This 18.7-mile weekend trip starts with a 2,700-foot climb up Snowbird Mountain then descends and climbs again to Max Patch, an old homestead and logging camp.

Multiple peaks, steep climbs, and open meadows highlight this 40.6-mile trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

This 30.3-miler in the Great Smokies leads to picturesque panoramas including Charles Bunion, a popular 5,736-foot bald.

En route to four 6,000-foot summits, this 7.8-mile bushwhack travels the crest of wooded ridgeline above the Blue Ridge Parkway.

On this 5.6-miler, see the rare granite domes and lively waterfalls that earned this Nantahala National Forest valley the nickname "Yosemite of the East."

Hike a 6.9-mile loop past raging waterfalls to the lonely ridges of North Carolina's Upper Piedmont for sky-high views in South Mountains State Park.

This 13.2-mile loop is classic Smokies: free-flowing creeks, wide valley views, and hardwood forests peppered with long-abandoned homesites.

This 7.3-mile out-and-back has all the highlights you expect from a Smokies outing: trailside streams, old-growth timber stands, and a raging waterfall.

Paddle 7 miles up the Wailua River to secret waterfalls, hidden swimming holes, and one of Kauai's best rope swings.

This 5.4-mile out-and-back has it all: 5-star camping, superlative swimming, and picture-postcard scenery along a patchwork of lakes in Tahoe National Forest.