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Great getaways: take advantage of the season and escape from the everyday madness. Here are five places that serve up active outdoor adventure - hiking trails

Men's Fitness, Oct, 2003 by Jonathan Littman

Temperatures that soared it July and August are suddenly becoming more temperate, allowing you to go farther on the trail and boost the fat burn. At the same time, bug counts are down significantly, making for a more enjoyable experience for you and your honey. Ah, yes, fall can be the ideal hiking season.

Unfortunately, destinations famed for fall color are also likely to be jam-packed. Why not take another path? Here are five great places to hike and camp from now until the snows arrive, each with something unique you're likely to find only in autumn.

WEST

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Leave dreams of John Muir and the high Sierra behind and head along California's Highway 101 to the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains, Point Mugu State Park is less than an hour from Hollywood, and you can swim or body-surf on the pristine beach and you maybe catch a glimpse of some dolphins,

Refreshed after a Pacific dip, take the 6 1/2-mile round-trip Sycamore Canyon Trail. During October and November, the majestic sycamore's resplendent red and gold leaves are only half the attraction. Bright-orange flocks of butterflies fill the air--the migrating monarchs. Many visitors take in the sights high up in the gnarled giant sycamores that tree climbers find irresistible. You might want to knock first: Hawks and owls often frequent the upper branches. The park boasts more than 70 miles of trails, with ample climbs as well its pleasant green valleys. Park rangers, 805-488-1827.

EAST

If you're landlocked back East and looking for some Halloween chills, consider a hike on the sandy, 50-mile Batona Trail in New Jersey's Pine Barrens (take exit 50 on the Garden State Parkway and head west on county route 542). Even native American Indians were said to be terrified of this spooky forest of pines and cedars. Legend has it that the spirit of the Jersey Devil, a serpentine, horse-headed omen of doom, haunts the place. Philadelphia mobsters dumped stiffs here. You can walk any part of the long, marked trail, but watch out for the wild turkeys. The intrepid strike out with compass and map on the unmarked roads. Wharton State Park, 609-561-0024.

The Tishomingo State Park Nature Trail north of Tupelo, Miss., offers a great late-season trek. Rich in history and named after the last great leader of the Chickasaw Nation, the park has a 10-mile nature trail that offers dramatic, alternately steep and rocky sections. Rock climbers can practice their skills on a 60-foot overhang (adjoining, but not part of the trail). The route is lined with a variety of ferns and striking sandstone formations and is not for the timid; sudden twists hide cliffs. But Tishomingo is one of the few places where you can enjoy fiery fall colors with pleasant temperatures well into November. Tishomingo State Park, 662-438-6914.

Southeast

Heat and bugs make the Everglades a bitch in summer. But as the heat fades in autumn so do the pests. In fall and early winter, the Everglades Log Pine Key Nature Trail offers a relatively tourist- and bug-free 28 miles of connecting trails through a pine forest and saw-grass marsh complete with egrets, anhingas, herons, turtles and, you asked for it, alligators. Everglades National Park, 305-242-7700.

Midwest

If Indiana conjures images of endless flat cornfields with no place to hike, think again. Just 35 miles south of Indianapolis lies the Knobstone, dubbed "Indiana's Appalachian Trail" and the state's longest footpath. Though the flat-topped ridges rise but 300 feet, regular several-hundred-foot climbs and descents make the 45-mile trail a challenge. Snaking across rugged forested land, the trails lead you through a mix of oak, hickory, beech and maple that present a range of almost Eastern-quality fall colors. Consider the Oct. 25 Knobstone Trail Mini-Marathon. You can walk or run from 5K to 10 miles and party afterward with fresh cider and hot soup. Hoosier Hikers Council, 765-349-0204.

Great getaways: take advantage of the season and escape from the everyday madness. Here are five places that serve up active outdoor adventure - hiking trails

Men's Fitness, Oct, 2003 by Jonathan Littman

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