Skip to Content

Our 5 Favorite Hikes in the USA! (A Non-Exhaustive List, Obvs)

By: Author Alisha McDarris

Posted on

Sharing is caring!

The Terradrift giveaway is on! Enter here for a chance to win over $1,000 in outdoor gear!

Here at Terradrift, we’re hikers first (even though we are also obsessed with backpacking and mountain biking). And as such, we’ve explored nearly every corner of the wide and wonderful landscape known as the U.S. Along the way, we’ve found some magical trails (including paddle trails) from coast to coast (including in Hawaii and Alaska). Naturally, there are millions of trails around this massive country, and we obviously haven’t hiked even close to all of them. We haven’t even hiked in every state (though we’ve been to almost every state)! But of the places we have laced up our vegan hiking boots, these are some of our favorite hikes in the USA!

Best Hikes in the USA

Grand Canyon
Ribbon Falls off the North Kaibab Trail.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: Rim-to-Rim (3-6 days)

Plenty of people head to the Grand Canyon to hike, but few venture all the way to the bottom to experience the magical view and riparian landscape along the Colorado River. Even fewer attempt to hike rim-to-rim (or rim-to-rim-to-rim). That’s where you start at one rim (we started at the less popular North Rim) and hike all the way across the canyon to the other (in our case, the South Rim). You can do it as a one-way if you line up a shuttle or do a long out-and-back to reduce the complication. Read all about our experience here.

The bottom of the canyon is spectacular, but we wouldn’t recommend going all the way down and back in one day unless you’re super fit, have trained for the intense up and down, and are visiting in cooler seasons where temps at the bottom DON’T reach 120ºF. Read about our rim-to-rim hike HERE.

Sipping coffee at the campground on Isle Royale National Park.

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan: (3-7 days)

While not the easiest national park to get to, especially if you get seasick, spending a few days hiking or backpacking on this island in Lake Superior is worth the effort (and probably the hurling overboard, though we didn’t do that, so it’s hard to say…). If you do get seasick, you can also pay more to take a sea plane instead. But hiking, camping, and backpacking here is a lovely experience, especially if you love waterfront campsites and views of lakes that look like oceans.

You can hike the length of the island on a single trail (but you’ll have to make an effort to coordinate ferry transfers) or connect a series of loops to create you own multi-day itinerary, but whatever you choose will be memorable. There are even lodges on each end of the island if you’d prefer not to camp every night. Read all about our experience on Isle Royale HERE.

Backpacking on Catalina Island.

Catalina Island, CA: Trans Catalina Trail (3-4 days)

Who knew a little strip of rocky island off the coast of Southern California could be so magical? Anyone who’s been to Catalina Island, I guess. Which as of last year, includes us. There’s just something about the roaming bison, uncrowded trails, rocky cliffs and big ocean views that makes for a multi-day hiking experience like no other.

You’ll have to take a ferry to get to the island and make sure you schedule your hike so you can also take the ferry back, but it’s not nearly as convoluted a process at on Isle Royale and the ferry trip is much shorter. Frankly, we can’t wait to go back. Read all about our experience on Catalina Island HERE.

Reveille Peak Ranch.
The View from Decision Point at Reveille Peak Ranch.

Hill Country/Central Texas (Day Hikes)

If you haven’t heard, I wrote a guidebook: Hiking in Texas Hill Country! Where is Hill Country? More or less in central Texas near Austin and San Antonio, both of which make excellent bases of operation for day-hikes and/or backpacking trips in the region.

Hill Country is a special place with unique hiking opportunities, including picturesque overlooks, shady glens, wildlife, wildflowers, fall colors, and my favorite: swimming holes. Colorado Bend State Park, Reveille Peak Ranch, Lost Maples and Hill Country State Natural Area are some of our faves. Here is a list of five of my faves from the guidebook.

a hiker snowshoes near Salt Lake City with pines and mountains in the background.
A wintery trail to Red Pine Lake outside Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City, UT (Day Hikes)

I fell in love with hiking in Salt Lake City before moving here last fall and I’m still crazy about it. Though I mostly hike near our home in Ogden, I love taking the short drive south to explore the even bigger mountains. These SLC trails were completed in winter, but they’re just as lovely any other time of year. My fave might be Red Pine Lake, a strenuous hike up to a lovely alpine lake surrounded by pines, and not mentioned in that list (it’s better done in summer) is Mount Timpanogos, a beauty of a hike (plan for it to take 8-12 hours).

Keep in mind trailheads can get busy on weekends any time of year, so plan ahead and arrive early. They are near a city center, after all! Weekdays are always a safer bet if you want a guaranteed parking spot.

Bottom Line

There are approximately a bazillion amazing hikes around the U.S., and narrowing it down to 5 is basically impossible, but these are some of our standout favorite hikes in the USA through the years and trails and parks well worth visiting. So pick one or pick ’em all, then get out there and wander on!