Five things to know about FAA furloughs

 Kate Peterson's Tuesday morning flight from Baltimore to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport had to land at nearby Dallas Love Field because it was running low on fuel.

When the management consultant contacted CNN, her airplane was still waiting to get refueled before taking off for the other airport in Dallas. The Montgomery Village, Maryland, resident still needed to make a connecting flight to Midland, Texas, to meet with a client. She made it at 4 p.m. EDT but lost most of the work day because of the delay.

Although shifting winds were first blamed for the delay, "the captain clearly said 'personnel issues' with air traffic control, which he's certain we've all heard about in the news, were surely playing a big part in the problem," wrote Peterson, via e-mail.

This kind of flight delay may be coming to an airport near you. Furloughs of all Federal Aviation Administration employees, including its 15,000 air traffic controllers, started Sunday, part of government-wide spending cuts that took effect last month.

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Some 1,200 flight delays on Monday were attributable to staffing reductions resulting from furloughs, and 1,400 additional delays were because of the weather and other factors, according to the FAA.

Here are five things you should know:

Unfortunately for travelers, predicting delays is tricky

The nation's large hub airports will face "heavy to moderate delays," FAA chief Michael Huerta said last week.

Delays are likely to ripple to other airports and will vary depending on the weather, airport staffing levels, traffic volume and how the airport is configured, the FAA says.

Last week the FAA announced the results of a case study of six airports likely to be affected by the furloughs. They include all three New York-area airports, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The agency is planning to release predictions for other airports.

Bottom line: The situation is very fluid.

"So far the furlough-related delays have been sporadic, all over the country at different types of facilities from individual airports to radar control centers," said Mark Duell, vice president of operations for flight tracking site FlightAware.

Your best bet is tracking your flight online

Check the FAA site for airport delays. Other options: BothFlightStats and FlightAware have trackers for people to check airport and airline delays. Also check your airline's website for more information about your flight.

Safety is still the top priority, controllers say

While furloughs are undoubtedly having an impact on timeliness and convenience, U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA officials have said repeatedly that safety will not be compromised.

The air traffic controllers union says its members are frustrated with delays and reduced efficiency but remain committed to ensuring safety. "The job itself has become much more difficult for controllers, but they are supremely focused on -- and passionate about -- making sure safety is not affected," National Air Traffic Controllers Association spokesman Doug Church wrote Tuesday in an e-mail.

"That's why delays are happening," wrote Church, "because the FAA and ourselves are not going to put safety at risk by overloading understaffed facilities with more traffic than can safely be handled."

Some days of the week are likely to be worse than others

"Mondays and Fridays tend to be the heaviest travel days, so if there's bad weather then, it may exacerbate the already heavy demand," said an FAA spokeswoman.

If your flight is delayed or canceled, you don't want to compete with more travelers for the flights still taking off. Instead, consider flying on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The usual tactics are still the best ones

Book early, direct flights, and get to the airport earlier than usual. That way if your flight is canceled or delayed, you have a better chance of getting in line and online at the same time to find another option. If you booked that last flight of the day, you could be stuck in an airport hotel room or heading back home.

If you can't avoid connections, make sure there's a lot of time between flights in case your first flight arrives late. Hub airports that offer many connecting flights are expected to be hit hard by the furloughs.

And don't check your bags. If your flight is canceled or if you miss your connecting flights, at least you have your stuff with you. (Remember the U.S. Transportation Security Administration still isn't allowing knives or liquids with more than three ounces in carry-on bags.)

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/23/travel/faa-airport-furloughs/index.html?hpt=tr_c2

Hottie in seat 17D? Send her a drink!

The best thing about flying? Gawking at good-looking strangers.

Maybe you spotted a Ryan Gosling clone in the departure lounge who set your heart aflutter. Or perhaps that mysterious tattooed woman who set off the metal detectors with all her piercings caught your fancy.

There's just one problem. Serendipity fails to strike. You board the plane and find your dream girl/guy isn't seated anywhere near you.

But there's good news for helpless romantics.

Virgin's in-flight entertainment system now doubles as Cupid.

Thanks to Virgin America's not at all creepy new service, passengers can use the airline's "Red" in-flight entertainment system to send a drink, meal or snack to the object of their affection.

So, once you've pinpointed your designated hottie with Virgin's digital seat map, what comes next? Browse the menu and decide what to send over.

