Great hikes of America - Off Duty, travel - Navy Times

Great hikes of America

Ever since Lewis and Clark made their trek across the continent with Sacagawea, Americans have been moved to experience the variety of great-outdoors attractions available in the U.S. From redwood forests to Gulf Coast beaches, from Maui’s mountains to Alaska’s distant reaches, this land was made for lacing up hiking boots and launching down trails. Indeed, all 50 states — and even urban D.C. — have world-class trails to offer. Fifty-one of our favorites:

Alabama

The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail runs between Gulf State Park and Orange Beach, Ala., and is a series of flat, paved trails through marshland and forests. They’re handicapped-accessible. Bring binoculars to do some birding. Other wildlife you could spot: alligators, deer or the elusive bobcat.

www.alapark.com/gulfstate/trails

Alaska

A short hike in Alaska’s oldest national park on the Sitka National Historical Park Trail spotlights Native American and Russian history. The path winds among finely carved totem poles, towering Sitka spruce and through Shiskeenue, site of the fort where the Tlingit people weathered a Russian attack in 1804, and circles back along the Indian River with views of Sitka Sound.

www.nps.gov/sitk

Arizona

Red Mountain Trail, 30 miles north of Flagstaff, enters a wonderland of cinder hoodoos, slot crevices and small caves. Red Mountain, an orange-red cinder cone, appears as if its eastern flank has been hacked off by a knife, exposing a spectacular amphitheater. The 2.5-mile round-trip hike is family-friendly, but at 7,000 feet, it’s best from April through October.

www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino

Arkansas

The 233-mile Ozark Highlands Trail runs through some of the most scenic areas of the Arkansas Ozark Mountains and features streams, waterfalls, bluffs and vistas. Numerous access points along this National Recreation Trail make it suitable for weekend hikes to extended backpacking trips.

www.ozarkhighlandstrail.com/

California

Hike up Cinder Cone in Northern California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park and you don’t just feel like you’ve found a place of supernatural beauty — you think you may have landed on another planet. The trail to the top of the eerie brown cone is a tough 2 miles, because you’re hiking on sand and volcanic cinders. But the summit views — of such park landmarks as Lassen Peak and Fantastic Lava Beds — make all the work worthwhile.

www.nps.gov/lavo

Colorado

The Maroon Lake Scenic Trail near Aspen weaves through aspen groves to Crater Lake, an ice-blue gem. This trailhead is also the starting point for backpacker and day hikes to West Maroon Bell Pass. The trail meanders through forests, across scree fields, over streams and up switchbacks. Outfitters offer multiday hikes and horseback rides over the pass to Crested Butte.

www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriverwww.fs.usda.gov/whiteriverwww.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver

Connecticut

Spend roughly two hours hiking the loop trail in Weston’s 1,756-acre Devil’s Den Preserve and you’ll experience a distillation of the state’s woodland beauty. Covering a distance of 3.3 miles, the well-marked route takes you inside a leafy forest to a millpond that was built in the 1700s, through marshy patches, over mossy boulders and up to rocky outcroppings with unmarred country views.

www.nature.org

Delaware

The sight and sound of water have an unfailing ability to soothe, making the 5-mile hike on the Creek Road and Rocky Run trails of Brandywine Creek State Park a real antidote to workday stress. Starting at Thompsons Bridge, the hike combines an easy ramble along a broad, gravel path skirting the glasslike Brandywine Creek with a more challenging trek on rocky terrain that runs beside — and at one point crosses — a stream.

www.destateparks.com/park/brandywine-creek

District of Columbia

Tree-canopied Rock Creek Park provides a relatively temperate summer setting for a rugged constitutional. At more than 1,700 acres, the park has two main trails for serious hikers that incorporate hills, dales, brooks and waterfalls. Casual hikers should wander over on weekends, when Beach Drive, the main thoroughfare through the park, is closed to motorized traffic.

