10 Trails to Cure the Winter Blues

This 3.9 mile round-trip offers low elevation gain but plenty of reason to crane your neck. You’ll be dwarfed by the world’s tallest trees, including the 367.8-foot Howard A. Libbey Tree, which is nearly twice the size of the Eiffel Tower.

On this 7.7 mile loop through the wilderness of the Northwest, winter wanderers are rewarded with views of 10 waterfalls—four more than 100 feet high. Image: Alaskan Dude / Flickr.

What better way to work off that holiday meal than by gaining 1,000 vertical feet over 3 miles? The payoffs are the wriggle-your-toes warm, semi-private pools—perfect for post-meal soaking.

Marvel at Wyoming’s hardy winter residents including elk, bighorn sheep, and mule deer on this 7 mile out-and-back. Bring some maple syrup and cups to make snow slushies along the way.

Follow a 300-million-year-old gulch through maples, oaks, and dogwoods on this 4.8 mile loop and keep your eyes peeled for naturally formed caves.

Check out Florida’s temperate hardwood forests and enjoy them in the cooler temperatures of winter on this 7.6-mile loop.

Check out the bucket list-worthy hoodoos of Bryce Canyon on this easy, 3-mile trek below sedimentary columns (often compared to church steeples and castle walls). Some tower 150 feet above the trail.

Beat the desert heat and rock-hop on this 2.2 mile out-and-back on the aptly named Ice Box Canyon Trail, famous for its cool temps. image: Forrest & Kim Starr / Flickr

Take in gorgeous frozen waterfalls on this 1.5 miler whilst winding through a deep gorge among towering maples and oaks.

No crowds, pleasantly cool temperatures, and stunning vistas make winter the perfect time to take the short, yet rewarding jaunt up to Powell Plateau.

Stuck inside longing for hot summer days? Never fear: you can—and should—hit these trails in winter.