Summer is on. And this is the summer to beat all summers, as millions of American travelers attested over Memorial Day weekend, taking to the roads and skies to kick off the season in record numbers. 国产吃瓜黑料 staffers have plenty of their own exciting getaways planned, including hiking from mountain town to mountain town in Colorado, pedaling and cork-popping in Provence, road-tripping to visit wolves and see iconic high-desert scenery in the American Southwest, and more. You, too, can go听big.

Reveling in Rocky Mountain Highs and Pies

I take full advantage of my birthday each year by forcing my friends鈥攁 group not quite as adventurous as听me鈥攖o come along for activities they鈥檇 usually roll their eyes at. This year we鈥檙e hiking in Colorado from Aspen to Crested Butte, an 11-mile day trip over 12,500-foot , with some 3,000 feet of elevation gain. (My friends must truly love me.) We鈥檝e tapped one friend,听who I couldn鈥檛 convince to trek with us, to drop the rest of us off and pick us up,听though that service is also offered locally听by Dolly鈥檚 Mountain Shuttle and Alpine Express. While I鈥檓 most looking forward to gorgeous lakes, vibrant wildflowers, and expansive views of the Elk Range, my pals are excited to spend a night in the towns on each end. We鈥檒l be fueling up on caffeine and pastries at Local Coffee House in Aspen on the front end and celebrating our accomplishment with pizza and beer at Secret Stash,听my favorite spot in Crested Butte. The decor feels like an Indian restaurant and a Red Robin collided, with a distinctly ski-town vibe, and the weird and wonderful pizzas are to die for. 鈥擬ikaela Ruland, associate content director at National Park Trips

Recreating on the Jersey Shore

I’ll always be a defender of the Jersey Shore, particularly Stone Harbor, located on Seven Mile Island. This East Coast beach town is home to tons of wildlife, soft sand, and the best seafood. It’s the perfect spot for large families to gather. I’m looking forward to my seaside runs and bike rides along the path that extends the entirety of the island. It鈥檚 also fun to kayak the marsh along the bay side or head just over Gull Island Thorofare Bridge to check out the Wetlands Institute. When you鈥檙e looking for a respite from the bustle, stroll down Second Avenue听to the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary. I鈥檝e never considered myself much of a birder, yet I always love walking the sanctuary鈥檚听trails. A mile north is Springer鈥檚, which makes the best homemade ice cream in the world. On summer nights, the line for a cone can wrap around the block. Other can鈥檛-miss establishments include Quahog鈥檚 Seafood Shack and Bar for dinner, and Coffee Talk for your morning caffeine fix (it鈥檚 the famed establishment where Taylor Swift once performed acoustic shows). 鈥擡llen O鈥橞rien, digital editor

Wheeling About Provence

At some point in planning this summer鈥檚 adventure, I recalled a favorite saying from Oscar Wilde: 鈥淚t is what you read when you don鈥檛 have to that determines what you will be when you can鈥檛 help it.鈥� How true. Every morning I open to peruse the latest highlights from the European cycling scene, and most evenings I consult The New York Times鈥� cooking section for an interesting recipe. Blend those reading habits, add a dash of Francophilia, and鈥攙oil脿鈥擨 find myself heading to Provence. For cool temperatures, zero crowds, and the glorious light of autumn in the Luberon Valley, my wife and I will spend a week exploring back roads and high peaks by bike in the department of Vaucluse. Each morning we鈥檒l stock up at a local patisserie before rolling out of the tiny medieval town of Venasque, whose untouched Gallo-Roman architecture and clifftop views earned it the designation of one of the 126 most beautiful villages in France. We鈥檒l pedal until hunger or a vineyard beckon, with an ascent of Mont Ventoux (an iconic Tour de France climb) as the week鈥檚 big goal. Come evening we鈥檒l meander alongwinding country roads in search of a quiet bistro, perhaps in another village, like Carpentras or听Roussillon, for a Proven莽al feast of bouillabaisse or black truffle omelet, paired with a bottle of the ros茅 for which this region is famous. For dessert we鈥檒l hope for a slice of clafoutis, a traditional flan-like tart loaded with plump apricots or black cherries sourced from a nearby orchard. All of which merits another maxim, this one from听the听legendary 19th-century gourmand Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. 鈥淒is-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es,鈥� he said, which translates to 鈥淭ell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.鈥� Would it come as any surprise that Brillat-Savarin was French, born just a few hours up the Rh么ne River from Venasque? 鈥擩onathan Dorn, senior vice president of strategy and studios

Rafting Down the Rogue

Every summer my family and I go on vacation where I grew up, on the southern coast of Oregon. Gold Beach, a town of some 2,000 people, is nestled between timber-covered mountains and the mighty Pacific, with the mouth of the Rogue River serving as its northern edge. As an outdoorsman, I鈥檝e always loved going back, but I appreciate it more and more each time I return. There are three amazing ways to experience the Rogue. One is rafting the 32.4-mile Wild Rogue section of Class III鈥揑V rapids, a trip that can be tackled in three or four days; it requires a hard-to-get permit or a guide setup, but you鈥檒l never forget floating through this remote section of canyon. The second way to see it is with , a jet-boat operator whose charming staff grew up in the area and are super knowledgeable about the flora and fauna you鈥檙e likely to see, including river otters, black bears, bald eagles, and ospreys. If you have the time, take the company’s Wilderness Whitewater Tour, which stops at Cougar Lane Lodge, famous for its BBQ. The third option, if the bite is on, is to go Chinook salmon fishing in the mouth of the river, preferably with local legend and guide Helen Burns. If you鈥檙e staying in town and want to be close to the beach and amenities, book the Beach Pea Suite at the new 鈥攊t has a glorious soaking tub. Good eats are plentiful in the area, and some of my favorite places are the Barnacle Bistro, Tu Tu Tun Lodge, and the award-winning Redfish Restaurant in Port Orford. For beer, you can’t go wrong with anything from Arch Rock Brewing Company, but the Pistol River Pale is outstanding. You also shouldn鈥檛 miss the short hike down Cape Sebastian: It starts from an overlook about 800 feet above the ocean, giving you views for miles in any direction; from there you鈥檒l descend just shy of two miles through Sitka spruce, salmonberry bushes, and ferns to the beach, where waves break powerfully against sandstone cliffs, even during the summer. Check out the tide pools before the climb back out. And finally, if you have kids, don鈥檛 miss Prehistoric Gardens in Port Orford, where 23 life-size dinosaur replicas are hidden in the old-growth forest. The quiet and solitude of this moss-covered grove is spectacular. 鈥擶ill Taylor, group gear director

Roaming Around Historic Annapolis

Annapolis, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay, is where I come from and where I return every year. For one thing, they have flowers鈥攂ursting tulip magnolias in rows, and lilacs鈥攊n spring when scraps of snow still cover my hillside in Colorado, and now the hydrangeas, snapdragons, magnolias, and peonies should be out, with the locust blooms just finishing. In my friend Molly鈥檚 family, the locust blooms are a sign that soft crabs are running. The best time to go is summer, because there are so many things to do. We kids grew up swimming, sailing, windsurfing, and water-skiing. We went crabbing in dinghies with trotlines or by roaming around docks and pilings with crab nets in hand. The historic town (Annapolis was the nation鈥檚 capital from 1783 to 1784) is built around two brick-paved circles; the State House, where the Maryland legislature meets, and St. Anne鈥檚 Church are set in, respectively, State Circle and Church Circle, to symbolize separation of church and state. Near both is the harbor, where the oyster boats used to dock, and the Market House, housing many concessions, where my siblings and I worked. (I scooped ice cream, gaining a mean right arm.) You can buy crab cakes, oysters, soups, cheese, and fruit there, and walk across the street to a statue of Alex Haley, the author of Roots, reading a book to children; it commemorates the shameful fact that his forebear Kunte Kinte was sold here at the City Dock. You might also visit St. John鈥檚 College (established in 1696) and the adjacent Naval Academy. Don鈥檛 miss the clam chowder at Middleton鈥檚 Caf茅 (which dates back to 1750) or the fun scene at McGarvey鈥檚, a tavern where my grown sons now go get beers. On a beautiful day, hike (it is intermittently closed, but you can still walk around the area), looking out at the Chesapeake and the four-mile Bay Bridge, or take the loop trail in Quiet Waters Park on the South River. 鈥擜lison Osius, senior editor