The "send to another seat" button makes meeting fellow passengers easy.

Maybe he looks like a Bombay Sapphire kind of a guy. And what lady can resist an ice cold Bud Light? She'll be yours in no time.

Follow up with a text sent through the seat-to-seat messaging system. The cheesier the better.

"This Bud's for you, sexy lady."

"Is there an airport nearby or is that just my heart taking off?"

Getting lucky

Virgin America launched the new seat-to-seat delivery option this week to mark the start of its Los Angeles to Las Vegas service, though it's available on all of the airline's U.S. flights.

The big man himself helped introduce the new feature with a video titled, "Sir Richard Branson's Guide to Getting Lucky."

"I'm not a betting man, but I'd say your chance of deplaning with a plus-one are at least 50%," he concludes.

The only problem we foresee is a surge in the number of passengers prowling up and down the aisles "going to the bathroom" for a fourth and fifth time.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/24/travel/virgin-seat-to-seat-service/index.html?hpt=tr_c2

Conde Nast Traveler lists world's best new hotels

It's a tough life, being one of 36 anonymous reporters for Conde Nast Traveler magazine's annual Hot List.

Evaluating hundreds of new hotels around the world, testing rooftop pools, drinking signature cocktails and flickering a judgmental eye over superlative properties.

World's best coastal resorts, by continent

Yet again this year, that indefatigable crew managed to get through the job. The magazine's 17th annual Hot List Issue rounding up the best new hotels of 2013 hit newsstands on Tuesday.

Galleries are also available on the Conde Nast Traveler website.

The magazine says its initial list was a thousand names strong, before being whittled down to the final 154.

Hotels that made the cut ranged from the one-suite Howie's HomeStay in Thailand to the massive and elegant 745-room Mulia Resort in Bali, and included a converted 17th-century monastery on a cliff as well as a safari camp next to Masai land.

Whimsical lists include a roundup of best perks, extras and amenities, including "Best Use of Body Parts" and "Best Way to Warm Your Toes."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/23/travel/conde-nast-best-hotels/index.html?hpt=tr_c1

Natural wonders: A top 10 list

It's summer vacation planning season and travel recommendation site Gogobot's users have whittled down the long list of possibilities by homing in on their favorites. On Tuesday, Gogobot released its top picks in two categories -- best natural wonders and best guided tours -- based on survey responses and nominations from its community of 2.5 million registered users, as well as reviews posted in the last 12 months for each destination or tour.

The best-of lists are part of Gogobot's annual Travelers' Favorite Awards.

"We really want to pique people's curiosity and help them discover places they might not have thought about or might not have heard of that they'd find really fun," said Travis Katz, Gogobot CEO and co-founder.

In the guided tours category, those ideas include the Seattle Underground Tour, which takes visitors through parts of Seattle buildings that were largely built over after the Great Fire of 1889.

The top pick in the natural wonders category is far more visible, especially from the beaches of Waikiki: Diamond Head State Monument in Honolulu tops the list, followed by the Grand Canyon, Northern California's Muir Woods and other awe-inspiring natural sites in the United States and beyond.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/travel/gogobot-world-wonders/index.html?hpt=tr_t5

The world's most colorful cities

Whether a monochromatic yellow or featuring every color in the Crayola box, these cites are guaranteed to brighten your day.

The word "pretty" isn't often associated with the shantytowns of Rio de Janeiro. But gazing across the hills toward the notorious Santa Maria favela, you might be pleasantly surprised by the burst of colors, the result of a recent social art project launched by Dutch design duo Haas&Hahn.

Pockets of rainbow-bright residences and streets pop up in cities across the globe; some are contrived, like Haas&Hahn's favela project and the commissioning of a blue-painted town in southern Spain by Sony Pictures to promote the Smurfs 3D movie (no, really). Others, like the eclectic homes and murals of Valparaíso, Chile, are more organic, inspired by the creative spirits of the residents that inhabit them.

From a monochromatic Indian city painted pink for a visiting English prince to the candy-colored waterfront of Miami's South Beach, these landscapes bring a new level of vibrancy to austere deserts, mountains, slums and already sparkling aqua waters.

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Jaipur, India

Now this is a royal welcome: Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh had the whole city daubed in pink for the arrival of Edward, the Prince of Wales, during a diplomatic visit in 1853. The Rajasthani capital retains its signature rose-tinted hue across broad boulevards and historic buildings like the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds).

