From a two-mile stroll in North Carolina to a 2,600-mile trek along the Pacific Crest, these hikes have had the most profound impact on our trails columnist—and will change your perspective on the country.
Grayson Haver Currin – OutsideOnline.com
I turned down this assignment the first time my editor mentioned it.
Pick the 10 most beautiful hikes in the United States? By this point in my still-brief hiking life, I’ve logged a few cumulative years in tents on trails themselves and in a van at trailheads in all 50 states. But still, I couldn’t imagine the difficulty of selecting 10 that felt the most epic, immersive, stunning, or however it is you want to begin setting the parameters of “beautiful.” In fact, while I’ve had bad days on trail, I’ve rarely encountered a “bad trail,” or one that didn’t change or at least charm me in some way.
And then there was the vainglory of the exercise: No matter how many National Scenic Trails I’ve thru-hiked, day hikes I’ve logged, or summits I’ve reached, there’s always more. My selections remain just a sliver of my individual experience.
Black Elk Peak, South Dakota
➡️ Length: 7–13 Miles
⏱️ Duration: One day
⛰️ Elevation Profile: You’ll almost always be climbing or descending, but the grades are mostly accommodating.
📍 Best Trailhead to Start From: Sylvan Lake Parking Lot
💛 Why We Love It: In a region rich with geologic oddities, this uplifted zone of ancient granite possibly lets you see into five states.
🥾 For Fans Of: Learning about difficult history, the idea that there’s more to South Dakota than prairie, skipping Mount Rushmore
Coyote Buttes North: The Wave, Arizona
➡️ Length: 6–10 Miles
⏱️ Duration: One day, given you’ve secured a permit
⛰️ Elevation Profile: You’ll feel the steady and occasionally steep climbs on a sunny day, but there’s nothing too crazy here.
📍 Best Trailhead to Start From: Wire Pass Trailhead
💛 Why We Love It: Within a few miles, you can begin to understand the surreal and surprising intricacies that are so abundant in the Southwest.
🥾 For Fans Of: Deep oranges, color-field painting, perfect photos
The First 30 Miles of the Florida Trail, Florida
➡️ Length: 30.6 Miles
⏱️ Duration: 2–3 Days
⛰️ Elevation Profile: It’s southern Florida, as flat as a flounder
📍 Best Trailhead to Start From: Oasis Visitor Center, Big Cypress National Preserve
💛 Why We Love It: This adventure will be the stuff of your dreams forever, from nightmares spent escaping an alligator underwater to fantasies where you remember the glory of reaching the interstate and finding a shower.
🥾 For Fans Of: Flirting with mortality, asking yourself “What the hell, man?,” grinning like a goof
The Grand Canyon: Rim-to-Rim, Arizona
➡️ Length: 20–30 Miles
⏱️ Duration: 1–3 Days
⛰️ Elevation Profile: Hey, at least the several thousand feet of downhill and uphill on either side are broken up by a nice canyon stroll.
📍 Best Trailhead to Start From: North Kaibab Trailhead, so you can indulge in burgers and beer on the South Rim when you’re done.
💛 Why We Love It: Not only will it be a feat of personal endurance, but it will also change your perception about how dynamic time and space can feel.
🥾 For Fans Of: T-shirts that commemorate lifetime achievements, bragging rights at parties, very steep but slow roller coasters
Lost Coast Trail, California
➡️ Length: 25 Miles
⏱️ Duration: 2–4 Days
⛰️ Elevation Profile: You’ll see steep terrain nearby, but you won’t be climbing too much of it. This is mostly gentle.
📍 Best Trailhead to Start From: Mattole Beach Campground
💛 Why We Love It: In California, some of the country’s best nature has been bent to society’s will; here, engineers just gave up.
🥾 For Fans Of: Salt spray kisses, black sand beaches, elephant seal calls
Max Patch, North Carolina
➡️ Length: 1.5 miles
⏱️ Duration: 1 Hour
⛰️ Elevation Profile: You’ll likely stroll right up it, even the few bits that seem steep.
📍 Best Trailhead to Start From: Max Patch Road
💛 Why We Love It: The shortest walk here offers one of the grandest glimpses of Appalachia anywhere.
🥾 For Fans Of: Little walks to big views, jokes about Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, lessons in crowd control