Off-Roading in Iceland

My husband and I are beyond stoked: we鈥檙e headed to Ireland and Iceland for a two-week adventure. He hasn鈥檛 been to Ireland, but I lived there as a kid, so I鈥檝e got that country dialed. It鈥檒l be a whirlwind coastal tour, with a climb up Croagh Patrick, near my old cottage on the west coast. Iceland, however, remains untapped for us both. We love a thermal-springs soak after hard hikes and trail runs, and prefer to dodge crowds and drive less, so this smallish outdoor mecca was a no-brainer addition. We鈥檒l play it fast and loose, but here鈥檚 how I think our trip will go down: After we fly into Reykjav铆k, the capital, we鈥檒l pick up our rented Dacia Duster 4X4 camper van with a rooftop tent ($900 for five days, it鈥檚 tricked out with sleeping and cooking essentials and a hot spot for GPS; for more information, visit ). We鈥檒l hit the B贸nus grocery store鈥攊t鈥檚 the cheapest option on the pricey island, according to a seasoned buddy鈥攖o stock up on supplies, and then we鈥檒l head northeast on the Ring Road, a.k.a. Route 1, to the fjords, vales, and 4,000-foot summits of the Tr枚llaskagi Peninsula. Along the way, we鈥檒l take offshoot F-roads (F for 蹿箩盲濒濒, which means 鈥渕ountain鈥� in Icelandic), summer-only gravel tracks restricted to four-wheel-drive vehicles. By crisscrossing over central peaks, we鈥檒l access remote terrain rich with waterfalls, lava fields, alpine valleys, and camping spots that most of Iceland鈥檚 seven million annual tourists don鈥檛 explore. We鈥檒l circle back south to scrub away our dirt and sweat at the geothermal Blue Lagoon ($64 for day tickets) before听departing. All told, it鈥檒l be an unscripted, abbreviated blast, and I consider this a reconnaissance mission for next time. 鈥擯atty Hodapp, interim digital director

Road-Tripping Through the Native Southwest

This summer I’m focusing on road trips, and luckily I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a good place to launch from. I’ve been so dismayed by recent delays and cancellations from plane travel that I don’t feel like spending any more time than I have to in airports. Which is fine, because I’ve had a Southwest bucket list that I’m excited to finally make a dent in. Near the top of my list is a guided tour of the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in western New Mexico, near El Morro National Monument. The sanctuary takes in both wild and domesticated wolves and protects them for the rest of their lives. Rumor has it that author George R.R. Martin, also a Santa Fe resident, has supported the sanctuary, and some of the wolves are named after his Game of Thrones characters. From there I plan to head west to visit some important Native sites. I want to go to Canyon de Chelly, in northeastern Arizona, and take a Navajo-led horseback tour. Canyon de Chelly, often called a mini Grand Canyon, is part of the Navajo Nation. Evidence of human occupation there dates back 4,000 years. It’s also the tragic spot where Kit Carson forced out the Navajo in 1863. Then I’m going to head to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, on the Utah border. Also a part of the Navajo Nation, this stunning landscape and its spectacular sandstone buttes show up on my Instagram feed听every so often, and I want to learn about the history on a Navajo-guided tour and experience the awe and grandeur. 鈥擬ary Turner, deputy editor and travel director

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The longer I sit still, the more I yearn to move. The pull of motion isn鈥檛 a calm desire; it鈥檚 a nagging that builds up until I imagine that it enters the couch or the bed I鈥檓 on. I can鈥檛 stand lying there another second. Then I wonder if the bed, itself infected with yearning, has begun to move. It creaks as if it鈥檚 about to start. The key moment, the passing between the two states鈥攆rom motionlessness to motion鈥攚ill be almost undetectable. I keep watching for it. Is the headboard just slightly farther from the wall than it was a minute ago? We know that all beds secretly want to fly.

I grew up in Ohio, the centrifugal state. For no reason I can explain, Ohio takes people who were born there and spins them around and flings them in every direction. It鈥檚 no accident that the first man to fly, the first American to orbit the earth, and the first man to stand on the moon all came from Ohio. I come by my radical, excessive footloose-ness honestly, from my constantly spinning Ohio childhood. As kids, my friends and I roamed the local woods; by the time we were in junior high, we had started to hitchhike. In my late teens, I walked to the Ohio Turnpike, climbed the fence, stuck out my thumb, and ended up in Wyoming or Boston, almost on a whim, depending on whether I chose the westbound or eastbound lanes. Today, as an ex-Ohioan鈥攁 flung Ohioan鈥擨 am just as restless. My basic idea of how to get somewhere is to jump in the car and drive there, whether it鈥檚 to the store or to the edge of the tree line in Canada. I would rather drive for 20 hours than fly in a plane for three. But in the end, I鈥檒l settle for any transport that will carry me.

Sometimes in everyday life I ride a commuter train. The New Jersey Transit, which serves our suburban town, has a lot of double-deckers, and when one of these is in the station in New York, the view from the lower level presents you with the boarding platform at shoe-top height. On the other side of the window, inches away, is the yellow zone at the edge of the platform, with its grid of little round bumps to keep people鈥檚 feet from slipping. Black, stenciled letters next to it say Stay Behind Yellow Line. The train doors make their ding noise and slide shut.

Then, with almost imperceptible slowness, the no-skid bump on the other side of the window, the particular one I鈥檓 concentrating on, starts to move backward. I switch my gaze to another bump; it鈥檚 also moving backward, but slightly faster. I try to hold my focus on individual bumps as they come into view, but then they all accelerate into a yellow blur and lose their physicality like fish in a blender. For a moment the transition is painful. Only after the train has entered the blackness of the tunnel do I relax and enjoy the speed.

I think about another train, one that I rode in Siberia. Some years ago, I was driving across Russia with two Russian guys. Back then the road did not go all the way across but ran out at a remote Siberian railroad-junction village called Chernyshevsk. To this day it is the worst place I have ever been. At Chernyshevsk, travelers had no choice but to put their cars on the train if they wanted to continue across a 560-mile swamp between the village and where the road resumed. Hundreds of cars had been waiting for days for a place on the train. In and near the station there were swarms of sinister, crew-cut Russian guys and begging, heartbreaking, rapacious children, and no working bathrooms. There were no public trash barrels. Garbage covered the ground, and large flies as shiny blue as oil slicks buzzed all over. The month was August. We waited our turn to get on the train inside the piping-hot vehicle with the windows closed to keep out the crew cuts and the kids and the flies. After two days we finally got on, in a dark, closed freight wagon. More hours passed.

I will never forget when that train started to move. It began haltingly, after a few lurches and the clatter of the couplings, one after the next颅颅颅鈥攁 sound that diminished down the length of the train. Then it started to roll so slowly that it seemed always on the verge of stopping, but never quite did. I had thought we might remain in Chernyshevsk in remote eastern Siberia forever. I never expected such bliss as that first delicious feeling of motion. The train took a day and a half to cross the swamp, sometimes at what seemed about 15 miles an hour. I didn鈥檛 care how slowly it went as long as it kept going.

