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Swim, scuba dive, and more at South Carolina’s prettiest lake

Go on an adventure.

While I was visiting Greenville, South Carolina, I took an unofficial poll. The results were unanimous: my sources told me Lake Jocassee is the state’s prettiest lake. The 7,565-acre lake is 42 miles northwest of Greenville in Devil’s Fork State Park. People visit the park to swim, fish, kayak, hike, camp, and even scuba dive.

Learn all about Lake Jocassee and Devil’s Fork State Park in the guide below. And if you’re a runner who plans to be in Greenville next May, see how you can get involved in the local Mountains to Main Street Half Marathon here. It’s a race you won’t want to miss.

People paddling on Lake Jocassee in Devil's Fork State Park in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Recreating in Devil’s Fork State Park

If you visit in springtime, you can hike the easy 1.5-mile Oconee Bell Nature Trail and look for a rare Appalachian flower. Found only in a few places in the mountains of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, Oconee bells are little white and yellow blossoms with red stems.

During my visit to Devil’s Fork State Park, I focused on paddling. I rented a kayak from Jocassee Lake Tours, which also offers guided boat and kayak tours with a naturalist. Two guys from the company met me at one of the park’s three boat ramps and helped me launch. There was little boat traffic on the lake, which surprised me on a Sunday in late May. At times, I saw only lush greenery, water, and the occasional turtle — no other people in sight. You can also rent canoes, kayaks, pontoon boats, and standup paddleboards from Eclectic Sun.

The tip of a blue kayak in water at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

If you want to stay over in the park, rent one of the 20 lakeside villas, some of which are pet-friendly. There are also campsites for RV or tent camping and even one boat-in campground. Boaters can also see a few hidden waterfalls only accessible from the water.

You can swim in Lake Jocassee, too. There are no lifeguards, so be careful and watch your kids.

Birders will also appreciate Devil’s Fork State Park. Visitors can note their sightings on the park’s birding checklist.

A sign pointing to various amenities at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

What’s underwater at Lake Jocassee?

Lake Jocassee is known for its clean, clear water. But what really attracts scuba divers is what’s under the water: a flooded town and cemetery. In 1973, the state partnered with Duke Power to build Jocassee Dam and create the lake. Underwater relics include a lodge, girls’ camp, sunken Chinese boat, and the Mt. Carmel Cemetery. This is the cemetery featured in the 1972 movie “Deliverance” — made one year before the area was turned into a reservoir. Bodies were exhumed before the dam was built, but divers can see headstones 130 feet below the surface. Some divers have even reported spotting artificial flowers.

A turtle on a log at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Lake Jocassee and Devil’s Fork State Park are year-round destinations. Only the hardiest will want to swim in the winter when water temperatures drop to the 50s. But it’s a beautiful place for hiking, birdwatching, and paddling any month of the year.

Disclaimer: While this article was not sponsored, Visit Greenville SC hosted the writer during her visit to South Carolina. As always, Outdoors Wire operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Meet America’s favorite city park, Gathering Place

Explore this Tulsa treasure.

Gathering Place is Tulsa, Oklahoma’s favorite park. During a recent visit, I toured the area while paddling a kayak around Peggy’s Pond. I spotted red-eared slider turtles basking on a log and people unwinding on benches beneath weeping willows and a huge deck overlooking the pond. The park lives up to its name by gathering friends and families to enjoy the great outdoors. Add in some incredible amenities (even the kayak rentals are free), and it’s no wonder Gathering Place has won so many awards. Last month, it won first place in the Best City Park category in a USA Today readers’ poll.

Let’s take a look at what makes this destination so special.

A deck overlooking a pond at Gathering Place park. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Attractions

Gathering Place is a kid magnet, with various themed playgrounds. The park’s Laredo Slide Vale boasts a series of slides, while the Murphy Family Swing Hill is for swinging.

But many of the other areas aren’t so straightforward. There are connecting tunnels, a pirate ship, and, my favorite, a climbing structure shaped like two blue herons.

“This is actually based on animals that you might find in the Arkansas River,” Sydney Brown, marketing specialist at Gathering Place, told me as she gestured at the herons and an immense paddlefish. She added that the grounds are “designed for kids to play through journey and experimentation and risk. So there’s just all these different levels and layers to the playground, which is very exciting.”

