The eucalyptus forest I am huffing through is a grand hall of emerald leaves, interlaced vines, and branches that feel removed from modernity. The trees are 100 feet tall, and from their uppermost limbs I hear the faint twittering of Western Sandpipers. The Jurassic vibe of the dense woodland reminds me of remote corners of the backcountry where hiking usually happens. But when I emerge from the trees, I see a subway station at the foot of the hill, and the possibility of carnitas tacos and an ice-cold Coke.

I am halfway through hiking the San Francisco Crosstown Trail. A 17-mile urban walking route across the cityscape from the docks of Candlestick Point to the seaside cliffs of Land’s End, the Crosstown Trail is a showcase of San Francisco’s overlooked natural spaces and the streets and environments that link them. It’s a curation of pre-existing walkable spaces, most of them far from the conventional tourist radar, with access to public-transit stops and restaurants along the way. The trail burrows through woodlands and canyons, ascends towering staircases, and occasionally pops by landmarks like Golden Gate Park and Baker Beach, where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge’s arches through the fog.

The Crosstown Trail was “built” in less than two years, with a budget of $600. Bob Siegel, a retired teacher and lifelong rambler who helped bring the trail to life in 2018, called the route an “Instant Urban Trail.”

“For years,” Siegel says, “I had been thinking about creating something that would get people in the city out of their neighborhoods and routines, and show them just how much more there is to explore here.” While Siegel originally discussed the idea for a connective park-to-park trail across the city with the parks department, he and fellow volunteer trail planners ultimately realized the project independently. They scouted the route, finding the connections between segments; created free maps and directions; and presented the trail on a . Within months, the Crosstown Trail was featured in and the .

I walked it two years ago. It was my first glimmer of the idea that you can create an urban trail without a seven-figure construction budget or the institutional buy-in of a city.

“There are hundreds of trails hidden [in] the pavement and dirt,” Siegel says. “We basically brought one to the surface.”

The day after my Crosstown traverse, waiting for my flight back to Boston, I was already imagining a trail in my hometown—studying a map of Boston, looking at adjacent parks, woods, and wetlands, and wondering if I could hike through them from the Neponset River on the city’s south edge to the Bunker Hill Monument that looms over the harbor. I spent the spring of 2022 chasing that question in the field; poking around over 30 green spaces in 17 neighborhoods, envisioning each as a chapter of a meandering urban trail with plenty of ups, downs, and rewarding lookouts. That summer, after cobbling together maps and turn-by-turn directions, I launched the website for the 27-mile Boston .

Because these trails are on existing pathways that involve route connecting, pretty much anyone can invent an Instant Urban Trail.

As public interest in hiking soars, I expect more of these trails to materialize in American cities, crafted by hikers with rustic taste and civic pride. But don’t just take my word for it. Give cross-city hiking a try on any of these urban trails that range from industrious day hikes to thru-hiking adventures.

1. The Olmsted 50/70 Trails (Seattle)

Miles: 75

Big, lush city parks as we’ve known them are originally the brainchild of Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Central Park in the years after the Civil War. After Olmsted’s death in 1903, his sons kept the family business going and expanded the roster of Olmsted parks to West Coast cities. Now, in Seattle, you can hike 75 miles through some of the city’s most rustic Olmstedian work on the . These co-joined Instant Urban Trails were assembled by hiking trip leaders with , an outdoor recreation and conservation club, from 2022 to 2024.

Divided into 12 segments, the trails form a squiggly loop around the city, visiting beloved natural spaces like Golden Gardens Beach and lesser-known realms like the ferny trails of Ravenna Park and Interlaken Park. While the trail can be picked up and hiked from any point along the loop, the formal trailhead for Section 1 is the Ballard Locks.

King County Metro buses and light rail trains drop off and pick up from many points near the Olmsted 50 and 70 Trails.

2. The Giraffe Path (New York City)

Miles: 6

New York City, where the birth of Central Park ignited a new era of parks and green spaces in American cities, is home to over , which come in many sizes and range from playgrounds to sprawling conservation lands. , a six-mile trail through the leafier unsung gems of northern Manhattan, is an invitation to venture beyond Central Park.

On a map, the shape of the trail resembles the head and neck of a giraffe. The Giraffe Path runs north from the upper edge of Central Park to the blooming hilltop gardens of Fort Tryon Park, through hidden arboretums, cliffside paths, and staircases in Harlem and The Heights. Created by north Manhattan residents in collaboration with the city’s neighborhood health-focused CLIMB (City Life Is Moving Bodies) initiative, the Giraffe Path features serene spaces like Highbridge Park and St. Nicholas Park, with impressive city vistas, winding stone stairways, and cliffs of Manhattan bedrock bulging from the hillsides. The trail also passes lots of bodegas should you find you could use a bag of pork rinds or a new tube of sunblock.

Access: You can access the Giraffe Path by way of the MTA’s many subway and bus routes. To head north, aim for the Cathedral Parkway-110th Street subway station. Once you hit Fort Tryon Park, you can hop back on the train at 190th Street Station (which features a cool elevator ride from the hilltop park level into the depths of the subway system).

3. The Double Cross Trail (San Francisco)

Miles: 14

If you’re still not convinced that anyone can create an Instant Urban Trail, consider this. In 2023, two fans of the San Francisco Crosstown Trail proposed a sequel: a companion trail that would run perpendicular to the original, visiting sumptuous green spaces like the grassy bluffs of Fort Funston Park and Telegraph Hill, where twisted staircases climb through passages of dense vegetation. The Crosstown Trailbuilders loved the idea and offered some advice and guidance on the “building” process. After less than a year of scouting and finessing, the debuted.

Heading northeast, the trail cuts 14 hilly miles from Fort Funston to the piers of The Embarcadero, summiting San Francisco’s 922-foot Twin Peaks in the process. It’s a slow-burn transition from the open spaces of the city’s southwest side to the skyscrapers and alleyways of downtown.

Access: As with the Crosstown Trail, Muni bus and subway stops and BART train stations offer access to multiple segments of the Double Cross Trail. To begin from Fort Funston, take the 58 bus to the John Muir Drive and Skyline Boulevard stop and make your way through Fort Funston to the observation deck: the west official trailhead. Once you reach Embarcadero Plaza, you can catch a number of trolleys and buses from The Embarcadero and Greenwich Street Station.

4. The Chicago Outerbelt (Chicago)

Miles: 210

Chicago’s high-rises and lakefront parks are so visually iconic that they can eclipse the more ragged, quietly immersive beauty on the edges of town. Chicago is surrounded by preserved woodlands, sedge meadows, secluded beaches, and wildlife refuges like the Montrose Bird Sanctuary. And thanks to the hard work of the Outerbelt Alliance—a green-space advocacy organization founded by local outdoor enthusiasts—you can now thru-hike the fringes of the Windy City on the .

This 210-mile Instant Urban Trail loops around the city’s suburbs through eye-popping natural areas including the Lake County Forest Preserves and the Des Plaines River Trail, which starts near Oak Park and boasts greenery that can look downright tropical. And unlike most urban trails, tent camping is allowed at several campsites along the route. You might need to throw down for a hotel when completing the Downtown Chicago portion of the trail, but by that point, you will have earned some luxury.

Access: You can access the trail from the city by CTA buses and trains, as well as rideshares, depending on your entry point.

5. The Denver Orbital Trail (Denver)

Miles: 175

When Michel Tormey, an American transportation planner, spent two years in the United Kingdom, he was introduced to the of public walkways connecting town and country, and soon he started curating his own routes from existing pieces. In 2023, when Tormey moved to Denver, he decided to familiarize himself with the cityscape by creating the —a 177-mile loop around Denver’s boundary mountains, forests, and waterways. Scouted and mapped by Tormey alone in only 10 months, the “DOT” launched in 2024 to enthusiastic from Denver media. The trail’s 28 segments run the gamut from paved greenways to steep mountain ascents with sharp dropoffs. (The total elevation gain for the DOT is an impressive 12,000-plus feet.)

“A lot of outdoorsy people often assume that being outdoorsy means driving hours away to the mountains, but I found so much to discover within the Denver metro area,” Tormey says, adding that while some parts of the cityscape aren’t going to be “pretty,” they’re still part of the broader urban environment. “There’s one piece of the Denver Orbital Trail that runs past what I believe is a cat food factory—it smells terrible, and it made my eyes water,” he says, laughing. “It’s weird and interesting and gritty, one strange moment of a big, long urban trail.”

Access: The Denver Orbital Trail’s 28 sections are reachable by RTD-Denver buses and/or rideshares.

More Urban Trails to Come, Here and Abroad

The atlas of Instant Urban Trails in America is growing year-by-year. In fact, while reporting this story, I learned about a brand-new Instant Urban Trail about to open in Providence—the , with its official launch on September 28th.

The route mapping extends overseas, too. In Germany, you can hike a whopping 248 miles around Berlin on the , which winds through forests and meadows to visit a smorgasbord of water bodies. The in Glasgow traces a ragged loop through 11 miles of nature reserves on the city’s south side. Later this fall, I’ll be in both of these cities, on both of these trails—for work and pleasure—contemplating how each turn was chosen, and the heft of imagination it must have taken to weave the route together.

How to Make an Instant Urban Trail

Creating an instant urban trail usually involves three steps.

• Make a speculative map of where the trail could run. Go out into the field and test that speculative map, poking around every featured environment along the route and finding the most scenically interesting way to pass through it.
• Once the route has been identified and vetted, you create a GPX map using or whatever wayfinding app you prefer. Ideally you type up turn-by-turn directions, so that people can have a backup navigational resource.
• Create a simple website for the trail giving these navigational resources for people to download and print. You may add teaser images and descriptions, and ideally, information about public transit connections. The Crosstown Trail pioneered this website model, and other trail builders have replicated it.
• Once your trail website is live, share it with others, including local news media.

Miles Howard, founder and lead organizer of the Boston’s Walking City Trail, is often seen leading groups through the forests, wetlands, beaches, and industrial zones within the greater Boston area (or recuperating at a local watering hole or ramen counter). When he’s not organizing urban hikes or trail-building projects, he writes about expanding public access to the outdoors. He publishes the hiking newsletter , or you can follow him on Instagram at .

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America kicks ass. I’m talking about our terrain, the landscape. The white sands and steep cliffs that make up the coast, the mountains that rise from river valleys, the backcountry lakes tucked into flowering meadows…and all the adventure you can find. We’ve got desert and we’ve got rainforest. We’ve got bullet-proof cliff faces to climb and waist-deep powder to ski. We’ve got remote island parks and bike trails that start at the end of the cul de sac. Sand dunes and swamps, prairies and peaks. …Collectively, we have it all.

But how “adventurous” is a given state? How does it stack up against its neighbors in terms of public land and trail systems? How many national parks does it have? How are the hiking, mountain biking, and climbing? It’s tough to measure objectively—every state is so different and worthy in its own right.

How We Ranked the Most Adventurous States

The good news? We’ve ranked the most adventurous states in America, relying on hard data instead of our subjective feelings about one place or another, pulling from a specific set of factors that apply to most outdoor-adventure enthusiasts and cover activities for all seasons.

Those include:

• Number of acres of public land, as well as the number of national and state parks, because access for everyone is crucial
• Miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails
• Miles of coastline and rivers
• Number of ski areas

Here’s Where the Data Comes From

I pulled figures on total acres of public land in various states from the non-profit research group , and found the total number of state parks and national parks from the National Park Service and various state-park agencies. I used crowd-sourced platforms like , , and to find the estimated miles of mountain biking and hiking trails in each state. These figures aren’t complete, as the data is largely user-generated, but they give a good sense of what’s available in the area. The University of Montana’s program gave me data on federally designated wilderness areas in each state, while I culled river data from the . (Note: User-generated data figures change; these are accurate for the week of March 18, 2024.)

Highlighting the Winners By Region

While I do name an overall Most Adventurous State in the U.S., I also broke the country down by region, choosing one state from each zone as the data-driven winner, and one runner up (because some places are just as worthy and deserve recognition). That was to assess neighbor states with similar landscapes, instead of putting, say, Rhode Island against Nevada head-to-head.

I went into this project with some preconceptions. I thought for sure my home state of North Carolina would win the showdown in the South, and if you had asked me to name the most adventurous state in the Lower 48 based on my own experience, I’d say Idaho. Was I right? Read on.

The Most Adventurous State in the U.S.

Alaska

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 306,600,000 acres of public land
• 8 national parks
• 156 state parks
• 1,083 miles of hiking trails
• 3,036 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 6,640 miles coastline
• 365,000 miles of rivers
• 18 ski areas

Alaska is big. Like, really big (365,000,000 acres), but it’s not just size that makes Alaska our overall Most Adventurous State in the U.S. It’s the terrain, which ranges from 20,000-foot mountains (Denali) to deep fjords, from lush river valleys to glaciers. Roughly 84 percent of the state is set aside as public land. Alaska contains half of all federally designated wilderness in America, including the single largest such area, the Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness at 9,432,000 acres. Alaska is so big and so wild that three million lakes don’t even have a name. It’s not necessarily the state you go to for developed recreation (many of its public landscapes have no established road or trail within), but for raw adventure, there’s no place in the U.S. like Alaska.

Recommended Hike: Exit Glacier via Harding Ice Field Approach

This 8.2-mile inside Kenai Fjords National Park climbs through alder forests and meadows to a perch above treeline with a view of the Harding Icefield, which stretches for 700 square miles. It’s a tough hike, gaining 3,000 feet in just over four miles, but only in Alaska will a hike end at a field of ice this gigantic.

Local Intel: “We do a lot of kayaking adventures, but paddling to the Knik Glacier is my favorite,” says Derek Van Kampen, founder of the kayak guide service , who moved to Alaska for a job but stayed for the outdoor lifestyle. “It’s the largest glacier in the Mat Su Valley, and it’s carved such an amazing landscape. It’s a full-day adventure, with four hours of paddling, but it’s calm water through marsh and wide river. You get to experience the glacier runoff, which is the headwaters of the Knik River, and the wildlife is amazing. We’ve had eagles come down and grab fish right in front of us.”