www.nps.gov/rocr

Florida

Scramble up the bluffs of the Suwannee River past sinkholes, rapids and waterfalls along a 40-mile segment of the Florida Trail that slips in and out of historic White Springs. Towering tupelos shade the footpath as it follows the river’s curves, where sandy beaches provide places to pitch a tent. Narrow and rugged, the palmetto-lined trail showcases the terrain of Suwannee at its best.

www.floridatrail.org

Georgia

Located on Lookout Mountain. Cloudland Canyon State Park is sliced down the middle by a dramatic gorge. Hikers can enjoy a picnic at the top (elevation 1,980 feet), then descend hundreds of perilous steps down Waterfalls Trail to the canyon floor (elevation 800 feet), where two waterfalls cascade into clear pools. Cloudland Canyon has four more hiking trails, from 2.5 miles through hemlock groves to 6.5 miles along Daniel Creek.

www.gastateparks.org/cloudlandcanyon

Hawaii

Maui’s natural splendor is best seen from the 2,500-foot peak atop Waihee Ridge Trail, a 5-mile round-trip hike through groves of guava and kukui trees with panoramic views of Wailuku and central Maui, the Kahakuloa slopes and Mount Eke. Go early to avoid cloud cover that may obstruct views. From Kahekili Highway (340), turn up Maluhia Road and drive about a mile. A sign on a fence marks the trail’s start.

www.hawaiitrails.org

Idaho

An easy hike for visitors of all ages and abilities, Tubbs Hill is a landmark in Coeur d’Alene. A 2-mile loop takes walkers on a forested peninsula that extends out into Lake Coeur d’Alene. Wildlife is abundant; you may spot deer, elk, moose, wild turkeys and quail.

www.visitidaho.org

Illinois

Escape the cornfields and flatlands of northern Illinois at Shawnee National Forest, where otherworldly boulders challenge hikers. Here, in Garden of the Gods Recreation Area, the trails are shorter but loaded with incredible views of old-growth forest, and 300-million-year-old rocks to climb. The sandstone has eroded into giant mushroom shapes, slivered canyons and more.

www.fs.fed.us

Indiana

East of the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center, choose the wide, sandy path to Indiana Dunes Nature Preserve. Enter black oak and maple forest and find dramatic dune country blowouts amid shifting sand hills. From the crest of high dunes, look out over vast Lake Michigan.

www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2980.htm

Iowa

Backbone State Park gets its name from a rocky ridge called the Devil’s Backbone. There isn’t much elevation change, so even casual hikers can enjoy the knee-knocking views across the treetops. Kids, especially, will dig it, though parents will want to hold on to the backs of their shirts as they peer over the edge.

www.delawarecountyia.com/backbone001.html

Kansas

In the Smoky Hills of central Kansas, the Rocktown Trail makes a 3.5-mile loop on the northern edge of Wilson Reservoir. The trail cuts through prairie grasses that bloom with wildflowers and yucca. In dry seasons, the water level can be low enough to explore the bases of the sandstone spires jutting up from the reservoir.

www.travelks.com

Kentucky

Ridge Trail follows the Kentucky border, running through the Cumberland Gap, which Daniel Boone blazed in 1775 to open the wilderness to settlers. East of Middlesboro off of U.S. 25E and U.S. 58 (the Daniel Boone Trail), the trail rises and falls from 2,000 to 2,500 feet in this 16.25-mile stretch from Pinnacle Overlook to Fern Lake Overlook.

www.backpackcamp.com/cumberlandgap.html

Louisiana

Six miles of all-weather trails wind up and down ragged ridges and ravines in Port Hudson State Historic Site. Hikers are led through Confederate breastworks at Fort Desperate and a wide variety of habitat, from swamp to climax hardwood forest. The short, steep uphills and downhills, unusual terrain for Louisiana, challenge flatlanders; pack plenty of water and insect repellent.

www.crt.state.la.us/parks

Maine

Few hikes in Maine offer such a rich taste of the North Woods as the 8.6-mile loop trek through the Gulf Hagas Gorge, with its series of dramatic tumbling falls, inviting swimming holes and sheer rock walls overlooking the West Branch of the Pleasant River. A memorable bonus is the path through the Hermitage: towering stands of virgin white pine that accentuate the silence all around.