Slides at Gathering Place park. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

A company based in Germany and the Netherlands designed the impressive themed playgrounds. People often call them the “Disneyworld of playgrounds,” Brown said. Some structures have surprising interactive aspects. “On this tower there is a water play feature that takes 20-25 kids to fully activate,” Brown said, noting that it only operates in the warmer season.

We pass a small zipline. “Any time there’s not a line, I try to hop on,” Brown said, laughing. “Quality control.”

Kids playing on a playground at Gathering Place park. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

For older kids and adults, Gathering Place offers sports courts, including basketball and pickleball. There’s also a skate park and BMX tracks. A big lawn hosts movie nights and free fitness classes like yoga and Zumba.

Three box-like play structures at Gathering Place park. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Brown pointed out a secluded area with seats in a circle. Called a Unity Circle, the area functions as a classroom where teachers can bring their students for outdoor learning.

A circular fence on the ground at a park. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Gathering Place also has covered spaces and Williams Lodge, a gorgeous room that’s all wood and windows. I know where I’d be setting up my remote office if I lived in Tulsa.

Williams Lodge, a wood structure with large windows, at Gathering Place park. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Gathering Place history

Gathering Place is a gift to Tulsa from the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The nearly 100-acre park broke ground in 2014 and opened to its first guests in 2018. This public park is privately run.

“We are kind of a part of the River Parks Authority, though we have our own board and our own LLC,” Brown explained.

During my long weekend in Tulsa, I saw the name of the Kaiser Family Foundation everywhere. George Bruce Kaiser is the chairman of BOK Financial Corporation. In 2021, he was deemed the 476th richest person in the world.

“Tulsa is very lucky to have such a strong philanthropist community,” Brown said. “I don’t feel that that’s something that that many cities have that in the same way.”

Green pods in a playground at Gathering Place park. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Sustainability at Gathering Place

Some trees were lost when building Gathering Place. But since opening, the park has tried to rectify this by planting 6,000 more. It retained 300 big legacy trees and repurposed those it cut down. Former trees are now picnic tables, benches, and an upside-down tree play structure.

J.R. Brown, who works in operations, told me about the employee sustainability committee he serves on while we kayaked around Peggy’s Pond. “We have a sustainability station where we will have bins for people who work here to leave hard-to-recycle things like batteries, plastic bags, things like that,” he said. “We take them once a month to different places that take that sort of thing.”

A repurposed tree play structure at Gathering Place park. — A repurposed tree turns into a play structure. / *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

There’s a free table where staff can trade usable stuff and swap seeds. One staff member gathers organic waste from the employee break rooms and donates it to his daughter’s school gardening program for compost. “When horticulture prunes stuff, we give it to people to use,” J.R. Brown told me. “I just took a bunch of bamboo that was cut down right up here by Water Mountain and turned it into little bee homes in our yard.”

A person in a green kayak on Peggy Pond at Gathering Place park. — Kayaking in Peggy’s Pond with J.R. Brown. / *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Overall, Gathering Place is a massive asset for the Tulsa community. And it’s nice to know that the staff is stewarding the land, right down to its discarded branches.

How Wild Diversity helps BIPOC and LGBTQ communities thrive outdoors

The outdoors are for everyone.

Wild Diversity wants to see more members of BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ communities outside, whether hiking a trail, paddling a canoe, or camping in the wilderness. Since its founding in 2017, the Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit has tackled an outstanding number of initiatives and programs, including youth summer camps and group adventures for adults. The organization has also trained guides representative of the communities it serves.

Founder Mercy M’fon talked to Outdoors Wire about the need for Wild Diversity, its accomplishments so far, and its dreams for the future.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

A group of people from Wild Diversity in kayaks on a lake with mountains in the background. — *Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity*

Outdoors Wire: Tell us briefly why you started developing Wild Diversity.

M’fon: We started because we wanted to support the BIPOC and LGBTQ community. They were facing a lot of political actions against them. And we know that outdoors provides healing, helps people reset, helps relax, and brings people joy. And I wanted to really be a part of facilitating that for our community.

