Lifestyle

The Best Hikes In All 50 States

By Joe McGauley, and Wil Fulton

Published on 5/7/2015 at 6:58 PM

Each and every state offers its own special slice of majesty, and if you aren't doing everything you can to see them all in their glory, you're blowing it. To make it a little easier, we've rounded up the best-rated hiking trails in each state.

And to help cull the list into a formidable hiking guide, we sourced the most popular trails according to AllTrails.com, whose complex, proprietary trail-rating algorithm weighs 15 different factors to determine the hottest outdoor excursions from Alabama to Wyoming. So, without further ado, read up, and take a hike dammit.

Alabama

Walls of Jericho
Where: Estillfork
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 7 miles
Features: Some rugged terrain, with caves and waterfall backdrops; watch out for snakes.

Alaska

Flattop Mountain
Where: Chugach National Forest
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Length: 3 miles
Features: Spectacular views from a snow-capped mountain range.
 

Arkansas

Lost Valley Trail 
Where: Ponka
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 2.3 miles
Features: A 53-foot waterfall and multiple swimmin' holes.

Arizona

Camelback
Where: Echo Canyon Park
Difficulty: Strenuous 
Length: 2.2 miles
Features: Intense, short and steep, but ends with a scenic view.

California

Eaton Canyon Falls Trail 
Where: Eaton Canyon Park
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 3.4 miles
Features: Popular, fun, Southern California hiking staple.

Colorado 

Maxwell Falls
Where: Arapaho National Forest
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 5.3 miles
Features: Lush forest and multiple waterfalls; great for beginners.
 

Connecticut 

Ragged Mountain Preserve Trail
Where: Berlin
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous 
Length: 6.1 miles
Features: Rocky and steep in parts, comes with stellar views and a scattering of ponds and lakes.

 

Delaware

Whitely Farms
Where: White Clay Creek State Park
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 6 miles
Features: Forests, meadows, and some surprising inclines along the way.
 

Florida

Wekiwa Springs Loop Trail
Where: Apopka
Difficulty: Easy
Length: 13 miles
Features: Lengthy, extremely accessible, and not too far from Disney World.

Georgia

Blood Mountain
Where: Blairsville
Difficulty: Extremely Strenuous
Length: 8.4 miles
Features: Scary name, even scarier terrain; Georgia end of the Appalachian Trail; experts only.
 

Hawaii

Diamond Head
Where: Honolulu
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 1.6 miles
Features: A quick, tropical trek with tremendous vantage points.

Idaho

Tubbs Hill
Where: Coeur d'Alene
Difficulty: Easy
Length: 2 miles
Features: Laid back, popular trek with plenty of wildlife.
 

Illinois 

Cap Sauers and Swallow Cliff Loop
Where: Palos Park
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 4.8 miles
Features: Well-maintained, beautiful scenery; close to Chicago.

Indiana

Clifty Falls State Park
Where: Madison
Difficulty: Strenuous 
Length: 14 miles
Features: Extensive, gorgeous trails with awesome caves and killer views.
 

Iowa

Ledges State Park
Where: Boone
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 4.5 miles
Features: Very well-traversed trails with beautiful bluffs.

 

Kansas

Elk River Hiking
Where: Elk City
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 15 miles
Features: Scenic, rugged, and a far cry from the Prairie.
 

Kentucky

Natural Bridge and Hood Branch Trail
Where: Slade
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 5.4 miles
Features: Cool views, rustic bridges, and interesting rock formations abound.

Louisiana 

Hooper Road Park
Where: Baton Rouge 
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 10 miles
Features: Well-maintained paths with varying elevations; good for people looking to get serious about hiking. 

Maine

Tumbledown Mountain
Where: Weld
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 4.3 miles
Features: Short, semi-leisurely trek with gorgeous lake views. 
 

Maryland

Billy Goat Trail
Where: Potomac
Difficulty: Strenuous 
Length: 4 miles
Features: Interesting rock scrambles and a stellar view of the Potomac River.

Massachusetts 

Purgatory Chasm Trail
Where: Sutton 
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 1 mile
Features: Quick, scenic route littered with amazing chasms and plenty of picnic spots.

Michigan

Potawatomi Trail
Where: Gregory
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 17.5 miles
Features: Lakefront views; a scenic beach.

