The Appalachian Trail may be the most well-known hiking trail in the United States. This famous footpath stretches from Georgia up to Maine, making it over 2,000 miles long. Hikers who successfully traverse the entire Appalachian Trail earn a place in the 2,000-milers club, but this is no easy undertaking. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, out of the thousands who attempt the thru-hike “only about one in four make it all the way.”
Not ready to take on this challenge but still want to enjoy this scenic wonder? Hikers who prefer short, serene nature walks can find plenty of paths along the trail for day- or weekend-long adventures. Many parts of the Appalachian Trail are also great for wildlife photography. Whether you’re packing a camera or simply want to birdwatch while hiking, check out this list of Appalachian Trail animals to learn about the region’s wildlife.
Pack up your tackle box and get your rod ready for a day full of fishing. By now, most experienced anglers know the places to avoid. Many lakes and ponds simply don’t have what it takes to be quality fishing holes. Identifying the best places to go fishing can be more difficult, though.
In the United States, there are countless places to cast a line, but few qualify as top fishing spots. If you’re planning a weekend fishing trip, don’t waste your time at lackluster lakes. Instead, explore this list of the country’s best fishing locations. These eight destinations promise peak conditions for pro anglers.
Did a long, cold winter give you a bad case of cabin fever? If so, a spring road trip might be just what the doctor ordered.
As the weather warms up, color returns to the natural world. Wildflowers bloom, trees turn green again, and people get ready to explore the outdoors once more. In the United States, one of the best ways to see spring landscapes is with a scenic road trip. From Washington D.C.’s cherry blossoms to Utah’s botanic gardens, witness the season’s beauty as you travel along this gorgeous road trip route. It’ll be an adventure to remember.
After bleak months of leafless trees, many people thrill at those bright, familiar friends — flowers! In your backyard or at a botanical garden, flowers are a beautiful sign of spring. But even more thrilling are nature’s wildflowers. You might gasp at an unexpected display of roadside bluebonnets when you come around a bend in the highway. Or maybe you’re a wildflower tourist, with blooms guiding you to your next destination. For all of you nature lovers, here are some of the most glorious places in the United States to enjoy wildflowers. Plan your springtime trip now, as flowers wait for no one.
What a crazy year for Notre Dame as they’re back in ESPN’s top 25 with a great chance to move up shortly.
Notre Dame has had what could only be regarded as a crazy 2022 season. They played unbeaten Ohio State as closely as anyone has all year long to start the year and then fell at home to Marshall. They bounced back with wins over Cal, North Carolina, and BYU only to lose at home to lowly Stanford.
The Irish then went on the road a week ago to beat previously ranked Syracuse before dismantling undefeated Clemson in Week 10. With that dominating win, ESPN has the Irish included in their top 25 power rankings following the Week 10 slate of college football.
Across the western United States, a megadrought threatens water supplies. On July 3, Great Salt Lake’s water level reached a historic low. In 2021, Lake Mead and Lake Powell also hit record lows. As locals brace for the possibility of oncoming water restrictions, states struggle to find solutions for the region’s persistent dryness.
“Anyone who has been paying attention knows that the west has been dry for most of the last couple decades,” Park Williams, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told The Guardian. “We are watching our bank account of water decline, and we know that eventually we need to slow our expenditures before the account runs out.”
Lake Mead’s water level in April 2021. (Image via Felton Davis).
Earlier this year, a study led by Williams highlighted 2000-2021 as southwestern North America’s driest period since the year 800. A drought of this scale requires large-scale, long-term solutions. In Utah, legislation to preserve Great Salt Lake passed earlier this year. For California, emergency water regulations began in January 2022. As conditions worsen, state officials are also reconsidering water rights.
“We’re now in a really tough scenario where we have to look and evaluate how much supply and demand is there, and implement the water rights priority system like it was designed back in 1914,” Erik Ekdahl, deputy director of the state water board’s water rights division, told the Los Angeles Times. “That’s important for just ensuring that there is water available and for providing a stable and orderly way to administer a very limited supply during drought.”
Despite officials working toward solutions, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows abnormally dry conditions in 65.9% of the country and severe drought in 27.5%. Some simulations show the drought continuing until 2030, an idea San Joaquin Valley farmer Don Cameron calls “devastating.”
“If it went on that long, you’d see California agriculture just devastated. There’s no way around it,” Cameron told National Geographic.