Most Adventurous State on the West Coast

California

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 54,477,800 acres of public land
• 9 national parks
• 280 state parks
• 16,521 miles of hiking trails
• 32,062 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 840 miles coastline
• 189,454 miles of rivers
• 33 ski areas

Surf or ski? In California, you don’t have to choose. The western edge of the state is packed with world-class surf breaks up and down the coast while the interior has mountains that rise to 14,494 feet (Mount Whitney). You’ll find 33 ski resorts among those ridges. Mammoth Mountain Resort received almost 40 inches of powder in a recent storm.

California is also ground zero for climbing, giving us the Yosemite Decimal System (to rate the difficulty of rock climbs) and early big-wall ascents, and Marin County is the birthplace of mountain biking, since a group of teens in the 1960s and 1970s started riding down Mount Tamalpais on cruiser bikes. In the desert, jewels like Joshua Tree National Park protect a dusty landscape full of boulders, cliffs, and the skyward-reaching yuccas the place is named for. I lived in Southern California for a year, parking cars at night and learning to surf during the day. I’m headed there again soon to explore a completely different aspect of the state, Channel Islands National Park, but it’d take me a lifetime to experience the state’s entire adventure portfolio.

Recommended Hike: Peter Grubb Hut via the Pacific Crest Trail

This is the most popular hike in California, according to . It’s a tough 13.5-mile lollipop loop through Tahoe National Forest, but hikers can relish long stretches of ridgeline trail above treeline. The journey ends at the historic Peter Grubb Hut, which you can reserve through the . Looking for a short hike in an iconic California landscape? Check out the one-mile Lower Yosemite Falls Loop, which delivers views of the 320-foot waterfall in the heart of Yosemite National Park. My own favorite backpacking trail ever is the North Rim Loop, Yosemite.

California Intel: “Palos Verdes Cove has a good with fun rights and lefts,” says John Cavan of Manhattan Beach, who’s surfed in Southern California for 20 years. “And it’s one of the prettiest breaks around, with waves crashing into a narrow beach walled in by a tall, rocky bluff. It’s a protected marine preserve, so the water quality is good.”

West Coast Runner Up

Washington

• 16,616,371 acres of public land
• 3 national parks
• 140 state parks
• 10,915 miles of hiking trails
• 19,001 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 157 miles coastline
• 70,439 miles of rivers
• 20 ski areas

Washington may be a runner-up, but it has an astounding variety of adventure. You can do legit mountaineering here, on Mount Rainier or Mount Adams, among many others, and kayak with whales in Puget Sound. The state has the second-most miles of mountain-bike trails in the entire country (after California) and a healthy winter that supports 20 different ski areas.

Most Adventurous State in the Mountain West

Colorado

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 28,004,928 acres of public land
• 4 national parks
• 42 state parks
• 17,545 miles of hiking trails
• 18,779 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 0 miles coastline
• 107,403 miles of rivers
• 39 ski areas

This was the toughest race of them all. Idaho and Utah gave Colorado a run for its money; Utah has five national parks and 45 state parks, and Idaho has the most wilderness in the mountain region…but Colorado has solid numbers in every single category. It’s a mecca for climbers, skiers, and mountain bikers as well as families looking for scenic hikes, camping, and fishing. I lived there for years and still go back at least once a winter to ski. Not only does Colorado have four stellar national parks, it has one of the most iconic of them all: Rocky Mountain National Park. Oh, and there are more than 30,000 established climbing routes in the state. Let’s be honest, Colorado just has a combo of weather and terrain that makes us all want to live there, or at the very least, visit often enough as to become a nuisance to the people who do. But hey, Utah and Idaho, anyone is psyched to call you home.

Recommended Hike: Quandary Peak

Colorado is known for its 14ers, and in White River National Forest offers a stunning summit with a relatively short approach. The hike is a straightforward 6.2-mile out and back along a broad ridgeline through wildflowers and maybe past the occasional mountain goat. From the top, hikers have clear views of a handful of other 14ers, including Mount Lincoln, Mount Cameron, and Crystal Peak.

Colorado Intel: “Rocky Mountain National Park gets a lot of people, but if you walk a mile from the road, you’ll lose the crowds,” says Gary Bien, a longtime angler who works at Kirk’s Fly Shop in Estes Park. “Check out , deep in the park. It requires a 10-mile hike, but the lake has good brook trout, and you’ll have it all to yourself except for the moose.”

Mountain West Runner Up:

Utah

• 40,211,778 acres of public land
• 5 national parks
• 45 state parks
• 4,468 miles of hiking trail
• 14,548 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 21 ski areas

Like I said, Utah almost took the crown for most adventurous state in the mountains, for good reason. Roughly 75 percent of Utah is protected as public land. The state has five outstanding national parks, not to mention breathtaking national monuments and recreation areas. The skiing, the climbing, the mountain biking, the adventure towns like Moab and Park City. …I’ve explored slot canyons with my kids in this state that were so out-of-this-world I considered relocating the family.

Most Adventurous State in the Midwest

Michigan

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 13,617,525 acres of public land
• 1 national park
• 103 state parks
• 5,292 miles of hiking
• 9,345 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 3,288 miles coastline (Great Lakes!)
• 51,438 miles of river
• 43 ski areas

Michigan is the adventurous heart of the heartland, with almost as much coastline as California and vibrant ski and mountain-bike scenes, to boot. There isn’t a ton of public land (it comprises just 22 percent of the landmass) in the state, but what’s available is stellar, from one of the most isolated and least-visited national parks in the system, Isle Royale, to the Caribbean-blue waters of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. And it’s pretty wild, too, with 291,252 acres of federally designated wilderness and 16 designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. Hell, Michigan has the second-most ski areas in the U.S., and some of that skiing is really good. Meanwhile, two National Lakeshores punctuate the 3,000-plus miles of coast in this landlocked state. If you don’t think butting up against four Great Lakes counts as a real coast, then you haven’t seen Lake Superior on an angry day. Michigan has surf breaks.

Recommended Hike: Miner’s Castle Overlook Loop

This is the best difficult hike in Michigan, according to , a 10.1-mile loop that carves through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s most stunning scenery, passing waterfalls, sandy beaches, and so many arches, coves, and sandstone cliffs on the edge of Lake Superior you might get tired of the views. (No, you won’t.)

Local Intel: “There are a lot of places to ski in Michigan, but Mount Bohemia is the most unique,” says Jeff Thompson, founder of , a custom-design ski manufacturer in Boyne City. “It’s raw. There are no real frills, so there’s no reason to go there other than to ski. ��You get to the right spots, and it’s a big, powdery playground, with Lake Effect snow. A lot of our skis have been born on that mountain.”

Midwest Runner Up

Minnesota

• 9,146,000 acres of public land
• 1 national park
• 75 state parks
• 3,230 miles of hiking trails
• 6,554 mountain-bike trails
• 189 miles of coastline (Great Lakes)
• 91,944 miles of river
• 18 ski areas

Minnesota has a lot of qualities that are not factored into this competition only because they fall outside of our categories. Consider its plethora of biking and hiking trails, while its cross-country ski trails are nearly impossible to count. So are the groomed fat-bike trails. If you’re fond of paddling, well, this is the Land of 10,000 Lakes (make that more like 12,000), including the best places to go for lake-hopping-style peace and solitude: the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park.

Most Adventurous State in the Southeast

Florida

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 10,942,307 acres of public land
• 3 national parks
• 175 state parks
• 1,769 miles of hiking trails
• 4,626 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 1,350 miles of coastline
• 25,949 miles of river
• 0 ski areas

Anyone else surprised about this winner? So am I, but Florida slayed other Southeastern states in totals of public land and number of state parks, and it’s the only Southern state with three national parks. The coastline is packed with surf spots on the east and wild islands all around. As for those national parks, how does paddling among wild mangroves or platform camping in the land of alligators sound? Meanwhile, the interior of Florida is laden with jungle-like flora and more than 700 natural cold springs. On a recent trip with my family to the state, I was flabbergasted at how pretty and wild some of these springs can feel. What else? Oh, there’s a legit mountain-bike scene in Florida, with almost 5,000 miles of trail. And the wildlife is next level, from enormous manatee in the rivers to panthers in the forest.

Recommended Hike: Black Bear Wilderness Preserve Trail

A that meanders through wetland and along the banks of the St. John River, this is a mini-safari in Central Florida offering a good chance to see black bears, alligators, woodpeckers, and herons.

Local Intel: “Most people don’t know it, but the Gulf Coast of Florida has great surfing, especially for beginners,” says Julia Reynolds, owner of Paradise Surf Fit, in Venice, Florida. “The North Jetty and South Jetty of Venice Beach have sandbars that create these really great waves every couple of weeks. When it’s flat, the water is clear and it’s great paddleboarding.”

Southeast Runner Up

North Carolina

• 3,788,840 acres of public land
• 1 national park
• 41 state parks
• 6,137 miles of hiking trails
• 4,851 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 301 miles of coastline
• 37,853 miles of river
• 6 ski areas

North Carolina has the tallest mountains on the Eastern Seaboard and arguably the best surfing on the Atlantic Coast. That ain’t bad, but it also has a slice of the most-visited national park—Great Smoky Mountains—in the country, and legendary singletrack and rock climbing in Pisgah National Forest. Also, you can drive Tail of the Dragon, a famous�� scenic 11-mile stretch on the North Carolina/Tennessee border featuring 318 hairpin curves that spit you out to dozens of overlooks for enchanting fall-foliage views. I want to ride that road on my bike.

Most Adventurous State in the Northeast

New York

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 4,832,000 acres of public land
• 0 national parks
• 215 state parks
• 7,025 miles of hiking trails
• 18,061 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 127 miles coastline
• 51,790 miles of river
• 50 ski areas, the most in any state in the U.S.

New York is large when you look at all of the other Northeastern states crammed up against it on the map, and it hosts the largest contiguous park in the entire U.S. I’m talking about the 6.1-million-acre Adirondack Park, established in 1891. Inside that park are the state’s highest peaks (up to 5,344 feet), almost 3,000 backcountry lakes, and 200,000 acres of old growth. And that’s just one park. You also have world-class rock climbing in the Shawangunks (“Gunks”), surfing on Long Island, and 50 different ski areas—the most in any state in the U.S. Here’s another fun fact: despite being home to our nation’s largest concrete jungle, New York State is 61 percent forested.

Recommended Hike: Allen Mountain

This passes through varied terrain inside Adirondack Park, with a big river crossing and a long climb up 4,347-foot Allen Mountain proper. The views from the summit into the park are stellar, and you get to skirt some of Adirondack Park’s backcountry lakes.

Local Intel: The Oswegatchie Traverse, from Lows Lake down the Oswegatchie River, is my favorite backcountry canoe trip,” says Amelia Dragone, a New York native and manager for . “It’s a 30-mile route that gets you way out into the middle of the Five Ponds Wilderness. I’ve done it in three days, but it could take seven. It’s a chunk to bite off, with plenty of meaty portages. The toughest is 2.2 miles with some hills, but it’s all part of a good time.”

Northeast Runner Up

Maine

• 1,188,000acres of public land
• 1 national park
• 32 state parks
• 1,503 miles of hiking trails
• 3,043 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 228 miles of coast
• 19 ski resorts

Maine boasts the Northeast’s only national park, Acadia, but also a storied ski culture that goes back to the Great Depression, when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the first ski trails. Hiking is engrained in the culture here, with trails that traverse peaks and access hut systems, and the Appalachian Trail (parts of it, including a section in Maine, were also built by the CCC) finishes dramatically on the rocky Mount Katahdin. Oh, and the Atlantic coast that’s home to the region’s only national park? It also supports a vibrant and hardcore surf scene.

Most Adventurous State in the Southwest

Arizona

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 40,124,589 acres of public land
• 3 national parks
• 34 state parks
• 7,396 miles of hiking trails
• 13,728 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 0 miles of coastline
• 90,373 miles of river
• 3 ski areas

Nevada has more public land and New Mexico has more ski areas, but Arizona took the lead with its bevy of hiking and mountain-biking trails and the iconic status of the public land inside this state. I mean, Grand Canyon National Park. Hard as it is to pull permits, rafting through it tops many Americans’ once-in-a-lifetime trips to take. Hiking around the Grand Canyon is up there, too. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Mead Recreation Area offer massive lakes and desert gorges, while a mass of national monuments protect historical and cultural artifacts and archaeological sites sacred to Native Peoples. Meanwhile, there are more than 4.5 million acres of wilderness and more than 13,000 established climbing routes. I’ve mountain biked desert flow in the suburbs of Scottsdale and pedaled massive gravel miles near the southern border. I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon and camped in the sandy backcountry of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. Every time I visit Arizona, I’m blown away by how much I love this swath of desert.

Recommended Hike: Bright Angel Trail

Arizona is packed with glorious hikes, but if you’re only doing one, it probably has to be the 10 miles into the Grand Canyon to Indian Garden Campground. It’s popular (read: busy, sorry) at the top, but the crowds thin as you lose elevation, and the views into America’s most dramatic ditch are worth rubbing elbows with others. Don’t forget you have to hike back up and out of the canyon, so start early and bring water and snacks. You can get water at Bright Angel Campground and food from Phantom Ranch a half-mile away from May to October, but don’t underestimate the fuel and hydration you’ll need to complete this hike.

Local Intel: “My personal favorite trail is , out of South Mountain Preserve near Phoenix,” says Laurel Darren, owner of . “It just has so much variety. It’s mid-level technical, with some rocky, jagged rock gardens, but also some fun swoops and drop-ins, and a couple areas where you can go faster. There’s a bit of climbing too. It’s got a touch of everything in just a few miles.”

Southwest Runner Up

New Mexico

• 43,616,216 acres of public land
• 2 national parks
• 35 state parks
• 3,314 miles of hiking trails
• 6,032 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 0 miles of coastline
• 9 ski resorts
• 108,014 miles of river

You want public land? New Mexico has it; almost half of the state (46 percent) is protected, and within that 35-plus million acres are two incredibly diverse national parks, Carlsbad Caverns (caves!) and White Sand Dunes (dunes!). Oh, and northern New Mexico is in the southern Rockies and easily has the best skiing in the Southwest—we’re looking at you, Taos.

