Glacier National Park should top all nature lovers list of must see national parks. Located in West Glacier, Montana, this park is a paradise for hikers and drivers alike. With over 700 miles of trails, hikers won’t soon run out of backcountry to explore. Visitors that are more car-bound can enjoy the scenic drive up Going to the Sun Road. The drive may be slow, especially with construction ongoing, but you wouldn’t want to drive by too quickly and miss admiring the scenery anyway. Allow plenty of time for the 18 mile drive up to Login Pass and back down to the opposite end of GNP. Just don’t plan a winter drive, as the road closes around mid October each year. A shuttle service is offered by the park, free of charge, for those who would rather not hassle with driving at all.

Enjoy the glacial blue waters of lakes and the towering mountains that surround you. Campsites and hotels abound in the area. Be sure to claim campsites early during popular seasons and book hotels in advance. Otherwise, you could find yourself lodging 30 miles or more outside of the park.

Take a hike to Avalanche Lake, starting with the Trail of the Cedars.

View the scene at Logan Pass summit.

Camp out at Many Glacier.

Check out views from Going to the Sun Road.

Located on the east side of Glacier National Park, the road to Many Glacier is 12 miles long from the park entrance. If you enter the park from the west, travel along the Going to the Sun Road, exiting the park at Saint Mary. Continue on the same road (toward Babb) until you reach signs to turn left toward the Many Glacier park area. Once you enter the park at Many Glacier, you’ll follow along Lake Sherburne, which touts extraordinary glacial blue waters in the sunshine, toward the camping area and ranger station.

Hotel goers can choose to stay at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn or the much fancier, Many Glacier Hotel.

Campers will find comfort at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, including an italian restaurant and a shoppette carrying firewood, hotel chocolate and coffee, drinks, and souvenirs.

Campsites here total 109 and have amble restroom facilities nearby.

For wildlife viewing, bring binoculars and head to the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn’s parking lot to search the mountains for goats, sheep, and the occasional bear. And be sure not to miss the show of colors at sunrise.

This scenic trail is located off of Trail of the Cedars at Glacier National Park. Plan to take Trail of the Cedars to Avalanche Lake trail (an in and out trail, 4 miles roundtrip) and then finish the Trail of the Cedars loop.

For prime parking and less crowded trails, be sure to plan your hike to Avalanche Lake in the morning. It’s a moderate hike with slight elevation gains and loses. And remember to be bear aware on your hike here or anywhere in the park. This sign at the beginning of the trailhead was a bleak reminder of such dangers.

So, take precautions but don’t miss this hike! Pictures can’t begin to capture the amazing views you’ll see along the way and at the end of the trail. The cedars offer a pleasant aroma to complement your hike.

The picturesque view of Avalanche lake at the end of the hike is a don’t miss hike at Glacier National Park.

This loop trail is paved or boardwalked the entire 0.8 mile, allowing all Glacier National Park visitors (this trail is wheelchair accessible) to enjoy its beauty. Lined with towering cedars and hemlocks, hikers stroll through the windy path with Christmas scents in the air.

Bring your camera for this loop and stop to photograph Avalanche Gorge.

Learn along the trail as signs posts interest facts, like this one about Avalanche Gorge.

More adventurous hikers should take the 4-mile detour to Avalanche Lake.

This 150-mile river flows through Arkansas’ Ozark mountains freely … without even one dam. It provides beauty and bountiful recreational opportunities for those that visit it. Plan a camping, rafting, canoeing, horseback riding, fishing or hiking trip in the area and enjoy this beautiful untamed river.

Me and Monte at the Buffalo National River

Check out more on the Buffalo National River on the NPS website. Be sure to plan a visit to the Buffalo National River next time you find yourself in Arkansas.

Machu Picchu, nestled in the Andes in Peru, was built by the Incans in the 15th century as either a holy place or a royal retreat. It was rediscovered by American explorer HIram Bingham on July 24, 1911.

A mere 97 years later, I reached the gates of Machu Picchu.

