see birds,鈥澨齢e says. 鈥淏ut now they understand.鈥�

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When I moved to New Zealand six year ago, hot off the plane from Washington, D.C., I wasn鈥檛 quite sure what I鈥檇 gotten myself into. Jet-lagged and confused, I was struck by the enormous wall of tourism brochures as I checked into my hotel, a seemingly endless array of听sports and Lord of the Rings鈥�themed attractions.

If one country dominates adventure tourism, it鈥檚 New Zealand, the tiny pacific wilderness at the bottom of the world. A sparsely populated destination full of volcanoes, glaciers, rainforests, alpine deserts, and rare birds that can鈥檛 fly, the country鈥檚 got it all. What do you expect from the place that invented bungee jumping and听calls itself the birthplace Sir Edmund Hillary?

It didn鈥檛 take long for me to learn that the national pastime is 鈥渄oing bombs鈥濃€攋umping off things. Here are my picks for eight of the best adventures you can have in New Zealand.

Get Down and Dirty on a 鈥淩ight Proper Tramp鈥�

Here鈥檚 a听tip for you to fit in like a local in New Zealand: instead of hiking,听we say tramping,听which, if I鈥檓 being honest here, is much more fitting of a听word. I feel like hiking implies nicely groomed trails, rest stops, and serviced huts. New Zealand tramping is often more hardcore.听In fact, I鈥檓 fairly sure the philosophy here to climb mountains is:听Why build a trail when you can just go straight up?听

Most backcountry tramping听involves climbing mountains using tree roots as a ladder or shimmying across precarious three-wire bridges (or just plain old river crossings) and wading through mud up to your chest. Personally, I think that makes things all the more exciting, but听check in with the听 for updates and the听 to plan听accordingly. Rescuing ill-prepared tourists in the mountains is starting to get old in our local news.

Test Your Nerves While Blackwater Rafting in a Glowworm Cave

The glowworm caves are one of New Zealand鈥檚 most unique features. As if huge, ancient subterranean caverns weren鈥檛 enough,听many of them are covered in twinkling blue glowworms that shine like stars above you. They are, in fact, bright shiny maggots attracting their dinner with dangling poo, but from a distance, they鈥檙e听beautiful. The best glowworm adventure you can find is in Waitomo, on the North Island, on . You鈥檒l zip into a thick wetsuit before heading deep into the caves to听slide,听swim, float, rappel, zip line, and jump听along in an underground听canyoning adventure beneath a ceiling of blue stars with an inner tube.听

Hit Some Untouched Powder and Go Heli-Skiing in Wanaka

New Zealand鈥檚 winter is shorter and occurs at the opposite time of year than the Northern Hemisphere, running from mid-June to mid-September, give or take, and our ski culture is as tough and wild as you might expect from a place where rope tows reign supreme on the club fields (basically tiny ski areas). But perhaps the ultimate snow adventure听is to go heli-skiing in our endless backcountry. With terrain for intermediate riders and experts, last year I joined with my friends, led by 听and guided by Lydia Bradey, the first woman to ascend Mount Everest without oxygen (she鈥檚 made six听summits of the peak since). While it took a run to get the听hang of powder riding, after that it was an absolute dream ripping through waist-deep freshies and flying around the mountains overlooking my home area of Lake Wanaka.

Throw Yourself Off Something Big in Queenstown

The world鈥檚 first commercial bungee jump was invented near Queenstown, at the Kawarau River, by AJ Hackett, and the adventure capital of the world doesn鈥檛 disappoint. Thrills come easy in this stunning alpine town, you just have to pick your poison. Whether it鈥檚 a 439-foot plunge off the fearsome Nevis bungee jump听or getting kicked This is Sparta! style from听the frightening , adrenaline is always on offer in Queenstown. If you鈥檙e gonna do something crazy, this is the place to do it. Just be smart about it and tell your parents听after, not before.听

Take in the Epic Volcanic Landscape

Part of the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire, New Zealand is colloquially known as the Shaky Isles for a good reason. Earthquakes abound here, as the ground quite literally shifts and moves beneath our feet. This means there are plenty of geothermal hot spots that beckon visitors to visit. Rotorua, on the North Island, is the epicenter of many geothermal wonders, and you鈥檙e听acutely aware of this as soon as you arrive in the city. The sulfuric smell lingers, and steam rises听over parts听of the town. Nearby Tongariro National Park offers the most popular day hike, the Tongariro Crossing, a 19.4-mile alpine trek听that weaves its way among a volcanic landscape, including past Mount Doom from The Lord of the Rings.

