Yosemite, California

“It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.” So said John Muir, the Scottish-born conservationist whose passionate and influential writing helped persuade Congress to pass a bill leading to the declaration of Yosemite as the US’s third national park, in 1890. This made the protection of 1,200 square miles of deep valleys, wild-flower meadows, giant sequoias and waterfalls a legal obligation. More than a century later, Yosemite is still one of the crown jewels of the American national parks system. Visit in summer for hiking, rafting, fishing and rock climbing; in winter, some roads and trails are closed but there is the chance to enjoy the quiet splendour of the landscape without the crowds. Several events are planned to mark the 125th anniversary on 1 October, including tours led by an actor portraying Galen Clark, who explored the park many times with Muir and was instrumental in its gaining protected status. If you are planning to stay overnight, check out yosemitepark.com/lodging for accommodation: it lists options from permanent camps in the High Sierra to the hotel of choice for visiting dignitaries, the luxury Ahwahnee. For a longer trip, Yosemite Valley is also the start of the magnificent John Muir Trail, which passes through 211 miles of spectacular scenery in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It makes up part of the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile path running from Mexico to Canada that is about to get its moment in the Hollywood limelight with the release, on 16 January in the UK, of Wild, based on a true story, in which Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed, a troubled woman grieving after her mother’s death, who hikes 1,100 miles of the trail alone. Despite gory close-ups of blisters, the film is likely to inspire countless journeys into the wilderness.