鈥淪o long, suckers!鈥� That is what the object in motion sometimes shouts to the objects at rest. The objects at rest shout something back, but the object in motion can鈥檛 hear it above the wind in its ears.

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On a damp and overcast morning in early December, I checked out of my hotel in northern New Jersey, walked outside, sucked in a deep breath of smoggy air, then headed off to go skiing in the middle of a swamp. In about an hour, a mega mall called American Dream, located in the New Jersey Meadowlands, just 30 minutes outside , would be opening a听180,000-square-foot indoor ski area. There are around 20 indoor ski facilities worldwide鈥攎ostly in Europe and Asia鈥攂ut this would be the first operation in North America. Lindsey Vonn would be there to cut听the ceremonial ribbon and officially inaugurate听the facility. She鈥檇 take a run down the 1,000-foot slope, then I鈥檇 get my chance to make some turns. It would be the first time I鈥檇 ever skied inside.

I hopped in a Lyft and motored toward the mall, past overflowing dumpsters and construction sites, and in five minutes, MetLife Stadium, where the Giants and Jets play, came into view. Across from the stadium鈥攁ctually, attached to it via a long walkway鈥攊s the mall. Jutting skyward from the mall is a 16-story ramp, where the skiing happens. Anywhere else, the bizarre-looking structure would be an eyesore, but in the Meadowlands鈥攁 vast, polluted, urban marshland鈥攊t sort of fits in.

The building has a troubled past. The idea to construct a mall听that housed an indoor ski area was conceived in 1996. The now defunct Mills Corporation finally broke ground in 2004. It was to be named Xanadu, based on the ancient Mongolian city that Marco Polo once described as having marble palaces, fountains, and meadows. But funding issues delayed progress. Then, in 2009, with a lot of work done but still much more left to do, the economic recession brought the project to a halt. Reportedly, some $2.3 billion had already been spent on the construction. That year,听 wrote that Real Capital Analytics, a research company that tracks real estate investments, had listed Meadowlands Xanadu as the largest of $9.2 billion worth of troubled assets in the New York area. For over a decade, the building sat empty.

鈥淢y family used to go to every Giants game, and we used to stare at the ugly bones of that thing,鈥� says Hannah Follender, a Salt Lake City鈥揵ased lawyer who grew up near the mall. 鈥淚t was basically the butt of every single joke.鈥�

With online retail forcing malls out of business, it seemed the project was forever doomed. But in 2011, Triple Five Group, which owns听Minnesota鈥檚 Mall of America, took control, renaming it American Dream. By early 2019, it was zeroing in on an opening. By now听the cost of building the mall had reached $5 billion, and local residents doubted that it could attract enough business to keep the lights on. The North Jersey Record recently described American听Dream as an听鈥�.鈥�

鈥淔ew people live in the swamp, so anything we build must be big enough to attract a crowd,鈥� the story read. 鈥淏ut big, isolated developments have failed again and again.鈥�

I听walked into the mall, past Christmas decorations and a small line of kids waiting to sit on Santa鈥檚 lap, and up an escalator. I made my way听through a ski shop selling gear from Anon, Burton, Giro, and Head听and headed into the ski facility.

The ski-area portion of the mall is called Big Snow and听is basically a bunny hill inside a warehouse. Giant air-conditioning units attached to the walls keep the place a consistently chilly 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Fixed to the steel support beams听are hundreds of lights and several snowmaking guns, which听over the past two months听have run practically nonstop, covering every inch of slope with three feet of snow.

Near the entrance of Big Snow is a 225-foot-long moving carpet that鈥檚 next to almost imperceptibly inclined beginner terrain. On the far end of the building is a platter lift (sort of like a T-bar). Next to that is a quad chairlift that runs on a cable attached to the ceiling. Underneath the chair is the main ski hill.听Fifty yards wide and, at its steepest, only 26 degrees, the slope resembles a beginner run. A small terrain park with some jumps and rails takes up a portion of the hill. The facility also has a Prinoth grooming machine, which takes laps every few hours to ensure that the surface remains buffed out.

For the grand opening, a DJ spun hip-hop, and several machines cranked听out a veil of bubbles, giving the whole warehouse a听snow-is-falling vibe. But听the place still wasn鈥檛 quite finished. Raw plywood was visible near the entrance, and the wall that the ski area shares with the mall was adorned with large stickers of听stacked wood, a fireplace, and faux deer antlers. Eventually, the company says, a Yard House Brewery, a Lucky Strike bowling alley, and a Hard Rock Caf茅 will occupy the space behind the facility.听

A few hours after the short opening ceremony, during which the executive group said its听thank-yous and Vonn made her ceremonial first run鈥斺�淚t was actually really good, light and fluffy,鈥� she reported鈥攖he ski complex opened to the public for the first time. I put on my boots, clicked into some rental skis, and headed up the lift, a three-and-a-half-minute ride. Six turns and 25 seconds later, I was back at the bottom. Three runs after that, I was already bored. But this place wasn鈥檛 built for me; I live in Jackson, Wyoming, and ski 80 days a year. It was built for guys like McCoy Daboy and Gurey Rodriguez, two snowboarders I met on the lift.

Daboy, who鈥檚 35 and lives in nearby Hoboken, was wearing white-rimmed sunglasses, a neon yellow beanie, ripped jeans, a baggy black coat, and a long, tasseled blue scarf. He hadn鈥檛 snowboarded in three years but liked that Big Snow was听鈥渃lose, it鈥檚 easy, right next to New York. I had to come try it.鈥� Rodriguez, who鈥檚 45 and lives in Manhattan, was wearing similar clothing to his friend. He鈥檇 never snowboarded before and was bit tight-lipped. I asked him if he was nervous. 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid of heights,鈥� he said, looking down from the lift.

鈥淗e was down for the adventure,鈥� said听Daboy. 鈥淲hat is there to do? Drinking and eating? This is something different.鈥�

We got off the lift, and Rodriguez immediately collided with Daboy. Then, as the pair were strapping their boards on, two听kids collided with Rodriguez. The carnage continued to pile up in the unloading area and on the hill. By now听about 200 people had shown up to ski or snowboard, and听as I looked down, at least five of them were strewn across the trail in various states of wipeout. I watched Rodriguez scoot down the entire hill on his butt. Daboy shook his head. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 how you learn,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how you learn.鈥�

The brass at Big Snow is听hoping the impetus to try skiing or snowboarding will drive more people like Rodriguez to the facility. 鈥淭he two biggest barriers to getting people to ski and snowboard is that it鈥檚 hard to get to the mountain and it鈥檚 super expensive,鈥� says Joe Hession, CEO of Snow Operating, the company Triple Five contracted to run Big Snow. 鈥淲e鈥檙e ten miles from downtown Manhattan, so we鈥檝e removed the location barrier. But price was important, too. So if you book online for a full package, you get everything you need for $59.鈥� That includes skis and poles or a snowboard, boots, a helmet, goggles, and outerwear, as well as two hours of skiing and a lesson. Another obvious barrier to the sport that Big Snow removes is the need for winter. The ski area will operate from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. every day of the year.