Go Whitewater Rafting on the Remote Landsborough River

With plenty of mountain rivers in New Zealand, there鈥檚 no shortage of places to go whitewater rafting. But hands down, my pick for best adventure in this country is rafting the Landsborough River. Hidden away in the听heart of the Southern Alps between Wanaka and the west coast, it鈥檚 an area so far off the grid that the only access is on听multi-day tramps through some very dense and unforgiving landscapes or via听helicopter. A bucket-list item for many intrepid kiwis, flies you up into the mountains, where you begin a three-day journey rafting back out on the Landsborough River. You won鈥檛 see another soul, but you will get a real glimpse of what New Zealand used to look like before humans arrived (and trashed it), and more than once you鈥檒l probably be hit with a notion that you鈥檙e in Jurassic Park.

Voyage Through the Roaring Forties听to the New Zealand听Subantarctic Islands

Most people know about the country鈥檚 three main islands鈥攖he North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island鈥攁ll of which are relatively easy to access if you don鈥檛 mind flying for approximately one听million hours to get here from anywhere besides Australia. But very few people know or are aware of the incredible group of subantarctic islands located听between the main islands and Antarctica. Unpopulated but absolutely teeming with wildlife, you have to traverse the roughest seas in the world, the Southern Ocean, on an ship with if you wish to step foot on these lands, but let me tell you, every day you spend with your face in the toilet will be worth it as soon as you walk among听thousands of penguins or beneath enormous albatross.

Fly Up to Fox Glacier听for an Icy 国产吃瓜黑料

There are only two places in the world where glaciers drop down all the way to temperate rainforests instead of thriving only on remote mountain peaks, and New Zealand is one of them. Fox Glacier is eight miles long,听a veritable river of blue ice听winding听its way down from the back of Aoraki, New Zealand鈥檚 highest peak, toward听the Tasman Sea. Stunning to behold, normally glaciers like this are only accessible to elite and experienced climbers, but on Fox Glacier, there鈥檚 a booming business in :听you quickly fly up to the glacier, where you鈥檙e then guided through ice caves, down crevasses,听and more.听

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Our national park system is a highlight reel of the most dramatic landscapes and wild species in North America. Which explains why some of the parks can get a bit crowded during peak tourist season, not to mention pricey. At $30 per car for some of the bigger parks, if you鈥檙e planning an epic road trip to visit several of them, the entrance fees will add up. We asked David Lamfrom, director of the wildlife program for the National Parks Conservation Association, for his advice on how to do national parks right.

• Get the Parks Pass. It鈥檚 $80, but if you make a couple听trips to the bigger parks, it pays for itself. The covers everyone in your car, and it gets you into all federal lands, covering parking and day-use fees in national forests, national wildlife refuges, and BLM lands.
• For wildlife, Yellowstone National Park really is the best. Especially for big mammals. Yes, it鈥檚 crowded, but go to the less crowded northeast portion of the park in the Lamar Valley, and spend all day looking for wolves and bears. You鈥檒l see antelope and elk, too. Everyone should also go to Everglades National Park. You might see the American alligator and American crocodile in the same day, not to mention a Florida manatee and dolphins.
• You can avoid the crowds, even at the most popular parks. What I鈥檝e found in my years of travel is that people are incredibly predictable. They wake up at the same times, they eat at the same times. If you can wake up early, you鈥檒l have the parks to yourself. If you can walk a couple of miles from the road, you鈥檒l have the parks to yourself.
• Hit the desert parks for the best night skies. Nevada鈥檚 Great Basin National Park has the very best sky I鈥檝e ever seen, because of its combination of low humidity and high elevation. There鈥檚 nothing to obscure the stars. And it has campsites at 10,000 feet.
• The best beach experience you鈥檒l ever find is in a national park. Florida鈥檚 Canaveral National Seashore has 26 miles of wilderness coast, and nobody goes there. The Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi and Florida, North Carolina鈥檚 Cape Lookout National Seashore, Georgia鈥檚 Cumberland Island鈥� the list of wild, uncrowded beaches in our national park system is long.
• Visit our parks because they provide hope. Our parks show we still have incredibly wild places in our country. They show that we can protect species. They show that there鈥檚 still something to fight for.

