John Cox

Blogs · @wyome

Tagged outdoor · everything

summitborn.com

The 15 Most Beautiful Destinations to Visit on the American West Coast

This is a travel guide listing 15 major attractions along the USA West Coast, from Washington to California, including national parks, coastal towns, and cities. Each destination is briefly described with its key features—such as Olympic National Park's rainforests, Yosemite's granite cliffs, Big Sur's dramatic coastline, and Napa Valley's wineries—along with recommended activities like hiking, kayaking, and sightseeing. The guide is organized to appeal to various traveler types: nature lovers, adventure seekers, foodies, and culture enthusiasts seeking diverse West Coast experiences.

Permalink hikingtravelnational parksunited states

CultureMap Fort Worth

12 Texas retreats declared best places to camp in the U.S. - CultureMap Fort Worth

Hipcamp's 2026 awards recognized twelve top-rated camping destinations across Texas based on user bookings, ratings, and reviews, with Llama Land Ranch near Fort Worth earning particular acclaim for its 101-acre property featuring friendly llamas, affordable rates, and attentive owner Judy. The ranch offers mixed accommodation options (tent, RV, or combination sites) and has gained recognition for creating a peaceful, well-maintained camping experience that balances comfort with nature. Other notable award winners include The Ranch at Beulah in Elkhart, featuring yurts and activities like creek swimming, trail riding, and pizza-oven cooking for $150-$204 per night.

Permalink campingtravelrecommendationstexas

Outside

The Best Outdoor Adventures in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga earned recognition in 2025 as North America's first National Park City, a designation honoring communities that integrate natural resources and outdoor access into daily life. The piece highlights five major outdoor activities available in and around the city: paddling the Tennessee River Blueway, exploring Raccoon Mountain Caverns (part of Tennessee's extensive cave system), visiting the Southeast's largest sculpture park at Sculpture Fields, rafting the Class III-IV rapids of the Ocoee River, and hang-gliding from Lookout Mountain Flight Park.

Permalink traveladventuretennesseeoutdoor

CultureMap Dallas

12 scenic Texas campsites declared best places to pitch a tent in U.S.

Bon Appétit's 2026 best new restaurants list includes two Texas establishments: Agnes and Sherman in Houston, which fuses Asian flavors with classic American diner fare and has earned accolades including a James Beard nomination, and Le Calamar in Austin, a French-Texas bistro featuring refined dishes like stuffed chicken wings and updated takes on French classics. Both restaurants opened between March 2025 and March 2026 and exemplify the magazine's celebration of establishments that challenge culinary conventions through community and creativity despite industry headwinds.

Permalink campingrestaurantstraveltexas

Outside

8 Core Moves for Better Stability Outdoors. The Best Part? You Can Do Them Standing Up.

Standing core exercises like the Pallof Press, Split Stance Cable Chop, and medicine ball throws build functional stability that translates directly to outdoor activities—climbing, hiking, trail running, paddling, and mountain biking—by training your core to resist rotation, maintain balance on uneven terrain, and transfer power through dynamic movements. Unlike floor-based core work, these standing exercises incorporate the dynamic balance and asymmetrical loading demands that these sports actually require. A certified strength coach recommends doing all eight moves for three sets as an intense workout, or selecting favorites to add to your regular training routine.

Permalink fitnessexerciseoutdoor

Food & Wine

PAKA®

The Hoodie – Alpaca Wool Hoodie Sweater – Unisex

# The Hoodie — $165.00 PAKA's Original Hoodie, the unisex best-seller that started it all — soft, breathable, and warm without bulk, designed to go from lounging at home to hiking a trail. **Highlights:** - **Material:** 65% Royal Alpaca Fiber / 35% Recycled Nylon - **Fit:** Easy, unisex fit — true to size - **Weight:** Ultra-lightweight (0.97 lb / 15.5 oz) - **Perks:** Naturally odor-resistant, thermoregulating, softer than cashmere - **Care:** Hand wash cold recommended (or delicate/cold cycle) - **Impact:** Purchase supports 300+ women artisans in Peru - **Shipping:** Free shipping on orders $150+, plus 30-day returns/exchanges Would you like me to draft product page copy, a size guide callout, or marketing bullet points based on this info?