Most Adventurous Tiny State

New Hampshire

Wow factors, by the numbers

• 1,077,120 acres of public land
• 0 national parks
• 93 state parks
• 3,315 miles of hiking trails
• 4,904 miles of mountain-bike trails
• 13 miles of coastline
• 10,874 miles of river
• 28 ski areas

At just over 9,000 square miles, New Hampshire is one of the smallest states in America, ranked #46, to be exact, but it out-punches its size when it comes to adventure. Roughly 18 percent of the state is public land. There are no national parks, but some wicked-rugged state parks, like Franconia Notch, which is packed with varied terrain, from gorges choked with waterfalls to downhill skiing, like the state-owned Cannon Mountain. And the rugged slopes of the White Mountains, which top out a little above 6,000 feet, attract both recreational and seasoned hikers. The Appalachian Trail runs along the crest of the Whites, offering the most above-treeline miles of any state along its 2,000-plus-mile route. New Hampshire only touches the Atlantic for a bit, but true to form, the state packs in the adventure with a craggy coast that boasts surprisingly consistent and varied surfing, from beach breaks to offshore reefs that require more commitment.

Recommended Hike: Mount Washington Loop

Mount Washington (6,288 feet) has notoriously challenging terrain and weather, and this puts you in the thick of the landscape as you ascend the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, which gains more than 4,200 feet of elevation in just over six miles, to the summit. You’ll pass waterfalls, scramble up boulders, and top out at one of the best views in the state, encompassing the peaks of White Mountain National Forest spreading away from the base of Washington. On a clear day, the scene stretches for more than 100 miles, taking in pieces of Vermont, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, and even Quebec.

Local Intel: “The hiking trails here go straight up the mountain, so anything in the Whites is going to be good and challenging,” says Mike Cherim, owner of . “But if you want a serious challenge, try to hike the , a collection of some of the toughest trails in the state. They all have rock scrambles and scree and some ladder sections. If you do them all, you can earn a badge.”

The Bottom Line

While the data we used is objective, the notion of “adventure” itself is subjective, because it lies at the intersection of humans and the landscape. Some of my favorite personal experiences have occurred in states not on this list. This article is meant to inspire you and get you outside, but who’s to say a swamp or vast prairie is more or less adventurous than a mountain? The landscape is the canvas, but we paint our own pictures.

Graham Averill is ���ϳԹ��� magazine’s national parks columnist. He’s adventured in almost all of the states on this list, but hasn’t yet spent enough time exploring the Northeast. It’s on his to-do list.

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For more by the same author:

And the 11 Least Visited National Parks Are…

11 Remote Destinations That Are Definitely Worth the Effort to Visit

The 18 Best State Parks in the U.S.

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One-third of Americans—including 28 million children—don’t have a park, or other natural area, within a 10 minute walk of their home. And most areas lacking in parks are home to low-income or BIPOC communities, in which the parks that do exist are four-times smaller on average than those in wealthy areas.

This didn’t happen by accident. “Decades of systemic racism and redlining have led to chronic disinvestments in parks and recreational facilities in many marginalized communities, resulting in too few parks as well as parks marred by cracked asphalt, barren fields, and broken play equipment,” reads the conclusion of a conducted by the Trust for Public Land.

And that’s a problem, because access to nature is a major factor when it comes to quality of life, and both mental and physical health. “Spending time outside can reduce mental fatigue and improve concentration, cognitive function, memory and creativity,” Alicia Harvie, the Manager of REI’s Cooperative Action Network tells ���ϳԹ���. “Living near nature also provides more regular opportunities for physical activity like walking, biking, and playing sports, which helps improve physical health and reduces the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.”

As we’re all experiencing during the prolonged, nationwide heatwave, urban parks are also a crucial adaptation for the climate disaster. “Improving access and closing the park equity gap will provide benefits like shade, reduced flooding, and clean air that are critical as we grapple with the intensifying effects of the climate crisis,” states Bill Lee, Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy and Government Relations at Trust for Public Land.

Since 2014 the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program has been addressing the disparity in access to nature through grant assistance targeting park building, rehabilitation, and improvement projects in economically disadvantaged communities. In its nine-year history, ORLP has provided $45 million in one-to-one matching grants to 50 different communities and is currently considering applications for $192 million more. , and paid for by the (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program.

What is the Outdoors for All Act?

In 2020, with the passage of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, LWCF was permanently funded with a $900 million annual budget. But ORLP remains a discretionary grant program—subject to the ups and downs of politics. That’s a problem the Outdoors For All Act—introduced in February by Senators Susan Collins (R—Maine) and Alex Padilla (D—California)—seeks to address. Should it be signed into law, Outdoors For All will .

How REI Is Working to Make a Difference

Now, REI is taking action. “We all have a responsibility to address this issue,” continues Harvie. “That’s why the co-op recently launched ,��a multiyear, nationwide initiative to ensure everyone in America has immediate access to outdoor spaces. We’ll be supporting local projects and��national, state, and local��legislation in pursuit of our goal of getting 100m people outside in five minutes or less, no matter where they live.”

REI is directly targeting passage of the Outdoors For All Act. A form on its website allows members of the public to in support of the bill. As of the time of publication, more than 45,000 people have taken the time do that. The Co-Op is also directing $5 from every $30 membership to its new Cooperative Action Fund, which will target grassroots advocacy, and partner with local non-profits to also help improve access to parks in disadvantaged communities.

“We’ll be supporting local projects and��national, state, and local��legislation in pursuit of our goal of getting 100 million people outside in five minutes or less, no matter where they live,” says Harvie. “The Outdoors for All Act would permanently secure funding for parks and green spaces in the communities that need them most across the country.”

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First, a confession: I, like many avid hikers I know, have been guilty of viewing state parks as merely the backyard option. Even as I’ve ticked off visits to nearly half of the 63 national parks, I’ve only recently come to fully appreciate nature’s bounty in state parks.

“The hiking opportunities are virtually endless, and there’s an incredible mosaic of experiences in America’s state parks,” says Lewis Ledford, executive director at the National Association of State Park Directors. Collectively, these protected areas generate a whopping 850 million visits annually, across nearly 7,000 park units, encompassing over 19 million acres.

You might even say that “America’s Best Idea”—creating national parks—was a knockoff of state conservation and recreation efforts. The state park system was born in 1862 with California’s Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias; it was ten years later that Yellowstone, mostly in Wyoming, became the first national park. Sequoia, in California, and Yosemite were second and third, both in autumn of 1890.

State parks have long protected some of our most prized wild places. Based on buzz from fellow hikers, state park staff picks, and personal experience, here’s a short list of great state parks for hiking—and primo hikes there.

1. Letchworth State Park, New York

Dubbed the Grand Canyon of the East, 14,000-acre Letchworth State Park delivers the expansive views typical of the West, but in western New York. At the center of this 17-mile park, the Genesee River snakes along hundreds of feet below overlooks like Inspiration Point—right where I found myself on an early morning in June.

I came to Letchworth, which features 66 miles of hiking trails, to see what I’d been missing. I’d been to Niagara Falls, about 80 miles northwest, but previously passed right by this region. The magic of this place was immediately clear, from the way the sunrise makes the canyon glow pink and orange like a living painting to the spectacle of the 107-foot-tall, 300-foot-wide Middle Falls. It’s one of three major waterfalls on this stretch of river, and I started hiking down Gorge Trail to see another, Lower Falls, up close.

The trail—and I—briefly flirted with the cliff’s edge, 550 vertigo-inducing feet above the Genesee, before meandering down the forested canyon. As I wound along the steeply stepped, mile-long descent to Lower Falls, the river alternated between lazy green ribbons and roaring whitewater. And then Lower Falls, 70 feet tall and as wide as Middle Falls, thundered before me, dropping into a dark green pool fringed by lush vegetation. A bright yellow hot-air balloon cruising high overhead took it all in.

I crossed the river over a stone bridge and followed a trail into the verdant, pine-heavy forest on the gorge’s south rim, threading in and out of thickets. There I joined the Portage Trail and eventually the trail to glimpse the canyon and Upper Falls through openings in the trees—the way I imagined others did long before the days of roads or infrastructure.

Entrance fee: Vehicle-use entrance fee is $10.

Best time to visit: All year. Summer with its warm temps and fall in its fiery foliage are the most popular seasons. Waterfalls tend to be fullest in the spring, when the rains come, and winter brings solitude.

Best hike: As with the state parks themselves, it’s always hard to narrow the list, let alone pick one. But you can’t go wrong with a section of the moderate extending from Middle Falls to Lower Falls, passing Inspiration Point en route.

Distance: Four miles out and back. To extend the hike and find more solitude, connect to the Portage Trail, across the river.

2. Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania

I explored this park years ago with a friend—on a lark, as part of a larger trip that extended to Niagara and east to the Adirondacks—and was blown away by the seven-mile . The hike, with its 21 named waterfalls (and counting, depending on rainfall), is a cascade carnival.

What really got me was how up close and personal—and surprising—the whole experience was. Every twist and turn in the trail revealed something new, hidden until you were on it. One minute I felt as if I was in a trance, drinking in the quiet beauty of a minor 11-foot cascade. In the next, my friend hiked ahead of me to stand at the top of the 94-foot-tall Ganoga Falls, where he was a barely visible stick figure.

Entrance fee: None.

Best time to visit: Any time of year. Spring for the most gushers, or fall for the foliage, when yellow beech trees surround the cascades. Winter or any other off-peak time, such as summer weekdays, lets you avoid crowds.

Best hike: The hike here is the Falls Trail.

Distance: 7.2 miles.

3. Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia

The nearly 100-foot-high Hurricane Falls in Tallulah Gorge State Park is certainly Instagram bait. But to truly experience this park, head straight for the bottom of the gorge via��Gorge Floor Trail or Sliding Rock Trail—if you can snag a (free) permit. Only 100 are given out daily. The park regulates that number largely for safety reasons, and the permits are gone about as soon as the visitor center opens at 8 A.M., says West Malenke, a park ranger. So be there around 7:30 A.M., since permits can only be secured on the day of your visit.

Gorge Floor Trail is “very, very strenuous,” Malenke says. But it’s also a quintessential summer hike, with many park-goers wearing swimsuits under their clothes in anticipation of a dip at the end. You’ll descend 540 stairs, cross a suspension bridge, and forge the Tallulah River at the base of Hurricane Falls, jumping from rock to rock and wading through the water and��boulders to reach Sliding Rock, also known as Bridal Veil Falls. “That is the only place in the river that we allow people to swim,” Malenke says. “You can actually slide down the waterfall into the pool at the bottom.”

Entrance fee: $5 per vehicle, which covers parking.

Best time to visit: Summer if you plan to get wet, spring for wildflowers and to see the river at its peak, and fall for generally mild weather.

Best hike:��The Gorge Floor and Sliding Rock Trails take you right into the center of it all on a physically demanding loop from the gorge’s north rim. Once you’ve reached Sliding Rock, you can return the way you came or cross the river and head straight up a section of the Sliding Rock Trail that gains 800 feet of elevation in about 1,200 feet.

“Basically, what I would tell people is this is the toughest quarter-mile hike you’ll ever do in your life,” Malenke says.

Distance:��The loop is three miles. Don’t want to go that deep in the gorge? You can hike flat trails, cross suspension bridges, and check out all the wildflowers—from trillium, asters, and violets to coneflowers and possibly a rare orchid—.

4. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

Although many state parks are smaller than their federal counterparts, there are monsters in this group as well.

At 585,930 acres, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest of California’s state parks and one of the biggest in the country. It invites hikers into the mountains, slot canyons, palm groves, and wildflower meadows, and its diverse habitat is home to everything from bighorn sheep and jackrabbits to the chuckwalla (a rotund lizard) and red-diamond rattlesnake.

Entrance fee: $10 per vehicle per day.

Best time to visit: Late winter for the mild temperatures and wildflowers, which peak around the last week of February and the first two weeks of March.

Best hike: To check out seasonal wildflowers and see a rare palm oasis where groundwater has been forced close to the earth’s surface by the rock underneath it, you can’t beat

Distance: About three miles.

5. Kachemak Bay State Park and State Wilderness Park, Alaska

The first state park in Alaska is also one of the biggest in the country, boasting some 400,000 acres. No roads lead to this one; it can only be reached by chartered plane or boat or water taxi from Homer.

While people are scarce, the unspoiled wilderness is a habitat for everything from sea otters and whales to black bears and wolves. The pebbly coastline and undisturbed pine forests rise to 4,000-foot glacial peaks, with the Harding Icefield exemplifying the primordial nature of this accessible (by Alaska standards) park on the Kenai Peninsula.

Entrance fee: None.

Best time to visit: Summer for ease of travel and to avoid the snow and cold.

Best hike: Take the to see its eponymous glacier and lake. Optional short spur trails offer additional great views of the glacier and surrounding peaks. Keep an eye on the treetops for bald eagles.

Distance: It’s 6.4 miles out and back. (Further information here.)

6. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas

It kind of goes without saying that Texas would have a massive state park, and this one—the state’s largest—covers 311,000 acres of high desert. Located about 100 miles east of Big Bend National Park, the state park encompasses the rugged mountains and steep canyons along the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, as well as the��Chihuahuan Desert.

Entrance fee: $5 per person year-round; free for visitors age 12 and under.

Best time to visit: Spring, when temperatures are moderate, is perfect. Summertime temperatures can be dangerously hot, rising to more than 100 degrees before noon and reaching as high as 130. Always carry loads of extra water, and avoid or reduce activity from late morning through the afternoon.

Best hike: The heads to the edge of Fresno Canyon and offers vistas of the Flatirons of the Solitario (similar to their counterpart in Boulder, Colorado, but more desolate). The views are seemingly endless, providing a sense of scale that might otherwise be difficult to appreciate in this vast landscape. See more hikes

Distance: Five miles out and back.

7. State Forest State Park, Colorado

Need any more proof that it’s possible to experience max wilderness at a state park? Look no further than this blandly named, 71,000-acre diamond in the rough next to Rocky Mountain National Park.

“It is my favorite place, and I feel it’s still a hidden gem that people don’t actually know about,” says Rachael Gonzales, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Along with jagged peaks, alpine lakes, and other classic Colorado scenery, hikers have a great shot at seeing moose. (The nearby town of Walden claims to be the Moose Viewing Capital of Colorado.) Gonzales estimates she’s been to State Forest about two dozen times and encountered moose all but once.

Entrance fee: $10 for a daily vehicle pass.

Best time to visit: Summer for the most reliably snow-free hiking; fall for the foliage, when aspen leaves turn golden yellow; and winter for deep solitude. Just be prepared for anything, as the weather here changes fast.

