If you enjoy hiking, you’ll love the national parks in the United States for all the hiking opportunities they offer. These National Park hikes are great and definitely something you should try at least once in your life.
The parks span the Arctic to the tropics, and although every hiking trail in them is worth doing, some produce memories that last a lifetime.
The following 12 range from easy to extremely strenuous, but they all earn five stars for the scenery and the experience, and you can do each one in a day!
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’ll likely get wet as you hike this trail from Yosemite Valley to Vernal Falls and 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 seven 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
Angels Landing: Zion, Utah
After seemingly endless, steep switchbacks, the real challenge begins. You have to travel the narrow ridge to the summit, where incredible views up, down, across, and around Zion Canyon await. The Park Service has installed cables to help people navigate this section, from which many have fallen to their deaths.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Virgin River Narrows: Zion, Utah
This “hike” is actually up the river from the road’s end at the Temple of Sinawava, and you need to be a strong swimmer since the water can be deep and swift. The water is always cold, and the canyon is always shaded. Still, you’ll see the best of the Narrows if you can tough it out and make it a few miles upstream to the confluence of Zion Canyon and Orderville Canyon. That includes 1000’ canyon walls so close you can almost reach them with both arms.
Difficulty: Moderate
15 Must-Dos on Your Next Trip to Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border makes a lot of lists of the most beautiful places in America. There’s also a lot to do there, with a wide range of outdoor recreation, great dining, resorts, nightlife, and more. If it’s your first time going or if you’re going back, consider adding some of the following places to your itinerary.
15 Must-Dos on Your Next Trip to Lake Tahoe
The World’s 5 Friendliest and 5 Unfriendliest Cities
Some cities welcome visitors and want them to be there. Other cities are rude to visitors and would just as soon see you leave. It can be jarring to be in an unfriendly city, though some of the world’s most enticing cities rank high on the rudeness scale.
Visiting a friendly city makes it much easier to soak in the culture and meet the locals. Rough Guides readers voted on the cities for their level of friendliness. According to Rough Guides, these are the world’s friendliest and unfriendliest cities.
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