Permalink sustainabilityclothingoutdoor

Travel + Leisure

Islands

The Best KOA Campgrounds Around North America For Stunning Views And Exciting Attractions - Islands

A roundup piece profiling 13 KOA campgrounds across the U.S. and Canada chosen specifically for the scenery visible from the sites themselves, not just proximity to attractions—ranking spans the brand's three tiers (Journey, Holiday, Resort) to show that even basic locations can rival pricier ones. Each entry pairs the campground's on-site views (Devils Tower framed by your tent, Rockies visible from Denver West, Kachemak Bay mountains in Homer, Acadia coastline in Bar Harbor) with nearby national parks or cultural draws worth the detour. Useful as a planning reference for scenic RV/tent stops near major U.S. and Canadian landmarks, plus a quick explainer of what distinguishes KOA's tiers and its rewards program.

Permalink campingnational parksroad tripsoutdoor

www.thegreatoutdoorsmag.com

www.islands.com

Between Nashville And Chattanooga Is Tennessee's Wildly Underrated State Park With Scenic Trails And Lakes

Fiery Gizzard State Park is one of three new Tennessee state parks carved out of the sprawling South Cumberland State Park between 2022 and 2025, and at roughly 7,800 acres it's the largest of the trio, inheriting the famous Fiery Gizzard Trail, waterfalls, gorges, and Grundy Lakes. The piece is a practical primer covering trail options and difficulty, rock climbing rules at Foster Falls and Denny Cove, fishing and non-motorized boating on the lakes, primitive camping costs, nearby towns like Monteagle and Tracy City, and swimming/beach access — useful for anyone planning a visit now that the old South Cumberland name and boundaries no longer apply. Worth keeping as a trip-planning reference for this lesser-known but highlight-packed replacement park.

Permalink hikingcampingunderratedtravel

www.islands.com

Between Chattanooga And Knoxville Is Tennessee's Growing City Renowned For Fishing And Downtown Fun

Dayton, Tennessee is a quiet, growing town of about 8,000 people roughly 2.5 hours from Nashville, offering a low-key alternative to the state's busier tourist hubs. The piece highlights its historic downtown—home to the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial courthouse-turned-museum and local shops like The Gathering Place and Main Stage Music—alongside its outdoor draws, especially Chickamauga Lake's trophy bass fishing and the waterfalls and trails of Laurel-Snow State Natural Area. It's worth keeping as a practical guide for a scenic, car-friendly detour near Chattanooga and Knoxville.

Permalink hikinghistorytraveltennessee

www.instructables.com

www.homedit.com

21 Courtyard Garden Ideas for 2026 That Use Enclosed Space as a Design Advantage

This is a roundup of 2026 courtyard design trends, arguing that enclosed outdoor spaces are being reimagined as deliberate, inward-facing "rooms" rather than leftover yard space—where walls, screens, and limited footprints are used as design tools to control light, movement, and planting rather than being seen as constraints. It's structured as a curated list of roughly twenty real examples (credited to specific architects/designers on Instagram) illustrating recurring strategies: perforated screens, raised planters doubling as seating, central axial paths, sunken fire pits, single anchor trees, and glass edges that blur indoor-outdoor boundaries. Worth keeping as a reference/moodboard for small-space landscaping ideas and the underlying principle that constraint breeds precision rather than reduction.

