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So you've got all the right gear and know all the right moves. Now you're set to hit the hiking trails. But where to go? Your first step is to head to a local outing club or local outdoors store and ask for some great beginners' trails near-by. Word-of-mouth is always the best way to start -- at either of these two places you can talk to experienced hikers who know the local mountains like the backs of their hands. Get trail tips and find out detailed information about trail difficulty, terrain, views, directions, etc. Don't be embarrassed to ask any questions you might have. These people are here to help you. Make sure you get a good topographical map for the area you're going to be hiking. Have someone plot out the route for you, if you like.

Tripod's Top Five Hikes: Some favorites we'd like to recommend.

Other resources:
Tripod will help you research great hikes all over the globe right from your desk by linking to sites that specialize in backcountry life. Travel the world on the web and discover the hiking trails nearest you... Or get inspired to make a longer trek to a little-known wilderness area or one of the country's beautiful national parks. Your essential resource is:

http://www.gorp.com
GORP (Great Outdoors Recreation Pages) contains everything in the world on what to do and where to go in the great outdoors; search by region or by activity, or just browse for cool hiking ideas.

Check these out as well:

• the Backcountry home pages- http://io.datasys.swri.edu
  
• a cool newsgroup- rec.backcountry
  
• Outside magazine online- http://web2.starwave.com/outside/