Snow Operating estimates that those factors combined will, this year, spur 600,000 people to come ski inside. If that seems ambitious, consider that an indoor ski facility in Dubai has successfully operated in the middle of a desert since 2005. Still, whether Big Snow can be viable is the $5 billion question. Just keeping a听180,000-square-foot building meat-locker cold year-round sounds expensive (Triple Five won鈥檛 disclose exactly how expensive).听

Regardless, lots of people in the ski industry are rooting for the venue鈥檚听success. Jon Rucker, president of Head Skis USA, is one of them. He believes the opening of ski areas like Big Snow are crucial to the survival of a sport that鈥檚 suffering from declining numbers. 鈥淟et鈥檚 face it,鈥� Rucker said, after taking one of the first runs inside the facility. 鈥淪kiing is pretty much as white as snow. So exposing these great sports to different populations is radically important for the future of our business.鈥�

Adrienne Saia Isaac, director of marketing at the National Ski Areas Association, agrees.听鈥淪ometimes I think we forget that even playing in snow can be an uncommon experience for a lot of people, especially in urban areas,鈥� Isacc says. 鈥淓ven if it begins as a novelty, hopefully the experience at a place like Big Snow will inspire visitors to keep coming back.鈥�

That seemed to be the case with Rodriguez.听I bumped into him as I was leaving. He鈥檇 had a tough day鈥攏ot really ever able to get the snowboard to work for him. But he was smiling, and it seemed as though a taste of the sport was enough to pique his interest. 鈥淚鈥檓 coming back,鈥� he told me. 鈥淚 need to try again.鈥�

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Every fall, more than 300 bird species across North America听migrate south for the winter, an event affected as much by a bird鈥檚 location and breeding timeline as it is by the changing climate. Not only will these festivals guarantee that you鈥檙e in the right place at the right time, but they鈥檒l allow you to take part in the kind of awe-inspiring wildlife migrations usually associated with more far-flung destinations. So听book your short-hop flight, grab your binoculars and field guides, and get ready to be captivated alongside North America鈥檚 most passionate birding enthusiasts.

Cape May Fall Festival

Cape May, New Jersey; October 17 to 20

New Jersey Audubon鈥檚 is the longest-running birding festival in the country鈥攁nd for good reason. During the crest of the fall migration, more than 100 bird species can be spotted passing the Cape May peninsula, located at the southern tip of the state between听Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, a 50-minute drive from Atlantic City. One of the festival鈥檚 highlights is the sky parade of raptors (osprey, sharp-shinned hawks, and kestrels have been prevalent this month) that funnel over Cape May Point; last year听more than 50,000 raptors were counted by between September 1 and November 30. Enjoy daily field trips on land and sea led by notable birders and photographers, including the popular Trip to the Rips,听a three-hour boat tour that offers听the chance to view听waterbirds like gannets, gulls, and terns at the mouth of Delaware Bay, as well as marine mammals like bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales. Day pass from $85听

Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival

Harlingen, Texas; November 6 to 10

Though the always features an impressive roster of daily field trips, professional guides, and keynote speakers, a big draw of the five-day event are听the pre- and post-festival trips, which shuttle attendees to in-the-know birding hot spots near and far. This year鈥檚 four-day pre-trip, from November 2 to 5, starts in Houston and explores the piney woods听and coastal marshes of the state, while the excursion following the festival,听from November 11 to 15, ventures over the international border, nearly 300 miles south, to the Unesco-recognized in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. After a five-hour bus journey to听the mountainous cloudforest in the state鈥檚 southeast,听you鈥檒l be able to search for endemic species like the Tamaulipas pygmy owl and the Altamira yellowthroat. Registration from $25; trips from $825

San Quint铆n Bay Bird Festival

Campo La Chorera, Baja California, Mexico; November 8 to 9

Established by local communities and the land-conservation nonprofit five years ago, the annual is a two-day event听that aims to promote the protection of over 25,000 birds that visit San Quint铆n Bay every year. Located on the west coast of Baja California, 190 miles south of Tijuana, the region features wetlands, sand dunes, and meadows important to migratory shorebirds of the Pacific Flyway. While you need to register, the festival features a variety of free or affordable activities, including boat tours, guided birding hikes, and a bird-watching marathon听where participants try to identify as many听species as possible in a single afternoon. Stay at a beach campsite in 听(from $10).

Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival

Fraser Valley, British Columbia; November 16 to 17

Less than two hours southeast of听downtown Vancouver is Fraser Valley, home the annual , a free event that commemorates one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Witness thousands of the raptors feed on spawned-out salmon on the banks of the Fraser River, get up close to the birds on boat tours, and check out local vendors, lectures, and family-friendly entertainment at various locations across the valley. While bald eagles (and salmon) may be the main attraction, keep an eye out for large numbers of trumpeter swans and blue herons drawn to the area鈥檚 mild climate.

Festival of the Cranes

San Antonio, New Mexico; November 20 to 23

Birders, photographers, artists, and听local Socorro County residents gather every year to witness the return of tens of thousands of sandhill cranes to their wintering grounds in the Middle Rio Grande Valley at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 95 miles south of Albuquerque. On top of daily hikes, tours, and seminars organized by Friends of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, offers 65 photography workshops geared toward听capturing wildlife, which sharpens visitors鈥� perfect shots of the red-crowned birds. Other highlights include kid-friendly activities, like a hands-on duck-banding project and a biologist-led young birder鈥檚 walk. Registration is required for the festival, but like the San Quint铆n Birding Festival, it includes听both free and affordable experiences, as well as more expensive workshops with professionals (from $95).

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John Oppito has broad shoulders, a week鈥檚 worth of stubble, and the type of handshake that makes you wonder why you spend most of your waking hours behind a keyboard. On an overcast afternoon in late January, he鈥檚 sitting on a stool next to his shaping bay in an unassuming, windowless warehouse nestled on the fringes of Asbury Park, New Jersey. It鈥檚 known as 听and has developed a reputation as the hub for one-of-a-kind hand-shaped surfboards on the East Coast. It鈥檚 less than two miles from the Atlantic Ocean but feels a world away. A fan hums in the background but fails to quell the bracing resin fumes. Oppito, 32, has on a navy blue New York Rangers sweatshirt, brown paint-splattered pants, and low-cut sneakers that鈥攍ike almost every surface here鈥攁re caked in foam dust. 鈥淓verybody assumes my last name is Rozbern,鈥� he says with a chuckle. He understands the confusion and explains that it鈥檚 actually the street name of his parents鈥櫶齢ouse, where he first started crafting boards. Over the last decade,听Oppito has become synonymous with , the label he created and co-owns with his friend and business partner, Kevin Strickland.

Rozbern Surfboards, along with the听boards Oppito shapes for the alternative-board collaboration 鈥攚hich features designs from shaping luminaries Rich Pavel, Gerry Lopez, and Ryan Lovelace鈥攁re the antithesis of generic. His creations often include elaborate color work and unusual customizations.听One example is听the听seven-foot Widowmaker channel-bottom board听with a psychedelic resin-swirl deck, which听earned Oppito honors at the Boardroom International Surfboard Show last weekend in Del Mar, California.

Oppito鈥檚 functional art听stands out for more than looks, though. He takes no shortcuts, building the boards by hand from start to finish. At a time when it feels like most hard goods are available at the click of a mouse, it鈥檚 refreshing that there are still people out there providing custom craftsmanship with a personal touch. Next to where Oppito signs his name on each board, along with the dimensions, board model, and customer鈥檚 name, he also writes, 鈥�!鈥�

Yet Oppito won鈥檛 wax philosophically about the pureness of hand shaping or assert that there鈥檚 only one ideal way to build a surfboard. 鈥淚 have nothing against the machine,鈥� he says more than once about CNC听instruments that are the norm for mass producing boards in the surf industry. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tool. My opinion is that as long as you鈥檙e transparent about what about what you鈥檙e doing, it shouldn鈥檛 matter how the board鈥檚 made.鈥� Oppito has only brought in a couple of board glassers in the last year to help him keep the turnaround time on his custom boards between four and eight weeks.

