Is an Outdoor Adventure Closer than You Think?

It’s great to oooh and aaah at the grandeur of the Grand Canyon and hear the thunderous roar of Niagara Falls. But Mother Nature also has created other treasures which, while less well known, are no less magnificent and wondrous. Because they’re located around the country, it’s likely that one of these places to enjoy the outdoors, or others just as inviting, are not far from where you live

The Waters of the South

Coastal Louisiana is home to brooding swamps where alligators hang out, and outstanding fishing for fresh and saltwater prey. Its location along a major migration route also provides a treasure-trove of opportunities for bird watchers. The Creole Nature Trail in Lake Charles alone is home to more than 400 species of winged life, including waterfowl, wading birds and raptors. 

Bottlenose dolphins are an attraction off Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama. Tours through the waterways of Bon Secour Bay provide close-up and personal encounters with dolphins and other resident wildlife.  

Gulf State Park provides an introduction to the nine distinct ecosystems. A good way to experience the diversity is to walk or bike along the 28-mile backcountry trail.

A different water-related experience awaits visitors to the northwestern corner of South Carolina. For starters, it boasts the highest concentration of waterfalls in the United States. The Blue Ridge Escarpment, where mountains dramatically plummet over 2,000 feet within less than a half-mile. creates the conditions for more than 300 falls, 100 of which are accessible to the public. 

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Hidden Adventure in The Ozarks

Table Rock, Taneycomo, and Bull Shoals lakes in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri are located just outside the go-go entertainment of Branson.  While most people visit that popular playland for stage performances, thrill rides, and other amusement park attractions, some who are in the know take advantage of the surrounding beauty and recreation.  The Ozarks are an ancient mountain range of verdant peaks surrounded by hardwood forests.

Even without leaving the confines of Branson, visitors may experience this beauty in some unusual ways.  Ziplines and other adrenalin-boosting trips carry riders through a blanket of tree branches.  The Runaway Mountain Coaster at the Mountain Adventure Park allows people to choose to pass by the foliage at speeds over 30 miles an hour, or to use the brake to slow the descent. 

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Unknown Gem of Utah

Further west, Utah contains five of the most magnificent and most visited national parks in the country: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Far fewer people make their way to another natural attraction that is as inviting as it is unique.

In the Fishlake National Forest is a grove of aspen trees that might appear normal at first glance yet are anything but. All of the approximately 47,000 trees are genetically identical and they share a single root system.

Estimates of the age of the grove stretch back as far as one million years, and some individual trees are over 130 years old. Another attraction is that the “quaking aspens,” as they’re known, are named for their leaves which stir easily in even a gentle breeze. This fluttering sound, emitted by tens of thousands of trees, accounts for the nickname “Trembling Giant” by which this unique woodland is known.    

Oregon's Majestic Wildlife

Fauna rather than flora is the attraction at a wildlife refuge on Oregon’s coast. The 2,940-acre Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area lives up to its name in beauty, and the challenge facing visitors with a camera is how to stop shooting scene after scene.

The main attraction is a herd of Roosevelt Elk that spends the spring and summer munching on blackberries and peering back at humans who come to watch them. In June, visitors see newborn calves, and during the September rutting elk battle it out in the meadows to establish their dominance.

Those magnificent animals, which can weigh as much as 1,200 pounds, share their habitat with many other creatures. Among frequent sightings are black-tail deer, coyotes, bald eagles, and red-tailed hawks.

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Maine, Still Untouched

When it comes to enjoying nature at its best, residents of Maine are lucky to live in one of the most untrammeled states in the country. Along with better-known places like Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park, there’s a wealth of lesser-known but very inviting habitats that provide beauty and tranquility in unspoiled and uncrowded settings.