Consider: More than 50 miles of rural and urban trails take walkers and hikers along the mighty Columbia River, past historic homes of former great American leaders, and close enough to breathtaking waterfalls to get wet.

What's more, the region is a jump-off for hikers seeking more demanding adventure. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest, north and east of the county, boasts more than 1,200 miles of trails, including routes up Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams.

Organized events are plentiful, including the annual International Discovery Walk Festival, one of two festivals in the nation sanctioned by the IML Walking Association. In April, more than 2,000 participants turned out for the three-day event, including walkers from as far away as Japan and Europe.

"Clark County is a great place for walking and hiking," said Burt Paynter, director of the festival, which also features biking and swimming and walks from five to 42 kilometers.

"First of all, we have excellent trails, both urban and in parks, but you don't have to go very far to get on really, really nice hiking trails."

The Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation Department oversees 20 regional and local trails. Perhaps the most popular is the four-mile Waterfront Renaissance Trail. From sunup to sundown, walkers, runners, bicyclists and skaters frequent the trail linking downtown Vancouver with the Columbia shoreline, passing restaurants, shops desirable condos and 26-acre Marine Park.

Farther north is another popular path, but vastly more rural. Along the East Fork of the Lewis River runs the 2.3-mile Lucia Falls Park to Moulton Falls Park trail, taking hikers through 325 acres of older-growth forest and past three waterfalls, lava flows, a three-story-high arch bridge and historic tribal meeting grounds.

This trail is one of 10 so-called "great walks" identified by the nonprofit health-advocacy group Community Choices. Others include the 4.5 miles of trails through open spaces, forests and meadows on Washington State University Vancouver; the 3.2-mile Salmon Creek Trail; the 3.7-mile section of Columbia River Trail from Vancouver Lake Park to Frenchman's Bar Park; and part of the eight-mile Burnt Bridge Creek Trail.

They also include the 2.3-mile Discovery Historic Loop, through the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and Officers Row; the six-mile Padden Parkway trail, crossing Interstate 205 and featuring a 560-foot bridge; the 1.7-mile Columbia Tech Center trail in east county; the Lacamas Heritage Trail, a 3.5-mile flat, gravel trail featuring wildlife viewing and waterfalls around Lacamas Lake in the Camas-Washougal area; and the Cottonwood Beach trail at William Clark Park, a 3.1-mile route paralleling the Columbia in the Camas-Washougal area and featuring stunning views of Mount Hood.