鈥淚 shaped a fish for my first board,鈥� Oppito says about his board-building origins in the shed behind his parents鈥� house in Eatontown, New Jersey, during his senior year at Monmouth Regional High School. 鈥淎 fish is not an easy first board to shape. I glassed the whole thing. The fins ended up ripping off by the second session, because I didn鈥檛 put enough glass reinforcement on them.鈥�

From there, Oppito learned every stage of the board-building process and developed a DIY听ethos out of necessity. In California, Oppito explains, you can go to any supplier and buy a blank, resin, and everything you need to start shaping. But when he was starting, there was nothing like that in New Jersey, no factories to get information from. 鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 walk into a reputable glass shop and say, 鈥楬ey, I want to sweep your floors and learn how to laminate a board.鈥� I just figured it out trial and error鈥攕o there was a lot of error.鈥�

Oppito doesn鈥檛 bemoan his roots. His surroundings influence every board he builds. 鈥淚 feel like, growing up in New Jersey, you have to shape everything, because we get literally every type of condition听imaginable,鈥� he says. Ranging from ankle-high summer slop to world-class overhead barrels in the winter, the waves in the Garden State can be as fitful as traffic on the turnpike. Rozbern鈥檚 models reflect that diversity;听they include grovelers, shortboards, longboards, fish, twin-fins, and step-ups that fuse alternative and performance characteristics.

He developed a shape called the Hound with local charger Mark Gilmartin, who earned Surfline鈥檚听 for a draining barrel he navigated on a听mango-tinted听five-eleven board听the day before Halloween 2017. That board was Oppito鈥檚 first try at the design. He still has it鈥攚ell, at least half of it. 鈥淚 think it lasted a whole winter until it broke,鈥� he says as he reaches down behind a stool and retrieves the severed tail end. 鈥淭his thing saw more tube time than most people have.鈥� Although Oppito also has Gilmartin鈥檚 original order card, with all its specifications and a template for the Hound鈥檚 outline, he likes to keep 鈥淢agic Mango鈥� nearby for reference. 鈥淵ou can nail all the numbers but not have a board come out as you mean it,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 lot of shaping is by feel and muscle memory. You know how the board should feel in your hand. You know how it should look under the lights.鈥� 听

But then there鈥檚 seeing the board in the water with his customers. Oppito sounds like an anxious parent when he describes waiting for feedback. 鈥淭he worst is when somebody is surfing a board for the first time and I鈥檓 surfing with them,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 even concentrate, because I am constantly watching them and wondering, Is the board working well? Are they liking it? Does it look good? Is it flowing like it should?听I have all these thoughts racing through my head, and I can鈥檛 even focus on surfing myself.鈥�

Those nerves fade amid the whirring of Oppito鈥檚 Clark Foam鈥搈odified Hitachi planer听back in his factory. 鈥淚n the shaping bay, I鈥檓 in my element,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really just focused on making the board come out as I have it in my head.鈥� When you watch him at work with his bulky Sony wireless headphones on, it looks like he鈥檚 in a trance.

While the countless variables that go into creating a board can make an average surfer鈥檚 head spin, regardless of the fumes, Oppito consumes himself with the process. It provides structure. 鈥淚 approach the blank the same every time,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檒l generally plane the blank to thickness first, cut it out, set my bottom concave, foil the deck, and then turn the rails. The best part is when you do the final sanding screen and everything comes together. This thing that has taken life slowly along the way, when you sign your name, you get to see all the hard work in a tangible object.鈥�

That sense of satisfaction is fleeting. 鈥淓very time I make a board, I think it鈥檚 a good one. Then I look back at it even weeks later and think, Oh, I could have done this differently,鈥� Oppito says. 鈥淲hen you start not doing that, you stop progressing. There is no such thing as a perfect surfboard. You can always find something that you could do differently.鈥�

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Seventy-two miles of the Appalachian Trail wind听through the northwest corner of New Jersey, and the comments hikers leave in shelter trail registers tend to express a common emotion: surprise.

鈥淎 lot of people write something like, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 realize New Jersey was this nice,鈥欌�� says Monica Day, who,听with her husband, David, has led the since 2000. Sneer at their stomping grounds听and you鈥檒l听get a lively tongue-lashing from people who spend a lot of time swinging sharp, menacing tools.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice!鈥� David says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have 7,000-foot peaks and things like that, but there鈥檚 an awful lot of pretty.鈥�

The Days should know. David, now 65,听and Monica, 64, have spent the past 40 years hiking all over the state, from the Pine Barrens听in southern New Jersey to the mountainous northwest corner (their favorite). Now that the Highland Park residents have retired from their careers in computer programming, they go hiking at least once a week听in all seasons. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 another great thing about hiking in New Jersey,鈥� David says. 鈥淭here are only a couple places that are no-go in the dead of winter, and almost everything is accessible with boots or snowshoes.鈥�

Scenic beauty, however, isn鈥檛 what most hikers expect from the Garden State. Maybe it鈥檚 that nickname, which evokes flat plots of carrots rather than civilization-ditching adventure. Or maybe it鈥檚 because many people鈥攔esidents and visitors听alike鈥攅xperience New Jersey largely through its turnpike, which spans 12 lanes in some places. 鈥淭he standard joke about New Jersey is,听鈥榃hat exit are you from?鈥欌�� Monica says. 鈥淧eople think it鈥檚 all just petrochemical farms.鈥�

But there鈥檚 also , the Days鈥櫶齠avorite destination. Cradled in a glacial cirque located 1,000 feet above the surrounding valleys, its spring-fed water is as crystalline as any you鈥檒l see in the Sierra Nevada, and its forested shoreline feels like wilderness.听There鈥檚 the , which climbs along a protected trout stream that cascades down the mountainside. The scales a precipitous rock ledge that overlooks rolling green mountains where only a few roofs poke through.

鈥淢any people don鈥檛 realize just how much like wilderness New Jersey can be,鈥� Monica says.听

And听New Jersey trails can be spankingly steep. Whereas the Pacific Crest Trail and other western routes set grade limits so they鈥檙e accessible to horses, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no such rule here,鈥� David says. The Red Dot Trail up New Jersey鈥檚 gains 1,500 feet over a half-mile. (By comparison, the famous Tuckerman Ravine Trail up Mount Washington in New Hampshire maxes out at 1,000 vertical feet per mile.)听鈥淲e have trails that get there with a real attitude,鈥� David听says.

Then there鈥檚 the cumulative effort. Climbing 100 vertical feet might not feel like much, but repeat that up and down ten听times鈥攁s trails tend to do in New Jersey鈥檚 rolling mountains鈥攁nd the strain adds up.

The state鈥檚 trail crews have turned many of these otherwise听impassable places into really cool hikes. The Days and their crews built a 110-foot suspension bridge over Pochuck Creek and 1.5 miles of听boardwalk spanning the surrounding floodplain. Stand in the middle of those wetlands, where hawks soar overhead and red-winged blackbirds trill from the reeds, and you鈥檒l feel immersed in New Jersey鈥檚 answer to the Everglades.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not like the Rockies,鈥� David admits. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have Pikes Peak. But we鈥檝e got serious piles of rock, and you can get up on them and, you know, do some real hiking.鈥�

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Almost as long as there have been cities, there have been efforts to revamp their downtowns. But philosophies about how to do that are constantly evolving. In this era of gentrification, income inequality, and climate change, some of the most innovative ideas are coming from a surprising place鈥斺�攚ith help from a 45-year-old real estate developer named Ron Beit. His flagship projects鈥攖he smartly designed , which provides middle-income housing and curated retail for a community of educators in the city center, and , home to , the largest indoor aeroponic farm in the world鈥攅mbody his belief that development should celebrate diversity and high-quality design while being affordable. We talked with Beit about where the fight to reinvent America鈥檚 cities has been, and where he sees it going.

