About six or seven weeks ago, we had this great idea for people unable to go to work, and trapped in their homes with the kids all week. Why not take to the hills, enjoy the fresh air, and hike the local trails?
It only took a week for LA County officials to close all the local trails after they became gridlocked like the 210 West on a Monday morning in the rain.
You still want to hike those trails, and get out in the air. We get that. But how about this? Take your laptop out on the deck or patio or backyard, and dial up some virtual hiking trails. And don’t sit down.
According to Psychology Today, “Studies suggest that viewing even an image of a tree or a forest canopy bolsters the parasympathetic division of the central nervous system that naturally induces calm.” We think that means that just looking at a tree online might be the same as actually looking at a tree. Good enough for us.
Before you think, “Yeah, yeah, virtual this and virtual that,” just peruse these hikes and trails we’ve curated here for you. Some of them are in 4K with startling definition and clarity, with only the sound of the river current to accompany you.
Here are a handful of great virtual hiking trails that you can walk along with.
Go everywhere. Go nowhere. Turn your computer to full screen and get your hike on.
- Baker River Trail and Chain Lake Trail, Washington
Someone walked the trail along Baker River and Chain Lake in lush Washington State for you, so stand up and enjoy. The picture and sound of this video is frankly stunning. You’ll walk for about 2 hours, along the edge of Baker River, crossing fallen logs while being surrounded by silent fall foliage. You won’t even hear your shoes crackling any leaves.
Don’t take my word for it. Click here.
- The Top 13 US National Parks in 4K
OK, you can sit down for a bit. This is a 4K tour of the best 13 US National Parks in America, from Amazing Places on Our Planet. As you can imagine, it’s pretty impressive. The tour takes you through Yosemite, Zion, Canyonlands, Bryce, Rocky Mountain,, Crater Lake, Arches, Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Olympic, Glacier national parks as well as the Grand Canyon. Impressive, to say the least.
- Hang Gliding over Yosemite National Park
Before you stand up and start hiking again, how about a quick hang glide Over Yosemite National Park in 360 Degrees? In this Nature on PBS video, a hang glider launches off a sheer rock cliff, flies next to a waterfall, and lands in a grassy field within this national treasure.
Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness. Yosemite was central to the development of the national park idea. First, Galen Clark and others lobbied to protect Yosemite Valley from development, ultimately leading to President Abraham Lincoln‘s signing the Yosemite Grant in 1864, and paving the way for the United States national park system.
See the word, dear readers. And then go back to work, a little better-traveled.
