Who Is The Florida Historic Trails Association
Information courtesy of The Florida Historic Trails Association
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The Florida Historic Trails Association (FHTA) was founded in 1970 for the purpose of developing and sponsoring historic hiking trails for Scouting and other civic youth groups. The founder, Dr. Milledge Murphey, a professor at the University of Florida, had for many years been a scoutmaster and had taken his troop on numerous BSA approved historic trail hikes throughout the Southeastern United States. As the interest in and benefits from such hiking experiences were great, he founded the FHTA and developed Florida’s first historic trail, the now famous Ft. Clinch Historic Trail in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Subsequently, seven other BSA approved hikes were developed as was a 100 Mile Honor Hiker recognition program.
Hiking: There is extensive hiking throughout the Florida District of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. A wide variety of habitats can be explored from beach to forest. You can walk the beautiful white sand beaches or take a stroll on one of the many trails through barrier islands, maritime forests or wetlands. Self-guided trails help hikers discover the park’s natural resources.
JENNER - Many visitors to Fort Ross State Historic Park, 12 miles north of Jenner on Highway 1, are surprised that Russians, along with Native Alaskans, established a place for themselves in California history.
The first National Preserve in the National Park System, Big Cypress has a mixture of pines, hardwoods, prairies, mangrove forests, cypress strands and domes. White-tailed deer, bear and Florida panther can be found here along with the more tropical linguus tree snail, royal palm and cigar orchid. This meeting place of temperate and tropical species is a hotbed of biological diversity. Hydrologically, the Preserve serves as a supply of fresh, clean water for the vital estuaries of the ten thousand islands area near Everglades City. 
Refuge Facts: Established: 1908; Acres: 512; Location: the refuge is located within the Matlacha Pass estuary Lee County, FL, approximately 8 miles northwest of Ft. Myers; and Administered as part of the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex. 
Yellowknife is blessed with a number of trails suitable for walking, biking, hiking and jogging. Travel at your own risk and carry water and bug dope and be prepared to see wildlife, including, occasionally, a black bear. A good reference on the flora and fauna of this area is Blue Lake and Rocky Shore by Jamie Bastedo, available locally.
FLORIDA KEYS - The Overseas Highway, the southernmost leg of the U.S. Highway 1 and sometimes called the Highway That Goes to Sea, is a modern wonder.
Montauk Point State Park, a heavily-wooded tundra leading to the eastern tip of Long Island and the historic Montauk Lighthouse, offers some of the best surf fishing in the world. The view is unique, because, when the water is calm, visitors can clearly see the “race” of converging tides from the Atlantic and Block Island Sound. Visitors can also picnic at tables under the pine trees, use the nature trails to hike or cross-country ski, or spend time watching the seals sun on the rocks offshore. 
Tell us about your favorite hike near SeattleAre you looking for a hike near Seattle, but you’re ready to venture beyond Mount Si? The Cascades and foothills are full of beautiful trails for day hiking and backpacking within 85 miles of Seattle.
Why not take a trip to Ogunquit, Maine for your next adventure. They offer several excellent accommodations featured at ogunquit.com including; The 
Valley of Fire State Park is located only six miles from Lake Mead and 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas via Interstate 15 and on exit 75. Valley of Fire is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park, dedicated 1935. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Ancient trees and early man are represented throughout the park by areas of petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyph. Popular activities include camping, hiking, picnicking and photography. The park offers a full-scale visitor center with extensive interpretive displays. Several group use areas are also available. The park is open all year.
Located along seven miles of the last free-flowing, undeveloped stretches of the Missouri River, North Dakota’s Cross Ranch Centennial State Park is rich in both cultural and natural history. 
Metro Parks’ 32nd Annual Winter Hike Series continues this weekend at Clear Creek, Saturday February 5 at 10 a.m., and at Three Creeks, Sunday February 6 at 10 a.m. Explore the wonders of nature in winter as part of Metro Parks’ 32nd Annual Winter Hike Series. Park naturalists and volunteers will guide hikers on trails ranging from one to six miles while pointing out the seasonal beauty of each park.
Zion is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary. Protected within the park’s 229 square miles is a dramatic landscape of sculptured canyons and soaring cliffs. Zion is located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces. This unique geography and the variety of life zones within the park make Zion significant as a place of unusual plant and animal diversity.
The Aleutian World War II National Historical Park and Visitor Center focus on telling the story of the “Forgotten War†— the events of the Aleutian Campaign that include the bombing of Dutch Harbor by the Japanese in June 1942, the evacuation and internment of the Aleuts, the Japanese invasion of the islands of Attu and Kiska, the Battle of Attu, the Allied invasion of Kiska, and the bombing of Paramishiru. Through the preservation and protection of World War II historic buildings and structures, the park preserves in memory the commitment and sacrifice of the more than 100,000 American and Canadian troops once stationed on these wind-swept islands off the western coast of Alaska. For the Unangax (Aleut) the park is dedicated to reconciling the injustices of the Aleutian Campaign and the suffering and loss of those forced to leave their villages and life’s treasures behind to spend years in Southeast Alaska — only to return home to find their villages in ruins or gone.