鈥淩eal estate developer鈥� really undersells what you and your company do. Perhaps you should come up with something cooler, like developer-activist or urbanization guru.
We are sort of an oddball. There are affordable-housing developers, and there are traditional real estate developers that know how to put private capital together. But there鈥檚 a middle ground, where you need to combine both skills. When someone asks me what I do, I describe my work as community-oriented, social-impact development.

Is this the future of development in downtown cores?
One hundred percent. Not only is your end user going to demand that kind of social impact, but it鈥檚 good for business. Real estate developers are tripping over themselves for assets right now. The only way they are going to make money is to go into tougher and tougher communities and actually help rebuild them in a way where both the community and the investors benefit.

How do you keep both investors and social activists happy?
I started as a property manager in New York City, and I always got the most troubled buildings, usually fractured condominiums and co-op boards where no one could get along. I built my career on bridging that gap. With every project, we have a differential between motivations, incentives, and goals, and it鈥檚 a balancing act. It takes a true understanding of each side鈥檚 position, and sometimes it takes getting people to move slightly off their position. Usually, that requires a very strong idea鈥攍ike Teachers Village or Makers Village.

Why was Teachers Village such a good project for Newark?
We knew that if we set the bar high, other developers after us would follow suit. If you build one of these projects poorly and mess up a street, you鈥檝e messed up the street for 100 years. Richard Meier, a world-renowned architect, designed three of the six buildings. People couldn鈥檛 believe we got him to do this in Newark, for New Jersey prices.

What lessons can other cities take from your successes?
In this country, we build a lot of expensive luxury housing, and we build affordable housing. But middle-income housing stock has been sorely lacking for decades. Providing housing for teachers, for instance, leads to the vibrancy of a city. Not to mention it helps recruit the best teachers to a com颅munity. We are currently constructing a second Teachers Village in . Our third one will break ground by the end of the year in , and we鈥檙e looking at , , , and .

Where do urban farms like the one at Makers Village fit into this?
We鈥檙e just the landlords and builders on that project, but we see it as a huge solution for everything from food shortage to water issues, as it uses 95 percent less water than a traditional farm. And then, of course, there鈥檚 the real estate end of it. The project was done in response to the community in an industrial area of the city saying, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want the trucks and all the noxious odors that we had in the past.鈥� This was a green solution for an industrial property.

Are cities planning for growth the right way these days? What could they be doing better?
and , are doing great with housing across the board, but other cities need to implement strategies similar to the affordable-housing tax credit to promote middle-income development. We also need to promote small business more. In order to truly make yourself a destination, you have to curate a unique retail experience.

You once said that it starts at the heart and moves out through the arteries.
It鈥檚 important to create the greatest amount of economic impact by focusing on large-scale development in a centralized location. In past revitalization attempts, Newark had one project going on over here, another over there. Creating a cluster or a nucleus of activity creates momentum.

Describe the downtown of the future鈥攁nd don鈥檛 feel constrained by existing technology.
Lots of small businesses, vibrant walkable streets. No parking lots and garages鈥攚e won鈥檛 need them anymore, because we鈥檒l have superaccessible mass transit. In the next few decades, green construction will be so efficient that buildings will actually clean the environment.

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鈥淚t鈥檚 bigger than I thought it was going to be,鈥� Mike Gleason says after catching a glimpse of the waves at his home break. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cleaner too.鈥澨�

The wind is offshore. A haze clings to the ocean, but is burning off with the morning sun around 10 a.m.听on this weekday in late March. The waves are shoulder-to-head-high. They crash on the sandbar with a thud. They drown out the Johnny Cash song playing inside Gleason鈥檚 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. He鈥檚 in the driver鈥檚 seat, wearing a light blue t-shirt, faded jeans, and black Nikes. 鈥淲ow, it鈥檚 way bigger than I thought,鈥� he repeats in between spits of chewing tobacco.

For those not familiar with Gleason鈥檚 location, the reaction might be disbelief rather than surprise. He isn鈥檛 in California or Hawaii. He is in Long Branch, New Jersey.听

鈥淪ome people don鈥檛 even know that New Jersey has a coast let alone waves,鈥� says Pat Schmidt, a 20-year-old pro surfer from Manasquan, New Jersey, who, like Gleason, is sponsored by Volcom.

When most people imagine a perfect day of surfing, they probably envision tropical, turquoise-colored water and palm trees swaying in the foreground. Gleason has a different ideal. This morning it鈥檚 53 degrees and the water hovers around 40. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gorgeous out,鈥� Gleason says. The conditions are balmy by his standards. He鈥檚 accustomed to surfing in frigid temperatures and water that looks more like an IPA. In the Northeast the best waves often coincide with the harshest weather. That was the case in January when Gleason drove two hours north to Long Beach, New York, for one of the season鈥檚 biggest swells courtesy of Winter Storm Jonas. After hunkering down in a motel room for 24 hours, Gleason trudged through two feet of snow on the beach to get to the waves. He surfed overhead, barreling waves for an hour and a half despite 30 mph winds and pelting snow. 鈥淲hen a snowflake hits your eye, it burns,鈥� Gleason says. 鈥淥h my God, it burns. But there were only eight of us out in the water and it was absolutely firing.鈥�

He came back the next day and surfed five hours.听

鈥淚t is a special breed that really embraces the conditions,鈥� says Billy Hume, Volcom鈥檚 East Coast marketing manager. 鈥淭he guys up here are a bit of psychopaths. They will paddle out when it鈥檚 two foot and 25 degrees and they still love it.鈥�

Gleason thrives when the conditions are most inhospitable and has garnered respect as one of the best surfers from the Garden State. His reputation, though, isn鈥檛 confined to the East Coast. He鈥檚 landed photos in national surfing magazines, was ranked by Red Bull last year, and starred in Volcom鈥檚 feature surf film鈥�Psychic Migrations.听At 31 years old, Gleason鈥檚 surfing continues to progress.听

After checking two nearby spots, Gleason goes back to the first. He turns left onto a sand covered side street and passes six 鈥淣O PARKING ANYTIME鈥� signs. He doesn鈥檛 seem to notice, or care, and stops in front of a battered bulkhead.听

鈥淚n the summer the people who live here will call the cops,鈥� Gleason says鈥攎otioning to a three-story modern beachside home. 鈥淏ut for now it鈥檚 cool.鈥� He wrangles his wetsuit out of the trunk. It has an attached hood and is five millimeters thick, as are his neoprene boots and gloves. They鈥檙e as essential to surfing year round in New Jersey as a surfboard. Gleason鈥檚 current quiver includes 17 boards. He has twice as many wetsuits.听

He shimmies into the suit and pulls on the hood, covering his shaved head. His thick beard still protrudes. Gleason鈥檚 facial hair鈥攚hich calls to mind a frontiersman more than a surfer鈥攃ombined with his stocky, barrel-chested physique is partly why his friends gave him the nickname 鈥溾�� about eight years ago. But the sobriquet is also due to Gleason鈥檚 approach in the water. His turns are powerful and ferocious. When he hits the lip, he displaces water like a geyser. He while pumping through the tube. He goes right on one of the bigger waves this morning鈥攑icks up speed鈥攖hen lofts an alley-oop. The 5'6″听board seems glued to his feet. He鈥檚 not wearing a leash.听