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From the first paragraph of her new book听 ($25, University of Chicago Press), out April 1, Heather Hansman plops us right into the drink with her. She weaves journalistic research into the tale of her mostly solo 2016 pack-raft trip from the headwaters of the Green River, in Wyoming,听to its confluence in Utah. The book explains the history of the river and investigates its current threats, but it reads more like an adventure yarn than some of its cousins in the western-river canon.

As the greatest tributary of听the overworked Colorado River, supplies water to 33 million people, and it holds precious unallocated acre-feet of water, so it鈥檚 a lively illustration of the West鈥檚 battles over the resource听in an increasingly dry landscape. The river carries Hansman through Wyoming ranches, natural-gas fields, cities, and national parks, and she finds that seemingly everyone wants a piece of its pie. So she follows her curiosity, learning where the water goes鈥攁nd who鈥檚 fighting over what.

From Hansman鈥檚 speeding boat, we feel the river rise with an unexpected dam release that also floods farmers鈥� fields and flushes valuable trout from eddies where fishing guides take high-paying clients. From her seat at a public meeting, we feel the heat from farmers angry that endangered fish seem to carry more weight than they do when it comes to river policy and water use. 鈥淚 really thought the woman in the row in front of me was going to stand up and punch someone,鈥� Hansman told 国产吃瓜黑料. And we visit听the boom-and-bust town of Vernal, Utah, where, Hansman writes,听鈥渋f you鈥檙e a liberal or a paddler passing through, you can expect to pay a buck extra for your drink at George Burnett鈥檚 I Love Drilling Juice and Smoothie Cafe.鈥�

Sitting down with water users all along the river, Hansman learns what鈥檚 at stake both upstream鈥攙ast amounts of agricultural land听with water rights changing hands in the near future鈥攁nd downstream鈥攃ities with increasing population and energy needs. She wades through the notoriously tangled weeds of western water law, explaining it in easy-to-understand terms, and she comes to grips with her own assumptions about what the western landscape should look like in the future, from flood irrigation on farmland to dam removal. Hansman, an environmental reporter and former raft guide, says her misconception going into the trip was that things would look more black and white. 鈥淚 think it comes back to the idea that nobody鈥檚 the bad guy,鈥� she says. The endangered-fish biologist, the engineer at the dam, the farmer upstream鈥攅ach wants to do good. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e just trying to do a totally different type of good,鈥� Hansman says.听And when opposing sides actually sit in the same room, she says, real work starts happening.

At a short-notice public meeting in Vernal, Hansman witnesses people鈥檚 anger simmering down when they feel heard鈥攚hen they see the other side as people, when they all have a chance to apologize and explain听and maybe even break down a few entrenched stereotypes. 鈥淚 think a lot of that comes from the face to face, getting everyone in the same room, which is really, really hard to do,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd I think part of the problem [in the West as a whole] is that鈥檚 not realistic to do on a seven-state basis.鈥�

Hansman brings a sense of humility to both her reporting and the river trip itself, admitting to moments of fear and failures of confidence during her weeks of solitude in an inflatable kayak. 鈥淭here were points where I was totally freaked out, especially the first couple weeks,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was thinking, I鈥檓 not capable of this,听or What鈥檚 that noise in the night?听That was definitely there, but I didn鈥檛 want that to stop me. The fear factor felt reduced over time.鈥�

By placing herself directly in the current of the river and taking us with her, Hansman gives us a more tangible understanding of what鈥檚 at stake. 鈥淚 had to be gone, to be in it, to see the good and the bad,鈥� she writes. 鈥淚 learned that you can care about places听and want to protect them, but then you鈥檙e fighting for abstractions.鈥� In Downriver, she makes the Green River鈥攁nd with it, all the water of the West鈥攋ust a little less abstract for the rest of us.

