A country as large and as beautiful as America is lucky to have a huge diversity of hiking trails through many different landscapes of all kinds of lengths and difficulty levels. Here, we’re looking at some of the most epic of them, based on a combination of length and great scenery (so this is not just a list of the longest).
Some can be done in a day, but others are best done over at least two or three days. Several can take weeks or months if you’re going to do them all in one go.
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)
This trail and the next two are what people call the “Big Three” and they’re on many a long-distance trekker’s bucket list. The PCT covers 2,653 miles and runs from California at the Mexican border to Washington at the British-Columbian border.
Highlights are the Cascade volcanoes and the Sierra Nevada, especially the stretch from Half Dome in Yosemite to Mt. Whitney in Sequoia National Park, a stretch also called the John Muir Trail. Many seek just to hike that section, which still can take up to two weeks.
Continental Divide Trail (CDT)
The CDT is the wildest and the longest of the Big Three, and it runs for 2,700 to 3,150 miles depending on the exact variations taken. Its northern end is at the Canadian border in Montana’s Glacier National Park, and the southern end is at the Mexican border in New Mexico.
If the whole thing isn’t for you but you want a slice of it, try the Highline Trail. There are two, one in Glacier and the other in Wyoming’s Wind River Range.
Appalachian Trail (AT)
The fabled AT runs for 2,200 miles through 14 Eastern states. Because of its proximity to so many large population centers, it receives far more yearly traffic than the other two in the Big Three do.
The southern end is at Springer Mountain in Georgia, and the northern end is at Mount Katahdin in Maine. The AT crosses the summits of many of the highest mountains in the East.
Ice Age Trail, Wisconsin
How can a trail in Wisconsin stretch for 1,300 miles? Here’s how, during the Ice Age, a vast ice sheet spread into what today is Wisconsin, and the Ice Age trail roughly follows the southern edge of that ice sheet, which scientists have defined from geological evidence left behind.
Chilkoot Trail, Alaska
This trail runs for 33 miles and crosses the mountains separating southeastern Alaska and Canada’s Yukon. Historically, it was an important route for gold prospectors and transport since it connected the gold fields of the Yukon with the Pacific coast.
Wonderland Trail, Washington
This is a 93-mile trail that encircles Mt. Rainier in the national park of the same name. It’s a strenuous trail with a lot of elevation gain and loss. If you get a good run of weather, you’ll see this iconic mountain from perspectives most people never do.
Telescope Peak Trail, California
This is a day hike for almost everyone, but it’s a strenuous one at 7 miles each way and with significant elevation gain. There are scenic views of the Death Valley salt pan almost the entire way, as well as sweeping views of the desert mountains in the vicinity.
You’ll also get views west to Mt. Whitney and other peaks of the Sierra Nevada’s crest. The summit is more than 11,000 vertical feet above Death Valley, and near the summit is a grove of gnarled, polished bristlecone pines, which are the world’s longest-living organisms.
Chinese Wall, Montana
The Chinese Wall is a limestone escarpment often around 1,000’ tall that runs for about 40 total miles deep in the vast Bob Marshall Wilderness. The longest continuous, defined stretch is 12 miles long.
It’s on the Continental Divide, and it’ll take a minimum of two days to get there and another two to get back out, though you’ll probably want to spend an additional day or two exploring the area.
Teton Crest Trail, Wyoming
The full length of this trail high in Wyoming’s most famous mountains is 40 miles. It starts south of Grand Teton National Park, but many choose to easily access it from inside the park by riding a tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain.
The northern end of the trail is at String Lake in the park. If you don’t have time for the whole thing, do the Cascade-Paintbrush Loop, one of the best hikes in the country. It’s about 23 miles long, and about half of it (and the best parts) is part of the Teton Crest Trail.
Glacier Trail, Wyoming
The Wind River Range is the highest in Wyoming and one of the longest.
On the Glacier Trail, which is about 20 miles each way and will require at least three nights in the backcountry, you start with a lung-bursting ascent to a high pass, drop down past a string of pretty mountain lakes, and then start gradually ascending again up a mountain valley graced by a stream with a whitish color from glacial silt.
