The USA has no dearth of good hiking spots for the enthusiast. These are the top hiking spots for the trekker.
Pacific Coast Trail
Over the course of its 2,650 miles (4,264 kilometers) you’ll hike through three states, seven national parks, 24 national forests and past more than 1,000 lakes. You’ll also descend into 19 major canyons and make your way over 60 major mountain passes on this route from Mexico to Canada . You’ll even pass through some of the other places on this list that we’ll talk about in more detail later.
Appalachian Trail
In this case, the trail stretches from Georgia to Maine, and passes through 12 other states along its 2,178 miles (3,505 kilometers), making it the longest marked trail in the Unites States. It was completed in 1937 and passes through six national parks and eight national forests [source: Appalachiantrail.org]. More than 6,000 volunteers help to maintain the trail and its 165,000 blazes — painted markers that show the way along the trail.
Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon is the jewel of the national parks program in the United States. More than 5 million people pass through the gates each year to gaze upon the overwhelming views that only the Grand Canyon can provide .
There are 15 official trails leading into the canyon. The park only issues 13,000 permits against 30,000 requests each year . For solitude, try out the North Rim — this gets about 10 percent the number of visitors as the more familiar South Rim.
Yosemite National Park
Occupying 747,956 acres (or 3,027 square kilometers), the park is approximately the same size as the state of Rhode Island and has 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) of hiking trails — enough to please the most passionate hiker . More than 3.5 million people visit the park each year, and there are more than 15,000 backcountry permits issued each year for overnight backpackers.
Glacier National Park
Montana’s Glacier National Park is a true hiker’s heaven, with more than 730 miles (1,174 kilometers) of marked trails within its borders. It is known for inspiring mountain peaks, isolated alpine lakes and no lack of wildlife. The park derives its name from the huge glaciers that helped to shape the park’s rock formations 10,000 years ago. In 1850, the park had 150 glaciers, but today there are only 26 remaining.
John Muir Trail
This is a 211-mile (339-kilometer) Crest-Parallel trail. Aside from the beginning of the hike in Yosemite, the trail fails to go below 8,000 feet (2,438 kilometers). As a result, hikers that brave the trail through the Sierra Mountain Range are privy to hundreds of mountain lakes, canyons, granite cliffs and peaks as high as 14,000 feet (4.62 kilometers).