Summit Hikes

Experience thru-hiking fever (and New England hardwoods) on this section of the historic Long Trail across Glastonbury Mountain. BY RYAN WICHELNS

Get the closest to the Alps without leaving the States—by traversing the Presidentials, including Mt. Washington, in winter. BY RYAN WICHELNS

Take a breather from hiking the Presidentials and take in New Hampshire's White Mountains from a whole new perspective.

We've got your picks for the best after work, day-long, and overnight trips near Beantown, including the White Mountains, Blue Hills, and more.

Climb the peak with the infamous moniker "Home of the World's Weather" in winter.

This 14-mile shuttle hike winds tranquil wooded slopes to five peaks over 3,400 feet in a remote section of the Catskills. Off-trail experience and navigation skills required.

Escape the crowds on the Catskill High Peaks with this 5.6-mile bushwhack to the range's highest trail-less summit. Compass skills required; hiking poles recommended.

Hoof it up more than 2,000 feet over 2.3 miles on this leg-burner up Bear Mountain for huge, arcing vistas over Sedona's redrock wonderland and the lush Verde Valley.

Hike 6 miles to an island of green space nestled in L.A.'s suburbs, then climb steeply to panoramic views of the nearby San Gabriel mountains and the Hollywood Hills.

Discover solitude again on this quiet, mostly forested 6.4-mile trek up a wrinkled Appalachian mountain to a delightful babbling brook. Bring tree ID book.

This steep 7.8-mile hike climbs through deep forest and alpine tundra to the summit of one of New Hampshire's famed Presidentials for views as far as Maine.

This 9.8-mile out-and-back day hike or overnight explores a lesser-known corner of Slide Mountain Wilderness while summiting two rugged peaks taller than 3,800 feet.

Climb past cascading waterfalls, alongside rocky ledges, and over three exposed summits on this 7.8-mile loop, which offers some of the best views in the White Mountains.

A steep climb of 3,700 feet in 3.6 miles gains a firetower lookout with spectacular views of Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, and Mount Stuart.

This 7.3-mile loop hike takes you up a steep, rocky trail to an exposed, treeless summit that's the southwesternmost high peak in the White Mountains, and one of the prettiest.

This challenging 2,000-foot climb coils through 7.9 miles of mixed forest then unloads killer views from the tops of two favorite local peaks.

A stiff climb is rewarded with Lord-Of-The-Rings-like views on this 8.6-mile, berry-strewn trek.

This 5-mile round-trip route to Munds Mountain offers postcard-quality views of Sedona's famed red rocks.

A 3,000-foot gain in 3.4 miles delivers landscape-painting vistas of pastoral valleys and idyllic California hamlets on this 6.8-mile round-trip.

Camp under sharp peaks and sharper stars on this 4-day, 20-mile tour along the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park. Summits, swimming holes, and trout abound.

Climb two peaks, then return through an abandoned village on this historic 6.2-mile loop in Bear Mountain State Park.

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

Hike lonely trails filled with Yosemite-like granite formations in Lost Creek Wilderness on this 15.4-mile out-and-back up the Retirement Range's highest peak.

Experience the many moods of the chaparral and wildflowers in bloom en route to an unnamed summit on this 6.8-mile hike in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

This 8.3-mile lollipop loop quickly ascends 2,500 feet into the coastal hills; bring your camera to capture striking above-the-fog seascapes.

First, check out the petroglyphs; then climb 2,500 feet to the state high point on this popular 11.6-mile out-and-back in Chattahoochee National Forest.

This 9.6-mile out-and-back has quad-bustingly steep inclines and hairy downhills, but features long, magnificent views from Sugarloaf Mountain.

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 rigorous but rewarding 9.8-mile out-and-back on the Pacific Crest Trail climbs more than 2,000 feet to a summit with splendid high-desert views.

Hike 4.6 miles up the quieter, less-traveled west side on one of the mountain's oldest trails, alternating between forested scrambles, old streambeds, and exposed rock ledges.

Get climbers'-eye views on this adventurous ramble to the peak's base--or summit--on this 3- to 5-day trip.

Enjoy soaring views from open ridges on this easy-access overnight.

Climb up 2,200 feet to breathtaking views of Washington's most prominent mountain ranges--the Olympics and Cascades--on this 4.8-mile out-and-back.

Escape the city's bustle by leaving the mainland. This 10.4-mile loop explores the crowd-free hills and beautiful gardens of Santa Catalina Island.

This 5.8-mile loop takes you through a 400-year-old forest to summit the highest Bay State peak east of the Berkshires.

Sample two long paths on a 5.8-mile figure-8 loop through hemlock groves and along churning creeks to an AT shelter in Chattahoochee National Forest.

Hike one of SoCal's highest peaks on this 10.4-miler that serves up magnificent views and plenty of high-country beauty in Mt. San Jacinto State Park.

Bag three peaks and bird's-eye views of Boulder on this tour of the Flatirons. Bring a few extra energy bars: This out-and-back gains 5,000 feet in 11 miles.

This gentle 4.8-mile climb strings through the thick woods of Pawtuckaway State Park to a fire tower lookout with four-star mountaintop views.

KENNEDY MEADOWS to TUOLUMNE MEADOWS: The highlight reel of this 209-mile section includes three national parks, several high passes with heavenly views, two stunning wilderness areas, and not a single road. Option: Detour up Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the Lower 48.

