While horses may be more iconic of the American West, the humble mule is the animal of choice for such a trek. In fact, the iconic painting by Jacques-Louis David of Napoleon crossing the Alps on a noble white horse was propaganda. Napoleon actually crossed on a mule. Mules combine sure-footedness with the strength of a ho

The first French missionary colony in America was here on Mount Desert Island back in 1613. It was destroyed by the Colony of Virginia and heralded the long struggle in the continent between the English and the French and the English speaking colonists and nature hiking game cheats|https://naturetrailinsight.Com/ the French colonists. This would eventually boil over into the French and Indian Wars and the French would be forced to cede it to the English. During the War of Independence, it was a part of Massachusetts before eventually becoming part of Ma

Imagine oneself in the Old Wild West on a horseback ride in one of the world's most dazzling natural attractions. Horse (or mule) rides make one feel like a cowboy (or cowgirl) as one descends deep into the most famous canyon in the world. There are horse and mule rides in the Grand Canyon - with the option of spending the night in the can

Inside the park, one of the options is camping. Mount Desert Island has two campgrounds and the is another on the Schoodic Peninsula. On the Isle au Haut, there are five lean-to sites to choose from. The capacity of these sites has been reduced due to the pande

Hayduke Trail is named after an imaginary character in "The Monkey Wrench Gang," a famous novel written by Edward Abbey. This trail is a gem. It starts and finishes in a national park. It's an 812 mile that starts and ends in Utah, getting into Arizona to connect the Arizona Trail via Grand Canyon National Park . One should choose this trail for the serenity and solitude of the American Southwest. Hayduke trail is not suitable for the faint-hearted due to the high elevations from 1800 feet to over 11000 feet. This requires a lot of experience and patience due to heat exhaustion, water rationing, and off-trail navigat

Two companies offering horse and mule rides on the South Rim are the Grand Canyon Lodges and Apache Stables. There is another company - Grand Canyon Mule Rides - that offers rides in the North Rim. If one is in a hurry, see here for how to see the Grand Canyon in a d

Maine is famous for its stunning northern forests and picturesque landscapes. One of its main outdoor hotspots is the eye-watering Acadia National Park. Piece of heaven is located on the mid-section of the Maine coast and includes the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, half of the Mount Desert Island, and a part of the Isle au Haut. The park boasts majestic glaciated coastal and island landscapes with U-shaped valleys and glacial erratics. See here for other things to see and do in the summer in Mai

Zion National Park was recently given official Dark Sky Status which means it has now joined the ranks of other dark sky parks around the world. In order to achieve this, a park must be practically devoid of light pollution in order to see astronomical features that aren't usually visible to the human eye without the use of a telescope or binoculars. With the park's new status, visitors will notice an uptick in events that will occur after dark, and these are definitely something to take advantage

The South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is a year-round destination, and the high season stretches from late spring through summer, despite frequent thunderstorms and high temperatures in July, August, and early September. It’s the hottest, most crowded, and most expensive time to visit; so, in case you pick this popular period to visit, bear in mind that booking months in advance would save you time and mo

The park is one of Maine's greatest natural treasures and it is one of America's most visited national parks - in the top ten across the nation. It is famous for its landscapes, views, combining the land and sea, and its many classic hotels. It is also a great park to visit in the fa

In time, MacKaye found those like-minded people who started out as the Appalachian Trail Conference but would eventually go on to become the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, known as the ATC. While the Appalachian Trail was only one part of the plan, this was the first step - the communities were planned to start after its creation. Unfortunately, the Appalachian Trail was an incredible feat in theory but proved tough to get off the ground - no pun intended. Well into the 1920s, the AT was still not completed and McKay found that the Southern states were struggling to make progress. In response, a man named Arthur Perkins, who was a retired judge, took over the completion of the trail. This also garnered attention from a man named Myron Avery, who was a lawyer in Washington. With these two now leading the charge, Avery became the head of the ATC over Perkins, while the team continued mapping out plans for the Southern sta