Long Draw, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO
Even locals hardly know about Hesse Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC, this secluded spot is the perfect nature get away to explore.
In 2014, fewer than 400 backpackers ventured below this deep, narrow canyon’s rim. Any of the park’s steep routes will deliver you to riverside solitude, but we like how Long Draw’s single site guarantees you’ll be alone with the plentiful trout and rushing river (after descending 1,800 feet in a mile). Infonps.gov/blca