Minnesota

Lebanon Hills Regional Park
Where: St. Paul
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 2.5 miles
Features: Lots of wildflowers, and you can easily re-route from different subsidiary trails to create a 9-mile loop.

Mississippi

Clark Creek Primitive Trail
Where: Woodville
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 2.6 miles
Features: Multiple beautiful waterfalls; leashed dogs allowed.

Missouri

Lone Wolf Trail at Castlewood State Park
Where: Ballwin
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 1.5 miles
Features: Panoramic views from the top of the bluffs.

Montana

Grinnell Glacier Trail
Where: West Glacier
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 5.5 miles
Features: Sweeping views of the glacier; wildflowers galore.

Nebraska

Indian Cave State Park
Where: Shubert
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Length: .5 to 7 miles
Features: A variety of different interconnecting trails, caves, and Adirondack shelters with fire rings.

Nevada

Calico Tanks Trail
Where: Red Rock Canyon
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 2.5 miles
Features: Stunning views; a ton of rocks.

New Hampshire

Mount Major Trail
Where: Belknap
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 3.4 miles
Features: Great views of Lake Winnipesaukee​ from the summit, wild blueberries along the route, and dogs are allowed.

New Jersey

Peanut Leap Trail
Where: Alpine
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Length: 5 miles
Features: Views, waterfalls, and ruins.

New Mexico

Tent Rocks Slot Canyon Trail
Where: Cochiti Pueblo
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 3 miles
Features: It's a sacred religious site filled with wild rock formations.

New York

Breakneck Ridge Trail
Where: Cold Spring
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 9.6 miles
Features: Great views, and on particularly clear days you can see the NYC skyline.

North Carolina

Looking Glass Rock Trail
Where: Pisgah Forest
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Length: 6.4 miles
Features: Great for both views and dogs.

North Dakota

Maah Daah Hey Trail
Where: Sentinel Butte
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 99 miles
Features: Rivers, wildflowers, and lots of wildlife.

Ohio

Grandma Gatewood Trail
Where: Logan
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 10 miles
Features: Caves and a waterfall.
 

Oklahoma

Turkey Mountain Yellow Trail
Where: Tulsa
Difficulty: Easy to Strenuous
Length: 4.5 miles
Features: Great views and a mix of alternate trail options.

Oregon

Multnomah Falls Trail
Where: Bridal Veil
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 2.6 miles
Features: Magnificent views and a variety of trails along the gorge.

Pennsylvania

Glen Onoko Run Trail
Where: Jim Thorpe
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 2.1 miles
Features: Impressive waterfalls and caves.

Rhode Island

Breakheart Loop
Where: Exeter
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 6.3 miles
Features: Pond views and incredible foliage.

South Carolina

Table Rock Trail
Where: Pickens
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Length: 4 miles
Features: Breathtaking views and great waterfalls.

South Dakota

Sylvan Lake Harney Trail
Where: Custer
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 7 miles
Features: Miles-long views from the top of majestic rock formations.

Tennessee

Alum Cave Bluffs Trail
Where: Gatlinburg
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 5.5 miles
Features: Lots of interesting rock formations, including a concave cliff.

Texas

North Shore Trail
Where: Flower Mound
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 12 miles
Features: Well-maintained grounds, lake views, and a variety of terrain.

Utah

Donut Falls Trail
Where: Sandy
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 2.9 miles
Features: A beautiful waterfall at the end.

Vermont

Sunset Ridge at Mansfield Mountain
Where: Underhill
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Length: 5.7 miles
Features: Fantastic views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountain range.
 

Virginia

Old Rag Trail
Where: Sperryville
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 8.9 miles
Features: Like a "jungle gym for adults," with crazy awesome views at the top.

Washington

Rattlesnake Ledge
Where: North Bend
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length: 4 miles
Features: Great views of Rattlesnake Lake.

West Virginia

Maryland Heights
Where: Harpers Ferry
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Length: 5.3 miles
Features: Lots of great views and dotted with Civil War fortifications.

Wisconsin

Devil's Lake State Park
Where: Baraboo
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 6 miles
Features: Fascinating geological formations and a spectacular lake view.

Wyoming

North Rim At The Grand Canyon At Yellowstone
Where: Yellowstone National Park
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 3.8 miles
Features: Breathtaking views of the canyon and waterfalls.