Chefchaouen, Morocco

A four-hour drive from the bustling city of Fez brings you to this village high in the Rif Mountains, known for its labyrinthine medina bathed entirely in shades of blue. The area was once a refuge for Spanish Jews who, fleeing the Inquisition in the 1500s, found a harmonious haven in Chefchaouen. Though most have now migrated to Israel, the warren of turquoise alleys remains as their legacy.

Travel + Leisure: World's strangest towns

Izamal, Mexico

Mexico's tourism secretary designated Izamal, in the Yucatan region, a pueblo magico (magical city), and it's easy to see why. The colonial buildings are awash in a vivid yellow that gives the monochromatic town a sunny look whatever the weather. Take a horse-and-buggy ride around the cobblestone streets past marigold churches, government buildings and the city's centerpiece: the historic 16th-century Basilica of San Antonio de Padua.

Bo-Kaap, Cape Town

No, that's not a rainbow at the foot of Signal Hill. The pops of color making their way up the slopes are typical of Cape Town's historic Muslim quarter, where the mosques and homes make up a splashy kaleidoscope of aquamarine, fuchsia and lime. Its Cape Malay community is descended from slaves brought over by the Dutch from Southeast Asia in the 1600s, and residents began painting their homes to celebrate the end of apartheid.

Travel + Leisure: World's strangest bridges

Balat, Istanbul

Once Istanbul's old Jewish quarter, Balat has attracted a more diverse range of residents over time. Yet the architecture takes you back to a lost era; it's easy to spend a few hours wandering, preferably with camera in hand, to capture the dilapidated yellow and pink buildings adorned by billowing red or green curtains, all sparkling against the cerulean sky.

Juzcar, Spain

Among the iconic White Towns of Andalusia, Juzcar looks so comically out of place that you'd be forgiven for wondering if it's out of a cartoon -- in fact, you'd be correct. Until recently, it, too, was a whitewashed village; in 2011, Hollywood executives inquired whether the residents would paint their homes blue for a promotional blitz surrounding a Smurfs movie. Afterward, Sony offered to paint the town back, but aware of the skyrocketing tourist numbers that resulted from the gimmick, the 220 citizens voted to keep it blue.

South Beach, Miami

Neon lights, frothy facades, quirky patterned lifeguard stands, art deco buildings -- driving along Ocean Drive in Miami is a retro trip back to an era when Technicolor was just bursting onto screens. Flamingo pinks and tropical greens flank the white sand on one side, with azure waters on the other.

Rio de Janeiro

In 2010, Dutch artists Haas&Hahn schemed to turn a favela in Rio de Janeiro into a giant canvas for their third project in that city's slums (favelapainting.com). Enlisting the help of local youths, they converted the homes of Favela Santa Maria into a rainbow of staggering proportions, composed of rays in myriad shades radiating across the facades.

Willemstad, Curacao

Legend has it that in the 1800s, when the Dutch ruled Curacao, the then-governor attributed the migraines that afflicted him to the powerful Caribbean sun reflecting off the colony's stark walls. The result? An official decree that commanded residents to paint the structures anything but white. Today, this World Heritage site owes its distinctive pastel shades to one man's maladies.

Vernazza, Italy

These postcard-perfect pastel pink, lemon yellow and sea green facades were hit by devastating floods in 2011. While the damage to Vernazza and the four other scenic waterfront villages that make up Cinque Terre was severe, efforts are under way to restore, rebuild -- and repaint.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/09/travel/worlds-most-colorful-cities/index.html?hpt=tr_t4

America's 10 highest-tech hotels

Whether you're on business or vacation, if you're sleeping in anything more sophisticated than a zippered sack, staying connected is a necessary part of travel.

For years, a crusty USB jack and some intermittent Wi-Fi were enough to constitute a full suite of technological hotel amenities.

How 2.0.

Today's future-forward lodge has to offer in-room nightclub lighting and 3D television just to keep up with the Skywalkers.

The new breed of techie lodging is no less a hotel than a Best Buy with blankets.

These 10 wired hotels are tops among the gadget set.

Hotel 1000's virtual reality Golf Club has more than 50 courses from around the world.

