The Best Watchtower Hikes in the U.S.

These towers offer the best views in town, and you can hike to them.

Author:: Paul Chisholm
Updated:: Feb 14, 2017
Original:: Aug 5, 2014

Hurricane Mountain (NY)

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Over a thousand people made their home in Rausch Gap at its peak, but unproductive mines doomed the town to abandonment in 1910. Old foundations litter the townsite, which lies along the Appalachian Trail.[image: Joey Klein/Flickr]

These eerily beautiful ghost towns—complete with abandoned mines and train depots—add historical interest to nearby hikes.

Though a short trail leads you right to the lighthouse, the Heceta Lighthouse Trail is part of a larger 7-mile network with routes of varying difficulty. Hikers will see nesting sea birds, sea lions, and whales from atop a cliff near the lighthouse overlook. [image: Beau Rogers/Flickr]

These see-worthy beacons are just a day hike away.

The Wave offers a breathtaking cross-section of geologic history. Its rippling sandstone formations have been eroded by wind and water, and reveal the winds changing directions over time. Seeing this natural wonder may take some serious planning, though: to protect the Wave, the Bureau of Land Management limits permits to just 20 visitors per day. [image: Lobineau/Wikimedia]

Who says rocks have to be boring? You can hike and/or paddle to these 10 geological wonders.

Oregon's 500,000-year-old Mt. Hood is a picturesque stratovolcano that features popular climbing and skiing destination. While the last major eruption was in the 1790's, hot steam vents near Crater Rock and the magma detected three miles below the surface demonstrate ongoing volcanic activity. The 40-mile Timberline Trail (which circles the mountain) offers views aplenty. [image: Rachel Sandwick/Flickr]

Make like Frodo and climb one of these volcanically active peaks—no passport required.

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This trail is so haunted that Big Ridge State Park went ahead and named it accordingly. Hikers near the historic Hutchinson compound still claim to hear the panting of an approaching dog (though none can ever be found). Even spookier still, the ghostly silhouettes of family are said to appear in any photographs taken at the family cemetery. [image: Dieter Weinelt / Flickr]

Ghostly tales and unsolved mysteries will send a chill down your spine on these spooky hikes.

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These national park towns have everything you need start and finish your next adventure.

Who doesn’t want to soak at the foot of 14ers? Take a 8.5 mile hike to Conundrum Hot Springs outside of Aspen, Colo. for ridge views like this in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. [Photo by Wanderstruck / Flickr]

Reward your tired hiking muscles with a soak in these hidden hot springs.

For the ultimate dinosaur fix, check out the Fossil Discovery Trail at Dinosaur National Monument. Over 165 million years and 10 species of dinosaurs are jam-packed into this relatively short hike. Prepare to see dinosaur bones jutting out of the path’s surrounding rock faces, some belonging to beasts that would have weighed over 50,000 pounds in their heyday. The trail also contains fossilized squid, fish scales, and the remains of an ichthyosaur (think "dinosaur dolphin"). [image: Rob Glover/Flickr]

Want to feel young? Hike to some of the continent's coolest prehistoric sites.