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If you鈥檙e (un)lucky enough to be alive 100 years from now and your grandchild asks you what the United States was like before global temperatures rose by 6 degrees, just tell them about the couple who landed a helicopter in the middle of the exploding poppy fields of Antelope Valley, California, on Monday, March 25, during the 2019 super bloom.

People aren鈥檛 content to see a beautiful thing; they feel the need to ruin a small part of it in the process.

We know nothing about these two chopper-bound sightseers, other than that they fled the scene before rangers could identify them. On another weekend, they might be driving up the coast with a 鈥淟ive Simply, So Others Can Simply Live鈥� bumper sticker on their Model X. Or maybe their 7,000-square-foot house in the hills has a living room full of safari trophies and a card on the fridge from their dear friends the Mercers.听

Whatever they听do when they鈥檙e not landing helicopters in poppy fields doesn鈥檛 matter. This couple, whoever they are, just dropped in to become the worst example of people bahaving badly in the middle of the Mojave bloom boom.听

Most听visitors abide by the rules, but others have ventured off the trail and destroyed part of what听they came to see. But even those scofflaws weren鈥檛 directly endangering the safety of others. 听

鈥淲e never thought it would be explicitly necessary to state that it is illegal to land a helicopter in the middle of the fields and begin hiking off trail in the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve,鈥� officials from the reserve, which is part of the California State Park system, .

A super bloom usually occurs once a decade, but this is the second one in the last three years. The area was overwhelmed during the 2017 bloom, the first one of the social media era. Park staff were more prepared to direct the crowds this time around, but that hasn鈥檛 alleviated many of the problems that come with the massive influx of visitors.

Throngs of people鈥攄escribed on the Lake Elsinore, California, official Instagram account as 鈥濃€攈ave swarmed super bloom sites in California听like Antelope Valley and Walker Canyon this month. Lake Elsinore听 and shut down access to Walker Canyon on March 17, after the town was inundated with 150,000 visitors in a single day. Traffic jams have turned area roads into something more akin to the 405 in Los Angeles. , and local officials have had to ask visitors not to park their cars on the interstate.

The most common offense has been leaving the trail. Someone steps off the path to get that perfect selfie and . Another person comes along and pushes off the trail just a little further at that spot, killing more flowers and threatening wildlife in the process. Then another, and another, and so on.

Others have skipped the trails altogether and and straight into the poppy fields.

Getting off the trail also听comes with its own听risks. At least one visitor and a dog have been . Another was hit by a falling rock after venturing off the path听in Walker Canyon.

A few of the overeager flower stompers this year听received an extra souvenir from rangers in the form of a citation. That鈥檚 a less effective deterrent than a snake bite or a boulder to head, but it is at least more punishment than what the helicopter couple received.听听

Telling people to stay away from super blooms and packed national parks isn鈥檛 exactly realistic. But there are other ways to alleviate the problem, like creating more parks and monuments, increasing the number of park staff on hand, and being more thoughtful tourists.

Most of us aren鈥檛 rich or stupid enough to consider landing a helicopter in the middle in a field of poppies, but it shouldn't be听too much to ask anyone to bring just a little self-awareness when they visit these places.

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As Matt Mason listened to public debates in 2009 about whether a wilderness area should be established in the Organ Mountains听of听southern New Mexico, he got the sense that most people arguing about the land didn鈥檛 know it very well. For that matter, neither did he. So in the spring of 2010, he set out to learn about it the best way he knew how: on foot.

But Mason听quickly discovered that the brutal stretches between water sources made hiking long distances almost impossible. A bike offered a faster way to cover ground, so he strapped his camping kit to a frame and set out exploring.

鈥淵ou find the story of where you live, back to however long geology goes back鈥攕ome of the cinder cones out there are 30,000 years old,鈥� Mason says of the area. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a remote, quiet place to sit and be a person, and I think people need that connection to wilderness.鈥�

He鈥檚 lured other people to follow in his tracks by threading together roads and trails, including nearly 30 miles of singletrack,听to establish the Monumental Loop, a 320-mile bikepacking route in what鈥檚 now the Organ Mountains鈥揇esert Peaks National Monument. The trail, which resembles听a figure eight that starts and ends in the southern New Mexican city of Las Cruces, passes rocky spires and red sandstone and听sometimes crosses听black lava rock听like听a shattered asphalt path.听Three-inch tires and a full seven days are recommended.