Hotel 1000, Seattle

Don't be fooled by the design-intensive vibe of this downtown Seattle hotel. Behind the chic décor and furnishings it's a fully networked technolodge.

Highlights include a silent infrared doorbell with sensors that detect body heat (so housekeeping knows when not to interrupt), smart climate control settings, a digital do-not-disturb button and a 40-inch LCD HDTV that doubles as a digital art gallery, displaying works that you can personally select.

There's video-on-demand, surround sound, satellite radio, high-speed Wi-Fi (included with room) and a slew of media hubs for every gadget imaginable.

What's more, innovative plumbing enables the bathtub to fill from the ceiling, an intelligent mini-bar notifies the front desk when it needs stocking, Cisco video phones float around the hotel and a virtual reality Golf Club is swing-ready with more than 50 courses from around the world.

1000 First Ave., Seattle; rooms from $219 per night; 206-357-1000;www.hotel1000seattle.com

Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

This 4,000-plus-room mega-resort lets you customize everything about your stay but the hangovers.

Guestrooms greet you as you enter -- literally addressing you by name -- while the lights and TV turn on and curtains open to reveal spectacular views.

From a single control panel, you can personalize every aspect of your space, including a "good night" button that cuts the lights, shuts the drapes and activates the do-not-disturb sign.

You can customize the lighting, temperature and tunes to wake you in the morning.

The hotel also has wireless Internet (included in room charge) it says is eight times faster than the average U.S. guestroom, along with a 42-inch LCD with a "smart panel" for connecting laptops, game consoles, cameras, MP3 players and more.

Replacing the conventional keycard, RFID (radio frequency identification data) cards sense when you're near your room and unlock the door as you approach.

3730 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas; rooms from $138 per night; 702-590-7111; www.arialasvegas.com

Hotel Zetta, San Francisco

How many gigabytes is a zettabyte? Ask the technorati flooding this new San Francisco residence that lives up to its data-inspired name.

Each guestroom features integrated technology that allows music, movies, emails and more to stream wirelessly from your mobile device to an Internet-enabled, 46-inch flatscreen TV. This, additionally, comes with a library of apps, web browsing capabilities and loads of high-def channels.

A sort of physical "social network," the Playroom is a 1,500-square-foot adult space equipped with the latest gaming consoles, as well as old school classics like Atari and Nintendo. An antique red telephone booth is rigged so you can video chat, snap a profile pic or order drinks and food from the bar.

In case you weren't getting the whole retro-tech vibe, décor includes old floppy-disks-turned-artwork, interactive wall hangings and an art installation made from obsolete hardware like cell phones, computer chips and game cartridges.

55 Fifth St., San Francisco; rooms from $265 per night; 415-543-8555; www.viceroyhotelgroup.com

Los Angeles Bel-Air: Oprah was here. Or so we're told.

Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles

After a two-year, multi-million-dollar overhaul, this Hollywood Hills icon is wired with the latest tech to keep up with a demanding clientele that has ranged from Marilyn Monroe to Oprah.

Upon arrival, in-room check-in includes a tutorial by the bellman on the use of all guestroom gadgetry -- ensuring you don't freak out later about how to operate the smart toilet.

As you approach said throne -- aka the Neorest 600 -- its motion-activated lid opens automatically and features a control panel for flushing and other functions, like a seat heater and deodorizer. The bathroom also has heated floors and an in-mirror LED television.

Guests book massages or dinner reservations from in-room iPads -- pretty much the luxury hotel norm nowadays -- and there are Bang and Olufsen HD flatscreen TVs, smart lighting with mood settings and a touch-screen phone that lets you control everything from room temperature, lights and media to curtain height.

701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles; rooms from $530 per night; 310-472-1211; www.hotelbelair.com

Yotel New York, New York

An homage to luxury airline travel, this Times Square hotel is unapologetically futuristic. White walls backlit in purple create an ultramodern atmosphere as you check in at touch-screen kiosks similar to those found at airports, only cooler.

Guestrooms (or "cabins") are decked out with purple mood lighting, near-silent heating and cooling systems, a Techno Wall fitted with a flat-screen LCD TV, lots of power points for laptops and other devices, Wi-Fi (included in room charge), an iPod or MP3 connection for playing music through the TV speakers and a motorized bed that expands to full size at the push of a button.