So we started in 2017. We did this gear drive to get gear so we can run the adventures. It became such a central part of the work we do in helping get people out accessibly. They don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on gear. They can just join us on one of our activities, see if they like it, and not worry about anything else.

We do adventures in Oregon and Washington. Our organization does a wide variety of adventures because we want people to find their own personal love language in the outdoors.

A group of people from Wild Diversity holding up foragables in a forest. — *Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity*

Outdoors Wire: What obstacles may discourage people in your communities from getting into outdoor adventure?

M’fon: Similar to a lot of people, the outdoors can just be really scary, first and foremost. There’s the gear, there’s the cost, there’s the community, there’s the knowledge and education about going outside and being safe outdoors. For the communities that we serve, they also face things like intimidation, people threatening them. Assault. They face violence outdoors just for existing sometimes. So, it can be really challenging.

We like to go outside as a community. We definitely provide all the education. We’re not just taking people on adventures. For example, if we went on a backpacking trip, we’re teaching them how to properly pack and fit their backpack. Teaching them how to cook, do the critter hang, and even to use the bathroom outdoors, which makes people nervous, too. So we really like to provide them with enough information that they feel comfortable going out on their own or with friends or family. And that’s our goal as a part of these beautiful community experiences is increasing their confidence and competence outdoors.

Two people in lifejackets in a lake. — *Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity*

Outdoors Wire: It looks like you’ve gathered a large number of diverse guides. How did you find each other?

M’fon: I really like to believe that all these guides found us. In the outdoor industry, you see many organizations say, “We can’t find anyone, we can’t find anyone.” It was always the reoccurring narrative around why they didn’t have diverse guides and diverse representation in the organization.

We put a call out every year for guides. And, some years, we get close to 100 applications of people wanting to join our program. And I think it’s just like there’s people in the community out there that says like, “Yes, I want to support this community. I want to bring joy and access and comfort to this community.” And really just believing and buying into our mission and the work that we’re doing.

The thing about having a guide development program is that you get people who say, “Hey, I might not be a professional who’s been doing this for years and years, but I’m willing to learn how to show up for our community and be outdoors.” I think that is a big step that creates more openness to it. If we’re looking at an industry that doesn’t have a lot of diversity, and we’re asking for diversity that doesn’t exist — are we creating the stair steps for that diversity to exist and to thrive?

A group of hikers posing under a fallen tree in the forest. — *Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity*

Outdoors Wire: How do you choose from all those guide applications?

M’fon: We look at the applications as a team. For us, the most important thing is “would I want to be on a trip with this person who’s applying?” It’s a lot about personality. I can teach them the camp craft skills, I can teach them the risk management. But are they going to be the person that spending a weekend with them, you’re like, “I want to get out in the outdoors again? I had such a fulfilling time.” And that is the number one thing we’re looking for with our guide program.

A group of people on the shore of a river holding up paddles in front of a kayak. — *Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity*

Outdoors Wire: What can hikers of any background do to try to support other hikers’ comfort outdoors?

M’fon: When we think about creating welcoming spaces in the outdoors, I think a smile and a hello goes a long way. I’ve heard people say, “I go up to every BIPOC person and I shake their hand.” And I’m like, that could kind of be awkward. It’s like targeting in a different way. The person’s very well-meaning, but it can be uncomfortable when somebody’s giving you this attention that you’re not sure about. So I would just say a smile and a hello goes a long way.

And work on being judgment-free. Not everybody who goes outdoors has the high-end gear or even knows what they’re doing out there. But they’re trying their best. If we can show them empathy and compassion for their situation and not judge them that they’re not at the level we’re at, I think that’s really huge.

Four hikers posing in front of a tree lined lake. — *Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity*

Outdoors Wire: What have you learned in this work that has surprised you?

M’fon: I don’t know if I was in a pessimistic place or if I was just unsure, but I thought it would be something that would be like some youth in the future will have an easier time in the outdoors because of the work we’re doing today. And then we started programming. And the surprising part was that I and our team and all the guides we worked with over the years, we’re making an impact today. With the events that we do, with the representation that we support, with the opportunities and the access we provide. It is not some far off into the future thing that’s going to be the change maker. It is every single thing that our team is doing today, right now, to bring this joy and access to our community.

A person in a kayak on the water. — *Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity*

Never too old — Caroline Paul’s new book talks adventuring as you age

There’s always time for adventure.

