Lake Hikes

Amble past amber maples on Kittatinny Ridge as golden eagles and hawks soar overhead on this overnight loop. BY KATRINA ROSSOS

Sequoia National Park, California

Backpack into the heart of Sequoia National Park to the beautiful snow-melted Pear Lake in Tokopah Valley.

Follow this 9.9-mile loop through vibrant wildflower displays and past snow-fed streams to a huge alpine lake with unbeatable campsite views of Mount Meeker.

Explore 4.4 miles through old growth timber to a glacier-carved lake on this family-friendly hike in the Cascade Mountains.

Visit a lesser-known treasure of Harriman State Park on this 5.7-mile jaunt, which contours through hilly hardwood forest and along cascading creeks to a few peaceful ponds.

Walk 6.8 miles out and back on a rocky singletrack path into an intimate ravine streaming with cold, blue mountain waters. The hike ends at a quiet Appalachian high point.

A good spring hike, this 5.2-mile out-and-back strolls through the shade of old-growth forest to the peaceful banks of Lena Lake. The trail is snow-free most of the year.

Solitude rules on this 9.4-mile out-and-back hike along Little Kachess Lake to rock gardens ablaze with wildflowers,giant green forests, and a quiet lakeside hideout.

There are no car horns blowing on this pleasant 5-mile loop--just the therapeutic hum of mountain streams and a peaceful lake in the woods.

This 6.2-mile out-and-back follows the new Ira Spring Memorial Trail, which winds for 3.2 miles above Snoqualmie Valley, ending at picturesque Mason Lake.

This 8-mile backcountry trek serves up two mountain lakes, intimate views of Mount Rainier, and some off-trail scrambles in the Tatoosh Range.

This challenging, 6.8-mile out-and-back is a classic in spring when lush greenery and riotously colored wildflowers cover the Bay Area foothills.

See a remote part of the Goat Rocks Wilderness on this 16.8-mile loop, which passes a fine array of giant fir, Alaskan yellow cedar, and a smattering of larches.

Hike, ski, or bike a hidden pocket of sylvan wilderness just an hour from Manhattan.

Solitude. Fresh air. Big views. It all unfolds on this vigorous 5-miler along a lively mountain stream to the highest point in Hudson Highlands State Park.

This 12.1-mile loop skirts five reservoirs, cuts through forests of oak, hemlock, and birch, and gains 2,600 feet of elevation in 2,060-acre Middlesex Fells Reservation.

Loop 5.7 miles into shaded hollows and up the highest dunes on Lake Michigan's southern shore in Indiana Dunes State Park.

Wildflower pockets and piles of granite boulders punctuate this mellow 7.4-mile route to two alpine lakes with primo campsites.

Hike into the core of Indian Peaks Wilderness on this 13.6-mile overnight, which leads past waterfalls to a sunbleached valley and a sweet lakeside campsite.