鈥淭hat's the only air I can usually do,鈥� Gleason says after returning to the lineup. He pulls off his wetsuit hood. He says he鈥檚 warm. He catches another wave within a minute.听

Gleason stood up on his first wave at this same beach when he was six. His father, a sales representative for a trucking company, worked as a lifeguard on summer weekends and always brought his family along. The youngest of three boys, Mike developed an affinity for the water and excelled at any sport on a board. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just always had a natural style and flow,鈥� says Bryan Gleason, Mike鈥檚 brother. Soon, the youngest Gleason was skipping soccer practice to surf in the fall. He started surfing in the winter when he was 12, often riding his bike to the beach then paddling out alone. When he was 17, the only Volcom team rider from the Northeast moved to California. Gleason got his spot.听

Within a year, Gleason too headed west. A trip to California during Thanksgiving of his freshman year at Monmouth University when he 鈥渟cored crazy waves,鈥� convinced him to transfer to Santa Barbara City College for the next semester. Soon after that, he received an offer from Volcom to pursue surfing fulltime. He left school. He鈥檇 spend a month in Hawaii then another in California every winter along with trips to the Caribbean, Mexico, and other premier surfing destinations. But it was also around that time when he moved back to New Jersey. It鈥檚 remained a fixed-foot ever since. 鈥淚 love New Jersey too much,鈥� Gleason explains of his decision not to relocate permanently. 鈥淭his is home and where I want to be. It doesn鈥檛 matter where you go in the world, you鈥檙e never going to experience a true Jersey day that is firing. It鈥檚 so dang perfect. For its size, nowhere gets as good. Every wave you鈥檙e getting a tube or have the opportunity to get one.鈥�

That鈥檚 why Gleason calls missing a swell in New Jersey 鈥渁 nightmare鈥� and 鈥渢he worst-case scenario.鈥� He鈥檚 not alone. When Schmidt saw the forecast for the Jonas swell he was on the North Shore of Oahu. He booked the next flight home.

While Gleason initially would never turn down a trip because it offered more exposure, the landscape of surfing in New Jersey has shifted. It鈥檚 no longer the underground scene it was back in 1996 when became the first (and still only) surfer from New Jersey to qualify for the ASP (now WSL) World Championship Tour. As surf publications have gone digital, features and galleries about the Northeast appear online almost every week in the winter. 鈥淭he more publicity you get the better you鈥檙e going to do,鈥� Gleason says.听

But the increased notoriety has drawbacks. Gleason remembers days when there would be only one or two photographers on the beach. Now, they often outnumber surfers, saturating the content. Carter McCoy, a photographer and Gleason鈥檚 friend, recalls countless times he鈥檚 taken a good shot of Gleason, only find minutes later that someone has posted a photo from the same angle on Instagram. 鈥淭hen everybody knows where you鈥檙e at,鈥� McCoy says. 鈥淚t goes from one person to a packed lineup. It鈥檚 harder to have those secret solo sessions.鈥� 听Sometimes if Gleason and his friends find a good spot to themselves, they鈥檒l turn their phones off. 听Other times they鈥檒l head north to the Cape or Maine and search for more secluded breaks. Gleason rarely ventures south. The logic is simple.

鈥淚 hate surfing in crowds,鈥� he says.

This morning, he didn鈥檛 have to worry about that. There were only four guys in water. Gleason knew all of them. Still, he paddled out to an empty peak near a jetty with wooden pilings sticking out like acupuncture pins. Gleason hadn鈥檛 surfed in two weeks because the Atlantic had been quiet, but he鈥檚 learned to cope with the fickleness of his playing field. He bartends during the summer. He鈥檚 as passionate about fishing as surfing. If the waves are flat and the water is clear, he鈥檒l free dive. He runs hills and swims laps, so when waves arrive, he鈥檚 ready. It also helps that he seems to have the sandbars and currents at his home break memorized even though they constantly change. He muses about topics like swell interval and direction with the attentiveness of an oceanographer.听

鈥淵ou can usually see the trends of what the swells are doing,鈥� he says. 鈥淩ight now we are in a bad trend.鈥�

The lack of swell and warming conditions cast doubt over whether the inaugural Cold War would take place at Asbury Park Casino Beach. It鈥檚 not your typical surf contest. Instead, New Jersey pros Sam Hammer and Andrew Gesler selected 14 of best surfers from their home state and New York, divided them into two teams, and squared off in man-on-man heats. The limit for the waiting period was extended from March 18th to the end of the month, before it was finally called on for the 25th. “It wasn't the classic Jersey surf we wanted, but we dealt with what we had,'' Hammer about the shoulder-high waves and 50 degree temperatures. “We want this to be cold. We don't want it to be as warm as it was today. We want people to freeze their asses off.”

While Gleason likes competition 鈥渂ut not so much for surfing,鈥� the Cold War was an exception. He surfed for Gesler鈥檚 team, won his heat, and helped the side to the victory and $8,000 prize. He was also named MVP. He won a grill.

Back in the water at Long Branch, a little more than a week prior to the Cold War, Gleason wasn鈥檛 concerned about if the contest would run, the next stage of his career, or even the hole in his fishing boat that needs repair. Right now, he scans the horizon. He spots a set wave. He鈥檚 in the perfect position. He waits a few seconds, then in a flurry of motion drains his hood, yanks it back on, and flips around. He takes two strokes and pops to his feet.听

He disappears into the barrel.

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Even if you don't believe in campfire stories about ghosts and aliens, you can get your fill of fright with a haunted pre-trick-or-treat hike this Halloween.

The country鈥檚 parks are chock-full of huts supposedly occupied by 听and trails cursed by . So in honor of All Hallows Eve falling on a Saturday this year, we鈥檝e pulled together five of the best spots around the country for spooky outdoor fun.

The Pine Barrens, New Jersey

The Pine Barrens, a vast expanse of coastal forest that stretches almost uninterrupted from New York City to Philadelphia, is an inhospitable tract of land. The soil never yielded to early colonial efforts to cultivate crops, so the Pinelands鈥攁ll 1.1 million acres of them鈥攚ere left largely untouched and became a national reserve in the 1970s. It鈥檚 a perfect escape from the city if you鈥檙e up for a leisurely hike or if you want to see Jersey鈥檚 unofficial state monster. The , a mythical creature that has supposedly terrorized South Jersey for centuries, is a winged, kangaroo-like dragon with fiery eyes and a piercing scream. Over the years, the Devil has racked up hundreds of sightings in south Jersey. And by all accounts, it calls the Pine Barrens home.听

The Pinelands National Preserve is 听and groups like the Pinelands Preservation Alliance offer .

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

The hundreds of miles of caves beneath Kentucky鈥檚 Green River valley are, in the words of 19th-century guide Stephen Bishop, a 鈥�.鈥澨鼴ishop, a former slave, was the Mammoth Cave National Park鈥檚 most famous early explorer and one of its original guides. He died in 1857鈥攍ess than a year after he was freed鈥攁nd was .听Now, legend has it that Bishop鈥檚 ghost haunts the largest-known cave system in the world, scaring the flocks of tourists who come to hike the deep underground chambers. The pitch-black cavern is such a naturally frightening spot听that a ranger and a local guide have collected enough known paranormal sightings in the cave .

