Outdoor Project

Nestled among ponderosa and lodgepole pine trees, Lakeview Campground is situated above Colorado's Taylor Park Reservoir at 9,400 feet, and many of its 65 sites feature views of the lake and surrounding Sawatch Mountains.

Joy is described as a feeling of great pleasure or happiness, so it’s no wonder that Oh Be Joyful Campground in the heart of the Gunnison National Forest is a popular place for outdoor enthusiasts to lay their head at night between adventures in the region.

Nairn Falls is one of the most accessible and spectacular waterfalls in the Sea-To-Sky corridor. Located 30 kilometers north of Whistler Village, the trail to the falls begins at the Nairn Falls Provincial Park and Campground parking lot, which features a day use area with several pit toilets and picnic tables. From here a 1.5-kilometer hike up the Green River leads to the viewing platform at the falls.

The hike up to Mount Hoffmann is a steep and strenuous 2-hour hike with tremendous views of Yosemite National Park. The trail begins at the backpackers campsite by May Lake and continues up the rugged slope of the mountain. To get there, take the May Lake High Sierra Camp and Backpackers Camp Trail that begins at the Snow Creek parking lot to the southwestern side of the lake.

This 1.25-mile hike up Red Butte Ridge ascends 980 feet and takes hikers to a vantage point known to locals as the Living Room that features slabs of sandstone arranged as furniture. One of the better short hikes to a prominent viewpoint above the Salt Lake Valley, it’s easy to see why this route is popular most of the year. Red Butte Canyon, through which the hike begins, is situated above the University of Utah campus at the east of Salt Lake City.

Netarts Bay Landing is the primary access point to Netarts Bay, a 7-mile-long and 1-mile-wide saltwater bay on the northern Oregon Coast, between Oceanside and Cape Lookout.

The large and shallow tidal bay is famous for clamming and popular for crabbing. The landing itself provides restrooms, picnic tables, boat ramp and day use moorage.

Next time you see a picture of Rio’s famous Christ the Redeemer Statue, look at the background and notice the massive, freestanding rocks protruding from the Atlantic Ocean. These two mountains, 722-foot Morro da Urca and 1,299-foot Pão de Açúcar, are together commonly referred to as “Sugarloaf Mountain,” and they offer one of the best cable-car trips in the world.

Lake Anna is a perfect backpacking destination if solitude is your goal. Though the lake is rather close to a very popular hiking trail in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, a very steep hillside dissuades most people from making it to this hidden gem. Some may spend a day hiking to this lake, but few actually backpack to it.

Emigration Canyon Road is an 8 mile stretch of smooth asphalt from the canyon mouth to Little Mountain summit. Normally this is a road meant to access the many homes that dot the canyon or as a shortcut to from Salt Lake City to Parley's Canyon and Park City beyond. Road bike enthusiasts, however, think of Emigration Canyon as an ideal place to go for a ride. Located near downtown and the University of Utah, it is close enough to begin your ride right from home, work, or school.

While most of Colorado’s scenery is easy on the eyes, the explosion of dominating the landscape every spring and fall on Kebler Pass is especially eye catching.

Technically called Gunnison County Road 12, Kebler Pass is a scenic mountain road that stretches about 30 miles from Highway 133 near Paonia State Park to Crested Butte. The road is only accessible via snowmobile in the winter, but for spring wildflower hunters or fall color seekers, it doesn’t get much better.