Wildflower Hikes

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

This 5.2-mile trail kicks off with a short albeit aggressive climb, then rambles through meadows that explode with wildflowers in the summer. Craggy mountain vistas abound.

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.

This scenic 4.2-mile hike in the Blue Hills Reservation loops under pines and passes by a rare Atlantic white cedar bog, home to 17 endangered species.

Walk 8.2 miles through blooming rhododendron patches and towering hemlock stands to a double-spouted waterfall in Chattahoochee National Forest.

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

Count five waterfalls--including one of Georgia's most scenic--on this 10.8-miler in Chattahoochee National Forest. Go midweek for more solitude.

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

Trek across vibrant wildflower meadows to two alpine lakes tucked into a rocky chasm below Mt. Massive on this 5.8 miler outside Leadville.

Hop off the bus for a 12.6-miler through red-maple swamps and old-growth forest filled with deer, grouse, and turkeys.

Take the Metro to this 4.8-mile loop, then soak up sunny ocean views from the foothills of Will Rogers State Park.

Pack light: This strenuous dayhike gains 3,000 feet in less than 3 miles, and offers in-your-face mountain views in Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

This 8.6-mile out-and-back is packed with attractions: roaring waterfalls, an alpine lake, and mountain views so awesome you'll go trigger-happy with the camera.

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.

You won't find gold on this 3.5-mile loop, but the hilly hemlock forests, the singing swans, and the sunbathing turtles at Bull Sluice Lake are priceless.

This challenging 10.4-miler climbs past lowland scrubs, a wildfire zone, and several campsites to a tall pine forest in Los Padres National Forest.

Climb an ancient ridge for views of a dramatic unglaciated Wisconsin landscape.

Link meadows to hilltops across Westborough’s open spaces.

Explore wooded bluffs and a dramatic limestone canyon on the way to a waterfall on this 4.8-mile riverside hike in Kankakee River State Park.