www.visitmaine.com

Maryland

The 184.5-mile-long Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, which hugs the Potomac River, is Maryland’s largest and most visited national park. Tackle the “B” section of the Billy Goat Trail by entering near the Old Angler’s Inn in Potomac. Prepare for a gorgeous walk clambering over stones along the water.

www.nps.gov/choh

Massachusetts

The Blue Hills Reservation, with 7,000 acres, 22 hills and 125 miles of trails that run through Quincy, Dedham, Milton and Randolph, offers hikers a different experience each visit, and varied habitats — from forests to meadows, marshes to bogs. Great Blue Hill, at 635 feet, is the highest of the so-called hills and is home to the Blue Hill Observatory, a National Historic Landmark with fantastic views of Boston.

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/blue.htm

Michigan

On isolated Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, every trail is remote. But start with a day hike to Scoville Point. The 4.1-mile trail passes along the shoreline and through boreal forest. You have a remote chance of encountering a moose or wolf. The trail takes you past wildflowers and across massive rocks along the pristine lakeshore. On the return, you pass quiet Tobin Harbor, home to loons and their mournful calls.

www.nps.gov/isro

Minnesota

The Superior Hiking Trail follows the high, rugged ridge that runs along Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake. The 240-mile trail, which begins near Duluth and leads to the Canadian border, crawls up craggy hills and plunges into deep stream valleys, with plenty of scenic overlooks along the way. One of the most spectacular — and hilliest — routes begins in Silver Bay and ends 11 miles up the shore on Highway 1.

www.shta.org

Mississippi

Off the Natchez Trace Parkway about 20 miles north of Jackson, an easy half-mile hike on the Cypress Swamp Trail takes you through wetlands filled with tupelo and cypress trees. A wooden boardwalk rises above dark waters where you might see an alligator resting in the shadows.

www.nps.gov/natr

Missouri

Fourteen trails, ranging from one third of a mile to 6.5 miles, meander through wooded areas and alongside springs and brooks at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in central Missouri. The ruins of a turn-of-the-20th-century castle stand atop a bluff and can be accessed from one trail and viewed from others.

mostateparks.com

Montana

From the summit of the Going-to-the-Sun Road at the 6,646-foot Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, the Highline Trail ambles north through shoulder-deep beargrass, wildflowers and verdant hanging-garden meadows. En route to Granite Park Chalet, 7.6 miles away, hikers might encounter mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk and the park’s largest carnivores, grizzly bears. The trail usually opens by midsummer.

www.nps.gov/glac

Nebraska

At Toadstool Geologic Park in the state’s northwest corner, you’ll swear you’re on the moon. A seaside wetland about 30 million years ago, its bleached and barren rocks show footprints left by ancient horses, camels, tortoises, pigs and rhinos. Carved by the elements, toadstool-shaped rocks line the park’s easy, mile-long interpretative trail. Other than vault toilets, no comforts exist here, 17 miles northwest of Crawford on a gravel road, so remember to bring water.

www.visitnebraska.gov

Nevada

The view from atop 10,450-foot Liberty Pass may cause you to rub your eyes in disbelief at the sheer beauty of northeastern Nevada’s pristine Ruby Mountains. Liberty Pass and myriad alpine lakes are all within a few miles of the trailhead in Lamoille Canyon. If you have the time — about four days — take in all of the range’s wonders along the 37-mile Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail.

www.exploreelko.com

New Hampshire

Mount Chocorua, in the White Mountain National Forest, is for seasoned family hikers looking to step it up. From its bare, cone-shaped 3,500-foot summit, New Hampshire’s glory rolls out below with lakes, rippling mountains and a seemingly endless horizon. The initial gradual ascent along the Champney Brook Trail begins from a trailhead about 10 miles west of Conway on the Kancamagus Highway before a final push around craggy ledges to the glorious summit along the Piper Trail for a 7-plus-mile round-trip journey.

