| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Trail Mix: Great November Hikes in the East
Your region's go-now guide: Explore New York City, hike four states in 24 hours, and perfect days in NC, GA, and NH.
Trail Mix: East
Your region's go-now guide.
Rip & Go: West Rim Trail - Tioga State Forest, PA
Chase canyon vistas through stands of old-growth hemlock.
Local Hikes
Jump-start your hiking season on these spring-ready trips from around the country.
Readers' Choice 2012: Your Neck of the Woods - Northeast Hikes
Snag Big Apple skyline views, tackle four peaks in a day, rack up waterfalls, hike through history on the AT, and climb Vermont's highest peak.
A Piece of Quiet
America’s leading advocate of wilderness silence shows the way to Mt. Rainier National Park’s quietest corner. Plus: 9 more campsites with life-list listening.
Local Hikes: Northeast
Head out on one of these trails in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Local Hikes: Northeast
Paddle to Maryland's Assateague Island; pack an ice axe for the Presidentials.
Readers' Choice 2011: America's Best Hikes
The undisputed local experts—you—chose the top parks, trails, campsites, and weekend getaways from Alaska to Alabama.
Trip Finder: Northeast
Your favorite Northeast hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.
Readers' Choice: Northeast
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the Northeast.
Less is More: 50-Mile Thru-Hikes
Ten point-to-point treks with the payoffs of a thru-hike, but hikeable in a week.
Top 3: Rainy Season Hikes
Make the best of fall storms on trails that improve with soggy weather.
Best. Hikes. Ever.
We've covered 245,591 miles of trails in our 37-year history. Here are our 20 all-time favorite trips, plus—shocking!—20 routes we never covered.
Best Hikes Ever: Elk Trail, PA
Track through dense forests ringing with bugling.
Top 3 Rainy Season Hikes: Neshannock Creek, PA
Cast a fly to land lunker brown trout.
50-Mile Thru-Hikes: Loyalsock Trail, Pennsylvania
A 59-mile "long trail" through Pennsylvania.
Local Hikes: Philadelphia, PA
The best hikes near Philly.
Local Hikes: Northeast
The best hikes, as recommended by the best hiking clubs in the Northeast.
Natural Wonders: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Watch 10,000 birds take wing daily.
Natural Wonders: Giant Aspens, Devil's Tower, and Hawk Heaven
Visit the world's largest aspen colony, the Plains' highest skyscraper, and a raptor super-flyaway.
Top 3 Waterslide Hikes: Meadow Run, PA
Pass between waterfalls and mossy boulders for this long, gentle slide.
Top 3: Hikes to Natural Waterslides
Slip and slide into refreshing pools at these backcountry swimming holes.
Local Hikes: New Hikes Near You
Our army of reader-reader scouts mapped 59 local hikes from South Carolina to Northern California. See their favorites, then learn how to download tracklogs and waypoints.
Local Hikes: Northeast
Hike across a state, gain the country's best foliage view, and top alpine balds. (Click linked trips for GPS waypoints, photos, and more.)
American Classic: Hiking the Appalachian Trail
In this ultimate guide to the country's favorite footpath, you'll find our picks for the best hiking and camping, and a complete plan for thru-hikers. Plus, meet a man who has made it his job to help AT hikers.
Northeast Readers' Choice Hikes
A state high point, killer foliage, and a hike loaded with waterfalls
Readers' Choice Northeast Hikes: Ricketts Glen State Park, PA
22 falls in a one day. Need we say more?
Readers' Choice Northeast Hikes: Panther Gorge and Mt. Marcy, Adirondack Park, NY
Bag New York's high point and two other big peaks.
Readers' Choice Northeast Hikes: Bernard Mountain, Acadia National Park, ME
Hike to a crowd-free view of the ocean.
Readers' Choice Northeast Hikes: Vermont's Green Mountains Foliage
Ogle fiery color in the Green Mountains.
Readers' Choice Northeast Hikes: Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness
Explore the Appalachian Trail's wildest stretch.
Readers' Choice Northeast Hikes: Burroughs Range Loop, Catskill Mountain Preserve, NY
Scramble to the Catskills' highest peaks.
Top 3 Battlefield Hikes
Close your eyes and hear the bullets fly: These three routes pass through parks drenched in United States military history.
Undiscovered Hikes: 19 New Trails
Hike these paths before the masses find them.
Rip & Go: Pennsylvania's Appalachian Trail - From Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap
Trek to the New Jersey border along PA's finest section of the AT.
Hike It, Save It: Chestnut Ridge and Tracy Ridge, Pennsylvania
Oil drilling and vacation homes threaten on of the last Chestnut tree bastions, a 5,191-acre proposed Wilderness Area in the Allegheny National Forest.
Hikes and Trips in US Cities
Use our comprehensive city-specific pages to find hikes near your hometown or in a city you're planning to visit.
Trip Finder: Indian Summer Hikes
Fall camping season seems to go on forever with these fair-weather weekend trips.
The Long Trail to Jail
Is he a pilgrim, a victim, or a thief? The Appalachian Trail provides a path and refuge to all sorts of seekers. Few are as baffling as the man they called Saved.
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Gear List
We've got your Appalachian Trail packing list dialed. Here, take stock of what you'll need to thru-hike the trail. Just print it out and get packing.
Go Long In Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands
On this 70-miler, see rhododendrons by day and hike light by staying in shelters at night.
60-Minute Fixes: Pittsburgh
Hike, paddle, or ride in America's favorite steel town.
Time To Go: Winter Tracking
Hit the wilderness in search of beasts big and small.
Backpacking, Paddling, and Biking at the Delaware Water Gap
Foliage, lazy canoe waters, and high-ride hiking make the Delaware Water Gap a prime fall destination.
The Village: Tioga State Forest, Pennsylvania
Visit this scary state forest and let your imagination run wild.
Ricketts Glen State Park
This favorite Pennsylvania destination of our editors is filled with old trees, shale cliffs, wildlife and stunning wildflowers.
Best Backpacking In Pennsylvania
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania's Mid State Trail: Bears And Blueberries
Pennsylvania: You'll get wet and you may even stand in line behind a black bear or two.
When Pennsylvania Elks Bugle, Love Is In The Air
The ungodly wailing that sometimes drifts through the dark woods is only an animal.
Pennsylvania: Roaring Run Natural Area
A precious backcountry jewel amid the hardwood forests.
Delaware Water Gap, New Jersey & Pennsylvania
A peaceful rest stop in the shadow of the nation's largest city.
Black Forest Trail, PA
A 42-mile loop through America's version of the Black Forest.
Elk On Pennsylvania's Quehanna Trail
There are plenty of Bambi's brethren along the Quehanna Trail-if you know where to look.
Pennsylvania's Michaux State Forest
With all of the trail options in Pennsylvania's Michaux State Forest, it's hard to pick just one.
Pennsylvania's Hickory Creek Wilderness
Hickory Creek Wilderness in the Allegheny National Forest remains a great hiking destination all year -- even in winter.
Pennsylvania's Thunder Swamp Trail
Hiking through wetlands in Pennsylvania? Believe it.
