A lot of websites rank the best hiking trails in the USA. They all vary, and they are all generally based on the opinion of one person. All Trails’s ranking system is based on tens of thousands of reviews by real people who hike trails across America. If you want to hike one or all of these highly ranked trails, then read all about them below. You can also use the website links to plan entire vacations around these hikes.
Things to Pack When Hiking Trails in the USA
- Water!! Whether you use a hydration backpack or carry bottled water, make sure to pack plenty of water when outdoors! The visitor centers at each national park have water filling stations.
- Sunscreen – Protect your skin from the sun, and do not forget to reapply.
- Hat – More sun protection to block the sun from your face
- Hiking shoes/boots – Some of the hikes are on steep, slick rock, and people wearing regular tennis shoes struggled to keep their footing. Here are the men‘s version of the hiking shoes I love.
- Hiking socks – The best way to prevent blisters is by keeping your feet dry. Moisture-wicking socks are the best way to do that.
- Backpack – A backpack is a necessity when hiking to carry your water, snacks, sunscreen, etc. that you may need on your longer hikes.
- RTIC Soft-Sided Cooler – Keep your drinks and sandwich stuff cool in this cooler.
- Jacket – Even in warmer months, the temps can be cool in the mornings and evening so pack a light men’s or women’s jacket.
- Printed Maps/Directions – Cell service is spotty, so I recommend you print maps/directions or download offline maps to all hiking trails and parks you plan to visit.
1. Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden
- Park – Bryce Canyon National Park
- State – Utah
- Trail Length – 3.0 miles
- Elevation Gain – 652 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Moderate
- Route Type – Loop
- Fee – $35 per vehicle or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – None
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
Many people flock to Bryce Canyon to see the unique concentration of hoodoos in the Bryce Amphitheater. There are many viewpoints to see the rock formations from a distance. However, if you want to walk amongst the hoodoos and quick up close and personal with them, then Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden Combination Trail is the perfect trail for you. You can begin the trail at either Sunrise or Sunset Point. Wall Street and Twin Bridges are the two sections of Navajo Loop that lead to the bottom of the canyon. Once you reach the bottom, you will experience the towering hoodoos along your path. This is why this is ranked one of the best hiking trails in the USA.
2. Angel’s Landing
- Park – Zion National Park
- State – Utah
- Trail Length – 4.3 miles
- Elevation Gain – 1,827 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Hard
- Route Type – Out and back
- Fee – $35 per vehicle or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – Permits are required to hike Angel’s Landing Trail. Jun-Aug, Sept-Nov, Dec-Feb, and Mar-May
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
Angel’s Landing may be one of the most epic hikes in the USA, but I will never know because it seems too scary for me. I do not need to hike death-defying trails that are on the edge of cliffs as high as 1,000 feet! The trail gets so narrow that hiking posts and chains have been installed as extra support. Once you get to the end of the trail, you will get magnificent views of Zion Canyon. If you decide you want to hike this trail, make sure to apply for a permit when you are planning on traveling to Zion National Park.
3. Devil’s Bridge
- Park – Red Rock State Park/Coconino National Forest
- State – Arizona
- Trail Length – 3.9 miles
- Elevation Gain – 528 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Moderate
- Route Type – Out and back
- Fee – $5/day or $15/week Red Rock Pass or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – None, however you must take a shuttle to the trailhead Thursdays thru Sundays.
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
When I think of Sedona landmarks, Devil’s Bridge is what comes to mind. This trail is 4.2 miles roundtrip with the first mile being fairly easy and the second mile more difficult with some vertical rock scrambling. There are two ways to hike this trail: one is along a jeep trail along Dry Creek Road and is awful, and the other is a nice walk that starts at the Mescal Trailhead. This trail is extremely popular, and I recommend arriving to the trailhead very early. Even when we arrived before 6 am, we still had to wait over an hour for our turn to walk out onto the natural bridge.
4. Skyline Loop
- Park – Mount Rainier National Park
- State – Washington
- Trail Length – 5.6 miles
- Elevation Gain – 1,778 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Hard
- Route Type – Loop
- Fee – $35 per vehicle or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – Timed Entry Reservation required for Sunrise Corridor from July 11 – September 1 and weekends and holidays the rest of the season.
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
Skyline Loop in Mount Rainier National Park is one of the best hiking trails in the USA because it has a little bit of everything: a volcano, glacier, waterfall, switchbacks, wildflowers, and clear views of the surrounding area. On a clear day, it is possible to see Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Hood. If you do the hike counter clockwise, you will come to Myrtle Falls shortly after leaving the parking lot. After you pass Myrtle Falls, you can either continue along the official trail or take a short cut across the Golden Gate Trail to reduce the trail length by 0.5 miles. Once you get to the top, you will be able to enjoy views the rest of the way especially at Panorama Point and Glacier Vista. The full trail is generally only open mid-July to mid-October due to snow levels.