Best hike:��The , which takes in high-alpine lakes, wildflowers in summer, Continental Divide views, and the chance of a moose sighting en route to the Michigan Lakes.

Distance: Seven miles total out and back. If you want to go even further, you can cross the State Forest border into Rocky Mountain National Park.

8. Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah

Kodachrome Basin State Park holds its own against the five national parks in Utah. Named by the National Geographic Society after the color-reversal film, the rocky landscape is tinged in the red, brown, yellow, and pink of the Southwest palette. Dozens of sandstone spires, or sand pipes, reach skyward.

The park offers 15 miles of trails for all fitness and experience levels, an accessible sample of the hiking you’ll find in the southern half of the state.

Entrance fee: $8 per day per vehicle.

Best time to visit: Spring and fall for moderate temperatures.

Best hike: The offers a glimpse of the best of this 3,500-acre park, from red cliffs to Kodachrome’s ubiquitous sand pipes, plus big desert views with a backdrop of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Distance: Six miles for the full loop.

9. Castle Rocks State Park, Idaho

With its ancient rock formations and cliffs that attract top climbers, this mountainous park has much to offer hikers as well.

Desert meadows come alive when wildflowers bloom in the spring and summer, and the state’s largest piñon pine forest provides cover for many resident animals, including moose, coyotes, mountain lions, and mule deer. In a relatively small area—some 2,000 acres—Castle Rocks showcases much of Idaho’s wild side, which is sometimes overlooked in favor of the iconic national parks in neighboring states.

Entrance fee: $7 per vehicle.

Best time to visit: Summer, spring (but check the weather, as it can still be windy and wet well into this season).

Best hike: encircles the park and eponymous geological area with craggy granite formations that jut upward from the desert floor. Hikers share this multi-use loop with mountain bikers as well as climbers.

Distance: About five miles.

10. Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota

The world’s largest freshwater lake—Superior—collides with boreal forest in Tettegouche State Park��(pronounced tettah-goosh or tettah-gooch, depending on who you talk to), a rugged landscape designed for hikers.

The park has 23 miles of hiking trails, including the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail, which follows ridgelines that overlook the lake. One of the best things about it is there are no trafficked roads to these expansive vistas—to top out on its cliffs or reach one of a half-dozen interior lakes, you’ll have to hoof it.

Entrance fee: A daily vehicle permit costs $7.

Best time to visit: Summer for reliably warm weather. Although the area can get busy this time of year, the farther you hike, the fewer people you’ll see—a solid plan in just about any state or national park.

Best hike: abound. The park’s interpretive naturalist, Kurt Mead, suggests starting out on Tettegouche Lake Loop, which circles the interior lakes, then hiking a connector trail to 1,286-foot Mount Baldy on the return trip, a combined loop of about nine miles.

“That’s going to give you really beautiful inland overlooks, as well as a stunning 360-degree panoramic overview of Lake Superior and the surrounding area,” he says.

11. Mount Tamalpais State Park, California

Rustic glamor, redwoods, meadows, and panoramic bay and Golden Gate Bridge views—you’ll find it all here. Even in California, which has more state parks (and national parks, too) than any other, this park is a standout.

Entrance fee: There’s no main-entrance fee, but you will pay to park in certain areas like East Peak ($8).

Best time to visit: Year-round.

Best hike:�� A combination of three—the Dipsea Trail, , and Matt Davis Loop—starts in the town of Stinson Beach and makes it way through lush canyons, past waterfalls, and into groves of the world’s tallest trees while rising high above the Pacific Ocean on Mount Tam.

Distance: 6.7 miles.

12. Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas

Overlooking the Arkansas River, this state park offers a bounty of big views, bluffs, and Native rock art, while paying homage to a troubled past.

Intersecting the park is the which today comprises 2,200 miles of land and water routes and commemorates the journey that Indigenous people from 1830 to 1850 were forced to take from their lands in the Southeast to present-day Oklahoma. En route, the Cherokee and other tribes were led past the mesa of Petit Jean Mountain, 1,120 feet at its highest point, on which the state park is located. Part of their route is visible from Stout’s Point.

In addition to learning more about where the historic trail passes through Arkansas state parks and various , you can head out on trails that wind through��forests and meadows and up Petit Jean Mountain, passing water features like the 95-foot-tall Cedar Falls (reached via Cedar Falls Trail).

Entrance fee: None.

Best time to visit: Fall, when the temperatures cool and the leaves turn, which typically happens mid- to late October or early November.

Best hike:��After checking out the Trail of Tears, try the The full Boy Scout Trail loop includes segments of the Cedar Falls Trail, the Bear Cave Trail (a natural shelter formed by huge sandstone boulders), and the Seven Hollows Trail (a path through small canyons and past natural stone arches and featuring pictographs).

Distance: 12 miles.

13. Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

Climbers from all over the world flock to the sheer faces of Smith Rock, a 600-foot-tall cliff system on a 3,200-foot ridge overlooking a bend in the aptly named Crooked River. But non-climbers, too, can access incredible views at the 650-acre state park; it packs a vertical punch with rocky spires and deep river canyons frequented by kayakers, and other adventure-seekers.

Entrance fee: A day-use fee of $5 is required to park at Smith Rock year-round.

Best time to visit: Spring and fall for relatively stable weather and moderate temperatures.

Best hike:��The charges up 600 feet, traversing the airy ridge for views of the sweeping Crooked River Gorge below.

Distance: 3.5 miles.

14. Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio

I suggested Hocking Hills as a destination for my family, and took my children to meet up with my parents, my siblings and their kids last June because it was the most-visited state park in Ohio. I figured it had to be good, though I’d done minimal research. Even after we arrived and set out to explore, I still had no idea what was around the first bend.

Then we crossed a stone bridge and dropped immediately into a basin ringed by sandstone cliffs. They perfectly framed the 20-foot Upper Falls and its turquoise pool—as if we’d found a Caribbean oasis in the heart of the Midwest! Enthralled, we all pushed ahead to see what lie around the next bend, and the next, and then the one after that, in the Old Man’s Cave hiking area.

The delights just kept coming, though we’d barely scratched the surface of the 2,356-acre park, which is cut by 59 miles of hiking trails. Within it is a portion of Ohio’s 1,440-mile Buckeye Trail, which circles the whole state. The park trails at Hocking Hills twist through cavernous stream beds, past more waterfalls, around and into caves, and through hollows, and then stretch out over rolling hardwood-covered hills.

Entrance fee: None.

Best time to visit: Year-round. You can’t beat the winter solitude, and I’d withstand the summer heat just to visit this area again. But of course spring can be cooler (if rainy sometimes), and fall offers bug-free hiking and leaf-peeping.

Best hike: The starts at Upper Falls and connects the Old Man’s Cave hiking area to Cedar Falls and then Ash Cave, the largest recess cave in the state.

Distance: Six miles.

Honorable Mentions

Many other deserving state parks didn’t make this list.��Those include Baxter in Maine and Custer in South Dakota, which got the close-up treatment in another ���ϳԹ��� story, plus many others across the U.S. and close to my home (like my favorite Indiana state park, Turkey Run). The hiking options go on and on—like the trails themselves—no matter which agency manages the land.

Michael Schroeder has hiked, backpacked, and camped on a variety of U.S. public lands from Maine to California and Alaska, including state parks across his home state of Indiana. He’s learned that one state or national park, forest, or other public land is often just a gateway into another.

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California’s wildflower blooms are so big and bright this year that they can be seen from space, images from NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite show.

“The seasonal spectacle was visible,” NASA Earth Observatory , showing images of desert flowers in Carrizo Plain National Monument in Southern California as seen on April 6.

A series of devastating winter storms in the state have given way to a historic “superbloom,” a natural phenomenon that occurs when high precipitation causes dormant seeds in deserts and dry grasslands to germinate.

The massive burst of yellow, orange, and purple flowers is only possible after consecutive dry years, which allow seeds to accumulate underground.

“A very wet year—like the year we are having now—could trigger germination of all these seeds at once, leading to a superbloom,” said Jennifer Funk, a professor of plant sciences at University of California, Davis, .

In addition to California poppies, this year’s bloom includes other flowers, such as purple owl’s clovers, desert candles, cardinal catchflies, and island morning glories, to name a few.

On top of being a source of beauty, wildflowers support ecosystems by providing food for herbivores and minimizing erosion.

“Wildflowers are one of the most important resources we have to ensure the resilience of California’s grasslands,” UC Davis plant sciences professor Valerie Eviner said in the release. “They are our emergency first responders when grasses fail–whether due to fire, drought, or soil disturbance.”

The last California superbloom happened in 2019. That year, “Disneyland-size crowds,” according to the Press-Enterprise of Riverside, California, trampled fields of flowers in pursuit of photos and Instagram selfies. One couple landed a helicopter in the middle of Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.

“It’s really important to visit them respectfully,” said Eviner. “Each flower we crush from a selfie is a lost opportunity to rebuild the seed bank for the next superbloom. So stay on the trails.”

Carrizo Plain National Monument, the area observed by NASA, is just turning the corner, such that the Theodore Payne Foundation Wild Flower�� advises, “Visit soon as the region is beginning the downside of peak bloom.”

Where to go to see a superbloom

The Channel Islands, Southern California

Drawing parallels with the Galápagos Islands, The Channel Islands are a diverse treasury found just off the Southern California coast. The area boasts enormous plant as well as animal species, and the flowers are going off now.

Pinnacles National Park, Central California

See rare birds as well as wildflowers at Pinnacles National Park. As the Theodore Payne Foundation Wild Flower hotline says, “Young raptors will soon be taking their first flight and that event is eagerly anticipated. In the meantime, new wildflowers are popping up everywhere along trails and vistas.”

Los Padres National Forest, Southern and Central California

Figueroa Mountain Road, damaged by storm, in Los Padres National Forest is under repair and may open soon. Wildflowers are showing at lower elevations, as far as the road is open, and are yet to appear at the higher elevations.

Joshua Tree National Park, Southern California

The washes are coming alive in the desert of Joshua Tree National Park, where you find wildflowers from late February or early March to early May. Fall blooms also occur throughout the park.

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Southern California

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, says�� is “located on California’s most consistent poppy-bearing land.” It is now aglow with goldfields and California poppies, and more poppies are expected to appear in the coming weeks.

Mount Tamalpais State Park, Northern California

The Facebook page for Mount Tamalpais State Park, says with humor, “Though [they are] not ‘visible from space,’ we do have some superb blooms.”

Yosemite National Park, Northern California

���ϳԹ��� of the snow-swathed Yosemite National Park, at lower elevations such as Mariposa, wildflower blooms are well underway, with California poppies opening. The Merced River Canyon, also outside of park borders, is famed for its wildflower blooms, which are likely to explode in the next few weeks. High in Yosemite, at sites such as at Glacier Point, wildflowers may bloom into June and July.

Catalina State Park,��Arizona

In Arizona, the poppies have come out in full in the stream- and snowmelt-fed Catalina State Park. They are just now about to fade in the warmer temperatures and give way to��non-poppy blooms.

Be a conscientious visitor

The NPS gives these

Look low.

Move slowly.

Stay on the trail.

Take no flowers, only pictures.

Isabella Rosario is an Assistant Editor at ���ϳԹ���. She is based in southeast Iowa and is glad to turn from tornado watches to wildflower viewing.

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Long ago, when my brother, Ted, arrived in Yosemite at 18, reporting for volunteer trail work, he thought: This is it. This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.

My friend Karen Eckrich Tyler says that a winter vacation to Yellowstone National Park was the best trip her family ever took. They stayed in the classic Old Faithful Inn, in Wyoming, and beheld geysers, went cross-country skiing, saw eagles, heard the cry of wolves, and marveled at buffalo walking side by side, pawing the snow in search of sustenance.

“Our grumpy teenager did not want to go,” she says. “And even he said he loved it.”

On my first visit to Yosemite, California, one summer in the 1980s, I sat in the back seat of the Mustang my friend and I had hitched a ride in, my head swimming from the driver’s cigarette smoke, the heat, and the sight of towering walls I’d somehow presumed to come climb. That autumn, friends and I hiked and climbed in the moonscape of Joshua Tree, in Southern California, beside stretches of wildflowers. I later camped in Acadia, on the coast of Maine; and as a weekend traveler then living in Boston, welcomed the sound of birdsong and gentle waves.

Visiting a national park, or any of the run by the National Park Service, is a memory you keep and a joy worth sharing. Next Saturday, April 22, admission is free to all of the parks—which include national historic sites, national seashores, national preserves, national monuments, and —to mark the start of , a nine-day celebration that encourages visitation to more than 85 million acres maintained by the Park Service.

“Entrance fees will be waived on April 22, 2023, to kick off the celebration and to encourage everyone to enjoy their national parks,” reads the NPS Celebrations and Commemorations page. “Also discover what the National Park Service does through our programs and partners to preserve natural and cultural heritage and provide recreational opportunities.”

This year has seen designation of two new national monuments—Avi Kwa Ame in Southern Nevada, and Castner Range, near El Paso, Texas—and Camp Hale, near Leadville, Colorado, was added last fall. Park units extend beyond the continental U.S., which includes Alaska, to Hawaii and into the territories of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.

There are numerous ways to take advantage of discounts at the various park units. The Park Service offers five free visitation days annually. This year’s dates are:

• �����Գܲ����� 16—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• April 22—The first day of National Parks Week
• August 4—Great American Outdoors Day 
• September 23—National Public Lands Day
• November 11—Veterans Day

The Park Service also offers free or discounted programs for U.S. military members and families, veterans, and Gold Star families; U.S. citizens or residents with disabilities; and fourth-grade students through the school year and ensuing summer, as part of the Every Kid ���ϳԹ��� program. Seniors can buy a lifetime pass for $80—just don’t lose it, as a friend of mine did last week, because they cannot be replaced (i.e., you have to buy it again). An annual pass for seniors is just $20. Check out all the passes’ details .

You can also to score free admission—just know that it is heavy-duty work, with 250 hours of service required. Volunteers can teach history and culture, do scientific research, aid in plant and forest stewardship, help build and maintain trails, and take on other jobs in parks across the country and the U.S. territories.

During National Park Week, the Western National Parks Association is giving a 20 percent discount at all WNPA-managed stores to those in its Park Protector program, whose $25 annual membership supports education, research, and community events.

