My hobby covering crime sure has cut into my job reporting on hiking.

So to play catch up, here's a few things that have happened lately in Utah's hiking world.

— The Tribune's Tom Warton gave us a great list of winter trails in Utah. You won't have to wait in any lift lines.

— The Emery County Progress reports the U.S. Forest Service proposes to build two parking areas and improve 1/2 mile of trail in Huntington Canyon. Huntington Canyon, by the way, is one of the underrated outdoor destinations in Utah.

— Speaking of forests, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Forest Service cannot charge fees for activities on undeveloped land. The fee ban would apply to hiking, picnicking or just visiting part of a national forest with no amenities. Utah is not in the 9th Circuit, so for now the ban doesn't apply to national forests here.

Don't be too quick to cheer the ruling. Much like hunting and fishing license fees at the state level, the Forest Service has probably been using the collected money to fund programs on public lands.

— Nate Carlisle

Twitter: @Utahhikes