Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1066061
AACREDITUNION.ORG | 23 Take an epic off-the-grid trek. If there's one place cyberspace won't care to be joining you and your backpack, it's on an awe-inspiring backcountry trail. That's good news for nature-starved trekkers ready to give their thumbs a much-needed rest and their feet, knees, shoulders and adventurous spirits a rousing wake-up call — deep in the digitally defunct outdoors. In the U.S.: Those 85 million protected acres under the auspices of the U.S. National Park Service aren't just renowned for their striking beauty, but for that equally gorgeous "No Service" signal on your phone on countless bucket-lister hiking trails from coast to gulf to coast. Acadia, Big Bend, Point Reyes. Take your pick. Hoofi ng into the vertical-mile-deep jaws of Grand Canyon National Park (with an overnight permit) along the 7.8-mile Bright Angel Trail or slightly steeper 6.3-mile South Kaibab Trail to the Colorado River will give you views prettier than your favorite insta- photographer. In the rest of the world: The fun part about choosing the perfect cross-country walkabout from a world's supply of stellar options is that it can lead you anywhere. Try New Zealand's Milford Track or Peru's Inca Trail. Our pick: Northern England's C2C Trail is the nation's premier (and literal) cross-country tromp, featuring three spectacular national parks (Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors) along 190 rugged green miles from Irish Sea to North Sea. Check your connectivity at the front desk. Foregoing free Wi-Fi for Wi-Fi-free can be tough in today's tech-obsessed hospitality industry where our digital demands are treated with the same deference as thread counts, shower caps and Aveda products. Thankfully, several off-the-grid retreats are all about helping quiet those impulses, and not all of them are way off in the Maldives, Namibia or Bhutan. AACREDITUNION.ORG | 23