Our parks may have their issues, from overdevelopment and the distraction of air tourism to increasing crowds (many parks, however, remain quiet). But I can’t imagine having missed seeing places like Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado—where I was awakened, twice, in my sleeping bag atop a large boulder by a mouse chomping on my hair—or Shenandoah, in Virginia, where my husband and I enjoyed a sunny hike among rustling green oak and hickory with our younger son when it was his turn to go off to college.

I remember my father, also named Ted, once saying of Alaska, which was the only state in the U. S. that he’d never been to, “I’d just like to see those sights before I die.” His words gave me a shiver, but he did go to the wilds of Alaska, on a rainy fishing trip, and showed us all pictures when he came home. He died very unexpectedly soon after.

Victoria Carter, a contributing writer for ���ϳԹ���, recalls that her parents raised her and her brother with family hikes, bike and ski trips, and campouts. Every summer they took road trips to national parks, she has written: “My parents made sure my brother and I knew that the magic of this country exists first and foremost in the land itself.” She is still taking those trips. So am I.

Alison Osius is a travel editor at ���ϳԹ���. Prior to beginning the job last year, she’d visited over a dozen of our national parks, and various national seashores and forests. She has learned much about our multitude of parks since, and wants to see more.

The post Free Days Ahead in Our National Parks—and Discounts You Should Know About appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

State parks get a bad rap. While national parks get dubbed “America’s best idea” and the full Ken Burns documentary treatment, the state-park system scattered throughout the U.S. is treated as an afterthought. Yet, the best state parks are every bit as spectacular as their national park counterparts.

The 18 Best State Parks in the U.S.

1. Custer State Park,��South Dakota
2. Antelope Island State Park, Utah
3. Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, Florida
4. Baxter State Park, Maine
5. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan
6. Chugach State Park, Alaska
7. Ecola State Park, Oregon
8. Makoshika State Park, Montana
9. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
10. State Forest State Park, Colorado
11. Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah
12. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas
13. Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, Hawaii
14. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
15. Adirondack Park, New York
16. Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California
17. Caddo Lake State Park, Texas
18. Catalina State Park, Arizona

At worst, people consider our state parks as sanitized landscapes full of nature trails and RV-laden campgrounds. These parks are treated as possible side trips while someone is visiting a national park.

“It’s true, state parks get less attention,” says Rachel Norton, executive director of the California State Park Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to enhancing California’s extensive state park system. “What you don’t realize is that there are all of these wonderful state parks around the country protecting similar landscapes, and you might not even be aware of them.”

How Many State Parks Are There?

There are 6,972 different state-park units in this country protecting more than 14 million acres of diverse landscape, from coastal forests to arid deserts. Some of my most memorable adventures have been inside state parks, like searching off-trail for the wreckage of a plane crash in Mount Mitchell State Park in North Carolina (and yes, we found it!) and catching the perfect right break in Torrey Pines State Beach, near San Diego.

Friends and I have surfed sand dunes at Jockey Ridge State Park in North Carolina and found wild ponies in Virginia’s Grayson Highlands State Park, and I got caught with my family in a sandstorm at Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah.

State parks play a lot of roles. Some of them are sandwiched inside urban landscapes, offering quick access to nature for urbanites. Some are incredibly wild and hold some of the most exciting terrain in the U.S.

We asked local experts to find the state-park units that offer what we all seek outside, whether that’s solitude or mountain peaks or wildlife.

Here are our 18 favorite state parks and adventures in them.

Best State Parks for Wildlife

Custer State Park, South Dakota

Parts of South Dakota may be a frozen tundra in winter, but come summer the state offers an attainable array of rugged hills, towering peaks, cliffs, and shimmering plains. It’s the Wild West the way the Wild West used to be.

protects 71,000 acres between Wind Cave National Park and Mount Rushmore National Monument. The terrain is classic Black Hills, with mountains rising above 7,000 feet, ice-cold remote lakes, and an endless supply of granite cliffs and spires. And oh yeah, there are prairies—vast expanses of grass that support many safaris’ worth of wildlife.

Custer State Park’s big draw is the bison herd, well over 1,300 strong. The massive mammals, which can grow to be six feet tall and 2,000 pounds, are alone worth the trip, giving the park a frontier vibe.

Bison are just one piece, though, of the menagerie in Custer, where the prairies and pine forests support healthy populations of bighorn sheep, elk, and antelope. There’s even a hardy band of wild donkeys, famous for begging food off visitors.

Best time to visit: May to September

Entrance fee: $20 per vehicle for 7-day pass

Signature adventure: Many people drive the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road through the park’s open grasslands and pine forests to catch a glimpse of the wild locals (there are even open-air safari tours), but it is best experienced from the seat of a road bike.

“It’s a great bike ride,” says Kevin Quinn, owner of which leads photography, cycling, and hiking tours throughout the area. The bison often lumber into the road, he adds. “It can be a little intimidating the first time you see a bison from the seat of your bike,” he says, “but you’ll be fine. The bison are used to cars, but scared of cyclists, so they tend to run away when you pedal through.”

More adventure: There’s much more than just photographing beasts in Custer. Black Elk Peak (7,244’) is the highest east of the Rocky Mountains. A few different trails ascend it, but the classic route is to combine Cathedral Spires Trail, and Norbeck Trail with Trail #9 for a 7.9-mile round trip that begins on the edge of Sylvan Lake and climbs 1,100 feet in elevation to the lookout tower at the top of Black Elk. The trail passes through the Black Elk Wilderness area, where ponderosa pines loom tall, and has you scrambling up rock outcroppings for big views into the Black Hills.

Custer State Park also has a lifetime of granite cliffs and spires to explore. The Needles, a collection of towers and spires, has attracted hardy climbers since the mid-40s who have established almost 700 routes, ranging from 5.3 to 5.13. A lot of the classic climbs are in beginner-friendly grades but require solid traditional climbing skills, so hire a guide if you’re not comfortable setting protection and anchors. The three-pitch East Face of Spire 2, one of the original routes established in the park, climbs 250 feet to the true summit of the spire for a dramatic view of the entire park.

Antelope Island State Park, Utah

is a 42-square-mile hunk of land on the southern edge of the Great Salt Lake that, at low water level, becomes a long peninsula. Hence the island has become a sort of Noah’s Ark, boasting robust populations of bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and coyotes. For a bird’s-eye view of Antelope and the Great Salt Lake, hike the a 7-mile round trip that climbs 2,000 feet to the top of the highest peak on the island.

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, Florida

Florida boasts a jungle-like ecosystem full of natural springs and wildlife. is home to one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater-spring systems, which is surrounded by an old-growth cypress swamp. It’s a recipe for habitation by big animals, and visitors can see reptiles galore, from gators to giant manatees. A boat tour into the swamp almost guarantees sightings of both, but spend some time swimming and snorkeling in the always-70-degree water of the spring.����

Best State Parks for Wilderness

Baxter State Park, Maine

You could easily argue that deserves full-fledged national-park status. The 209,644-acre wilderness is a cacophony of remote peaks (more than 40), backcountry lakes, streams, full-day rock-climbing routes, and more than 215 miles of hiking trails including the dramatic northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Baxter has the awe-inspiring terrain you’d expect from a national park, but is sleepy, blissfully under-developed, and as primitive now as when it was established in 1931.

“The mission of the park is to protect the landscape over the recreation,” says Paul Sannicandro, a registered Maine Master Guide and owner of Moose Woods Guide Service, which leads backpacking and canoeing trips throughout Baxter. “It’s preservation first, recreation second, so the terrain is really wild.”

Forget the resort-like amenities that you might find in other state parks: the lodging facilities in Baxter are bare bones, usually without electricity or indoor showers. You’ll find an extensive system of trail shelters throughout the park, but no grand lodge or restaurant. You’re expected to bring everything you need, and take it back out when you’re done. Even the roads are scarce, mostly gravel, and designed to skirt the edges of the park to keep the heart of the wilderness area intact. There are no scenic drives or pull outs with views; if you want to explore this place, you’re doing it on foot.

Best time to visit: May to September for the best weather, October if you want fall color

Entrance fee: $16 per vehicle

Signature adventure: Hike Mount Katahdin

There are more than 215 miles of hiking trails in the park, but climbing to the summit of Mount Katahdin, the 5,267-foot-high point in Maine, is a must-do. Start early and leave from the Roaring Brook campground, combining the Helon Taylor Trail, Knife Edge, Saddle, Hamlin Ridge and Chimney Pond Trails for a 10-mile loop, and you’ll be able to bag the park’s other highest peaks, 4,919-foot Pamola and 4,756-foot Hamlin Peak, along the way.

It’s an arduous adventure, gaining more than 4,000 feet, but much of it is above tree line, including the mile-long “Knife Edge,” a razor-back ridgeline of granite that approaches Katahdin’s summit. Be sure to at one of three Katahdin parking lots ahead of time.

Other ���ϳԹ���s: Baxter offers multi-pitch rock climbing in remote locations. Most of the climbing is located near Chimney Pond, which has a small ranger station where you’ll need to register your climb. The Armadillo (5.7) offers classic alpine climbing that will test your skills on cracks, steep faces, ridgeline scrambling, and mega exposure. It’s a six-pitch affair that is guaranteed to take you the better part of a day, especially considering the two-hour approach bushwhack, which is half the fun and full of boulder hopping and stream wading. Bring a headlamp and a way to filter water.

Sample the park’s dazzling array of backcountry lakes at Wassataquoik Lake, a 178-acre pond in the middle of Baxter, offering both backcountry camping and paddling. Moose frequent the area, so keep your camera at the ready, and there’s no need to lug a boat with you; you can borrow a canoe from the backcountry ranger outpost for just $8 a day.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan

Locals call the region “the Porkies,” but don’t let the fun nickname fool you, is serious business, encompassing 60,000 acres on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, including 35,000 acres of old-growth forest, one of the largest such tracts in the middle of the country.

The landscape stretches from the shoreline of Lake Superior to the 1900-foot peaks of the Porkies, with a myriad of backcountry lakes, waterfalls, and hiking trails in between. Backpacking loops abound. Start your trip with the 8.1-mile Big Carp River Trail, which travels from the banks of Lake Superior into the park, ending at Lake of the Clouds, a 133-acre backcountry lake with campsites and options for longer traverses.

Chugach State Park, Alaska

This is Alaska, so you know is gonna be big. At 450,000 acres, it’s one of the largest state parks in the country, encompassing an almost perfect slice of Alaska—from rugged coast to the towering Chugach Mountains—just a few miles from Anchorage.

The landscape is surprisingly accessible, with more than 280 miles of designated hiking trails. Consider tackling the Crow Pass Trail, which runs from Girdwood to Eagle River, following the Iditarod National Historic Trail route. It’s 25 miles long and hits the highlights, from waterfalls to glaciers.

Best State Parks for Dramatic Landscapes

Ecola State Park, Oregon

isn’t large—only 1,023 acres—but it’s prime real estate, encompassing the majority of Tillamook Head, a prominent cliff line that rises 1,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean in northern Oregon. The park protects nine miles of undulating coast and rainforest, offering the moody atmosphere and lush terrain of Washington’s Olympic National Park, but in a condensed space that you can easily explore in a couple of days. ���ϳԹ���rs have two main beaches to choose from, each with a small network of hiking trails, including a piece of the Oregon Coastal Trail, and beach breaks that are ideal for beginner surfers.

“There aren’t many places in the world where you can surf next to a rainforest,” says Lauren Ahlgren, a local who grew up exploring Ecola State Park and now owns Oregon Surf ���ϳԹ���s. “You’re on your board between sea stacks and the beach, and you look up, and there are century-old cedars towering above.”

The forest is comprised of old-growth and second-growth spruce and hemlock trees and an understory dominated by vibrant ferns. Make it to the grassy bluffs overlooking the Pacific and you’ll see sea stacks popping out of the surf and sandy, half-moon shaped beaches at the base of the cliffs. The scene is moody and dramatic and drop-dead gorgeous. Tilamook Head was the last stop of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Legend has it that when Clark saw the view, he said, “I behold the grandest and most pleasing prospect which my eyes ever surveyed.”

Best time to visit: Summer brings highs in the 70s, but September and October offer good surf, dry trails and fewer crowds.

Entrance fee: $5 parking fee

Signature ���ϳԹ���: For the full experience, hike the park’s eight-mile section of the Oregon Coast Trail. You’ll move from thick spruce rain forest to tall cliffs with long-range views of the Pacific Ocean, where you can see the decommissioned Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, perched atop a sea stack. You might even spot a gray whale. The only catch: there’s no overnight parking at either trailhead, so this is a big, 16-mile out and back.

More ���ϳԹ���: Indian Beach has consistent breaks that can get heavy during the winter, but suit beginners in summer. Get board rentals or lessons from , in Seaside. Hike the 1.1-mile which leads to a secluded beach walled in by two headlands. The hike oscillates between spruce forest and grassy bluffs, with a great view of Sea Lion Rock, a large sea stack with a natural arch. Keep an eye out for elk, which tend to gather in the meadows atop the cliffs. Visit either beach at low tide and you can spend hours exploring the tidepools, which collect vibrant starfish and sand dollars.

Makoshika State Park, Montana

is native Lakota for “bad earth,” but another translation might be “badass earth.” This Montana state park covers 12,000 acres of mudstone and sandstone badlands that form hoodoos, bridges, arches and caprocks in what looks like the landscape from a sci-fi movie. You may also find fossils of dinosaurs, like the tyrannosaurus and triceratops. Hike the 1-mile Kinney Coulee Trail, which forms a lollipop loop as it drops steeply into a coulee (deep ravine) passing some of the park’s most distinct rock formations.

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

Nevada’s largest state park, the 40,000-acre , is a showcase of sandstone outcroppings that rise from the crusty soil of the Mojave Desert. Catch those rocks at sunset, and they turn such a bright shade of red the whole valley looks like it’s on fire. As if that’s not enough, petroglyphs inside the park date back 2,000 years. See some of the highlights on the 1.1-mile which forms a loop past giant white domes (duh), caves, and slot canyons.��

Best State Parks That Feel Like National Parks

State Forest State Park, Colorado

Don’t be discouraged by the bland name; is anything but boring. The 71,000-acre park protects a sweet chunk of the Medicine Bow Mountains and Never Summer Range, sharing a border with Rocky Mountain National Park. The terrain is staggeringly diverse, ranging from 12,000-foot granite peaks to groves of aspen to sand dunes. Seriously, sand dunes.

