Skip the crowds and the hefty price tag of Lake Tahoe and spend your days island-hopping at this pretty oasis in Arkansas instead.

"What were they doing out there with other strangers?" marine biologist Wednesday Davis' stepmother asks. "What made them think to go up there?" ...

After years on the trail, I can live with a sub-par tent or a Walmart shell. But cheap shoes? That’s a trip-ruiner.