What better cure for the wintertime blues than a place that calls itself the Sunshine State? Try cycling the Pinellas Trail: 47 miles of car-free, paved bikeway connecting northern and southern Florida. Start out in Tarpon Springs, and at your own pace head south to inviting destinations like “Honeymoon Island” and “Clearwater.” Conclude your trip in downtown St. Petersburg, a fresh and festive city overlooking Tampa Bay.

For a weekend trip, plan your halfway point in Downtown Clearwater and lodge at the Residence Inn or Gangelhoff’s Summerside Inn. Dining options from sushi (Chiang Mai Thai and Sushi Bar) to Mexican (Los Mayas Mexican Restaurant) are available around every corner.

 

...

Start along the shore in Santa Barbara and take the coast bike route through Montecito (stop in at the Four Seasons Biltmore for tea and jaw dropping views). This route meanders along Channel Road next to Butterfly Beach. Keep pedaling or walking to Summerland (about eight miles) spend the night at the Inn on Summer Hill, and come back the next day.

A Great Base Lodgings Special

The Great Depression may have been one of the most tumultous eras in American history, but its aftermath brought with it a priceless gift for outdoor enthusiasts: the WPA and CCC lodges.

Promising a “New Deal” for the American people, President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt established several organizations intended to put struggling Americans back to work. Two of these groups were the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Both organizations employed millions of unskilled young laborers to carry forth public works projects.

Among the public works projects were a series of lodges and cabins, many of which were built in some of America’s most beautiful public settings. Because of their proximity to so many state and national parks, the WPA and CCC lodges remain great base camps for hiking, biking, paddling, and more.

As part of this special segment on the WPA/CCC great base camps, we will be periodically posting the stories of each lodge, along with information on rooms, rates, and nearby trips.  Follow the links to an individual WPA/CCC lodge for more information on adventuring there. 

Have you visited one of these lodges? Share your story with us here.

• The Timberline Lodge, Oregon: "The Jewel of the Works Progress Administration"
• The Horseshoe Lodge, Colorado: "Restoring the Spirit of the WPA"

...

Malibu has as many great trails as it has billionaires on Carbon Beach.

The hike around the King Gillette Ranch offers broad meadows surrounding the razor blade tycoon's mansion, a steep climb up to a knoll with views of Malibu Creek and raptors circling below your perch. Awesome enough to get your teen dancing on the trail. Find info at: www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=670
Restrooms , visitor center and ice cream not far from trail's end

Sent from my iPhone

 

Pioneering the Little Illinois Trail 

Type	Prairie, Woods, Suburban
Lodging	mixed (note: the writer chose to do the route in sections.)
Distance	150 miles
Duration	Walker's Choice.  Epic, or just a day trip.
Difficulty	easy

“But it is so flat” is the usual response that I get when I suggest walking in the Midwest. The response is even more incredulous when I suggest that there is great hiking to be found within the Chicagoland area. No one believes that there are any decent hiking trails close to such a major city. But there are!