Love hiking? If you really like hiking, then there are some hikes you must take in your lifetime. Creating a hiking bucket list is a great way to make sure you do all the hikes you want. These bucket list hikes are hidden in America’s National Parks. All you need to do is go check them out.
Here are some amazing hikes in National Parks that you must add to your hiking bucket list!
Skyline Trail: Mount Rainier, Alaska
This loop trail gets you up on the snowy, icy slopes of Mount Rainier, and you’ll also see lush wildflower blooms in summer. There are also excellent views of the park from this trail.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Mist Trail: Yosemite, California
You’re likely to get wet as you hike this trail from Yosemite Valley to Vernal Falls and then the even higher Nevada Falls. It’s also a way to reach the Cables Route on Half Dome, though you need a permit for that.
Difficulty: Moderate
Cathedral Lake-Echo Peaks Loop: Yosemite, California
Experts only! If you want to hike to Cathedral Lake, that’s fine. However, if you have a good map and some scrambling skills, you can head up slabs past the lake to an alpine plateau. From there, you can view, hike/scramble to, or climb the Echo Peaks. Return along an unofficial trail that takes you back to the main trail.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Bishop Pass: Kings Canyon, California
This one’s a little different than the rest on this list because it goes through the John Muir Wilderness and, after about 7 miles, reaches Bishop Pass on the border of Kings Canyon National Park. Along the way, you’ll pass lakes and peaks, and the scenery gets better and better as you get higher. At the pass, you can gawk at Dusy Basin, and if you have the strength left, you can hike up Mount Agassiz for views of the Palisades, the most spectacular alpine area of the Sierra Nevada.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Telescope Peak: Death Valley, California
Over 7 one-way miles, you’ll climb almost 3000’. The math disguises that some stretches are painfully steep. Telescope Peak is the highest point in Death Valley National Park. The trek up crosses different climate zones and takes you through a grove of bristlecone pines, the world’s longest-living organisms. From the summit, you get to look west to the Sierra Nevada, east across the Funeral Mountains into the Great Basin, and over 11,000 vertical feet below to the salt pan of Death Valley.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Grinnell Glacier: Glacier, Montana
Once this trail begins to climb, the spectacular scenery never stops. Eventually, you end up at Upper Grinnell Lake, where the Grinnell Glacier calves icebergs into the icy, silty waters in the summer. If you’re up for some extra adventure and have the skills, you can walk out onto the glacier itself. There’s also a boat shuttle that can cut off a couple of miles of hiking each way.
Difficulty: Moderate
Iceberg Lake: Glacier, Montana
If you can only do one hike in Glacier, this is the one. After a steep climb at the start, the rest is pretty mellow, and you’ll enjoy wildflowers and views of mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls the rest of the way. Finally, you reach Iceberg Lake, where ice floats for much of the summer while mountain walls more than 3000’ high provide a backdrop. There are also more bear sightings on this trail than on any other trail in the park, so take caution.
Difficulty: Moderate
Cascade-Paintbrush Loop: Grand Teton, Wyoming
A rugged ridge of peaks separates Cascade Canyon and Paintbrush Canyon, and you can go up one and down the other via Paintbrush Divide. You’ll see waterfalls, lakes, and jagged peaks. Negotiating Paintbrush Divide safely can require an ice axe into late summer, so check on conditions before you go. Car-to-car, the loop is about 23 miles, but you can shorten it to about 19 if you start from Jenny Lake and use the boat shuttle across and back.
Difficulty: Very Strenuous
Glacier Gorge to Sky Pond: Rocky Mountain, Colorado
Heading up Glacier Gorge takes you through some of this park’s best scenery. Ultimately, you end up at a windswept tarn called Sky Pond. Rising behind it is the Continental Divide. Rising directly above it are imposing spires such as Petit Gripon and the Sharkstooth.
Difficulty: Moderate
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