The hotel's tech de resistance is the world's first-ever robotic luggage handler. A 15-foot robotic arm towering in the lobby behind a glass window, the Yobot picks up your luggage and safely stores it in a wall of drawers before or after check-in.

No tip necessary.

570 10th Ave., New York; rooms from $149 per night; 646-449-7700; www.yotelnewyork.com

Scarp Ridge Lodge, Crested Butte, Colorado

Staying at Scarp Ridge Lodge is like renting an entire boutique hotel for yourself and your 10 best buds.

This seven-bedroom luxury ski property comes with a private chef, indoor saltwater pool, game room, cinema ... and piped-in oxygen?

Yep, at an elevation of 9,000 feet, altitude headaches can be an issue. So all guestrooms are tricked out with on-demand oxygen systems, complete with touch panels that let you create the exact altitude you'd like the rooms to simulate.

Address undisclosed; rooms from $12,500 per night; 970-349-7761;elevenexperience.com

Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas

This 23-story, 1,001-room hotel may be connected to the Omni Dallas Convention Center, but it's a long way from conventional.

Having broken ground just a year and half ago, the place is decked with tech.

Interactive reader boards with touch-screens fill the lobby and let you check everything from flight info to area attractions, news, weather, meetings and events.

Gadgetary highlights in the rooms include all of the usual bells and whistles, plus a 42-inch LCD high-definition television, another TV hidden in the bathroom mirror and motion-sensor LED nightlights underneath the bed.

Outside, 4.3 miles of LED building lights surround the LEED Gold-certified hotel's exterior, allowing it to project brilliant light shows and convention logos.

555 S. Lamar St., Dallas; rooms from $113 per night; 214-744-6664;www.omnihotels.com

It's always nice out in Miami -- why not stay in today?

Epic Hotel, Miami

Forget that this 52-story hotel sits on prime Miami waterfront with rooms featuring floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to private balconies, it's the geeky gadgets that draw all the attention.

The experience begins before you enter your room.

Outside each guestroom door is an INNtouch notification device. Press the privacy button from inside the room to illuminate the LED do-not-disturb indicator, or let housekeeping know to make up your room with the push of a button.

For those annoying times when you have to mix business with pleasure, all 411 rooms have desktop PCs with high-speed Internet, Microsoft Office and a connection to the printer in the lobby.

There's also an Apple gadget docking station to charge your iDevice.

In the 29th-floor Club Lounge, a touch-screen Surface Station map akin to a ginormous smartphone lets you surf the 'Net, listen to music, watch videos and scout local hotspots.

270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, Miami; rooms from $389 per night; 305-424-5226; www.epichotel.com

theWit Hotel, Chicago

This trendy hotel features jaw-dropping city and lake views, a vibrant urban setting and an IP-based infrastructure networking everything from the elevators to room sensors to the basement boiler room.

Within guest rooms, sensor-activated climate controls detect your location and adjust to your body heat. A VoIP touch-screen phone lets you call housekeeping, valet and more without speaking a word; with staff members all connected to the system via iPhone or iPod Touch, they're alerted to your needs ASAP.

In common areas, expect to hear birds chirping during the day and crickets at night, powered by the hotel's digital audio system.

There's also a private movie theater boasting an oversized HD screen.

Notching up the nightlife, the hotel just installed a 3D digital wall inside ROOF, its 27th-floor lounge. Typically reserved for large-scale concerts, this image-mapping system delivers resplendent visuals as you rock out to world class DJs and performers.

201 N. State St., Chicago; rooms from $189 per night; 312-467-0200; www.thewithotel.com

citizenM Times Square, New York

Opening in October 2013, this Times Square hotel is set to follow in the footsteps of its affordable high-tech, high-design European counterparts.

Bringing to life the hotel's namesake "M" for mobile, as in "mobile citizen of the world," you're greeted by self check-in computers.

By the time the machine has programmed your personal RFID keycard, your room is waiting for you to enter.

Tech addicts will geek out over the handheld, electronic mood pad that lets you design your entire space. From colored lighting and ambient music to digital art (on your TV), temperature, window blinds and specially designed mood-enhanced wake-up calls (like "wake me gently" or "wake me wildly"), you can direct the room's whole look and feel, all without having to get out of bed.

