just the rural folks who stay in shape:
In Denver alone you’ll find a network
of trails and paths that stretches for
more than 100 miles. At the hub of
Denver’s latticework of trails is the
site of the city’s founding—the place
where Cherry Creek meets the South
Platte River. Wildlife abounds in this
decidedly urban setting: You’ll find red
foxes, beavers, and dozens of bird species including eagles and hawks. In the
distance you can see the snowcapped
peaks of 14,000-foot mountains.
Mount Tamalpais /
Marin County, California
Raise your eyes to the north just about
anywhere in the Bay Area and you’ll
see at least a corner of 2,571-foot-tall
Mount Tamalpais, about a 45-minute
drive from downtown San Francisco.
Unassuming at first glance, the
mountain can be much more chal-
lenging than its height might sug-
gest; its steep flanks are dotted with
rocky canyons, waterfalls, and hidden
springs. Still, there’s the gentle Rock
Springs Loop, which follows the Rock
Springs and Laurel Dell trails for a
level, well-shaded distance of about
4 miles round-trip.
Olympic Paradise /
Washington State
A couple of hours’ drive from Seattle,
Olympic National Park boasts some
LAKEFRONT WALK/CLOUD GATE
of North America’s most rugged
mountain country—and some of its
greatest salmon rivers. An easy-to-moderate amble through this wild
country is the Sol Duc River Trail, on
the park’s northwest side. The trail
winds along the Sol Duc River, then
climbs toward a high divide with
views of the sawtooth-topped Olympics to the south. Keep an eye out for
bears; they enjoy salmon as much
as we do. The walk ends in a treat: a
soak in the Sol Duc Hot Springs. ;