5. Emerald Lake Trail
- Park – Rocky Mountain National Park
- State – Colorado
- Trail Length – 3.2 miles
- Elevation Gain – 692 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Moderate
- Route Type – Out and back
- Fee – $35 per vehicle or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – Timed Entry Reservation required for the park. Make sure to get the Timed Entry + Bear Lake Corridor Permit to get to this part of the park. Permits are required from 5am – 6pm from Memorial Day Weekend to approximately mid-October.
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
Between the timed entry permit and the shuttle bus, Emerald Lake Trailhead is not the easiest to trail to get to. But it is one of the best in Rocky Mountain National Park which explains the craziness around getting there. Even though the trail is called Emerald Lake, the hike passes by 3 other alpine lakes. The trailhead starts at Bear Lake, and you can extend your hike by 0.7 miles walking around this lake. You will pass Nymph Lake and Dream Lake before finally arriving at Emerald Lake. When we came in July, Emerald Lake was still half frozen and surrounded by snowy mountains.
6. Vernal and Nevada Falls via Mist Trail
- Park – Yosemite National Park
- State – California
- Trail Length – 6.4 miles
- Elevation Gain – 2,208 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Hard
- Route Type – Out and back
- Fee – $35 per vehicle or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – Yosemite requires a timed entry permit between mid-June and mid-August.
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
Vernal and Nevada Falls is one of the best hiking trails in the USA, but it is probably best hiked in the spring and early summer. By late summer and fall, the snow has mostly melted and the waterfalls in Yosemite National Park have dried up. After you cross the footbridge over Merced River, you will come to the intersection of the loop. I suggest going left straight to Vernal Falls, so you can walk up the Grand Staircase. Be prepared to get wet from the spray of the waterfall. If you want to shorten your hike, you can take the shortcut at the top of the Grand Staircase and cut out Nevada Falls. However, hiking to the top of Nevada Falls is pretty epic, and I would not recommend skipping it.
7. Rattlesnake Ledge Trail
- Park – N/A
- State – Washington
- Trail Length – 5.3 miles
- Elevation Gain – 1,430 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Moderate
- Route Type – Out and back
- Fee – N/A
- Permit Requirements – N/A
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
Rattlesnake Ledge Trail starts in the parking lot at Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend, Washington. At the first viewpoint, you can get great views of the turquoise lake below and the surrounding mountain ranges. Continue walking through the dense forests and along the switchbacks on the side of the mountain. The trail eventually leads you to two viewing ledges: Rattlesnake Lower Ledge and Rattlesnake Upper Ledge.
8. Trail of Ten Falls
- Park – Silver Falls State Park
- State – Oregon
- Trail Length – 7.4 miles
- Elevation Gain – 1,181 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Moderate
- Route Type – Loop
- Fee – $10 per vehicle
- Permit Requirements – N/A
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
If you are a fan of waterfalls, this will be one of your best hiking trails in the USA. The full loop will take you by 10 epic waterfalls. Every waterfall on the Trail of Ten Falls is an impressive waterfall. Half the waterfalls are over 100 feet tall, and you can walk behind 4 of them. The trail takes you along the South Fork Silver Creek and North Fork Silver Creek along the canyon trail. After you walk out of the canyon, you will finish the loop at the top of the canyon along Rim Trail. If 7.4 miles is too long for you, there are a couple cutoff trails that will shorten the overall hike. But you will also be cutting off some amazing waterfalls.
9. Avalanche Lake
- Park – Glacier National Park
- State – Montana
- Trail Length – 5.9 miles
- Elevation Gain – 757 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Moderate
- Route Type – Out and back
- Fee – $35 per vehicle or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – Glacier National Park has implemented a new timed-entry reservation system that starts mid-June 2025 for the Going to the Sun Road and North Fork areas of the park.
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
Avalanche Lake is one of the best hiking trails in the USA, and as luck would have it, you do not need to access the Going to the Sun Road to get to the trailhead. Going to the Sun Road is only open during the summer and because of its popularity, you must obtain a timed entry reservation. The hike begins with the Trail of Cedars and follows Avalanche Creek along most of the trail. When you get to the foot of Avalanche Lake, do not stop there. Continue to walk around the lake for better and better views of the lake and surrounding snow-capped mountains.
10. Scout Lookout
- Park – Zion National Park
- State – Utah
- Trail Length – 3.6 miles
- Elevation Gain – 1,122 feet
- Difficulty Rating – Hard
- Route Type – Out and back
- Fee – $35 per vehicle or free with America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- Permit Requirements – N/A
- Websites to Help Plan Your Trip:
If you cannot get a permit to Angel’s Landing or do not want to hike the narrow path along the high cliffside, then Scout Lookout may be your best option. This trail is actually part of the full Angel’s Landing Trail. To proceed after Scout Lookout is where you will need to show your Angel’s Landing Permit. The most notable and challenging part of the hike is Walter’s Wiggles, a series of 21 switchbacks that leads to Scout Lookout. This lookout has amazing views of Zion National Park and is worth hiking to even if you opt not to do the Angel’s Landing part.
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