Author: Marc Chalufour
Looking for the best spring hikes in the Northeast, but don’t know where to start? We recently asked the AMC community what mountain they were most eager to hike when spring arrives. Their answers covered a wide range, from close-to-home day hikes to ambitious backcountry excursions. Here are eight of their favorite spring hikes. Make your […]
I don’t know about the “runner’s high.” It sounds too definitive, too… good. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve had amazing training runs, workouts, and races where everything felt easier and nothing hurt quite as much as usual. But these exist on a spectrum, not an on/off dichotomy of “high” and “not high.” With that said: The […]
Trail running and uphill running are often synonymous. Big, iconic climbs can define a weekend long run or a race course. Vertical kilometer events have taken off in Europe (they’re exactly what they sound like—1,000 meters, straight up), and in New England, an entire trail race series is defined largely by its long ascents. But […]
When you think about iconic Cape Cod, what do you picture? Probably long beaches, grassy sand dunes, and salty ocean air, right? If you’re a runner, that picture likely includes Falmouth Road Race, the classic 7-miler that has traced the Cape’s picture-perfect coast every August for more than four decades. Turn 180 degrees from the […]
Update: The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee unanimously voted on May 24, 2018, to uphold its February decision, choosing not to reconsider the Northern Pass proposal. Northern Pass’s parent company, Eversource, is deliberating whether to appeal to the state supreme court. After more than eight years of research, public hearings, expert testimony, and debate, one […]
Did you know the first Boston Marathon was essentially a trail race? The roads between the starting line in Ashland and downtown Boston were a dirty, dusty, unpaved mess back in April 1896. The runners didn’t need to navigate rocks and roots, but they had to cope with the ruts left by countless wagon and […]
With winter receding, it’s time to plan your next paddling expedition. If you’re looking for a remote spot to drift, watch wildlife, and picnic on an isolated island, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are flush with opportunities, from Maine’s backwoods to the Adirondack wilderness. To help you pick a spot, we asked two authors of AMC’s […]
Snow has fallen up on the slopes and down in the valleys that make New England and upstate New York such a spectacular ski region. You can break trail for a few miles or a few days, depending on your ability level. If you’re looking for a starting point, David Goodman’s Best Backcountry Skiing in […]
Sometimes, escaping to the mountains isn’t enough to get away from summer’s steamiest weather. What’s a hiker to do? Get creative, seek some shade, and plan a victory dip. Here are eight hikes to get you through the heat. 1. FERRY BEACH Saco, Maine Steady breezes roll off the ocean across all of Ferry Beach […]
Water trails, like their land-based counterparts, lead us through diverse landscapes, challenge us with varying levels of difficulty, and provide a new vantage from which to see the world. For paddlers of all types, kayak or canoe, whitewater or flatwater, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic offer a wealth of routes connecting navigable, publicly accessible bodies of […]
I. One of my oldest memories survives from an unknown year in the early 1980s, when I was 6 or 7, and takes place near the top of a long-since-forgotten mountain in Acadia National Park. I had been following my parents as usual when we stepped out from the canopied shelter of the trail onto […]
Dear Mr. Mann— I have in my head a scheme for an attempt at preserving some of the finest bits of Nature near Boston. I want, if possible, to interest you… Charles Eliot, a young Boston landscape architect, wrote those words to Appalachian Mountain Club President George C. Mann on March 5, 1890. Eliot, AMC’s […]
You need not be an experienced mountaineer to enjoy the winter landscape from a mountain summit. Dramatic views from the tops of relatively easy-to-access peaks can be found throughout the Northeast. Just bundle up, pack your winter essentials, and strap on your snowshoes for these seven great hikes. Saint Sauveur Mountain | Acadia National Park, […]
Bogs and orchids. Cascades and ledges. Swamps and lakes. Every hike has particular highlights. At the right time of year, when flowers bloom or snowmelt rages over waterfalls, these attractions are all the more dramatic. The following hikes, selected from AMC’s new Outdoors with Kids book series, lead to all kinds of natural wonders. They’re […]
Hidden beneath dirt trails and covered by lush forests and colorful mosses and lichens lies the infrastructure of the Northeast’s best hiking: massive rock formations. Often this foundation goes unnoticed. But in some special spots, the rocks emerge from the earth and tell the story of how our favorite wild places were formed, a story […]
Nearly seven decades after the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built its last bridge and blazed its last trail, recreation enthusiasts are still benefitting. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program, aimed to put unemployed men to work, had a lasting impact on recreation. The downhill ski industry in New England was practically created by the […]