Hiking Research

Florence Williams understands our fascination with nature. She was one of the first to introduce the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku to...

By Mark Ellison In October 2023 the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) in collaboration with Future with Forest coordinated...

By Mark Ellison The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) was never envisioned to be a narrow corridor squeezing through a vast urban jungle....

The 2023 Official North Carolina Travel Guide is out and it has a feature near the front on Pinnacle Forest Therapy. Forest Therapy is a...

Spectrum News of North Carolina health reporter Kari Beal recently visited Pinnacle Park in Sylva and did a wonderful feature on forest...

The first certified forest therapy trail in North Carolina was dedicated at Pinnacle Park in Sylva on March 11, 2022. The easily...

How did you get inspired to spend time in nature? Do you remember your first hike? For many of us the joy of spending time on the trail...

What inspires us to go for a hike? Why do we keep going back? I reflected on this recently for an article I wrote for the Appalachian...

Glenn Sweitzer first reached out to me in 2018 about a documentary called Trail Mix he was filming about the healing power of nature,...

“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” Aldo Leopold An American author,...

“Listen more often. To things than to beings. The fire’s voice is heard, hear the voice of water. Hear in the wind the bush sob: It is...

I can’t say exactly when I finally realized how important wilderness is to me. I started venturing out when I was 19, and had just moved...

Dark night skies play an important role in the health of humans, animals and the ecosystems we are part of. This is an article I wrote...

The health of forests is closely linked to our own health. This is an article that I wrote for the spring issue of the Appalachian Trail...

By Mark A. Ellison, Ed.D I am sure you are familiar with the Lao Tzu’s saying, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”...

By Mark A. Ellison, Ed.D. Once winter hits many of us transition to the indoors.  It’s too cold, it’s dark, it’s snowing…what other...

By Mark Ellison, Ed.D. What do you do that gives you energy, that fuels your ability to work and play? Do you have anything? Do you...

by Mark Ellison, Ed.D. Reading Dr. Qing Li’s new book Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness that is being...

By Dr. Mark A Ellison The Japanese practice of Forest Medicine,or Shinrin-Yoku, has gained quite a bit of notoriety of the past few...

Plott Balsam Mountain Range (North Carolina) The new year is a fantastic time to rediscover how being in nature can help reduce stress...