Caroline Paul wrote “Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking — How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age” because she was 55 and wondering about her future.

“I had always been an outdoor adventurer, from my youth as a whitewater guide to my many wilderness expeditions on mountain bikes and sea kayaks in midlife, to skateboarding and surfing and flying experimental planes into my fifties,” the bestselling author and former firefighter said in an interview released by her publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing. “But I looked around and there really were hardly any women my age out there with me.”

While she saw plenty of men her age and older, she realized that her peers were dialing back their adventure. “So I began to look at the research and also to talk to women who were still doing things outside. And what I found was surprising even to me.”

A book cover showing a person standing on the wing of a plane with overlay text reading "Tough Broad." — *Photo courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing*

Paul takes readers around the country to meet women ages 50 to 90 who are still getting outside to challenge themselves, learn new things, take risks, and chase awe. These women include 80-year-old scuba diver Louise Wholey, who braves the chilly waters of Monterey, California; Kittie Weston-Knauer, a 74-year-old BMX racer and instructor in Des Moine, Iowa; and the Wave Chasers, a group of boogie boarding senior women in San Diego. “Tough Broad” shares Paul’s interviews, research about aging, and experiences joining these women — her role models — in their chosen outdoor adventures.

“We need templates in our life,” Paul writes. “We need to see our possible selves in someone else’s grand exploits.”

Author Caroline Paul in a helmet while riding a one wheel. — Caroline Paul riding her one wheel. / *Photo courtesy of Caroline Paul*

My favorite chapter was about wing-walking. Seventy-one-year-old Cynthia Hicks likes to Google “something fun to do here” when she travels. That’s how she discovered Mason Wing Walking Academy in Sequim, Washington. In the 1920s, when there were lots of surplus planes left over from World War I, this daredevil activity became popular as part of aerial shows. Today, people can still learn how to climb out of their seats in a red biplane, attach themselves to a cable on the wing, and stay there while the plane does loop-de-loops.

The author beautifully describes the day that Marilyn Mason taught her to wing walk. “The plane rockets skyward. As it climbs, my mind shuffles around in a state of bewilderment. It ransacks neurons and old memories for a pattern to latch on to. Too late. The horizon curdles, falls away. Spinning earth, buffeting air, iceberg clouds flashing by.”

In the wing walking chapter, Paul talks about how research on the state of awe has exploded recently. “I recognize how perfectly wing walking primes us for awe: there is the majestic view at thirty-five hundred feet that feels almost religious; there is the total disequilibrium of doing something so antithetical to every survival instinct; there is the exhilaration of twirling and ricocheting and falling in a vast sky.”

While less active people often see adventure activities as thrill-seeking, Paul wonders at her underlying drivers, especially as she ages. “Could this be what has really been motivating my outdoor quests these past few years? Instead of adrenaline, have I unwittingly been seeking awe?”

An older woman in a wheelchair holding binoculars on a bridge near forest. — Virginia Rose, avid birdwatcher and one of the women interviewed in Paul’s book. / *Photo courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing*

“Tough Broad” is an entertaining read. It’s sure to inspire women to continue to enjoy the outdoors, create new neural pathways as they try new things, and enjoy the camaraderie of their sisters in adventure into their later years.

Writer received a free advance copy of the book for review.

11 thrilling water adventures to try in the Maldives

Dive into adventure.

A clownfish pokes its head out of a fluttering anemone, then darts back in. I’m snorkeling through the Nemo Garden, an area rich in the predatory marine invertebrates known as anemones and the fish who love them. When I pop back to the surface, marine biologist Caitlin Rentell of Sun Siyam Iru Fushi explains their symbiotic relationship.

“The anemones have stinging cells in them so other organisms will get stung by the anemones,” Rentell told me. “But clownfish have this special mucous that basically coats their skin. And they’ve evolved so they can go in the anemones without getting stung.” The movement of the clownfish brings fresh water and nutrients to anemones, which are attached to coral reefs or rocks on the sea floor. In return, clownfish hide out in anemones to evade predators.

I spent nine days at three different Sun Siyam resorts in the Maldives. Since the South Asian country is 1% land and 99% ocean, it’s heaven if you like a water-focused vacation. Activities range from quiet and educational to loud and motorized.