www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain

New Jersey

On a transitional zone between two ecosystems in central Jersey, Cheesequake State Park has one of the most diverse geographies in the state. The park boasts five color-coded trails, including the popular Green Trail. In just 3.5 miles, hikers tackle inclines, see open fields, Atlantic white cedar swamps, marshlands and a 150-year-old white pine tree stand.

www.njhiking.com

New Mexico

Combine the ancient (Anasazi culture) with the modern (a road-worthy vehicle) on the 16-mile, spine-rattling dirt-and-gravel road to Chaco Culture National Historic Park. Your reward is magnificent views of the remains of multistory pre-Columbian communities and cryptic petroglyphs scattered along 6 miles of canyon floors. Hiking trails loop sandstone mesas and probe hundreds of rooms once occupied by this thriving pueblo culture, which flourished from the mid-900s to the mid-1100s.

www.nps.gov/chcu

New York

The remote Adirondacks are the state’s top location for hiking, and the southern portion has the best mix of challenges and scenic spots. For an easy route with a great payoff, the trip up Bald Mountain is steep but short (2 miles round trip). The 8.5-mile round trip up Black Mountain near Lake George has a 1,100-foot vertical rise and even more stunning view. Novice hikers can head to Cascade Lake, an easy 5-mile walk with a waterfall detour.

www.adk.org

North Carolina

Panoramic views are the exception in East Coast hiking, but on a 2.5-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail north of Roan Mountain, they’re the rule. Starting from Carver’s Gap on the North Carolina/Tennessee line, head north on the AT and in a third of a mile, you’re on top of Round Bald. Continue another half-mile — keeping an eye peeled for the goats that keep the area mowed — and you reach Jane Bald. A mile and a half beyond you is 6,100-foot Grassy Ridge Bald.

www.appalachiantrail.org

North Dakota

Golden eagles soar on thermal updrafts as mule deer, elk and antelope graze near the Little Missouri River’s muddy waters and coyotes stalk prairie dogs along the Maah Daah Hey Trail. The rugged Badlands challenge hikers to explore rolling grasslands, steep cedar-lined draws and splendid vistas atop towering buttes along this 97-mile trail between the U.S. Forest Service CCC Campground south of Watford City and Sully Creek Campground near Medora.

www.mdhta.com

Ohio

One of Ohio’s hiking gems is Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a 33,000-acre network of scenic trails between Cleveland and Akron. The lush green woodlands, laced with ravines, gorges, ledges and meandering streams, offer more than 140 miles of trails. The 1.8-mile Ledges Trail is the most popular, with its rock formations and box canyons.

www.nps.gov/cuva

Oklahoma

In the southeastern quadrant of the state, Robbers Cave State Park offers 26 miles of hiking trails, including the three-quarter-mile Robbers Cave Trail. Scramble up some smooth rock inclines, check out the cave said to have been used by outlaws Belle Starr and Jesse James, then climb to the cap rock for a great view of the park. The trail loops back to the trailhead, taking you by the stone corral where the outlaws hid their horses.

www.oklahomaparks.com

Oregon

Hikers have pounded a path where the Deschutes National Forest chose not to build one in the central Oregon Cascades west of Bend. Take the trail a half-mile from Broken Top trailhead, then follow the boot track through open country north along Soda Creek to the southeast shoulder of Broken Top volcano.

www.fs.usda.gov/centraloregon

Pennsylvania

The Pine Creek Gorge lives up to its name as Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon. At about 50 miles long and more than 1,000 feet deep, the gorge offers impressive views of the Pennsylvania Wilds region’s wildlife and old-growth forests. The Turkey Path in Leonard Harrison State Park winds past waterfalls as it descends a mile to the canyon floor.

www.dcnr.state.pa.us

Rhode Island

Imagine a hike along rocky cliffs with the pounding Atlantic on one side and some of the most famous mansions in the world on the other: That’s what you’ll find on the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk in Newport, unique for being a National Recreation Trail in a National Historic District. Start at Memorial Dive at Easton’s Beach; paved pathways lead past Marble House with its Chinese Tea House and the Breakers. As you head further south, you’ll tread the natural rocky coastline on cliffs 70 feet high.

