The U.S. contains innumerable unique landscapes for scenic hiking. Whatever climate and terrain backdrop you’re looking for in your next adventure, it can all be found without a passport.
Just a drive away
Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
Mammoth Cave
- Something special: the world’s longest discovered cave system (426-plus miles)
- What you’ll see: wild turkey, white-tailed deer, cave bats, passion flower, tulip poplar trees, cave stalactites and stalagmites
- Car-ride from Columbus: ~4 hours, 30 minutes
- Top trails:
- Less strenuous: Heritage Trail Loop
- Challenge: Mammoth Creek First Creek Trail
- Nearby: Battle for the Bridge Historic Preserve
Natural Bridge State Park, VA
- Something special: 200-foot-tall Natural Bridge in the middle of the park
- What you’ll see: green heron, water snakes, Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains, red-tailed hawks, wildflower meadows
- Car ride from Columbus: ~5 hours, 30 minutes
- Top trails:
- Less strenuous: Skyline Trail Loop
- Challenge: Blue Ridge Trail
- Nearby: George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and Upper James River Water Trail
Fancy a flight?
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA
California State Parks
- Something special: Indigenous artifacts, petroglyphs
- What you’ll see: bighorn sheep, desert fox, kangaroo rat, wildflowers, mountain lion, cacti, mountains, buttes
- Top Trails:
- Less strenuous: Egg Mountain Trail
- Challenging: Sunset Mountain Trail
- Nearby: Salton Sea
The Boundary Waters, Canada/U.S. border
- Something special: remote, unparalleled solitude
- What you’ll see: water routes for canoeing, wilderness, hiking trails, porcupines, snapping turtles, timber wolves, pine trees, blueberries
- Top trails:
- Less strenuous: North Arm Troll’s Way
- Challenge: Caribou Rock Trail
- Nearby: Isle Royale National Park
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Point Lobos
- Something special: Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the most biodiverse ecosystem of the world’s temperate regions
- What you’ll see: blue jays, falcons, harbor seals, California poppies, bluff lettuce, blue-turquoise coves, rocky shores, Douglas Iris
- Top trails:
- Less strenuous: Point Lobos South Shore Trail
- Challenge: Point Lobos Loop (moderate)
- Nearby: Big Sur Coast, Garrapata State Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Bryce Canyon
- Something special: Largest concentration on Earth of hoodoos, or weathered columns of rock
- What you’ll see: pronghorn, Rocky Mountain elk, American badger, Utah prairie dogs, colorful red rock formations, yucca, juniper, lavender leaf sundrops, Bryce Canyon paintbrushes (wildflower)
- Top trails:
- Less strenuous: Bristlecone Loop Trail
- Challenge: Bryce Canyon Rim Trail
- Nearby: Belly of the Dragon tunnel, Zion National Park
All trail information adapted from www.alltrails.com
Grace Heberling is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
