Let’s begin with the obvious: there is no such thing as a “best hike.” We have chocolate and vanilla for a reason, which is that people have different tastes. And capacities. What might excite or challenge one hiker could bore another. You get the point.

That said, it is an interesting exercise to gather together recommendations from some experienced hikers in an array of legitimate publications. The list follows. Before that, though, a couple of caveats.

  • This list of lists is focused on the U.S., because our readers are primarily in the United States. Americans do like to travel to remote places to hike so there’s an argument for a more global scope. However, given that folks are formulating their summer plans soon—and given that current concerns about Covid-19 discourage plane travel—we’re guessing that the most appealing options for our readers will be ones that can be reached by driving a few days.  
  • This list is far from exhaustive. Doubters are invited to search for “best hikes in America” and start slogging through the 29 million hits.
  • Lists can be distorted. One distortion: the preparer of the list wants to offer you something unusual. Because everyone else likes hiking out to Zion’s Angels Landing, clambering hand-over-hand along the chain that is crowded with other hikers coming and going, the writer who wants to impress with his or her originality might suggest Zion’s Observation Point.
  • Assume that Angels Landing is, unequivocally, one of the best hikes in America. Do you still want to go there? Because you will be sharing this extraordinary experience with a few zillion other hikers who have read the same lists. Maybe you would prefer the Pilgrim Creek Trail in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest, which Backpacker.com suggests is one of the most memorable hikes in North America. Or in Utah—which can boast of an embarrassing number of extraordinary hiking experiences—consider Willow Gulch, a trail that was underwater until the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area started drying up.

Forthwith, the lists; nerd away:

From OutsideOnline: Best Hikes in Every National Park, Best Hikes in the U.S., Best Hikes in the World. (Yes, we’re focused here on the U.S. but this last, global list includes a fair number of U.S. trails so it’s worth a look.)

From Ecophiles: Best Hiking Trails of North America

From Prevention: Best Hiking Trails in Every State

From Backpacker: 10 Most Memorable Hikes in North America, Best Hikes Ever, America’s 10 Most Dangerous Hikes

From Hiking Adventure: World’s Most Dangerous Hikes (included because three of these trails are in the U.S.)

From Adventure Journal: The Most Beautiful Day Hikes in America, 19 Awesome Hikes Under 5 Miles

And finally, also from Adventure Journal:Of Course It’s Okay to Hike Off-Trail—Here’s Why

Because the fun here is ticking through each list and taking your personal notes (too rigorous, too crowded, too many bears, not enough water, etc.), we don’t want to wreck it with too many observations. But a couple quick takes because we’re wired that way:

East coast: Hikes up to New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington appear with much frequency.

Western states: Various routes in Utah’s Zion National Park are also very common on these lists, as are hikes in Yosemite and Arizona. (Rim-to-rim hikes in the Grand Canyon might be the most commonly cited, with the 23.5-mile slog even appearing on Adventure Journal’s list of most beautiful day hikes.) (Yeah, sure.)

Alaska and Hawaii: Your yin and yang of ice fields and the tropical coastline.

Especially curious: Hawaii’s Kalalua Trail and New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington appear on multiple “best hikes” lists and on both “most dangerous” lists referenced above. If you don’t know them, do a little research before committing to hike them. Expect great beauty and some risk for the ill-prepared or inattentive.

Image: Hikers at the summit of Pinnacle Peak, near Mt. Tacoma, Washington. By Blosser Scenic Art Co., c1906, via Library of Congress.