The park is open until 5:15 p.m. on听Saturday, with .听

Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite has a few planned activities for people interested in spending Halloween in the crown jewel of the national park system. A guided hour-and-a-half 听offers plenty of family-friendly fun. But those seeking a more horrifying experience will have to delve deeper into the park.听

In the 2006 book Haunted Hikes: Spine-Tingling Tales and Trails from North America's National Parks, former ranger Andrea Lankford tells the tale of Yosemite鈥檚 first civilian guardian (a pre-cursor to the rangers) and his run-in with the supernatural. In 1857, as he rested on the shores of Grouse Lake, Galen Clark heard . Later, when Clark came upon a band of local Indians, the tribe told him of a child who drowned in the lake and how his ghost now tried to submerge anyone who entered the water. 鈥淎t that time I thought that the Indians were trying to impose on my credulity,鈥� Clark later wrote, 鈥渂ut I am now convinced they fully believed the story they told me.鈥� If you鈥檙e hardcore,听you can hike the 9.73 miles to Grouse Lake to hear the wailing for yourself.

Yosemite is open every day of the year, but roads often close due to weather. (.)听If you鈥檙e thinking of hiking the 19.5 miles to and from Grouse Lake, consider getting a backcountry permit and staying overnight.听

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado

The towering, undulating dunes of the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado are the biggest on the continent. They rise as high as 750 feet and sit on the edge of the barren San Luis Valley. The effect is otherworldly鈥攅ven supernatural. Over 60 UFOs have been sighted in the area in the last 15 years and alien reports date back to the 1960s. A local woman, Judy Messoline, even set up an 听nearby and says the region is home to two separate portals to parallel universes. Sound like tinfoil-hat nonsense? Try explaining why the local cattle keep ending up .听

The park is .

Iron Goat Trail, Leavenworth, Washington

About 60 miles northeast of Seattle, the Iron Goat Trail cuts through majestic old growth forest on federal land. The trail, a six-mile loop, follows the Great Northern Railway tracks that once connected the transcontinental railway to the Pacific Northwest. The trail is also the scene of one of the worst avalanches in U.S. history. Nearly 100 people when a wall of snow swept across the tracks in 1910.听The tracks were abandoned for good in the 1920s and a cave-in rendered its spooky tunnel unnavigable in 2006. Some say you can still feel the spirits lingering by the tracks today.

A is required at the trailhead听and, the Washington trail association notes, it is .

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Fall is the perfect time to get in the car and find some waves. So pack a wetsuit and some boards then embark on one of the following quests for surf-induced happiness.听

Central California

San Francisco to Big Sur
231 Miles, 3 to 5 Days
Best Season: Summer, Fall, Winter
Bring: 5/4 wetsuit, booties, hood

To Hunter S. Thompson, the end of Geary Boulevard in San Francisco was 鈥渢he end of the line,鈥� but for surfers, it鈥檚 the beginning of three miles of sandy shores and powerful waves at Ocean Beach. The area is a swell magnet during the winter months, though afternoon onshore flows can turn the surf into a chaotic mess. When the wind picks up, head south along Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay, home of the world-famous big-wave break Mavericks. Further south, Santa Cruz has the most consistent waves on the coast, with Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point pulling in year-round swell. Highway 1 continues along Monterey Bay road hugs the Santa Lucia Mountains as it winds through Big Sur. Many surf spots down here are difficult to access, but breaks like Sand Dollar Beach are only a short hike from the parking lot and have camping near by.听

New Jersey

Sandy Hook to Cape May
127 Miles, 1 to 2 Days
Best Season: Fall, Winter, Spring
Bring: Boardshorts (fall), 6/5/4 wetsuit, gloves, booties, and hood (winter).

From September through April the Jersey Shore is a mecca for surfers across the Northeast, and the Garden State Parkway is the gateway to the state鈥檚 fine surf and diverse coastal culture. Sandy Hook (Exit 117) is the northernmost break, and the lineup offers views of Manhattan鈥檚 skyline. Catch a show at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park (Exit 100A) and delve into the grunge/punk rock culture of the New Jersey surf scene. Seaside Heights of MTV Jersey Shore fame (Exit 82A) boasts the Shore鈥檚 most iconic boardwalk while just south of town, Island Beach State Park has almost ten miles of preserved shoreline. Cape May sits at the far end of the Parkway (Exit 0), and peninsula is home to a colorful array of Victorian B&Bs, a vastly different skyline from the view at Sandy Hook.

North Carolina

Kitty Hawk to Hatteras and Back
141 Miles, 2 to 3 Days
Best Season: Fall, Winter, Spring
Bring: Boardshorts (fall), 5/4 wetsuit, booties, gloves, and hood (winter), four-wheel-drive

Once the stomping grounds of the fearsome pirate Blackbeard, North Carolina鈥檚 barrier islands are now a hub for surfing, kiteboarding, and fishing. Highway 12 runs from Kitty Hawk to Hatteras, and the main thoroughfare never strays more than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean. Bring a 4×4 and with a permit you鈥檒l be able to drive right up to many of the spots. Though sleeping on the beach is not allowed, there are plenty campgrounds at locations like Kill Devil Hills, Frisco, Avon, Buxton, and Hatteras. The quality of surf on the islands shifts with the sand, but when the swell pumps the S-Turns just north of Rodanthe and the Hatteras jetties just north of Cape Point are safe bets. If it鈥檚 flat, take a kitesurfing lesson at or check out the , which commemorates the ships and sailors lost off the coast.听

Baja

San Diego to El Rosario and Back
570 Miles, 5 to 14 Days
Best Season: Fall, Winter
Bring: 4/3 wetsuit and booties, four-wheel-drive, Spanish-English dictionary听

If your sense of adventure is undeterred by warnings like kidnapping, carjacking, and highway robbery (actual terminology from the State Department鈥檚 ), then Northern Baja could be your ultimate surf road trip. Mexico Federal Highway No. 1 heads south from Tijuana and runs all the way to Cabo San Lucas. However, unless you鈥檙e going out for months, it鈥檚 best to turn around at El Rosario, which is 306 kilometers south of the border. Many of the popular breaks along this stretch, like K-38, Shipwrecks, San Miguel, and Cuatros Casas, are less than an hour from Highway 1, and they have established campgrounds or hostels. The extra money to stay at these sites is worth the extra security.听

Wisconsin

Milwaukee to Algoma
73 Miles, 1 to 2 Days
Best Season: Fall, Winter
Bring: 6/5/4 wetsuit, booties, gloves, hood, Brett Favre jersey

Wisconsin may not abut a mighty ocean, but the shores of America鈥檚 Dairyland still see surf. The best waves occur in the fall and winter months, so scoring on the Great Lakes generally requires thick, full-body neoprene and a willingness to break icicles off your eyelashes. Sheboygan is the heart of the Great Lakes surf scene, and the town is home to Elbows, one of the most popular breaks on Great Lakes, and EOS, the only dedicated surf shop in Wisconsin. County Road LS winds along Lake Michigan to Manitowoc and Lakeshore Road continues along the shoreline to Kewaunee and Algoma. Along the way, keep an eye on the bays and breakwaters for waves.听

Oregon

Astoria to Brookings
338 Miles, 5 to 7 Days
Best Season: Fall
Bring: 5/4 wetsuit, booties, gloves, hood, raincoat

While Oregon is better known for year-round skiing on Mount Hood and the fixie crowd in Portland, the Beaver State also has 363 miles of coastline along Highway 101. In the winter, powerful storms in the Gulf of Alaska send massive waves to spots like Nelscott Reef in Coos Bay. Florence, Newport, and Seaside have some of the most established surf scenes on the coast and are south facing, which make them relatively protected during the swells of the winter months. However, the fall is the best time to explore the points, coves, and beaches of Oregon, when the weather, wind, and swell have the best chance of cooperating. 听

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