75 years of Florida parks

The Miami Herald reports on 75 years of Florida state parks.

[The] park service runs a remarkably varied collection of preserves. In one Florida park (Paynes Prairie), bisons run free along with descendants of horses brought to Florida by the Conquistadors. Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is completely underwater. Human "mermaids'' frolic in Weeki Wachee Springs. Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero preserves a complex settled in the late 1800s by people who believed they and the rest of the universe existed in a giant sphere inside the earth.

And then there's Torreya, on the un-Florida-like 150-foot-high banks of the Apalachicola River and home to the parks' only rentable yurt, a tent-like abode more common in Mongolia.

Read the full story: Mermaids & manatees: Florida state parks celebrate 75 years

Idaho crosscountry ski spots

The Idaho Statesman reports on Nordic ski spots around the state.

Included are Bogus Basin (picture left) , Idaho City park n' ski, and Lake Cascade state park loop (description follows):

What: A 1.2-mile groomed trail.

Coolest things: The one-way loop trail with a variety of terrain is available for the first time this winter. It's a quick ski through the Van Wyck and Ridgeview recreation areas, which have sweeping views of West Mountain and Lake Cascade. Restrooms and trail maps are available at the trailhead.

Trail fee: Parking fee required - either the Idaho State Parks annual pass or the daily motorized vehicle entrance fee of $4 ($5 starting Jan. 1). No other trails fees required.

Distances are from Boise.

Read the full story: Nordic nirvana

Photo from Idaho Statesman