Boardwalk Trail at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida

© Bill Gozansky/Alam

Hey you: Take a hike!. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Hey you: Take a hike! And we mean that in the nicest possible way. After all, what's nicer on a crisp November day than lacing up those hiking boots and hitting the trail? (Especially when that day happens to be Take a Hike Day!) Of course, there might be no trails to hit were it not for state and national park rangers, foresters, nonprofit employees, volunteers, and others who forge them through the wilderness. Or in some cases build them, as with this boardwalk in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Florida's Gulf Coast.

Construction of Corkscrew's Boardwalk Trail was started in the mid-1950s by the National Audubon Society, which manages Corkscrew Swamp as a wildlife sanctuary. It's clearly built for the terrain—particularly this cypress poking through a bespoke hole in the path. The walkway allows trekkers to easily traverse the wetlands without trampling the diverse flora and fauna on the damp ground.