This year's edition of "Muir's Ride," part of a campaign to see the Hetch Hetchy Valley of Yosemite National Park drained of its water and restored, will stretch from the San Francisco Bay Area to Yosemite.

If you live in the vicinity of Joshua Tree National Park and have considered joining the park's search and rescue team, make plans to attend a meeting at the park on February 2. The gathering will provide information about a variety of opportunities with the team, and the requirements for serving in each type of assignment.

One of the "most unique archeological areas in the National Park System" will be the subject of a ranger-guided hike on February 8, and the location might surprise you. The Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, which "spans 12,000 years of continuous human habitation," is part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, a park best known for major Civil War battles.

Hiking is a popular activity in our parks, and trails—long and short, easy to arduous—provide almost unlimited opportunities for us to stretch our legs or challenge our abilities. Whether a hike on a particular trail seems "scary" is a pretty subjective question, since our tolerance for steep drop-offs, uncertain footing or other factors varies widely from person to person.