Bonus: iMacs dot the hotel and there's Wi-Fi throughout.

citizenM Times Square, 216-218 W. 50th St., New York; room rates and phone to be announced; www.citizenm.com

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/11/travel/high-tech-hotels/index.html?hpt=tr_t3

7 stunning U.S. spots for wildlife

Naturalist Beth Pratt has been exploring and celebrating wildlife since she was a child, whether discovering the great whales of Cape Cod with her parents or creating a special luxury habitat for her backyard frogs.

As a young girl she gazed with longing at photos of grizzly bears and wolves, and vowed to see the charismatic mega-fauna of the West. She realized her dream in her 20-year career in environmental leadership has included work at Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks. She's the director of the National Wildlife Federation's California office, living just outside Yosemite.

Pratt has wandered extensively throughout Yosemite's backcountry, hiked the John Muir Trail, swam the mile-long Tenaya Lake in Yosemite and run the Cape Cod Marathon with her father and "survived" (her word) the Tioga Pass Run: a 12.4-mile trek entirely uphill gaining 3,000 feet in elevation to arrive at the entrance of Yosemite.

To mark Earth Day 2013, CNN.com asked Pratt to share some of her favorite spots to find nature. Here are some of her recommendations and what makes each wild place special, in her own words:

Gaylor Lakes Trail, Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite National Park is my favorite place on Earth, and the area near Tioga Pass is my favorite place in Yosemite. My annual rite of spring is hiking the Gaylor Lakes trail. Depending on the snowpack levels, in some years I've trekked through deep snow, while in other years the trail has been bone dry.

Climate change impacts the world

Gaylor Lakes offers an array of wonders -- five shimmering blue, subalpine lakes, views of Yosemite's high peaks, colorful spring wildflowers like lupine and monkey flower, and ruins of the Great Sierra silver mine. There are also possible encounters with some of my favorite critters: the unbearably cute pika and the annual spring love songs of the Yosemite toad and Pacific chorus frogs.

This trail starts right at the Tioga Pass entrance station (almost 10,000 feet in elevation) and is great for all levels of hikers as you can stop at the first view (about three-quarters of a mile) and call it a day or do the whole five-mile loop. The first three-quarters of a mile is all uphill, but you are rewarded with stunning views of Yosemite's high country at the top, including the Cathedral Range, Kuna Crest and Mount Dana as well as middle Gaylor Lake. Don't stop there, as the rest of the hike allows you to wander through a sublime, expansive basin and is much less strenuous.

Mount Washburn, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

When I worked in Yellowstone and people asked me what to do if they only had a day in the park, I would recommend the Mount Washburn hike. Yellowstone is in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, but Mount Washburn is in Wyoming. It's easily the best trail in Yellowstone in terms of bang for your wildlife, wildflower and scenery buck.

In just the drive alone to Mount Washburn in springtime, no matter what your approach, nature will reward you with some unprecedented wildlife sightings, as it's the seasonal baby boom in Yellowstone, which includes the adorable orange bison calves, and gangly elk youngsters, along with grizzly and black bears cubs. Spring is the best time for wildlife viewing in Yellowstone, and my record is eight grizzly bears, one wolf and one moose (and countless bison, bighorn, pronghorn and elk) in one day. Dunraven Pass is usually awash with yellow flowers in springtime as well.

On the hike, you'll be strolling through wildflower gardens, which usually peak in July and August. And you'll likely encounter the herds of bighorn sheep that frequent the rocky terrain. It's rare to see rams here, but the cuteness of the playful antics of the young lambs more than compensates. The hike to the summit is six miles round trip and with access usually in June, just depending on the snowpack.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

On a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains a few years ago, I searched of course for frogs (the park has 13 species of frogs and toad), but saw a bright red salamander crawling on a rock during a hike, and when I asked my guide about its species, I learned an amazing fact -- the Great Smoky Mountains are known as the "Salamander Capital of the World." The area houses five families of salamanders and 30 species. They are nicknamed "spring lizards" in the Appalachians, although they are technically not lizards. The Hellbender salamander, the largest in the Great Smoky Mountains, can reach 29 inches in length.

Some places to see salamanders in springtime, near any wet area in the park, include Grotto Falls at the Trillium Gap Trailhead; Ramsey Cascades (the tallest waterfall in the park); Cove Hardwood self-guiding nature trail, which starts from Chimney's Picnic Area; andLittle River Watershed for the Hellbender salamanders. The Ash Hooper Branch Wildflower Trail is one of the best hikes for wildflowers and also pretty good for salamanders.

