Top Hiking Spots
Date Added: February 13, 2008 06:47:41 PM
Whether climbing a mountain or rounding a bend, nothing beats the sight of water from a hiking trail. Shore to shore, here are three great spots for hitting the trail and seeing the coast.
British Columbia: Lighthouse Park
Across English Bay from Vancouver, Lighthouse Park offers a coastal wilderness experience in sight of the big city. The West Vancouver Trail leads straight to the shore and down to a rock bluff. Here you can see the 60-foot-tall Point Atkinson Lighthouse. The 5-kilometer route includes several challenging changes in elevation, but at a leisurely pace, you should be able to hike it in a couple of hours.
Newfoundland: East Coast Trail
For a hike that's really out there, try Newfoundland's East Coast Trail, crossing the easternmost land in North America. It runs for about 335 miles past towering cliffs and headlands, sea stacks, deep fjords and a natural wave-driven geyser called the Spout. Intentionally left unspoiled, the trail leads over large rocks and along cliff edges.
Texas: San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge
Birders know it. Now you do, too. The Texas coast is a major habitat for migrating birds. For a close view of wildlife, the Cow Trap Trail, about 70 miles south of Houston, lets hikers travel from high to low marsh on a 1.5-mile levee. Flocks of ibis and other wading birds are often on display. But watch out for alligators! They often sun on the banks of Moccasin Pond.