It's warming up and that means it's time to hit the trails.  When you are preparing for your stroll, the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation has a  recommendation for you.

Be Your Inner Child

four year-old boy in mud
david woodberry
loading...

Don't be afraid to get a little mud on your boots or pants. They advise you to be smart about what you wear, just know ahead of time it will be a little bit muddy, it is mud season after all since the ground has been thawing and the snow is melting.

They used the phrase "April Showers Bring May Mud". It is inevitable, but the easiest way to combat it is to walk right through it.

You Heard That Right

sezer66
sezer66
loading...

They provide a good reason to not try to avoid the muddy area though. If you try to avoid the puddles or the muddy patches, you could be damaging the greenery and wildlife that inhabit the area.

Those trails are already carved out from years of people walking or riding on them. If you try to go to the side, which might seem natural, you could unintentionally damage some of the forest vegetation that is trying to thrive.

On top of that, you just end up widening the trail.

SO remember, don't dress to impress, dress for the situation and that situation is the mud.

The DEC advises you to wear waterproof footwear and just trudge on through.

RANKED: Here are the most popular national parks

To determine the most popular national parks in the United States, Stacker compiled data from the National Park Service on the number of recreational visits each site had in 2020. Keep reading to discover the 50 most popular national parks in the United States, in reverse order from #50 to #1. And be sure to check with individuals parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

LOOK: Famous Historic Homes in Every State

 

CHECK IT OUT: The best county to live in for each state

 

LOOK: Here are the best small towns to live in across America

 

CHECK THEM OUT: States With the Best and Worst Commutes

 

Here Is How To Blur Your Home On Google Street View

More From WIBX 950