| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Trail Mix: Central
Your region's go-now guide
Trail Mix: Central
Your region's go-now guide.
Readers' Choice: Southeast
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the southeast.
Trip Finder: Great Plains
Your favorite Great Plains hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.
Our Backyard: Black Hills National Forest
Explore the wildest corner of the Great Plains.
Readers' Choice: Great Plains
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the Great Plains states.
Secret Hikes: Badlands
Ever dreamed of exploring another planet? Hike here.
Secret Hikes of the National Parks
The perfect dozen: Embark on one of these 12 treks, and turn America's most iconic preserves into your own private paradise.
Midwest Readers' Choice Hikes
Mississippi river vistas, ocean-size grasslands, and guaranteed solitude.
Readers' Choice Midwest Hikes: Nachusa Grasslands, IL
Explore a vast, trail-free prairie.
Readers' Choice Midwest Hikes: Aurora Borealis Isle Royale NP, MI
See the country's best light show.
Readers' Choice Midwest Hikes: Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK
Bushwhack into what very well might be the quietest spot in America.
Readers' Choice Midwest Hikes: Effigy Mounds National Monument, IA
Climb to views of the mighty Mississippi River.
Readers' Choice Midwest Hikes: Ice Age Trail, WI
Thru-hike one of the country's least-known National Scenic Trails.
Midwest Reader Map Team
Readers' Choice Midwest Hikes: Garden of the Gods to Lusk Creek Canyon, Shawnee NF, IL
Hike the River-to-River Trail over rugged ridges, through narrow canyons, and into small caves.
Rip & Go: Sage Creek Loop - Badlands National Park, SD
Explore off-trail in a wilderness with more bison than boot prints.
Insider's Guide to Peaks
Think you know all there is to know about these famous peaks? Get an insider's guide right here.
The Peak: Harney Peak, SD
Explore South Dakota's 7,242-foot high point in a weekend or a day.
Trip Finder: Indian Summer Hikes
Fall camping season seems to go on forever with these fair-weather weekend trips.
Top 3 CCC Trails
The Civilian Conservation Corps is turning 75—so celebrate right by hiking its classics.
Quick Fix: South Dakota's Black Hills
Learn where to bag peaks, visit hidden cold water lakes, and trek through the eroded wonder of Badlands National Park in our Black Hills primer.
Backpack, Bike, and Climb in the Dakotas
You'll never confused Plains with plain after exploring these hard-changing hiking, biking, and climbing routes.
3 Ways to See: The Dakotas
Think the Dakotas are just endless prairie? Get ready for climbing, backpacking, and biking of the highest order.
High Points: Harney Peak, South Dakota
Traveling to this point will leave you at a loss for words.
Best Backpacking In South Dakota
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in South Dakota.
Prairie Hiking: Wide-Open Spaces
It's the easiest hiking on Earth, and you get to sleep with buffalo, listen to coyotes sing, and bask in quiet so deep you can hear the grasslands growing. Welcome to the prairie.
Quest For The Jackalope
Is the legendary jackalope the most endangered species in the Lower 48 or just an old cowboy tale that refuses to die?
The "Perfect" Trip
Out of mistakes, miscues, and unexpected turns in the trail, we find the perfect trip.
South Dakota: Black Hills Gold
History and nature intertwine when you hike South Dakota's stunning Black Hills.
