Enjoy nature Thoreauly at these locales

In addition to his famous volume "Walden," he used travel essays to document the natural world in books like "A Yankee in Canada," "Cape Cod" and "The Maine Woods."

There are options for all kinds of travelers, from walks as short as 15 minutes to hikes as long as six hours, or scenic drives that include driving through one of the enormous trees.

The botanical gardens in San Marino (Los Angeles County) cover more than 120 acres, with several specialized areas like the Desert, Subtropical, Palm, Rose, Shakespeare, Australian, Japanese and Chinese gardens, providing a unique way to explore diverse natural environments in one place.

Enjoy a vegetarian meal, as Thoreau would advise, from this little stand surrounded by hiking and biking trails in Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country.

Observe birds in their natural habitats, as Thoreau did in his travels, on the Bird Sanctuary Trail, or visit the Ferndell Nature Museum.

On the inside, these cabins are a lot like modern hotel rooms, offering a comfortable way to stay in a setting similar to Thoreau's log cabin at Walden Pond.