Two black, white, and yellow fish. — Clownfish staying close to their anemone. / *Photo by Caitlin Rentell*

Loreto Bay National Park invites you to dive into the aquarium of the world

Explore the bay.

I’m all geared up with snorkel and flippers, ready to jump off a boat beside a sea lion colony near Baja California’s Coronado Island. About 100 of them are barking their heads off. It’s deafening. I’m a little leery, as I’ve heard stories of sea lions elsewhere being less than welcoming. But my guide, Ivette Granados Marines, assures me that the local sea lions are friendly. They only bite rude people who stick Go Pros in their faces.

I let go of the boat and fall into the deep warm water. An enormous sea lion torpedoes under me, staring with round black eyes. Sure enough, I am watched but unbitten while snorkeling in the unreal turquoise waters of Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto. Here’s what you should know before visiting the park for yourself.

Cliffs rising out of water. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

The marine park

Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto, which translates to Loreto Bay National Park, includes five uninhabited islands and 510,000 acres within the Gulf of California. The Mexican government established the park in 1996. Since then, it’s gained the added distinction and protection of being declared a Ramsar site in 2004 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Ramsar sites indicate internationally important wetland areas.

A blue kayaking approaching a shore. — Approaching Honeymoon Beach on Danzante Island. / *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

The Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortez, is the Pacific Ocean inlet between the Mexican mainland and the eastern coast of Baja California. I spent three days exploring Loreto Bay National Park and the nearby Baja town of Loreto.

Wildlife in the Sea of Cortez

Locals and tourists alike enjoy taking boats out to snorkel, swim, fish, dive, and kayak in the park. While the moniker “aquarium of the world” has made the area vital to the local tourism economy, the point of being a park is to protect the area’s many non-human inhabitants. In addition to friendly sea lions, other big mammals who swim here include dolphins, orcas, fin whales, and humpback whales. The world’s largest mammal, the blue whale, migrates through the park in February and March.

Shells laid out on pebbles and rocks. — Shells of some of the smaller Sea of Cortez residents. / *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

As we boated back from a glorious kayaking and paddle boarding excursion on Danzante Island, Ramon Arce told me about blue whales, his favorite Sea of Cortez animal. “They are huge,” said Arce, an elite kayaking guide with Sea Kayak Baja Mexico. “Sometimes when they show up and you don’t expect them, maybe you get scared for a few seconds. But then they just pass nearby.” While it’s against marine park rules to intentionally go whale watching in a kayak, sometimes they’ll come towards you, Arce said. “In February and March, it’s pretty common to see them.”

A person SUPing on water near an arch rock formation. — Ramon Arce leading our paddling excursion. / *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Each of the five islands — Coronado, Danzantes, Santa Catalina, Del Carmen, and Montserrat — has slightly different species of the same animals. Santa Catalina Island, the most remote, has seven endemic reptile species found nowhere else in the world. These include the leaf-toed gecko, the desert iguana, and a very disconcerting rattlesnake.

The critically endangered Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake lacks a functioning rattle. Instead, the buttonlike base of the snake falls off every time it sheds its skin, preventing a rattle from growing. “The snake doesn’t need that rattle,” said Granados Marines, a geologist by training who is now operations manager for the central-northern region of Visit Baja California Sur. “Why? Because no one on the island is going to attack the snake.” Uh, but isn’t their courteous warning one of the best things about rattlers?

A cactus growing above a rocky cliff. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

The importance of algae

While few people would question the awesomeness of a huge creature like the blue whale, sometimes it’s the lower-profile organisms that make a difference. As we sit offshore in our boat, admiring Isla Coronado, Granados Marines tells us a story of the hero of the marine park: algae beds called rhodoliths.

“Those algaes are like the nurseries of the Gulf of California,” she said. If you cut into a rhodolith you can find up to 140 species of different eggs of fish, nudibranchs, shrimp, sea stars, and other critters, Granados Marines explained. “That was the motivation that the community wanted to create the marine park. To defend the bottoms of the sea here. Because without rhodoliths, we don’t have a place for some of the species of fish to put their eggs.”

