Camps Less Traveled
Navigating San Pedro Parks Wilderness trails can be tricky, especially in the boggy meadow. Photograph by Elizabeth Miller. HEAVY RAIN FELL SOME DAYS BEFORE MY HIKE into the San Pedro Parks…
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Category: Hiking
High Points for This Gila Campground
I CRADLED MY FOUR-MONTH-OLD DAUGHTER as the campfire fizzled. After our friends retreated to their campsite with their kiddos, my husband and I unzipped our tent and set our snoring bundle in her…
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Hiking Gila's Wilderness
A backpacker on a loop of the West and Middle Forks of the Gila River makes their way deeper into the wilderness. THE FIRST MILES OF THE TRAIL wound among piñon, juniper, and Gambel oak, through a…
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Best Hikes for Spring Wildflowers
BY MAY, THE LOWLAND DESERTS in the south go quiet with the oncoming heat, but the cooler high deserts in the north, as well as mountains across the state, start to pick up the bloom with unique and…
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Best Hiking Trails for Birding
Mills Canyon offers a rich environment for a variety of bird species, including the colorful Bullock’s oriole. Photograph by Christina Selby. BIRDING ON THE TRAIL GENERALLY MEANS trading longer…
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On the Trail with Backpacker William Kemsley Jr.
Known as “Backpacker Bill,” William Kemsley Jr. is often spotted on trails with his poodle, Stanzi. Photograph by John McCauley. PEOPLE DIDN’T “HIKE” WHEN WILLIAM KEMSLEY JR. was growing up in the…
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Wildflower Boom
Mexican poppies along the Baylor Canyon Pass trail. SHAKE OFF THE WINTER BLAHS on this 5.6-mile trail near Las Cruces that kicks off New Mexico’s wildflower season in spectacular fashion. After a…
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Best Hiking Trails at White Sands
Trails can be on sand or a boardwalk—but dogs must be leashed. WHITE SANDS IN SOME WAYS a pathless place. Visitors are welcome to walk over any stretch of bare sand dunes. But these three hikes can…
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One Family's Quest to Complete a 120-Hike Challenge
Rasa Lila O’Donnell pauses to take in the expansive view from an outcrop on the Hermit Peak Trail. LIKE A PRAYER, WE RISE, EAT LIGHTLY, and hustle up switchbacks into the mountains just beyond our…
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High Time to Hike the Alpine Lakes
Above: While it's about a 7 mile hike to reach the Trampas Lakes, the wildflowers and other scenery are worth the trek. Photograph by Christina Selby. I’M ON THE LAST STRETCH of a seven-mile hike to…
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