Hiking is one of the great joys of travel for Jeff and Patti Kinzbach: ‘Shaking the RV Life.’

CLEVELAND, Ohio — People younger than us ask, “What would you do differently in your life?” When asked. The first thing we say is “more travel”. It expands your understanding of what the world is all about, not just visual wonders. It’s an amazing learning experience.

Second on the list is about staying active and trying to stay in shape. It is important for you to be able to walk to or from those amazing sights without being out of breath or feeling any discomfort. The bottom line is it’s good for your health. If you like to hike in your neighborhood and want a change of scenery or a challenge, try your local parks or visit national and state parks on a trip. For us, hiking is a great way to stay fit and see unique sights.

Hiking also brings a challenge that we find very enjoyable. Recently, we hiked the Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park in Maine. It’s a famous stair and ladder trail, which is about a 2-mile loop and is described as “difficult.” You’ll find steep granite steps, iron railings and exposed cliff faces. Literally, over 450 feet of rocks and boulders climb your way. But you are rewarded with spectacular views that stretch to the horizon over the Gulf of Maine. We admit that lifting yourself up with a handrail can be daunting, especially if you’re thinking for yourself. Maybe it was the sign on the trail that said, “This trail follows a steep path with overhanging rocks that require climbing on iron steps. Falling on this mountain has caused serious injuries and death. However, this hike was tough, but it gave us a good workout and was a lot of fun.

If you like easy trails, don’t miss the Ocean Road Trail in Acadia. It runs along the rocky Maine coast and has some amazing views. Best of all, when you’re tired, you can easily hop on a shuttle bus to take you back to your car.

Ohio offers great hiking, including the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For a real workout, try the Furnace Trail, just across the road from the Everett Road Covered Bridge. That includes a nice walking loop of about 180 steps up the cliff and then to the bridge and parking lot.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park has many great hiking trails suitable for everyone and every skill level. This time of year also offers great fall colors. Because we travel a lot, we are able to find many great hikes in Sedona, such as the Devil’s Bridge Trail. Sedona is beautiful with its red cliffs and this 4 mile hike takes you to a famous sandstone arch. It is a 2 mile hike to the trailhead but you can drive a high clearance vehicle. Glad we took our jeep and did.

Picacho Peak State Park, just north of Tucson, is a great place to camp and hike. “I’m from Brunswick and I know who you are,” greeted our ranger, looking at our Ohio license plates. We walked the hunter’s path. It’s only 2 miles long but steep and winding, with steel cables in places. They recommend gloves as you climb, descend, and climb some more to reach 1,900 feet. This is a difficult path.

Angels Landing is a popular trail in Utah’s Zion National Park. It’s mostly an uphill hike with a few switchbacks. You gain nearly 1,500 feet in elevation and this 5.4-mile hike is considered one of the most dangerous in the country. Since 2017, 3 people have lost their lives due to falls. We made our way to Scout Lookout, about three quarters of a mile from the top of Angels Landing. After a long line of sightings for the rest of the hike, we decided on narrow trails over 1,000-foot-high cliffs. There are some chain handrails but it gets more dangerous because as you go up…others are coming down. Since there are now many hikers to visit the park, a permit is required for this hike.

We often stick to such unchallenging paths. Every national and state park has trails for all skill levels. We loved hiking in Silver Falls State Park in Oregon, which has 10 waterfalls, including the one that goes behind the waterfall. Amazing! To make sure you have a plan, always remember to pack plenty of water and let others know your intentions before you go. You can hear more about our hiking adventures in episode 22 of our weekly podcast.

So, whether in Ohio or elsewhere, we encourage you to enjoy the outdoors.

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Cleveland radio legend Jeff Kinzbach and his wife, Patti, have been traveling from RV and North America since Jeff retired in 2020. Each week they share their stories from the road. “Rocking the RV Life” PodcastIt is available through Spotify, Apple Podcasts And many other platforms. The podcast is presented in partnership With cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. You can follow the Kinzbachs at rockingthervlife.com.