On our U.S. road trip, we were lucky enough to visit dozens of national parks, along with dozens more state and local parks. Our favorite activity is hiking, and we had the opportunity to hike all across the country, from California to Maine. One of our favorite things is finding a challenging hike that might not be the most popular in the park, but offers amazing scenery while escaping the crowds. Here’s a list of ten hikes we did on our trip that you should not skip if you are in the area.
1. Fairyland Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park is arguably the most unique, visually stunning national park in the entire country. The namesake Bryce Canyon isn’t really a canyon. It is more of a huge natural amphitheater filled with hundreds of brightly colored hoodoos, tall multi-colored spires of rock that can reach hundreds of feet tall. While taking in the views of Bryce Canyon from the rim is one of the best photo opportunities you will ever have, to fully appreciate the amazing landscape you’ll want to get down into the canyon and hike among the hoodoos. You can avoid some of the crowds by taking on the Fairyland Loop Trail. Winding through Fairyland and Campbell Canyons, the trail leads from one astounding view to another for the entire hike. You get up close and personal with the hoodoos, where you can appreciate their size and beauty one at a time, and then enjoy views across the canyons to take in the whole scene.
2. Chasm Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Climbing the 14,259 foot Longs Peak is one of the premier achievements for climbers in Rocky Mountain National Park, but that hike was a little out of our depth as day hikers (although it can be done in a day if you are into that kind of thing). Slightly more casual day hikers, however, can enjoy a long stretch of the same trail and end up at an amazing destination by hiking to Chasm Lake via the East Longs Peak Trail.
The small lake sits nestled at the base of the imposing east face of Longs Peak, which towers almost 2500 feet over your head. In early summer, there will still likely be chunks of ice floating in the freezing cold water. The hike ends at almost 12,000 feet in elevation, so you don’t want to fly in from your hometown on the coast and then attempt the hike the next day. If you are coming from sea level (or really anywhere below 5,000 feet in elevation), you’ll need 2-3 days to acclimate before you’ll be ready to do any of the more strenuous hikes in the park.
3. Big Spring Canyon/Squaw Canyon Trails, Needles District, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Canyonlands National Park is huge, covering three separate districts with different entrances and hiking opportunities. While you will definitely want to visit the many overlooks of the Island in the Sky District, and adventurous types will head to the backcountry of The Maze, the best day hikes can be found in the Needles district. For a solid loop hike that gives you a perfect overview of the different landscapes unique to this area, consider the Big Spring Canyon-Squaw Canyon Trails. You’ll get nice views of the surrounding beauty, and the chance to hike on varied terrain, including lots of navigating from cairn to cairn on bare rock. Needless to say, this isn’t a hike you want to do during the dog days of summer.
4. Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail/Jewell Trails, Mount Washington, New Hampshire
Hiking Mount Washington is one of the top challenges for day hikers in New England, with the distance and elevation gain being right at the limit of all but the most advanced hikers. The paths are steep and often carry you over loose rock, large boulders or sometimes just straight up. More disappointing is the fact that, when you reach the top, you won’t be greeted by solitude or the congratulations of a few fellow hikers. Instead, there’s a massive parking lot for everyone who has just driven to the summit that took you hours to climb. Still, the views are amazing and the large restaurant at the top doesn’t sound so bad once you are relaxing and eating a hot meal before making the trek back down. There are many ways to get to the top but we chose hiking the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail/Jewell Trail loop, taking the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail up and the Jewell Trail back down. The mountain is infamous for extreme weather at any time of year, so plan accordingly.
5. South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
The ultimate hike in the Grand Canyon is the long descent to the Colorado River and back, but it is highly discouraged for day hikers to attempt it. Still, you can enjoy the unique perspective of being inside the canyon by hiking halfway down the South Kaibab Trail and turning around at Skeleton Point. While not as well-known as the Bright Angel Trail, this hike is equally beautiful and less crowded. This is another hike that would not be pleasant mid-summer, so plan for the spring or fall, or at the very least, get a very early start on your day.
6. Emory Peak, Big Bend National Park, Texas
Emory Peak is the highest peak in Big Bend National Park, and since it is well within the reach of a reasonably fit day hiker (with the possible exception of the last twenty feet), it is definitely a must-do hike. The views are great all the way to the top, and even if you skip the final scramble to the very tip-top, you are rewarded with amazing panoramic views of the entire park and well into Mexico. We did this hike in January, and it was still fairly warm, so you can imagine what it might be like climbing in the heat of a summer afternoon. To really enjoy your visit, stay in the Chisos Basin campground so you can wake up and hit the trail without having to drive anywhere.
7. Gorge Trail, Watkins Glen State Park, Watkins Glen, New York
By far the easiest hike on the list, the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen State Park is also one of the most unique places we visited on our entire trip. The narrow gorge has walls of bare rock, carved by the fast moving current into amazing shapes. There are over a dozen waterfalls in the short span of the hike. Even the trail itself is part of the attraction, expertly built to blend into the gorge seamlessly, including several picturesque bridges. This one isn’t really off the beaten path, so you’ll likely encounter a more crowded trail than on the other hikes on this list. Try to go during the off-season and get an early start to have a little more elbow room.
8. Natural Entrance/Big Room Trails, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Another relatively easy hike, particularly if you enter through the Natural Entrance trail (which allows you to descend the 750 feet into the cave) and then take the elevator out. Once you get past the entrance, you will be in the depths of one of the largest caves in the world, and every few feet there’s a something new to take in. It is like exploring a completely alien landscape. The Natural Entrance Trail will eventually intersect with the Big Room Trail, which you can follow to see some of the most impressive rooms in the cave.
9. Pemetic Mountain/Jordan Pond Trails, Acadia National Park, Maine
Pemetic Mountain is one of the major summits in Acadia National Park, and the view from the top is one of the best in the park. Besides the incredible views of Jordan Pond and surroundings directly below, you can see virtually the entire park on a clear day. And while it is a tough hike, it is easily within reach of reasonably fit day hikers and won’t exhaust you for the rest of the day if combined with other sightseeing plans. We took the advice of Joe’s Guide to Acadia National Park and took the South Ridge Pemetic Mountain Trail to the top, then descended down the North Ridge trail, bearing left to stay on the Pemetic Northwest Trail, which takes you through the Bubbles Divide (where you can do side hikes to the top of either of the Bubbles, or both) and finally to an intersection with the Jordan Pond Trail. We followed this trail around the west side of Jordan Pond back to the beginning at the Jordan Pond House parking lot. The Jordan Pond House is an attraction unto itself, with beautiful views and excellent food. It’s a on the fancy side, so you might not want to walk in directly after a hike, but it would make for a nice post-hike meal if you can clean-up a bit first.
10. Wassen Peak, Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Located in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park, the Wassen Peak Trail is one of those trails that is scenic every step of the way, from the trailhead to the destination. In this case, the trail starts among a forest of Saguaro cactus. As it slowly climbs through the foothills of the Tucson valley, you get really cool views of the cactus forest from above, not to mention the entire Avra Valley and surrounding mountains. The scenery continues as new views open up towards the south. As you near the summit of Wassen Peak, panoramic views of the entire Tucson metro area come into view. It feels like you can see all of southern Arizona from the top.
