#hiking

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reopened the 0.8-mile section of Caldwell Fork Trail up to the Boogerman Trail junction, on the North Carolina side south of Cataloochee Valley, WATE reported on Nov. 5. Trail crews replaced two footbridges and rebuilt treadway that washed out in Hurricane Helene in 2024.

The rest of Caldwell Fork beyond the junction stays closed because it has not been rehabilitated; the park says large sections of trail surface washed away, rockslides and debris block the path, and lost bridges made crossings unsafe. Hiking Boogerman Trail is not advised: its first foot log, 55 feet long, was washed away, and the water there is usually more than two feet deep even at low flow.

Instead of trying to link up with Boogerman, treat the reopened section as an out-and-back, and check the park's Current Cautions and Closures page for each trail before you go.

Chattanooga, Tennessee, is being highlighted as North America’s first National Park City, a designation focused on making urban areas greener, wilder and easier to explore.

The city has spent decades cleaning its air and river, restoring habitat and connecting residents to surrounding trails and waterways.

Why it’s worth going

Within roughly 15 minutes of downtown are more than 150 miles of hiking and mountain-bike routes. The public library even lends tents, lanterns and backpacks.

When not to

The 'National Park City' designation is not the same as a U.S. National Park Service unit, so don’t arrive expecting a conventional national park entrance or visitor center.

Artist Andy Goldsworthy’s Refuges d’Art route in Haute-Provence combines long-distance hiking with a network of restored buildings and site-specific sculptures.

Some refuges are not just art to look at—they are places hikers can inhabit overnight.

Why it’s worth going

It creates a rare overlap of serious hiking, remote French countryside and art that changes depending on weather, light and who is passing through.

When not to

This is not a casual gallery stroll. Parts of the route are physically demanding and remote, and some refuges are extremely rustic—think mice, bats and minimal comforts.

A 135-kilometer circuit on the Alpe Adria Trail links Austria’s Carinthia region with Slovenia and Italy.

The route crosses borders on foot, passes alpine meadows and mountain refuges, and can be completed in roughly eight days.

Why it’s worth going

It offers a culturally varied long-distance hike where changing countries can feel as simple as crossing a ridge.

When not to

It is still an Alpine trek: weather can turn quickly, some days involve substantial climbing, and shoulder-season conditions can change route difficulty dramatically.