Mountain Biking Basics

OK let's face it. Death Valley isn't exactly a great marketing name, but if you haven't bothered considering DV as a place to visit, you really are missing out. Death Valley is the largest National Park in the lower 48 and is home to the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. But there is so much more to this enormous part of southern California that deserves closer inspection.

Geocaching is an activity that is spreading like wildfire around the world. It's basically a high-tech treasure hunt using a GPS (Global Positioning Unit) and a home computer. A cache is a usually small box or container filled with trinkets, odds and ends and other items of little value. A logbook or register is also included so that 'cachers' can record their visit to a particular geocache.

Flat-water kayaking is an amazing way to enjoy some of the most scenic places in the country -- lakes, bays and estuaries.

Our national parks are treasures for all of us to enjoy and Yosemite Valley is no exception. Carved by ancient glaciers and home to some of the most extraordinary scenic views you will find anywhere on earth

There's much more to California than the lights, camera, action of Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. While both LA and the Bay Area are great, there's nothing like the laid-back style and scenic beauty of California's Central Coast.

Yosemite National Park is home to many scenic wonders but one stands out as spring snow-melt fills the rivers with water. Yosemite Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world at nearly 2,500 feet and as the water explodes from the brink of Yosemite Valley's north wall, it thunders into the rocks below, echoing through the entire valley.

Point Reyes National Seashore is a 70,000 acre park preserve located just north of San Francisco along the California coast. This largely overlooked treasure of the Bay Area is one of the best spots we've ever seen for hiking trails, wildlife, solitude and scenic beauty. This entire stretch of California coast is frozen in time. You won't find any roads, cars, buildings or anything else that resembles civilization. This is the California coastline raw, wild and rugged.

Yosemite National Park is one of the crown jewels in the national park system. Each year, over three million people visit Yosemite and most flock to the popular and well-developed tourist centers.

Car camping is an excellent way to get outdoors with friends and family without strapping on a backpack and venturing into the wild. With car-camping, many of homes 'creature comforts' can come along for the ride, making your time 'roughing it' not so rough. With a little extra effort and a 4-wheel drive vehicle, you can escape the crowded campsites everyone knows about and venture into places away from it all for a camp experience you'll never forget!

Mono Lake in California is one million years old. It was once the biggest pond in North America. It is about 60 times smaller today but it is still a great place to explore. Underwater springs bubbled up from the lake-bed seeping minerals into the super-salty waters of Mono Lake slowly creating limestone towers. South Tufa is a photographer's dream, so don't forget the camera and try to aim for an early or late visit as the light will be best for pictures and the crowds will be gone.

The Sierra Vista Scenic Byway is a 100 mile loop drive into the heart of the majestic Sierra-Nevada mountain range in central California. The drive will take you from rolling foothills to alpine forests. You will see incredible views of the Sierra Crest. It is an excellent way to see the Sierra back country all from the comfort of your car. But if you're up for a little adventure, the numerous trails and hikes that you can hit from the byway will make this your new favorite way to experience the high Sierra.

The Owens Valley in California is home to a rugged landscape sculpted by wind, ice and time. In the historic valley, you will find a river that has continued to flow in spite of a long and controversial battle and a forest home to the oldest living trees on earth.

The Channel Islands sit just 20 miles off the coast of southern California but once you visit them, you'll feel a world away. A one-hour ferry ride from Ventura Harbor will transport you to Santa Cruz Island...the largest in the chain. Here, visitors can camp overnight in one of the campgrounds or you can visit for the day. Hiking trails twist throughout the eastern side of Santa Cruz Island and will take you to incredible sea cliffs, open highlands and lost coves. Sea kayaking around the Channel Islands is world renowned and Santa Cruz Island is home to the largest sea caves in the world. A guided trip along the rugged shoreline will take you deep into these caves where headlamps are needed.

North Carolina's Outer Banks are a haven for people that love the outdoors. But there's a lot more to the OB than perfect beaches, warm water and lots of sunshine. The Outer Banks are an excellent place to get away from the crowds and explore tidewater marshes teaming with wildlife, learn to fly a hang-glider over the dunes where the history of powered-flight began or to discover a wildlife refuge that has preserved the natural beauty of the Carolina coast and the animals that call it home.

Discovering the scenic beauty of back-country areas like California's Sierra Nevada Mountains doesn't have to be a rugged, long walk into the woods.

The Pocono Mountains are an outdoor-lover's dream. The mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania are populated with dense, hardwood forests, amazing waterfalls and creeks, lakes and an impressive network of hiking trails and state parks. All this is only two hours from The Big Apple, who knew?

It's known for one of the most scenic drives in the world but there's a lot more to do along California's Highway 1 and the Big Sur coast once you get out of the car. From rugged and stunning sea cliffs, secluded beaches and tidefalls to dense, coastal redwood forests, Big Sur's amazing shoreline is a outdoor-lover's dream!

To prove there's more to New York than the Big Apple, we set out to explore upstate New York's beautiful High Peaks region in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains. The area is home to Lake Placid.

Located in southern Utah and only a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, the mystic, red-rock walls of this breathtaking canyon will leave you in awe. Zion can get very crowded in the summer months but a trip there in the fall can be one you'll never forget.