Mason, a stay-at-home dad who moved to New Mexico a decade ago, and other bikepackers around the state have gone on to establish听four additional routes across New Mexico. Combined, they cover almost 1,450 miles, weaving into one another and traversing from the northern to southern borders. It wasn鈥檛听trail building as much as trail mapping. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best part about this鈥攊t鈥檚 already there,鈥� Mason says. 鈥淲e just need to promote it and breathe some life into it and get each community behind it.鈥�

In Las Cruces, some neighborhoods are just a few minutes鈥� ride from the monument. Mason and Pablo Lopez, who runs the local bike shop , have fostered a community one overnight trip and Thursday gravel ride at a time. City councillors signaled their support, declaring a Monumental Loop Week to kick off the peak riding season in late October.

That effort has also reached the state capitol, where recently converted cyclist and state representative 听has 听the bikepacking trail network and the sport鈥檚 contributions to the state鈥檚 economy, where outdoor recreation already amounts to $9.9 billion in consumer spending.

Rubio slept outside for the first time this past summer鈥攁 year ahead of her fortieth birthday鈥攐n an overnight bikepacking trip with Lopez. To her surprise, she loved the sense of escape, even when camped near the glow of an Arby鈥檚 sign. 鈥淓specially because of the work that I do, it鈥檚 the place where I can find sanctuary and refuge,鈥� Rubio says.

She鈥檚 now an avid bike commuter, which can听mean听pedaling 285 miles over听a week from Las Cruces to Santa Fe to raise awareness for her bikepacking听initiative. The memorial she听introduced, she says, is 鈥渟ort of a footprint in the history of our work here as legislators.鈥� It includes language that advocates for equitable access to the outdoors and to honor听the state鈥檚 tribes and their cultures. If passed, it鈥檒l send a message to the secretaries of economic development and tourism to prioritize these outdoor-recreation dollars in one of the most rural parts of the state. The hope is to draw attention to a听pending Office of Outdoor Recreation, which could听expand the trail network.听(Rubio鈥檚 also cosponsoring a bill to create that office.) Says Lopez, 鈥淸The trail network] is a huge thing that already exists, that they could sink their teeth into听and not have to spend money on infrastructure because it already exists, and they don鈥檛 have to pay more to maintain it because they already maintain those roads.鈥�

In the first committee meeting to consider the memorial, Rubio told her fellow lawmakers that the measure would enhance small businesses, bring tourism dollars to small communities, and help diversify the state鈥檚 economy. Support was unanimous.

Research backs up Rubio鈥檚 assertions. In 2013, a study for the Arizona听Department of Transportation found that 14,000 out-of-state visitors attended 250 cycling events that year鈥攏ot big money for the state听but a big deal for the small communities they passed through. A University of Montana study found that cycling tourists spent an average of $76 per day and stayed eight days in the state. 鈥淭heir expenditures were lower than your average snowmobiler, but they moved so darn slowly that they stayed in the state a long time, so their economic impact was greater than what you鈥檇 expect,鈥� says Megan Lawson of听Headwaters Economics, an independent research firm that ran the study.听

Bikepackers听in particular听tend to pop out of singletrack or off dirt roads in rural places, where their spending on snacks or lodging can have an outsize听impact, Lawson听says. Already听the New Mexico towns of Vinton, Texas, and Hatch have welcomed Monumental Loop riders.

鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 all about beer and burritos, and every town in New Mexico has that,鈥� says Lopez, who wrote much of the house-memorial text. He thinks听such an offering might be the first of its kind in the nation. Lawmakers have until March 16 to cast a final vote on the measure.

To date, the grassroots effort has grown slowly听and seems听to be gaining traction steadily. But if the memorial passes, Mason predicts support for the trails will explode. 鈥淚 just can鈥檛 imagine what would happen if the whole state got behind it,鈥� he says.

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