It is much different today than the day Hiram discovered it. Nowadays, buses tote tourists from Aquas Calientes down the mountain from Machu Picchu. Walking it would take an hour.

The trek I took, by foot from KM 82 on the Inca Trail, was a four-day journey. While you can take a train from Cusco to Aquas Calientes and then a bus to Machu Picchu, I recommend booking in advance and taking the four-day trek.

Reaching Machu Picchu by foot after four days of hiking, including conquering Dead Woman’s Pass, creates a rich and fulfilling, even spiritual, experience. You will walk past and through many small villages and other Incan ruins along the way.

You bond with your hiking group and the porters that carry your heavy packs, make your meals, and so much more.

And maybe most of all, you will spend four days in the Andes, witnessing spectacular views first hand.

Be sure to book early. Tickets for the Inca Trail are limited and sell out quickly! Check out a panoramic view of Machu Picchu!

Sometimes when I tell folks my wife and I are going “geocaching,” I get a blank stare in return or they say, “geo-huh?”

My wife has a t-shirt which describes it best – “I use multi-billion dollar military technology to look for tupperware hidden in the woods.” Essentially that’s it. A “cacher” will hide a container (hopefully watertight) and then post the GPS coordinates on the geocaching web site. Usually a theme or a story goes along with the cache and many are placed in beautiful or interesting places you may not otherwise visit. Once published, other cachers proceed to look for it, posting their “finds” online.

The only tools you need are a handheld GPS device, which can locate caches based on latitude and longitude, maybe some hiking boots and bug spray depending on when and where you “hunt.”

Caches are rated on difficulty and terrain using a scale of 1 to 5. Generally, 1 ratings are handicap accessible and 5 ratings require some extraordinary means or effort to reach. We have had to canoe after some, solve puzzles to get coordinates, etc.

If you want to rack up numbers, there are “park and grabs” in just about every town, from 35 mm film canisters in the base of lamp posts to small metal tubes hanging in trees in city parks. If you are more adventuresome, you can hike over a mile to get to one ammo can or lock-n-lock box (these are our favorites). We have cached from the coast to the mountains and many places along the way.

The containers range in size from a micro, which is just a little larger than the eraser on the end of a pencil to an ammo can the size of a suitcase. (There may even be larger ones, but that’s the biggest we’ve found.)

Our favorite so far was one called “Bradley’s Rock Collection.” It was placed by a stream in the Bent Creek Recreational Area of the Pisgah National Forest in the mountains of North Carolina where we camped, hiked and hunted for caches last summer. The container was full of various rocks, minerals and fossils – each with a description.

Kids love the hobby because it is a real life treasure hunt. You want to keep the locations “secret” so they remain hidden and the kids get to be “sneaky” along the way. Geocaching is a great way to have fun, get out there and enjoy the adventure along the way.

Bob is a bi-vocational pastor serving New Hope Baptist Church, Beulaville, NC. He also is the coordinator for the NC Justice Academy’s Management Development Program. Among the topics he teaches are leadership, critical incident management and communication.  He and his wife, Eileen, have been married for over 27 years. They enjoy camping, hiking, canoeing, geocaching, running and other outdoor activities where they are able to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. They have one son, Jared, who is a rising senior at Campbell University. Check out his blog. 

Here’s a short clip from last weekend’s hike along Panther Creek Trail. Springtime can be one of the best times of years to hike. A coolness still lingers in the breeze, the flowers are in full bloom, and the smell of their blossoms fill the air.

1. Biking the Continental Divide Trail: Multistate
2. Kayaking Lake Yellowstone: Wyoming
3. Rowing Down the Grand Canyon: Arizona
4. Climbing Mount Rainier: Washington
5. Canoeing the Adirondacks: New York
6. Exploring ANWR: Alaska
7. Biking RAGBRAI: Iowa
8. Surfing the Lost Coast: California
9. Hiking the Sierra High Route: California 10. Wreck Diving Lake Superior: Minnesota
For more info on each adventure, read the entire article on the Top 50 Best American Adventures.