State Forest State Park is like a mini Rocky Mountain National Park, boasting its own collection of 11,000- and 12,000-foot peaks, high-alpine backcountry lakes, and a solid population of moose, but a fraction of the crowds. You can even walk from Rocky Mountain National Park to State Forest State Park and vice versa by hiking over Thunder Pass.

“I see more moose than people out here,” says Mike Soucy, a guide with He leads trips into State Forest State Park throughout the year, from backcountry ski tours in the winter, to mountain biking and mountaineering forays in the summer. “It’s a longer drive to get here from the Front Range compared to Rocky Mountain National Park,” Soucy says, “but it’s worth it.”

Entrance fee: $10 per vehicle

Best time to visit: Anytime. Winter and early spring bring cross-country and backcountry skiing, fall means colorful aspens, and summer is prime backpacking and fishing.

Signature ���ϳԹ���: Exploring in the southern corner of the park, is the most popular adventure, partly because the access is so straightforward (it’s just a 1.6-mile out-and-back hike), but also because it’s stunning. The alpine lake sits at 10,600 feet, surrounded by granite peaks, including the Nokhu Crags, where bald eagles often circle. A rocky island pops out of the middle of the lake, complete with its own evergreen forest. Bring a fly rod, as the lake supports a population of wily cutthroat trout.

Other ���ϳԹ���s: Ruby Jewel, Kelly Lake, and Clear Lake are a trio of remote, high-alpine lakes deep in this park’s backcountry. The 16-mile makes for a beautiful backpacking trip that combines the Ruby Jewel and Hidden Valley Trails, passing through lush meadows and scree fields before reaching the rocky shores of Kelly Lake, which is nestled inside a glacial cirque. The Mendenhall Route climbs 2,000 feet in eight miles on its way to the North Sand Hills Recreation Area, an area of open sand dunes, where OHV trails extend into BLM land.

Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah

Sitting between Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, is easy to overlook, but when Arches sees standing-room-only crowds, you’ll still be able to cruise on into this 5,632-acre state park. What will you get for the effort? Postcard-worthy views. The park sits on a plateau 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, offering views that rival those of either of its neighbors. Meander along the 2.5-mile West Rim Trail for some rock-hopping with views of the Colorado River’s “Horseshoe Bend,” or pedal the 17-mile Intrepid Trail System, a tangle of singletrack with the area’s signature slickrock terrain and views into Canyonlands National Park.

Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas

Big Bend is the name given to the region of far-west Texas where the Rio Grande forms a massive “U” between the United States and Mexico. Big Bend National Park is a vast expanse of desert, mountains, dry washes, and one solitary hot spring. sits right next door, offering 311,000 acres of canyons, mountains, and rolling desert, not to mention the occasional oasis and 238 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. See a lot of the park on the 54-mile Fresno-Sauceda Loop, an IMBA-designated Epic ride that winds through Chihuahuan Desert terrain, past abandoned mines, and over an entire hill covered with shiny crystals.

Best State Parks for Solitude

Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, Hawaii

On the island of Kauai, protects 16 miles of dramatic coast full of towering cliffs that rise 4,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Interspersed between those cliffs are white sandy beaches, lush green valleys, and steep ridgelines highlighted by waterfalls. There are some ruins from early settlements, but otherwise the land is exactly how it has been for centuries. It is scenic, rugged, and completely void of any of the facilities you might expect from a state park.

Na Pali is not large, just 6,175 acres, but the landscape sets the standard for what Hawaii’s rugged coastline should be. Maybe more important for the hardy few who find themselves inside this park, you have to work really hard to get there. Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park is only accessible by foot or boat. There’s not even a road entering the park; the Kuhio Highway ends at neighboring Ha’ena State Park. From there, you have to hike two miles south on the trail before you even enter Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park. The isolation is enticing for those seeking solitude.

Entrance Fee: $10 per vehicle for non-residents at Ha’ena State Park. Parking required, or many people take a

Best time to visit: The hiking is great from May to October, and summer brings calm seas for kayakers.

Signature ���ϳԹ���: Hiking the The 11-mile Kalalau is one of the only established trails inside the park, beginning at Ke’e Beach in Ha’ena State Park and ending at Kalalau Beach. Hiking the entire trail as an out and back is at least a two-day endeavor with big, 800-foot climbs as the trail rises out of verdant valleys to the ridgetops. Optional side trips will take you to more waterfalls, but the real destination is Kalalau Beach, where you can camp if you have a permit. See here and find a here. Permits are available 90 days in advance.

More ���ϳԹ���: If you’re not up for the full Kalalau Trail, while the first two miles won’t offer solitude, they are a great day hike. Go the first two miles from Ke’e Beach to Hanakapi’ai Valley and beach, and catch a 2-mile spur trail to the 300-foot Hanakapi’ai Falls. Anything beyond will be quiet but you would need a to proceed at all. Kayaking the coast is allowed from May 15 to September 7, but you’ll need a to land your boat at specific points within the state park. Boaters will paddle 17 miles to Ha’ena State Park to Polihale Beach, following the currents. You’ll get a waterline view of the towering cliffs, explore sea caves, and stop at the occasional remote beach. We recommend hiring a .

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

The biggest state park in California, and one of the biggest in the country, the 585,930-acre is a mix of cactus-laden desert, palm oases, mountain ridges, and slot canyons. The majority of the park is only accessible by 4WD vehicle (or a really, really long walk). An easy but memorable front-country hike begins at the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground, traversing 1.5 miles into a canyon filled with leafy palms and underground springs. For true solitude, bring your overlanding rig and explore the 500 miles of dirt roads crisscrossing the backcountry.

Adirondack Park, New York

Technically, isn’t part of the state park system, but it is a park managed by the state, so we’re including it here. Because at 6.1 million acres, it’s the largest piece of protected land in the lower 48. Roughly half of that is managed by the state, and the other half is a progressive example of private conservation that allows people to live and work in the thriving communities dispersed throughout the park.

Canoeing and hiking are the traditional recreation options in Adirondack Park, and even just endeavoring to do those two activities can be overwhelming considering the size. Options for solitude abound. We like Avalanche Lake, in the heart of the High Peaks Wilderness Area. The skinny, half-mile-long lake is surrounded by granite cliffs and requires a 12-mile out-and-back hike from Adirondack Mountain Club’s Adirondak Loj.

Best State Parks for Spectacular Flora

Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California

At 53,000 acres, is one of the largest state parks in California, protecting a tract of coastal Sequoia forest (aka redwoods) with more than 100 trees over 300 feet tall. Hikers have more than 100 miles of trail to choose from, two large rivers are full of sandbars and fish, and the park holds some of the most scenic forest roads in California. But it’s the trees that people show up for. A number of state and national parks in California protect old-growth redwoods, but Humboldt is the epicenter, guarding 17,000 acres of old-growth redwood forest, the largest expanse of ancient redwoods in the world.

“Usually, state parks are pretty cool and the national park is the grandiose experience, but here in the redwoods, it’s the opposite,” says Justin Legge, a naturalist who leads tours throughout Humboldt County. “Our state parks were protected earlier and they have the best of the best trees. The redwoods inside the Redwood National Park are scattered. But the forest inside Humboldt Redwoods State Park is the largest interconnected stand of old-growth Sequoias in the world. It stretches for miles.”��

Entrance Fee: No entrance fee, but the Williams Grove Day Use Area charges $8 per vehicle for parking.

Best time to visit: Summer for swimming, fall for fishing, winter for solitude. Check the above website, as landslides caused by this year’s winter storms have closed portions of the park.

Signature adventure: Driving the 32-mile-long Avenue of the Giants, a scenic road that takes you by 300-foot-tall redwoods, is the main attraction inside the park. The trees are awe-inspiring, and from the road you can take some easy hikes, like the 1.3-mile trail through Founder’s Grove, which passes the Dyerville Giant, a 362-foot mammoth that fell in 1991.

More ���ϳԹ���s: Avenue of the Giants actually traces the border of the park. To experience the forest, you need to get off the main thoroughfare. Bring your road bike and pedal Mattole Road, a five-mile, narrow road through Rockefeller Forest, the heart of the old growth inside the park. Stretch your legs at the Big Tree Area, a day-use spot with some of the largest trees in the park.

For a longer adventure, hike the an 8.6-mile loop that passes through the tallest tree canopy in the country, requiring a couple of river crossings along the way. As impressive as the forest is, the rivers that cruise through Humboldt Redwoods State Park might be even more so.

Salmon and steelhead trout are found in the South Fork and main stem of the Eel River every fall and winter (catch and release only), and the waterways are chock full of sandbars and swimming holes. Check out Leatherwood Bar, across from the Founders Grove, or Eagle Point, a beautiful bend in the river near Hidden Springs Campground.

Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

Sitting on the eastern border of Texas, is more water than land, with a 26,000-acre lake that’s downright spooky thanks to the expansive grove of bald cypress rising from the calm black water. It’s the largest intact cypress forest in the world and one of the few forests that is best explored by boat. Bring a canoe or kayak and paddle the Big Cypress Bayou, a channel that winds through towering cypress with expansive knees rising from the water.

Catalina State Park, Arizona

The saguaro cactus is a marvel of evolution, carving a long life for itself out of the inhospitable desert. The cactus can live up to 200 years and reach 50 feet in height, weighing more than two tons when it’s full of water. , a 5,500-acre slice of desert, canyons, and hills, claims more than 5,000 of these prickly beauties. You’ll see them at every turn. Try hiking the Romero Canyon Trail, a 7.2-mile point-to-point that climbs through a series of seasonal washes up to the 6,000-foot-high Romero Pass.

Graham Averill is ���ϳԹ��� Magazine’s national parks columnist, but some of his favorite adventures have happened inside state parks. He’s explored coastal sand dunes and crystalline springs in Florida state parks, navigated miles of singletrack in Utah’s state parks, and, in a South Carolina state park, fought off a feisty raccoon that was stealing his cooler. His favorite state park right now is Mount Mitchell State Park, near his home in Asheville, North Carolina.

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Social media has done strange things to public-lands use. On one hand, it’s gotten loads of newcomers into the great outdoors. On the other, all those posts increase visitation to just a few easy-access photo ops in a handful of parks. Last year, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that among the 424 units it manages, 26 percent of the system’s nearly 300 million visitors went to the eight most visited parks.

On seeing these numbers, I did a double-take—and then a deep dive, examining many of America’s less-traveled natural wonders. After all, there are 640 million acres of federally managed lands and 18.7 million acres of land managed as state parks. Surely plenty of other places are worth a trip.

I’ve been to every national park in the U.S. and learned a lot along the way about how to get off the beaten path. I also researched park, campground, and trail-review websites; perused countless traveler photos; and asked other outdoor writers and various trail users across the country about their favorite hidden gems.

I wasn’t choosy about designations, like state park, preserve, or national monument. My mission was to get to the bottom of which little-visited spaces had the most spectacular scenery and diverse outdoor activities.

The result? A list of the country’s most underrated parks in every state, with something for everyone, from the adrenaline-fueled adventure athlete to the armchair, or hammock-swinging, appreciative lakeside reader. Here it is.

Alabama

Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve

The dramatically lit 143-foot cave leading into would look more at home in a sci-fi movie than a U.S. park, and that’s why it made our list. This cavern, set in a woodland about 30 minutes outside of Huntsville, is a local favorite for photographers and cavers, but what is less known is that day hikers can access its huge walk-in entrance via a forested 1.5-mile (round trip) trail. A for the cave, which has daily visitor limits, is required, and should be arranged two to three weeks ahead. Pack a helmet, also required, and wear sturdy trail shoes or hiking boots with excellent tread. Descending the deep entrance pit takes technical skills and rappelling equipment; do not attempt to enter that way without experience and specialty equipment. Use caution even on the walk-in passage, which passes the pit.

Alaska

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

With an expanse of over 19 million acres (roughly the size of South Carolina), the , or ANWR, is the largest federally protected conservation area in North America. Though it may lack the striking, glaciated summits of Denali National Park and the easy road access of Kenai Fjords, ANWR is home to enormous caribou herds, all three species of U.S. bears (brown, black, and polar), muskoxen, wolves, and more than 200 species of migratory birds. Getting to this remote park in the majestic Brooks Range is a journey, but a few trekking companies like offer itineraries to take the edge off your planning.

Arizona

Chiricahua National Monument

is often hailed as a “wonderland of rocks,” a unique landscape of rhyolitic formations caused by volcanic eruptions and erosion over millennia. Travelers can sightsee on a paved, eight-mile scenic drive or lace up their trail runners and hit the park’s 17 miles of hiking paths (Lower Rhyolite Canyon is filled with pinnacles). With two bills currently moving through Congress aiming to redesignate Chiricahua as a national park, perhaps the visitation tide will turn, but for now, the place is a diamond in the rough.

Arkansas

Buffalo National River

In 1972, Buffalo River became the country’s first national river, flowing freely for 135 miles through the woodsy Ozark Mountains. As Buffalo is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48, watersports are front and center here–visitors can kayak jaw-dropping class III in the spring–but the NPS-managed park is also home to miles of hiking and backpacking trails, rock-climbing routes, bike trails, and ethereal night skies.

California

Pinnacles National Park

Established by President Obama in 2013, Pinnacles is the newest of California’s nine national parks, still often overlooked in favor of Instagram favorites like Yosemite and Joshua Tree. This central Cali stunner offers a long list of epic outdoor adventures all its own, from rock climbing up fins of volcanic breccia, to hiking through moss-lined caves and marveling at endangered California condors in their natural habitat.

Colorado

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Skip the timed entry permits and crowds of Rocky Mountain National Park for the dark, foliated metamorphic rock of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a vertiginous ravine carved by the churning Gunnison River some 2,700 feet below the rim. Road trippers will delight in the park’s many accessible overlooks–you can see how Painted Wall got its name–while advanced hikers may want to scramble down an inner canyon route (permit required), and climbers with advanced traditional skills climb its steep and committing routes. The place had only 300K visitors last year, so you’re sure to enjoy some of the solitude you seek.

Connecticut

Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge

With much of the East Coast developed by enterprising industrialists before the conservation movement was born, it can be difficult to find land where wildlife is free to roam. At , visitors can meander through some of the oldest maritime forest and largest undeveloped coastal wetlands in Connecticut, a mere 30 minutes from New Haven. Ranger-led programs introduce the curious to the area’s shorebirds, terrapins, and wildflowers, but intrepid explorers might prefer to take a hike in the Salt Meadow Unit or paddle along the Menunketesuck River in search of egrets and ibises.