Permalink designminimalismbackyardlandscaping

www.islands.com

Between Knoxville And Atlanta Is An Underrated Georgia Mountain Lake With Scenic Camping And Trails

Georgia's Lake Winfield Scott gets pitched as a quiet, uncrowded alternative to Atlanta and Savannah tourism, tucked in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest near Vogel State Park. The piece covers the practical stuff worth remembering: the 18-acre CCC-built lake allows only paddle/electric boats and fishing with a license, three connecting trails (including links to the Appalachian Trail) form a 6-mile loop rated highly on AllTrails, and campsites split into north/south loops plus a 10-person cabin. It also lays out booking logistics — reservable April–August, first-come-first-served otherwise, $26-50/night, three-night minimums on holiday weekends, and roughly a 2.5-hour drive from Atlanta's airport.

Permalink hikingcampingtravelstate parks

www.homedit.com

20 Backyard Design Ideas for 2026 Where Simple Gravel Replaces Traditional Concrete Patios

A roundup of gravel-based backyard layouts arguing that loose stone, not concrete or pavers, is becoming the go-to ground material for flexible, low-cost outdoor design. It walks through roughly twenty real examples—circular dining patios, sunken lounges, fire pit zones, framed budget patios, and gravel paths through planting—showing how the material adapts to small spaces, drains well, and lets furniture and garden beds shift without permanent construction. Worth keeping as a reference/inspiration list for planning a patio redo without committing to hardscaping.

Permalink low-maintenancebackyardlandscapinggardening

forestcooperage.com

Cedar Soaking Tub

Product page for a Vancouver Island maker's cedar oval soaking tubs, spec'ing the clear vertical grain Western Red Cedar construction, stainless hoops, and 26"-deep single/two-person sizing, plus the choice between a wood-fired Chofu heater or 120V/240V electric packages with Gecko controls. Worth keeping as a reference for actual dimensions, heating options, and the caveat that electrical hookup and foundation prep are on the buyer, since tubs are built to order in Sooke, BC with variable lead times.

Permalink wellnessbackyardwoodhome

www.backpacker.com

The 37 Best Waterfall Hikes in America

This is a roundup piece that compiles four previous waterfall-hike lists into one reference: a 20-fall national ticklist (top pick Alamere Falls, CA), a personal-favorites list highlighting spots like Ricketts Glen, PA, a Colorado-specific list of 12 falls curated by a local guidebook writer, and a bonus list of frozen winter waterfalls like the Apostle Islands ice caves. It closes with practical safety tips—checking flow conditions, wearing proper footwear, and avoiding common accident scenarios near ledges and swift water—making it useful as a season-spanning planning resource rather than a single curated list.

Permalink hikingtravelnational parkswaterfalls

camillestyles.com

Designing the Outdoor Kitchen at Zuma Beach House

A homeowner rejects the sterile, stainless-steel-and-polished-concrete outdoor kitchen trend in favor of a Mediterranean-inspired design pieced together from travel photos, building a space anchored by a Zwilling infrared grill, Clay Imports terracotta tile (herringbone floors and a handmade-looking backsplash), a Forno Piombo wood-fired pizza oven under a stuccoed dome, and a center teak table beneath an ornamental olive tree. It's a personal renovation diary worth keeping for the specific sourcing details and layout logic—like the pass-through window connecting indoor and outdoor kitchens—rather than generic inspiration, with construction wrapping by June.

Permalink designgrillingkitchenhome

www.apartmenttherapy.com

I Turned a Secondhand Filing Cabinet Into My Dream Outdoor Planter — So Easy!

A DIY before-and-after piece where the writer converts a thrifted metal filing cabinet into a raised garden planter, walking through the painting mishaps (glossy enamel vs. matte hammered finish), fixing a missing bottom with scrap wood and drainage holes, and layering the interior using a hugelkultur-style method of wood and organic debris under soil to cut costs and boost plant health. It's a practical upcycling guide worth keeping for the specific technique tips — paint choice, drainage fix, and soil layering — rather than just the concept of "repurposed furniture planter."

Permalink sustainabilitygardeningdiyfurniture