Finally, you end up at a moonscape at the base of the large glaciers that define the heart of the range, and you’ll get a lot of views of Gannett Peak, the highest mountain in the range, and Wyoming.
Frontier Creek and Wiggins Fork, Wyoming
If you’re after solitude, raw wilderness, and adventure, you’ll love this journey in the vast and untamed Absaroka Range. Beware, though, that the area is thick with grizzly bears and that you must know how to behave in their world.
Start by going up Frontier Creek from the Double Cabin Trailhead north of Dubois. After about 8 miles, the trail disappears, but keep following the stream into a lovely alpine basin that has two lakes, the lower and easier to get to being Green Lake.
Then work your way up steep talus slopes to a high notch in the mountain wall to the east. Descend to Emerald Lake below and follow Wiggins Fork back to Double Cabin. Note that there are several stream crossings on this leg and that none are easy.
Keyhole Route, Colorado
This is the most-used route up Longs Peak, the highest peak in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Some people do this as an overnighter, but most start the 8-mile route with 5,000’ of elevation gain as early as 2 A.M. to reach the summit and be back to tree cover no later than noon when thunderstorms become an almost-daily risk.
Some parts of this route involve rock scrambling and significant exposure.
Colorado Trail
For 486 miles, this trail runs from northern Colorado into the southwestern part of the state, ending at Durango. Parts of it are concurrent with the CDT, but enough of it isn’t that the Colorado Trail is not just a leg of the CDT.
West Rim Trail, Utah
The best way to hike this 14.5-mile trail is to go from north to south as a day hike. The first half, which starts at Lava Point in the northern part of Zion National Park, has a mountainous feel, but then it starts getting closer to the spectacular sandstone formations Zion is famous for.
At Scout Lookout, you can take the spur up to Angels Landing, and there are cables installed on the narrow, exposed ridge to help you stay safe as you head to the summit (people have fallen to their deaths here). Finally, the trail winds its way down to the floor of magnificent Zion Canyon.
Zion Narrows, Utah
This is the most unique hike on this list because almost every step of the “trail” is the Virgin River. For the full Narrows experience, you start outside Zion at Chamberlain Ranch, and many people do this as an overnighter.
Most, though, start at the southern end of Zion Canyon and hike a few miles up to where the canyon is narrowest and the walls are highest. Even in summer when water levels are at their lowest, you can expect to have to swim in some sections, so be ready for that.
Rim to Rim, Grand Canyon
This Arizona classic connects the North Rim and South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Because the North Rim is higher, most people start this 24-mile trek from there. The North Kaibab Trail descends 6,000’ in elevation in 14.3 miles to the Colorado River.
Then the Bright Angel Trail climbs 4,500’ over 9.6 miles to the South Rim. The South Kaibab Trail is shorter, but it’s steeper and there’s no water, whereas you can usually find water at certain spots along the other two trails. Some can do the whole thing in a day, but most do it over one or two nights in the canyon.
South Rim Trail, Texas
In all, this loop trail high in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend is nearly 13 miles. There are sweeping views of the mountains and desert, including far into Mexico. An option that adds a little time and effort is hiking up Emory Peak, the park’s high point.
The full routing is manageable over one long, tiring day, but many people prefer to spend a night or two out there and take their time.
Presidential Range Traverse, New Hampshire
This is the premier trekking adventure in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Over 19 miles, this hike with lots of us and downs visits 13 summits, many of which are above timberline. This includes Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast.
Great Range Traverse, New York
The Great Range is a subrange in New York’s Adirondacks. It’s a loop of a little over 25 miles with massive amounts of elevation gain. In all, it reaches 11 summits, one of which is Mt. Marcy, New York’s highest peak.
Cedar Run-Hawksbill-Whiteoak Canyon, Virginia
This is another of the few on this list that almost everyone does as a day hike. It’s around 11 miles round-trip, with a little under 3000’ of elevation gain, so it’s strenuous. From the lower end of the Cedar Run Trail in Shenandoah National Park, hike up to Skyline Drive at Hawksbill Gap.
Then hike up to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain, the park’s highest peak. Return to Cedar Run and take a horse trail connecting it with Whiteoak Canyon. Then descend back to the car over 3 miles. In all, you’ll pass 7 waterfalls and have some of the best mountain views in the park.
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