June is the “Great Outdoors Month”®, according to the American Recreation Coalition (ARC), and you can read all about it at GreatOutdoorsMonth.org. But you probably won’t find much useful information on the website.

Don’t get me wrong. The concept is laudable. June is a wonderful month – perhaps the best month – to get involved in some recreational activity outside. And the ARC is not the only organization that seeks to tie outdoor recreation to the month of June.

Bicyclists have a National Bike Travel Weekend, June 3-5, sponsored by Adventure Cycling Association, and expect 11,000 riders to be out on overnight excursions that weekend.

June 4 is National Trails Day and the week of May 28 through June 5 is Pennsylvania Hiking Week. National Fishing and Boating Week is June 4-12 and National Marina Day is June 11.

National Get Outdoors Day also is June 11 and the Great Outdoors Month National Day of Service is June 17. The Great American Campout is June 25.

The ARC pulls most of these activities together under the Great Outdoors Month umbrella and urges us to get outdoors during June and participate in the activity of our choice. The website also provides some links to information about scheduled activities.

But if you spend even a bit of time on the website, you’ll find the event information to be rather sketchy and mostly pertaining to other parts of the country.

Since we live in the Alleghenies, though, that’s no problem. We can easily find resources that will enable us to enjoy all of these types of activities right here.

Bicyclists have a ready-made overnight excursion awaiting them on the Great Allegheny Passage, which now features campgrounds, B&Bs, hostels or more standard overnight accommodations at or near just about every trailhead between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, MD. TheGreatAlleghenyPassage.com.

For hiking, you can go in a couple of different directions, depending upon your skill and comfort levels. If you are looking for guided hikes, check out nearby state parks or forests that offer interestingly themed hikes by knowledgeable staff. Dcnr.state.pa.us. To strike out on your own, visit the Keystone Trails Association’s online guide, ExplorePATrails.com.

While Pennsylvania does not offer a free fishing day in June, the Fish and Boat Commission has scheduled one for July 4. FishAndBoat.com is also a great resource for water trails, which are wonderful ways to enjoy canoeing and kayaking.

If you’d like to get a taste of the power-boating lifestyle, make a visit to the Seven Points Marina at Raystown Lake just about any time you want. The marina there is open to the public between April and October. 7PointsMarina.com.

Giving back a day of service in recognition of everything the outdoors gives to us is a great idea. In our region there are a host of ways to do this. You can join a “Friends” chapter of our state parks, you can participate in a volunteer workday for a state forest or get involved with a local hiking, bicycling or boating club.

And do we have camping opportunities around here! Once again, state parks are a great resource. Dcnr.state.pa.us. But we also have several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ “projects” that offer camping, including Crooked Creek Lake near Ford City, Loyalhanna Lake near Saltsburg,Mahoning Creek Lake near New Bethlehem,Raystown Lake near Huntingdon and Youghiogheny River Lake near Confluence.

Frankly, outdoor enthusiasts here within the Alleghenies will tell you that every month is a great outdoor month here, because each month and season offers something special. But if you haven’t spent much time outdoors in recent years and are thinking about getting back outside, June certainlyis an ideal time to begin.

Just remember that you don’t need a special day or week – or a national website – todo this. We have everything you need for a fine outdoor experience – righthere, anytime.