Editor's note: The following is an unedited release from the National Park Service.

National Trails Day is Friday, and while Fort Laramie National Historic Site's popular Confluence Trail remains closed due to flood conditions, the fort's staff has some other ideas for celebrating the day-and extending it through the weekend in Wyoming.

For those whose heart is set on a hike in the rugged Wyoming outdoors, NPS park rangers suggest options both near and far. Guernsey State Park offers excellent outdoor recreation opportunities ranging from informal exploration of its rock, mineral, and fossil-bearing shores to the park's designated hiking trails. The terrain, vistas, and wondrous geologic formations make for a perfect National Trails Day experience. Of course, there's always the trails of Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks if you're up for a more distant getaway.

The rangers at Fort Laramie also suggest alternative ways to think about National Trails Day. Consider, for starters, exploring--either physically or in a more cerebral fashion--the National Scenic Trails that bisect many of the nearby WyoBraska communities. The Oregon Trail, the California Trail, the Mormon Pioneer Trail, or the short-lived yet famous Pony Express Trail. Yes, they all pass through or very near Fort Laramie NHS, and the park would love to host you. There are, however, many other access points and amazing features to discover, explore, or revisit throughout the North Platte Valley.

Yet another thought to consider would be the origin of those "scenic trails" that we now enjoy. Consider that each of those trails, better known to most as emigrant thoroughfares and as modern opportunities for exemplary outdoor recreation, were established by the indigenous people of this amazing land hundreds if not thousands of years ago. They, in fact, likely followed the paths of countless migratory animals, in the pursuit of sustenance and subsistence. And why would the animals choose to travel the same paths over and over? Likely it was due to available food sources, whether vegetative or flesh-bearing, combined with the most likely reason of all: it was the path of least resistance. It all goes back to the influences of local--and global--ecology. It is the natural arrangement of land forms, waterways, plants, animals, minerals, and 'natural' nourishment communities.

This may be an unexpected "trail" to follow, but it opens numerous paths to explore and delve into more deeply than anticipated. Consider your options this coming National Trails Day, and follow your heart along the path that works best for you.