Lands End Coastal Trail, San Francisco

I recently discovered the beginning of this incredible trail with magnificent views of California's rocky coast when I went to Sutro Baths at Lands End in search of Sutro Sam, the first river otter in San Francisco in more than 50 years. While I snapped photos of him swimming playfully in the bathhouse ruins, someone yelled, "Dolphins." I turned around and saw bottlenose dolphins and their calves swimming in the Pacific.

For wildlife, more than 200 species of resident and migratory birds have been sighted here. Fall is the big bird migration, but springtime is no slouch either (April and May). For me, what makes this hike special (now that Sutro Sam has ventured off in search of a mate) is the possibility of marine mammal sightings. Aside from the bottlenose dolphins I saw, you might also observe gray whales and harbor porpoises. Harbor porpoises have recently returned to the San Francisco Bay after 65 years, and it's always great to see them frolicking.

I recommend doing the easy 3.5-mile trip that starts at Sutro Baths near the Cliff House Restaurant. If it's clear, you'll get a view of the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate Bridge, walk among willows, cypress and Monterey Pines, and see some native wildflowers.

Beartooth Highway, Montana and Wyoming

The late CBS News travel correspondent Charles Kuralt called U.S. 212, or Beartooth Highway, "the most beautiful road in America." For me, it's true. My jaw dropped open in awe the entire drive; this was a continual scenic vista on steroids. I recommend you drive this magnificent 67-mile highway by all means, but get out of the car as well. There are many beautiful lakes to see a short walk from the road. The Island Lake trailhead, one mile east of the Top of the World Store at the end of a short road to Island Lake Campground, provides as much or as little a hike as you like.

Be sure to look (and listen) for pika along the route. Besides frog, pika are a favorite critter of mine. These intrepid creatures live at high altitudes and do not hibernate in the winter. Instead they gather vegetation in haystacks to dry for winter forage. And they are also unbearably cute. Listen for their distinctive high-pitched chirping as you walk through rocky terrain.

And the springtime wildflowers are stunning. I cherish the delicate sky pilot because the flowers seem to me like precious gems worn by the mountains. But the endless meadows filled with a purple-blue ocean of lupine, or the sunset orange-red of the Indian paintbrush (Wyoming's state flower) will leave you speechless. The road usually opens, depending on snow conditions, mid-April to mid-June.

Platte River, Nebraska

In college, I drove across country every summer, visiting national parks and other wild areas. One year I visited friends in Kearney, Nebraska, the Sandhill Crane Migration capital of the world. As we strolled along the Platte River, I was disappointed to learn I would just miss the fall stop over. The Sandhill Crane migration is a truly remarkable event.

More than 80% of all of the world's sandhill cranes (about 500,000) make a pit stop in spring here before heading north to their summer breeding grounds. In addition, more than 10 million ducks and geese travel here as well. That's a lot of birds.

The spring migration runs from February to April. If you want to avoid the crowds and get out of the cars, birding friends recommend the North Platte Area such as at Buffalo Bill State Historic Park. In the Kearney area, Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary offers tours for a fee.

Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts

Cape Cod is my childhood wilderness, where I came to love both nature and the outdoors because of my parents' affection for the place. We vacationed there annually throughout my youth, and eventually moved to the edge of Cape Cod, Plymouth, when I was in high school. I remember my dad taking me to see beached whales as a kid -- and live ones on whale watching trips -- and swimming in the waters of Cape Cod National Seashore.

My favorite discovery on the beaches of Cape Cod was the horseshoe crabs. These relics from the dinosaur age transfixed me, and I would collect what I thought back then were dead horseshoe crabs -- I now know it's their molted shells -- and bring them home to study. Finding a live one in the water was always a delight. Watching the horseshoe crabs spawn by the full moon, which they do generally from April to June, has always been a highlight for me.

In my talks about California wildlife, I always end with a photo of a horseshoe crab, even though we lack the animal on the Pacific Coast. For me these ancient creatures engendered my love of wildlife, and they remind me of the wonder of running around the beaches of Cape Cod as a kid, excitedly searching for these prehistoric creatures in the soft sand.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/21/travel/earth-day-best-wildlife-sites/index.html?hpt=tr_t2