1 Savannah Trail Glacier Ridge Metro Park, OH
Info bit.do/glacierridge Trailhead 40.1559, -83.1887
The 5-mile Savannah Trail through decidious forest is the perfect winter spot to catch Cooper's hawks, and great blue herons. Plus, it's doubly fun to birdwatch on cross-country skis when the snow comes in.
2 Mesa View Trail Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM
Info fws.gov/refuge/sevilleta Trailhead 34.3513, -106.8823
After climbing to the mesa top for views of the Ladrone Mountains, this 3.8-mile trail wanders the edge of the escarpment before dropping back into the valley. Black-throated sparrows are the most frequent winter visitors, but there are plenty of other animals here, including coyotes and pronghorn; mountain and desert ecosystems meet at the refuge.
3 Barbour Hill Trail False Cape State Park, VA
Info bit.do/falsecape Trailhead 36.6725, -759153
Take the East Dike Trail to the Barbour Hill Trail to look for swans, geese, and ducks as you stroll from freshwater marsh to maritime forest and then over coastal sand dunes. The swans are tundra swans from the Arctic that migrate south every winter.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Have Gear, Will Travel
These eight products are versatile companions for every adventure.
I Survived A Polar Bear Attack
In July 2013, Matt Dyer was lucky enough to see a polar bear in Canada’s Torngat Mountains. His good fortune ended there.
A New Path
When Covid canceled their wedding, one hiker and her fiancé went backpacking instead.
CHRISTOPHER FISHER
In October 2021, Christopher Fisher, a 26-year-old, Texas-born endurance athlete living in Breckenridge, Colorado, climbed a whopping 400,332 vertical feet in one month. That’s the equivalent of summiting a 13,000-foot peak from sea level every day for 31 straight days. It’s likely a world record, too (he’s submitting it to Guinness), and maybe just a bit, well, crazy. Here’s what Fisher had to say about the feat.
Finding My Footing
A hiker pulls confidence from an unsolicited gear critique in the Catskills.
Light in the Darkness
In winter, as the nights stretch and daylight disappears, there’s a certain beauty to be found in the darkness.
Off-Season Tempo Training
During the winter, focused training can help ensure your next hiking season will be even better than the last—and help snowsport performance, too. Tempo training allows you to zero in on issues like shaking quads on descents, sore glutes after ascents, or tender calf muscles. Complete the following workout once or twice a week.
Standing at the Edge
A winter trip through Crater Lake National Park nets a once-in-a-lifetime photo.
The Best Hikes for Spotting Winter Wildlife
These ten routes will show you that nature never stops bustling, no matter how much snow is on the trail.
Emerging from Darkness
For one hiker, nature is the best place to confront her past and consider her future.
