Take a hike this week—an actual hike. No, I’m not asking you to “get out of my life” with this simple suggestion.  The trees and plants have fully burst into their summer look, the forests are thick and green as ever, and it’s time for a nice walk in the woods.  

Walking in what my wife calls “tree tunnels” is a nice way to spend time at this point in the year. The local trails in our area are open 24 hours a day and seven days a week.   

Walking in the forest can provide some nice exercise, almost completely in the shade.  Ideally, most of the hike is in the shade, and when you get to the top, there is a nice view.  However, be prepared for lackluster views on a majority of the local hiking trails.  Our mountains are more like rounded hills, and when the trees are leafed out, it limits most viewpoints.   

The best view on a local hike is the Bouchouxville trail located in Lordville, NY.  It tops out at a large cliff about 400 vertical feet above the Upper Delaware River.  It also happens to be where I proposed to my wife.  It is a beautiful spot that is a relatively easy hike from the north.  There is a trailhead option from the south also, but the trail is less maintained and the trailhead parking from the Long Eddy side is very limited.  Accessing from the north is the recommended route.  

There is a beautiful waterfall to observe from the top, and some interesting rock stacking art.  

This hike is in rattlesnake habitat, so keep your dogs on leash, and beware of rattlesnakes. 

Another easy local trail is the Tusten Mountain trail, located a few miles below Narrowsburg, NY.  The parking area is along the Ten Mile River, close to where it meets the Delaware.  The Ten Mile River is named for its confluence location, which is 10 river miles above Barryville, NY; the early loggers used it as a mile marker to the next town.  

You will also see one of the nicest stone arch bridges that still exists in our area.  Most others have been destroyed in various floods over the years. 

The trail itself is of moderate difficulty and is a nice loop.  It has a small viewpoint at the top, looking south along the Delaware. 

A private venue, owned by the Delaware Highlands Conservancy in Beach Lake, PA, is called the Van Scott Nature Preserve. It is open to the public for hiking and walking.  These trails are a bit more open space and are mowed regularly.  They meander in and out of small tree patches and by a nice pond full of life.  There is a network of trails there that are well marked and easily connected to be as long or short of a walk as you’d like.  These trails are also good for trail runners, with an easier running surface rather than a difficult trail, but they are off the roads. 

One of my favorite easier trails to take a nice walk with my two-year-old daughter on is the Damascus Forest trail.  It is located on Macubbins Road in Damascus, PA.  It is a 1.5-mile loop with a gradual hill down to a swamp and back up through a beautiful pine forest and to the meadow by the parking lot.  This trail often has a variety of birds on it and deer in the area.  It has cool clubmosses on the ground to observe, and many varieties of plants.   

So when you have a free hour or two this week, instead of adding to your screen time, put on your hiking boots or walking shoes with good support, and go for a walk on any one of these local trails.  It will benefit your body and mind to “Step Outside” and take a hike.