Delaware

Brandywine Creek State Park

Chock-full of family-friendly activities (disc golf, anyone?) in the densely populated Mid-Atlantic is the 933-acre . Situated six miles from central Wilmington (and 20 miles from Philadelphia), it offers a reprieve from urban-summer humidity. Hiking, canoeing, tubing, and kayaking are all popular pastimes, and the park’s sprawling meadows, lined with red oak and tulip poplar, are the perfect place for a spring picnic.

Florida

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Yes, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota has preserved thousands of acres of unspoiled American prairie, but did you know there’s a sizable grassland preserve in Florida? At , 90 minutes from the metropolis of Orlando in central Florida, outdoor recreationists can bask in the state’s largest remaining tract of dry prairie, home to American kestrels, red-shouldered hawks, and white-tailed kites. More than 100 miles of multi-use trails for hikers, bikers, and equestrians crisscross the park’s 54 thousand acres, and there’s even an astronomy campground specifically designated for Milky Way viewers to gaze up, free of bright lights and campfires.

Georgia

Providence Canyon State Park

Even with the cute oxymoronic title of Georgia’s “little Grand Canyon,” is often passed over in favor of larger state parks like Cloudland Canyon. Though Providence’s 150-foot-deep gullies were caused by poor farming practices in the 1800s, today’s visitors who hike the area’s 2.5-mile loop trail will be treated to some of the most stunning vistas in the state–conifer forests crumbling into pink, orange, and red-hued rock–without the crowds of big-name parks. You can hike, bike and run here. Looking to pop open your ultralight tent? The park also offers a 7-mile backcountry trail with .

Hawaii

Ahupua’a ‘O Kahana State Park

On the eastern edge of Oahu, far from the bustle of touristy Waikiki, lies , a longtime locals’ favorite with loads of sandy space to stretch out on. Framed by the verdant Ko’olau Mountains, this ahupuaʻa, or ancient Hawaiian land division, is one of the few in the state that’s publicly owned. As such, it’s designed as a “living park,” where visitors can enjoy both the sunshine-spattered beach and the surrounding valley, which is home to a heiau (religious temple), ko’a (fishing shrines), and several agricultural terraces. The 1.2-mile Ko’a and Kilo Trail is an excellent way to explore the area’s aforementioned cultural sights.

Idaho

Hells Canyon National Recreation Area

Most of Idaho’s mountain seekers make a beeline for the Sawtooths, but the 652,488-acre expanse of , on the state’s western border with Oregon, deserves a detour. This is the deepest river gorge in North America, the canyon rim’s high point a staggering 8,000 feet above the Snake River’s roaring rapids. There are hundreds of miles of hiking trails to tramp across here, and you can run and bike, but the best way to get up close and personal with Hells Canyon is on the water. No boat? No problem. offers full- and half-day tours.

Illinois

Matthiessen State Park

Located a mere 2.5 miles south of the often-crowded Starved Rock State Park sits a haven for waterfall chasers of all ages, . A scenic variation from Illinois’ mostly flat farmlands, set about an hour and a half from Chicago, this nature haven is centered around a mossy limestone canyon, punctuated by towering cascades and a handful of black oaks. The most picturesque of the bunch is 65-foot Lake Falls, which is framed by an immense, arcing bridge over the Matthiessen Lake Dam.

Indiana

Shades State Park

If you’re looking to hike or canoe in woodsy Indiana, go no further. At 3,082 acres, is one of the Hoosier State’s smaller preserves, but we believe in quality over quantity when choosing our outdoor hangs. Far less crowded than nearby Turkey Run State Park, Shades is home to old-growth trees, ladder-accessible ravines, rippling waterfalls, hiking, backcountry camping, and primo views of sandstone-lined Sugar Creek. Pro tip: go in fall when the sugar maples and tulip poplars put on a fiery show.

Iowa

Palisades-Kepler State Park

Comprised of 840 acres of wilderness along the shady banks of the Cedar River, is a Midwest explorer’s dream. The park boats year-round hiking on five miles of trails through old-growth hardwood forest, wildflower meadows, and river and bluff views; and opportunities to cast a line for bass, walleye, and catfish. it is a treasure trove of echinoderm fossils, and it contains ancient conical Native American burial mounds. For those hoping to stay the night, an on-site campground and four cabins are .

Kansas

Kanopolis Lake State Park

has the honor of being the first state park in Kansas, and though its grayish-orange sandstone bluffs may seem out of place in the state’s otherwise flat grasslands, they’re a staple of the Smoky Hills region, Ellsworth County. The park itself centers around a 3,500-acre reservoir and is split into two scenic areas: Horsethief and Langley Point. Hikers should head for the hills and spend a day on the 7-mile Horsethief Canyon to Red Rock Canyon Loop, looking for white-tailed deer, while boaters and beachgoers will want to post up along the water at Langley Point.

Kentucky

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

Though many of Kentucky’s adventure-loving crowds will seek out favorites like Mammoth Cave and Carter Caves, and its myriad of tributaries deserve their time in the limelight. Encompassing 125,310 acres of the sweeping Cumberland Plateau, a wooded landscape full of steep gorges, natural bridges, sedimentary canyons, and rocky riverbanks, this national river and recreation area is paradise for adventurers. Here, it’s possible to run class IV rapids, then hike to a pair of stunning sandstone arches in the same day, or mountain bike along West Bandy Creek and maybe climb a sport or trad route at sunset. Hunker down at Charit Creek Lodge or in one of the park’s five campgrounds.

Louisiana

Chicot State Park

is the largest in Louisiana, spanning 6,400 acres of diverse ecosystems that stretch from the swampy Atchafalaya Basin to the mellow hills of center state. As the Bayou State’s nickname implies, the park is a haven for paddlers and anglers who want to bask among the quiet waters and spooky cypress knees of Lake Chicot (the state-record largemouth bass was once caught here), but it’s also home to 20 miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails, which encircle the lake.

Maine

Camden Hills State Park

is located a 90-minute drive south of Acadia National Park, so no wonder it is overlooked in favor of its famous neighbor, but this coastal escape offers much of the same spectacular year-round scenery. In summer, enjoy a morning hike up the steep 1-mile trail to Mount Battie for panoramic views of the rocky Maine coastline, nearby Penobscot Bay, and, on a clear day, Acadia’s Cadillac Mountain, then board a harbor cruise to check out the park’s undulating ridgeline from the Atlantic. Hike, bike and run on nine miles of trails of varying difficulty. When autumn hits, motor up the Mount Battie Auto Road for some of the best leaf peeping in the country, and in winter, break a sweat on miles of designated cross-country ski trails.

Maryland

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Home to one of the largest breeding populations of bald eagles on the East Coast, is a 28,894-acre stretch of mixed hardwood and loblolly pine forests, tidal marsh, and freshwater wetlands. The park, which has five miles of hiking trails and 17 miles of water trails, is perfect for paddlers as well as birders observing one of the best migratory bird corridors in the U.S. Sometimes referred to as “the Everglades of the north,” Blackwater sees thousands of ducks (from 20 different species), snow geese, and tundra swans during peak season, in November. Year-round residents include blue-winged teals, great blue herons, and the formerly endangered Delmarva peninsula fox squirrels.

Massachusetts

Wompatuck State Park

As state parks go, is on the smaller side, at a mere 3,526 acres, but it still delivers a , 12 miles of non-motorized roads for biking, a boat/kayak launch, and 40 miles of paths for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use. The trails here wind through dense stands of White Atlantic cedar and shag bark hickory to idyllic ponds and the larger Aaron River Reservoir. Go in fall for unforgettable foliage.

Michigan

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

The Upper Peninsula and the , or Porkies, as they’re affectionately called by locals, offer killer outdoor access. At 60,000 acres, this protected area is the largest state park in Michigan, and it’s full of hiking, disc golf, and paddling opportunities amid old-growth hemlock and sugar-maple forests, sparkling lakes, rushing waterfalls, and hilltops overlooking the chilly blue water of Lake Superior.

Minnesota

Cascade River State Park

This wooded wonderland, 10 miles from the quaint North Shore town of Grand Marais, is home to a series of , as the mighty Cascade River drops a whopping 900 feet through ancient basalt lava flows in its final three miles. Avid hikers should check out the 3.5-mile Lookout Mountain Loop, with its panoramic views of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. In winter, a groomed cross-country ski trail provides hours of snowy fun.

Mississippi

Natchez National Historic Park

Here in the Magnolia State, a lot of press goes to promoting the 444-mile, NPS-managed Natchez Trace Parkway, but relatively little points to its eponymous , a beacon for history buffs seeking to learn about the area’s rich and sometimes brutal cultural history. At Natchez, guests can tour Civil War sites highlighting the Federal occupation of the city; visit Forks of the Road, once the second-largest slave market in the Deep South; and see Melrose, a preserved antebellum-era plantation in the country.

Missouri

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

For caving and geology nerds who reside in the Midwest, is a fantastic place to spend a weekend. The property centers around one of Missouri’s finest examples of karst topography, with a tree-topped natural arch of limestone, a handful of sinkholes, and two large caves. Devil’s Icebox, the largest of the two, is over six miles long and is currently closed to protect a cauldron of endangered gray bats. Not so into caves? Hike or bike across miles of trails that wind through the park’s preserved grasslands.

Montana

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Though loads of attention is heaped onto the NPS’ national parks, the agency manages hundreds of less-traveled public lands, too, , in southern Montana, is easily one of the most scenic of our country’s parks, national or otherwise. Established by an act of Congress in 1966, the park protects massive, man-made Bighorn Lake and dozens of miles of rust-orange sedimentary strata forming the surrounding ravine. Top activities here include trout fishing in the Afterbay, plus boating, hiking, and backcountry camping up tributary creeks and canyons amid shrubs and coniferous forests. A great variety of wildlife includes bighorn sheep, bears, and mule deer.

Nebraska

Platte River State Park

The Cornhusker State often gets razzed for being flat “flyover country,” but offers a wealth of outdoor adventures. Canoe along the mellow Platte River Water Trail, hike the park’s 6.7-mile loop trail past a burbling waterfall, challenge yourself on a series of designated mountain biking trails among the forested rolling hills and bluffs, and, when the day is done, cozy up in one of the site’s vintage cabin rentals.

Nevada

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

Next time you’re in Las Vegas, skip Valley of Fire for a nearby park that’s far less crowded yet jam-packed with fascinating history–. Sitting at the southern end of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the park has some pretty incredible scenery and opportunities for adventurous hiking and scrambling. This area was designated in 2014 to protect over 436 paleontological sites with Ice Age-era fossils of mammoths, ground sloths, camels, and the giant North American lion.

New Hampshire

Cardigan Mountain State Park

New Hampshire’s rugged White Mountains have long been a favorite of outdoor fanatics, but the fee-free is often ignored in favor of bigger fare, like Franconia Notch and the Presidential Range. Crowd-averse trekkers will love the 360-degree views from Cardigan Mountain’s treeless granite summit, atop which a 1924 observation tower sits. Along the park’s many trails, visitors will pass through a northern hardwood forest of sugar maple, beech, and yellow birch, before ascending a rocky ridge of red spruce and cinquefoil as they near the rocky bald. The area offers hiking, snowshoeing, and nordic and backcountry skiing.

New Jersey

Wawayanda State Park

With a name taken from a Lenape phrase meaning “winding, winding water,” is a stronghold of preserved natural marvels, situated an hour’s drive from the hoi polloi of Newark. Not only does its 35,161-acre breadth contain a twenty-mile stretch of the storied Appalachian Trail, but visitors can also gaze out at sweeping views from Pinwheel Vista or marvel at the awe-inspiring fall colors along the Wawayanda Lake Loop. The park offers hiking, biking, horseback riding, canoe rentals, a boat launch, and .

New Mexico

Chaco Culture National Historic Park

With social-media darlings like the Grand Canyon clogging the airwaves, it can be easy to forget that the NPS is home to scores of other sites preserving our country’s Native cultures. offers a little bit of everything–crumbling Menefee badlands, prominent sedimentary cliffs, and a series of Chacoan “great houses.” These structures, called by the NPS “the largest, most complex, and best preserved prehistoric architectural sites” in North America, showcase a regional system of Indigenous communities that flourished between the 9^th and 13^th centuries. Visitors can explore the great houses via ranger-led tours or self-guided hiking trails.

New York

Fillmore Glen State Park

The Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York is a leaf peeper’s paradise, and its narrow gorges and waterfall-rich hiking trails draw visitors year round. Yet somehow, has remained something of a secluded oasis, just 30 minutes north of Ithaca. Here, hikers can climb past five waterfalls, crane their necks to take in views of unique shale and siltstone rock formations, and check out a replica of the log cabin that Millard Fillmore, the 13^th president, was born in. Anglers can fish for trout and largemouth bass in the Owasco Lake inlet, and winter visitors will love the miles of cross-country skiing and snowmobiling on unplowed roads.

North Carolina

South Mountains State Park

Set in a branch of North Carolina’s famous Blue Ridge Mountains, about an hour east of the progressive and artsy mountain town of Asheville, 21,000 acres feature miles of connecting trails through undulating hills dotted with oak, pine, and hickory trees. Whether you’re an equestrian hoping for a horse-friendly campsite, a mountain biker looking to feel the wind on your cheeks on steep, twisty terrain, or a new backpacker looking to reserve sites near reliable water, this wooded haven is a worthy alternative to the bumper-to-bumper traffic in Great Smoky Mountains.

North Dakota

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

The powerful Missouri River is a hallmark waterway in North Dakota’s vast landscape of sprawling grasslands, and offers a place in which to learn about the vibrant culture of the Northern Plains Native Americans. The park offers trails to depressions in the earth that hint at a once-thriving Hidatsa village, as well as a reconstructed round Earthlodge furnished with replica artifacts. In addition to appreciating the site’s incredible Indigenous roots, anglers here can try their hands at catching northern pike, walleye, and trout along the Knife and Missouri Rivers ().