Tour three 14,000-foot peaks (and one unranked 14er) on this loop in the Mosquito Range.

Solitude rules on this remote trek through wildflower meadows to a skyscraping post above the rugged backcountry of the San Juan Mountains.

A stout 3,382-foot climb up scree-filled gullies ends with rewarding sights on this solitary Sangre de Cristo summit.

Bag a rugged fourteener on this 20.8-mile lasso loop linking shady evergreens and long sunny scrambles to a beautiful peak high above the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.

Drawn-out switchbacks lead past jumbled boulder gardens and old mining ruins to a sweeping finale above the high tundra. Post-trip bonus: Soak in the steamy baths at Princeton Hot Springs.

Lasso two 14ers in 3 hours during the most moderate (and popular) 5-mile ascent you'll find in Colorado's Front Range.

Follow this popular route up a long, gentle ridge to gain intimate views of the Tenmile Range and the Continental Divide.

See for yourself why early explorers and painters adored these beautiful peaks. This trip highlights two classic routes to the double crowns of the Front Range.

Discover meadows rich in Civil War history and climb two peaks with views of Atlanta on this 10.4-mile loop.

Head up to a ridge overlooking the Hudson Valley and Catskills, and return through beaver and berry country.

Native ruins and red-rock views are the main attractions on this 3-mile climb up a Sedona-area mesa.

Want to get higher than a Hollywood star? Shoot up 5,400 feet and scrape the sky on SoCal's tallest peak on this 13.2-miler in San Gorgonio Wilderness.

You'll find plenty of choice skyline views on this 4.6-mile dayhike to the top of Piestewa Peak, one of Phoenix's famous Seven Summits.

Test your physical stamina on this 13.4-miler over rugged terrain with wild elevation challenges. The reward: vistas, hoodoos, and petroglyphs.

Stand in three states, then summit a wooded peak while passing the highest hill in Connecticut on this 4-mile dayhike in the Taconic Mountains.

Take a weekend for this 21.8-miler, which features a stout 3,000-foot climb up into the foothills and mountains of the San Rafael Wilderness.

Wooded lakeshores. Civil War hotspots. A giant granite mountain. This 7.4-mile hike tops out with peerless views of rolling green Piedmont from the summit of an open dome east of Atlanta.

You'll climb nearly 1,300 feet and bag two neighboring peaks by the end of this 7.1-mile lasso loop in Phoenix Mountains Preserve.

The views over SoCal and the Pacific keep getting better and better during this 2,000-foot climb to the Main Divide of the Santa Ana Mountains.

Head to the dark hills of Black Rock Mountain State Park for a 6.3-mile loop along soothing mountain streams to lookouts with classic Appalachian views.

Catch killer views of Big Bear Lake and hike a short leg of the Pacific Crest Trail on this 7.8-mile out-and-back to an 8,200-foot peak.

This 11.8-miler traces the Appalachian Trail along an idyllic ridgeline to New Jersey's highpoint, 60 miles from Manhattan.

This 8.4-mile out-and-back gains 2,500 feet to unbeatable desert-to-ocean views over the San Jacinto Mountains.

Loop 8.3 miles through coastal sage and eucalyptus to views of mountain-ringed beaches and the Pacific Ocean.

Bag four peaks all over 8,000 feet along this 13.8-mile out-and-back with two short off-trail summit scrambles.

Travel across lush forest, grassy meadows, and exposed alpine slopes to the rocky crown of Grays Peak on this 67-mile section of the Continental Divide Trail.

This 11.8-mile dayhike links quiet forests and wildflower-filled meadows to a broad mountaintop overlooking Lake Dillon.

Compared to its jagged neighbors, this 13,000-foot summit is one of the easier peaks (no technical scrambling required) to tick off in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Navigate an obstacle course of countless log steps, steep rock slabs, and giant boulders on this 2.8-mile hike to a small summit overlooking Boulder.

This 9-mile out-and-back charges up Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts.

This 3-mile off-trail route leads to Slims Peak, a 7,000-foot summit with 360-degree views of the Mojave Desert and Sierra Nevada.

Ascend two rigorous saddles on this 6.3-mile out-and-back up to the unsung Mount Markham and panoramas of the San Gabriels and L.A. basin.

Test your limits on this New York backcountry challenge.

Bag one of the highest peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Take a ridgeline walk to views of the Boston skyline.

Climb over the picturesque north face of Mount Wilson, the site of a historic observatory, on this 11-mile loop in L.A.'s San Gabriel Mountains.

Explore the ruins of historic taverns and watch clouds roll over two 8,000-foot San Gabriel peaks on this 14-mile out-and-back in the Cucumonga Wilderness.

Only 20 miles north of Atlanta, Sawnee Mountain Preserve offers a maze of wooded trails that wander past abandoned gold mines to overlooks of Blue Ridge peaks.

Looking to tag a life-list summit without queuing up? Pass on Half Dome, and opt for the 12-mile climb to Yosemite's unsung granite peak.

Ascend razor-thin ridgelines and scramble up sheer rock faces on this 10.7-mile loop to Strawberry Peak, one of the most challenging summits in the San Gabriel frontcountry.