Before my first giddy moment alone on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Virginia, I stood in a parking lot across from the trailhead studying a stern sign and feeling anxious.

An increase in camping fees is being proposed at Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland.

There are trails within each of the three units comprising John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, none of them very long. In truth, you can do every single trail within a unit (not each unit, but a unit) in an entire day. Contributing writer and photographer Rebecca Latson describes the trails she hiked at the Painted Hills Unit of this national monument in Oregon.

If you're heading into the backcountry of North Cascades National Park in Washington state this summer, you might occasionally spot a helicopter overhead, as these whirlybirds will be working with ground crews on a variety of projects.