Ohio

Brecksville Reservation

Cuyahoga Valley is one of the most-visited national parks in the U.S., but three miles north of its busy waterfall and trails through rock ledges sits , a wooded park just outside urban Cleveland that locals revere for its quiet oak-hickory forests and seven gorges of eroded Berea sandstone. Spooky Deer Lick Cave and a new hiking loop around the massive boulders and tranquil waterfall of Chippewa Creek Gorge are the area’s must-sees, that is, if you’re not practicing your putt at the Seneca Golf Course.

Oklahoma

Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

Home to thousands of migrating sandhill cranes, shorebirds, ducks, and even the occasional endangered whooping crane, the has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy. This 32,197-acre land mass contains a multitude of north-central Oklahoma’s ecosystems, from mixed-grass prairie to forested riparian zones and historically-significant salt flats (the Cherokee Nation used salt from the region in the preservation of meats). Birding and hiking are the major draws here, though many also fish and dig for crystals.

Oregon

Owyhee River Wilderness

Eastern Oregon’s , or, more specifically, the winding road through Leslie Gulch, will have road trippers feeling like they’re delivering a ring to Mordor. Towering spires of umber-tinted rhyolite tuff sprout out of the earth like giant fingers, and you will find peaceful solitude in rafting the Owyhee Wild and Scenic River. Camp down a dusty dirt road at Slocum Creek for spectacular sunrise vistas before venturing out on a hike through the bitterroot blooms and honeycombed rocks of Leslie Gulch or Painted Canyon.

Pennsylvania

Caledonia State Park

may be only 70 miles from busy Baltimore, yet it is a gateway to 84,000 acres of protected state forests and miles of day-use and overnight hiking trails–including a tiny piece of the Appalachian Trail. Named after an iron furnace owned by Thaddeus Stevens in the mid-1800s, the park hosts two developed campgrounds, surrounded by hemlock and white pine, with RV hookups and hot showers, picnic tables along shaded Conococheague Creek, and opportunities to fish for trout (brown, brook, and rainbow). ��

Rhode Island

Lincoln Woods State Park

Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the union, but it is home to excellent outdoor recreation, and , in Blackstone Valley, has a host of activities for even the pickiest nature lover. Sunbathe on the freshwater beach at Olney Pond, ride along equestrian-only trails, cycle around miles of steep, shaded singletrack, or simply kick back with a beer and a good book in one of the shaded picnic shelters.

South Carolina

Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge

Situated inside the immense 350,000-acre Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin System (one of the largest undeveloped wetlands out east), the is a center for amphibians, fish, and huge numbers of migratory and resident birds. The preserve, which is only 20 miles southwest of Charleston, offers trails with photo blinds for covert wildlife viewing, plus 25 miles of unpaved service roads for year-round hiking, biking, and birding (be on the lookout for colorful painted buntings and threatened wood storks) among the forests, estuaries and fresh and salt-water marshes.

South Dakota

Jewel Cave National Monument

Often overlooked in favor of its same-state national park brethren, Badlands and Wind Cave, is a destination in its own right, especially for avid hikers and cavern enthusiasts. With more than 215 surveyed and mapped passages, many of which are open to the public via ranger-led tours, it’s the third-longest cave on the planet. An abundance of calcite crystals and gypsum spiders decorate its walls, sparkling like diamonds when a headlamp hits just right. While most visitors focus on the cave and its miles of passages, you can also hike and bike among the wildflowers and pine forests on a variety of surface trails in the area.

Tennessee

Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park

If you’re into river rafting, big vistas of lush hills, and crowd-free trails, has got you covered. Not only does the park boast 23 miles of river, rated from class I to class V (yes, to take you out for the day), it’s also surrounded by the 655,598-acre Cherokee National Forest and home to a 47-site campground at , which offers primitive sites with picnic tables, fire rings, and grills.

Texas

Big Bend Ranch State Park

In West Texas’ arid landscape of ocotillo and prickly pear, most road trippers head straight for Big Bend National Park, but they’re missing out on some pretty incredible water access, backcountry camping, and Chihuahuan Desert trails just a few miles north. Though less developed than its NPS cousin, stretches along the Rio Grande for 311,000 acres, containing 238 miles of multi-use paths for biking, hiking (Closed Canyon is a classic slot hike), and horseback riding, paddling access to immense river canyons, 70 miles of 4×4 roads, and some of the darkest night skies on earth.

Utah

Kodachrome Basin State Park

A joke on the internet says the entire state of Utah should be declared one giant national park, and honestly, I’m here for that. , in south-central Utah, sits just off one of the prettiest stretches of road in the country, Scenic Byway 12, and is home to towering chimneys of crimson sandstone, striated mesas of crumbling sedimentary rock, and, when spring hits, some incredibly hearty wildflowers. Reserve a site at one of the park’s , hit the 1.5-mile Angels Palace Trail, and stay up late for mind-boggling Milky Way views.

Vermont

Smugglers’ Notch State Park

OK, so isn’t exactly a secret, but most visitors to Vermont’s bucolic Mount Mansfield area head straight for Stowe Mountain Resort, neglecting one of the state’s premier natural preserves, a stone’s throw away. Named after a narrow pass in the Green Mountains, Smugglers’ Notch provides a gorgeous corridor to waterfall-fed swimming holes; 50+ miles of cycling-ready singletrack; numerous boulder problems (short routes done ropeless), and, in winter, ice climbs; and leg-busting hiking trails (including a steep, 4-mile trek to the summit of Vermont’s highest peak).

Virginia

Grayson Highlands State Park

You don’t have to go all the way to Iceland to swoon over wild ponies; Virginia’s is populated by more than 100 of them. Set near the state’s southern border with North Carolina, the park is considered an “alpine Eden,” with streams full of trout, miles of grassy balds, broad meadows teaming with flowers, and (relatively) pain-free trail access to Mount Rogers, the tallest peak in Old Dominion.

Washington

North Cascades National Park

Even though a highway runs right through North Cascades, this gem consistently ends up among the five least visited national parks. That’s because the 505,000-acre park is subdivided by Ross Lake National Recreation Area and abutted by Lake Chelan to the south (bring your stand-up paddleboards), meaning that all you adventurous souls will have to hike for it. Thankfully, the park is home to over 400 miles of trails, past cyan-blue glaciers and remote alpine peaks, including an 18-mile dog-friendly stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. Backpackers rejoice–there’s enough scenery here to last a lifetime.

West Virginia

Babcock State Park

The outdoor mecca of West Virginia is one of the country’s best-kept secrets, and , located 20 miles north of the iconic New River Gorge Bridge (you know, the 3,000-foot steel arch in every Instagram photo), shows it off to full effect. Not only is the park free to visit (as are all of WV’s state parks), it’s a forested utopia for anglers, waterfall lovers, cyclists, and hikers of all ages. In addition to a , Babcock rents out adorable 1930s-era , originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Photographers–don’t miss the Glade Creek Grist Mill, where you can learn about the process of grinding cornmeal and take calendar-worthy fall-foliage photos.

Wisconsin

Big Bay State Park

You’ll need to hop on a 20-minute ferry ride to surrounded by Lake Superior’s midnight blue waves, but once you arrive, you’ll be greeted by lush boreal forests, stunning lakeside cliffs, and hiking paths that hug the water’s edge. Pitch a tent at one of the area’s (there are hot showers), then take a dip in the park’s eponymous big bay.

Wyoming

Curt Gowdy State Park

As home to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Wyoming has stiff competition right at home in outdoor recreation on public lands, but , between Cheyenne and Laramie, gives larger parks a run for their money. The 3,395-acre park, which is a surprisingly short two-hour drive from Denver, has been hailed for possessing an “Epic” trail system by the International Mountain Biking Association, plus twelve (that’s not a typo) , a free-to-the-public horse corral, and three reservoirs where visitors can boat and fish for rainbow trout and kokanee salmon. Coniferous forests, sharp granite escarpments, and an abundance of birdwatching as well.

and can be used to download info on many of the campgrounds and hiking and biking trails noted above. (Gaia is owned by ���ϳԹ��� Inc., the company that owns ���ϳԹ���.)

Emily Pennington is a freelance adventure journalist based in Los Angeles. She has visited all 63 U.S. national parks (62 of them in a year) and many more without the magic “national park” appellation. Her book, Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America’s National Parks, about the parks journey, came out in February (Little A/Amazon Publishing). As of press time, she was in the Galapagos.

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Bill McKee was an avid outdoorsman: in 10 years of vacations to Colorado, he and his sons fished backcountry streams, hiked for miles, and summited several fourteeners, until a motorcycle accident in 2002 put him in a wheelchair. Afterward he felt unable to do many of the things he loves most. Trying the Action Trackchair, a beefy, battery-powered wheelchair with tank-like treads, last year changed that.

“Being on a trail in Colorado was a blast from the past,” the 64-year-old McKee, of Garland, Texas, said. Developed in 2008, the Trackchair, which can handle rugged terrain that would stall a traditional chair, “brought me full circle to the adventurer and explorer that lives inside me,” McKee said.

While a volunteer-led program launched in 2016 at Staunton State Park, near Denver, is considered the granddaddy of adventure-wheelchair loaner programs, others are now blooming. On November 4, a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the debuted a fleet of 12 all-terrain wheelchairs for use, free of charge, at 11 state parks and historic sites across Georgia. This past spring, the Department of Natural Resources launched a pilot program to provide track chairs at five state parks. The Department of Natural Resources, which received its first track chair, donated by , in 2017, now has 15 loaners spread over each of 11 state parks and recreation areas. The Department of Wildlife and Parks offers track chairs at eight state parks, while has one chair and has two at state parks; and Wisconsin has the chairs at stations in 12 counties through the nonprofit . Two years ago Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan was the first national park to offer a track chair. It now has three.

In a massive shift, public land managers across the U.S. are beginning to look at accessibility as an integral part of park improvements and additions, rather than a separate and possibly expendable line item in the budget. “We are really following the path of improving accessibility as we improve our overall infrastructure,” said Jeremy Buzzell, manager of the Park Accessibility for Visitors and Employees (PAVE) program at the National Park Service, adding that accessibility “has to be baked into everything we do, so that it becomes a part of the culture.”

The Staunton initiative, which started with one chair donated in memory of the avid outdoorsperson and quadriplegic Mark Madsen, now has five battery-powered Action Trackchairs and three and is leading similar efforts, according to Kristin Waltz, program manager. This year alone, park personnel have consulted with organizations from upstate New York, Florida, and Brazil on bringing track chairs and greater accessibility to their regions.

The Georgia initiative, known as All Terrain Georgia, provides people with mobility impairments with and easy access. A visitor to popular sites like Panola Mountain State Park and Cloudland Canyon State Park simply needs to complete an program to learn how to operate the chair (which costs roughly $12,500 retail), then make a reservation for a hike via the organization’s –no doctor’s note required.

“All Terrain Georgia bridges the gap between accessibility and wilderness,” said Aimee Copeland, director of the Aimee Copeland Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to create outdoor experiences for people with physical disabilities. Copeland has used a wheelchair for ten years since losing her hands, a foot and one leg to amputation following a ziplining accident and bacterial infection at age 24, and tested the track chairs herself. The chairs can go up banks, across streams, and even over fallen trees. “I love that these chairs allow me to safely explore with my friends who love camping,” she said, “without putting the chair I rely on every day at risk.” She hopes to extend the program in the Southeast and South, she said, and into the national parks.

The Minnesota program has met with resounding success, taking off immediately. “The chairs were used often in the first six months of the program, especially on weekends,” said Jamie McBride, state parks and recreation area program consultant at the department. “Feedback from users as well as park staff has been overwhelmingly positive.”

, 13.7 percent of U.S. adults report living with a serious mobility disability. That’s over 28 million people. Though the Park Service’s PAVE program has been around in some form since the 1970s, it’s largely focused on maintaining existing ADA-compliant campgrounds and paved pathways, like South Rim Trail and many of Valley’s trails. Yet the world of mobility devices is rapidly evolving.

“There’s all kinds of stuff out there that even ten years ago didn’t exist,” said Buzzell.

At the moment, is the only unit within the NPS that offers a track-chair loaner program, and it might take some time before larger national parks ramp up. “Our preference would be for organizations that represent the disability community to partner with us, so that the devices can be provided,” said Buzzell. He added that the NPS wants to ensure visitors’ safety by making sure that the people checking out the chairs have the necessary training and assistance. Some parks, like in California and , Colorado, already provide special sand-specific devices, and many more have standard wheelchairs available at visitor centers.

“There has been a lot of interest from the public about us being able to provide better access to mobility devices,” said Buzzell. “Obviously, there’s a considerable expense involved in transporting them from home.”

Syren Nagakyrie, founder and director of , cited “a combination of a lack of awareness and motivation, lack of funding, and complicated protocols” as the biggest hurdles facing improvement of access programs in parks today, while saying that well-designed trails can benefit everyone. For example, an accessible boardwalk leading to a remote campsite at Apostle Islands, in Wisconsin, also helps prevent erosion caused by visitor foot traffic.

When used properly, the burly Action Trackchairs should also leave no trace, even on dirt trails, said Copeland: the chairs are all-electric and quieter than they appear. “Stigma around all-terrain chairs due to misuse and misinformation is an issue,” she said. “When operated properly, the chair’s impact is no more than footprints.” She called this generation of chairs “truly spectacular.”

The age of all-terrain wheelchairs in our parks is instigating a strategy shift in how trails are labeled, too, because these modern devices have the power to travel deep into the backcountry. Rather than marking some paths as “accessible,” because they meet a series of , land managers are instead compiling as much trail information as possible (like grade, surface pack, length, and stair count) and letting visitors decide what works best for them. “What we call an accessible trail might not be accessible to everyone, and what we say is not an accessible trail might be accessible to plenty of people,” said Buzzell.

Buzzell believes all Americans, regardless of their ability level, deserve to experience what he called the magical national park “aha moment.”

“We can design trails that are sustainable and accessible,” he said. “And that’s going to improve the experience for everyone.”

At Staunton, McKee, accompanied by a volunteer, takes gravel trails through dense forests, to airy vistas of high mountain peaks, and even small tarns stocked with trout.

“To be back in the wild and coming across wildlife and smelling the pine-scented air was emotional and satisfying,” McKee said after riding the track chair at Staunton, which he called “a very pretty place.”

“You are in the forest most of the time and there are several small streams and then open fields with wildflowers and some views of large cliffs. There is an accessible area to fish and some small ponds … so you can add fishing to your accomplishments for the day.”

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