From a slot canyon to rocky mountain highs, the Muddy Mountains hike has it all

Sloooow…For most of my hiking life, I was strictly goal-oriented. I looked for the easiest way to a peak or the deepest point in a canyon.

Impressions from 10 years of wandering Zion.It started like it does for dads from the Midwest, Boy Scouts from Texas and newlyweds from the Bronx: with a hike up Angels Landing, that predictably obvious, narrow fin of orange rock so tantalizingly cast out from Scout Lookout, a benign place to sit and watch, to lunch, beyond that other squiggly, curious haven, yes, Walter’s Wiggles, there in the mind-numbing center of the universe you and I call Zion Canyon.

Go take a walk, run or ride on these seven civic trails — right in your own neighborhoodSure, nature beckons — but we’re often too busy to heed the call. A weekend camping trip? A leisurely daylong hike? They’re wonderful — when our crowded calendars allow it.

Get loopyAt the end of an amazingly scenic drive down Valley of Fire’s lone paved side road lies a short hike that’s long on scenery: White Dome Loop. The two-mile circle begins up a sandy wash, then drops down into an incredibly colorful canyon used as a backdrop in the 1966 Burt Lancaster western, “The Professionals.

Spring Valley State Park is famous for being the best fishin’ hole within driving distance of Las Vegas. In fact, it’s so famous for fishing, most Southern Nevadans think it’s called Eagle Valley (the name of the park’s reservoir).

From mild to wild, here are nine trips to ‘wet’ your appetite for adventure, relaxation and family fun A (worthwhile) trek to Eden in the desert Baker Lake, Nevada Get wet: If you’re looking to evade not only heat, but also neighbors and civilization in general, get out a Nevada map and circle Great Basin National Park, 286 miles from Las Vegas, near the Utah border. The 77,100-acre park is often overlooked because of its distance, but Great Basin offers something many nearer parks don’t: water.

Take the plunge — and rediscover the lake you thought you knew Psst. Here’s a secret: You’re missing out on Lake Mead.

The first rule of backcountry hiking: Be prepared. But what if you’re too prepared? The discomfort: His first big solo backpacking trip — carrying everything but the kitchen sink The zone: Zion’s beautiful — but rugged — West Rim My feet were hamburger, socks soaked through with blood.

Destination known Give Cedar Breaks a little love If Bryce and Zion had a love child, it would look like Cedar Breaks National Monument. Located only 56 miles to the west of Bryce — and an even shorter drive north out of Zion’s Kolob Canyon area — Cedar Breaks is significantly smaller and much less crowded than more popular attractions in southern Utah, but it’s no less spectacular.