www.gonewport.com

South Carolina

Hiking boardwalks through eerie cypress swamps teeming with gators and opulent gardens of azaleas, camellias and biblical plants is not your typical walk in the woods. But Magnolia Plantation & Gardens is a journey through South Carolina history in a heavenly setting. Photograph colossal ivory magnolia blossoms on towering trees. Stroll over the red bridge and watch great blue herons gliding like ballerinas. Amble along the serene Ashley River while listening to Civil War tales.

www.magnoliaplantation.com

South Dakota

The Narrows Walking Trail leads to one of the most spectacular and historic views of the Missouri River corridor. Lewis and Clark explored the “big bend” of the Missouri. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe recently established a walking path to a summit overlooking “the narrows.” Find it about 4 miles north of the community of Lower Brule.

www.lbst.org

Tennessee

A favorite hike in the 124,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area northwest of Knoxville ends at the rustic Charit Creek Lodge. The strenuous, 4.6-mile Twin Arches Loop Trail features spectacular rock formations, and at trail’s end, you can lunch at the lodge or spend the night if you have reservations.

www.nps.gov/biso

Texas

Guadalupe Mountains National Park lies 110 miles east of El Paso in dusty West Texas. The park offers 80 miles of hiking trails ranging from bunny slopes to tough climbs. One of the most challenging — and rewarding — is the 8.4-mile trek to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in the state at 8,749 feet. The trail climbs 3,000 feet and is demanding, but there’s no rock climbing and the view from the top is breathtaking.

www.nps.gov/gumo

Utah

At the Zion Narrows at Zion National Park, the 16-mile trail is the Virgin River. Hikers walk, wade and swim, surrounded by the soaring rock walls of the gorge — up to 2,000 feet deep and sometimes only 20 feet wide. Check the weather conditions; the hike is safest when the river is low and warm, but flash floods are always a danger.

www.nps.gov/zion

Vermont

The Mount Independence State Historic Site, overlooking Lake Champlain in Orwell, contains several miles of secluded hiking trails that meander through old-growth woodland and open fields. Here, in 1776, American citizen-soldiers built a fort used during the Revolutionary War. Mount Independence, which includes a museum, has been described as one of the best-preserved archeological sites of the war.

www.historicvermont.org

Virginia

Each year, more than 100,000 people scale Old Rag’s summit on the northern end of Shenandoah National Park, affording 360-degree views. The shorter Ridge Trail includes a hair-raising rock scramble near the top. Hike Weakley Hollow Road to the Saddle Trail for a less-crowded approach.

www.nps.gov/shen

Washington

There’s nowhere on the continent where you’ll find more waterfalls than on the one- to two-day, 26-mile backpack trip into Olympic National Park’s Enchanted Valley. The tally? 1,000 cataracts and counting. No joke.

www.olympicpeninsulawaterfalltrail.com/enchanted-valley

West Virginia

The 78-mile Greenbrier River Trail in southeastern West Virginia is adjacent to the Monongahela National Forest, Seneca State Forest and Watoga State Park. Part of the state’s system of converted rail trails follows the Greenbrier River, allowing for swimming and fishing, too.

www.greenbrierrailtrailstatepark.com

Wisconsin

Think of Wisconsin as a mitten, and head to the tip of the thumb. Hop two ferries to Rock Island State Park, where no cars or bikes are allowed on the 10 miles of trails that pass sandy and stony beaches, dolomite cliffs and clumps of evergreens, a lighthouse and stone water tower. The biggest surprise: sturdy Viking Hall and its massive stone fireplace, walls of windows and hand-carved oak furniture.

www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/rockisland

Wyoming

The majority of people who visit Yellowstone National Park never leave developed areas. That leaves wide-open spaces and inspirational points largely unseen. The Mystic Falls Trail, accessed from the Biscuit Basin parking lots, offers views of the Upper Geyser Basin, as well as the 70-foot cascading falls.

www.nps.gov/yell