A seagull on shore looking at a sea lion sticking its head above water. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Snorkeling the Sea of Cortez

While I love paddleboarding and kayaking, there’s nothing like being in the water with whatever animals live in the area or are passing through. After visiting the sea lion colony, we went ashore for some beach time. I spent my time in the water, cruising around looking for critters. Colorful king angelfish and surgeonfish are beautiful, but I especially enjoy the surprising fish. I got a shock when a long, tubular trumpetfish silently passed beneath me. And when I was examining some rocks on the sea floor, I realized one had eyes. It was a stonefish, an ambush predator that zaps its prey with highly venomous spines on its back!

Two snorkelers underwater among fish. — Taking a look inside the turquoise water. / *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

If you go

The small town of Loreto is the best base for visiting the marine park. You’ll need an outfitter to take you to the islands on a boat. There are many choices, but both options I went with — Dolphin Dive Baja and Sea Kayak Baja Mexico — were excellent.

Loreto offers many lodging options, too. If you want to stay in the town square amid all the action (and near La Route bike and espresso shop), I recommend Posada de las Flores. It features an airy courtyard and rooftop pool. For a beachier experience, Hotel Oasis is right on the malecon, so you can gaze at the Sea of Cortez from your hammock.

Disclaimer: While this article was not sponsored, Outdoors Wire did visit Loreto on a press trip hosted by Visit Baja California Sur. As always, Outdoors Wire operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

See it all in a weekend with these 6 one-day outdoor adventures

Spend all day outdoors.

As much as we might wish for it, most of us can’t be on vacation every day. For the majority of the year, we have to settle for making the most of our weekends. This presents a unique challenge for outdoorsy types. When you crave adventure, it can be difficult to fit all your activities into a day or two. This is where one-day adventures come in clutch.

If you want to maximize your free time, keep a bucket list of one-day outdoor excursions. Are you curious to try a new hiking trail? Add it to the list. Want to see a new side to your state’s scenery? Plan a day trip. And if you can’t decide which activity to try next, peruse this list of one-day outdoor adventures to keep your weekends fun and active.

10 outdoorsy things to do in Hokkaido, Japan

Adventure around Hokkaido.

In Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, the bear population is growing faster than the human population. Hokkaido makes up 22% of the country’s land area, but its roughly five million citizens account for less than 5% of Japan’s population. That’s good news if you like to get outside and enjoy uncrowded hiking trails, rivers, and lakes. Hokkaido offers almost any landscape you could want, from flower fields in summer to incredible snowfall in winter. And after an active day, you can relax in one of the island’s 251 onsen, or hot springs areas. You might even see a bear. Get inspired for your Hokkaido adventure with this list of 10 outdoorsy activities to try.

A lake surrounded by trees. — Asahikawa City Park. / *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

7 adventures you can go on at dazzling Lake Shikaribetsu

It’s time for adventure.

It’s hard to sleep in when you’re staying in a hotel overlooking one of Japan’s most beautiful lakes. Especially in summer, when the sun rises around 4:30 a.m. and brings shifting colors, jumping fish, and diving osprey.

Lake Shikaribetsu is the highest-altitude lake in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Tucked up in the Daisetsuzan mountain range, it was formed by a volcanic eruption damming the Yanbetsu River approximately 30,000 years ago.

In addition to being a prime recreational area within Daisetsuzan National Park, the lake also attracts fans of “Spirited Away.” Its lake-bottom railroad tracks resemble those from the wildly popular 2001 anime movie. There was never actually a railroad going into the lake, though. Instead, the tracks help bring sightseeing boats ashore before the winter freeze.

Sunrise over a lake surrounded by hills. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

These 5 outdoor experiences are all within an hour of NYC

Explore outside the city.

New York City has something for everyone, and that includes outdoorsy people. Outside the labyrinth of skyscrapers and sidewalks, there are some pretty outstanding adventures waiting for you.

You don’t have to travel far from NYC for a great escape into nature. Nearby Harriman State Park offers fishing, camping, and mountain biking opportunities. Birders can cross state lines into New Jersey to visit Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. And if you don’t want to leave city limits, Central Park is an excellent place for a walk. These aren’t your only options, though. For a new and exciting hiking, kayaking, or bouldering experience, try these five spots that are all an hour or less away from NYC.