
The Best Hike in Every State (2019) - Tomte
https://www.outsideonline.com/2393036/50-best-hikes-us
======
ahelwer
This is a strange list. Hikes are not uniformly distributed among states. It
almost feels sacriligeous to boil states like Washington or Utah or Colorado
down into a single "best" hike (Yellow Aster Butte? When the Enchantments
exist? Really???) so unless you're a pathological box-checker I don't
understand the point of this article.

~~~
athenot
The only thing this article really shows is that every state has a nice place
to go hiking. Aside from that, there are many factors that make a hike
enjoyable, and criteria are not the same for different people.

Personally, I just try to make the most of any place I'm in, and appreciate it
for what it is. Even if it's the local trail that I've hiked a hundred times,
it is never exactly the same experience. And that's what makes it fun (to me).

And finding beauty in what would ordinarily pass as a "mundane" trail is
precisely what makes the exceptional places so awe-inspiring.

~~~
dotancohen

      > The only thing this article really shows is that every
      > state has a nice place to go hiking.
    

Not even that. Florida, for instance, has none, so they mention a campsite
instead.

~~~
athenot
I've been to the place they mention in Florida. It's ok. But there are many
other trails in the various state parks.

------
headcanon
Re: Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes is beautiful, but my #1 hiking spot would be Pictured
Rocks in the Upper Peninsula. The rock formations are astounding, there are
hikers-only campsites that are super cool to stay in, and there's lots of
stuff to do there whether you're there for a day or a week. I'd say its worth
visiting Michigan from out of state just to see.

[https://www.google.com/search?q=pictured+rocks](https://www.google.com/search?q=pictured+rocks)

~~~
mikeyouse
Just time it right.. the flies in late summer can really put a damper on your
enjoyment of the area.

~~~
headcanon
For sure, good call - Black Flies especially laugh in the face of DEET

------
brink
As a native from Michigan that likes to hike; Pyramid Point is not what I
would have picked. But I guess in contrast to what the other states have to
offer, our dunes on the lake probably stand out as unique to the traveler even
though I'm used to them to the point where I'm bored with them. Interesting.

~~~
dev-ns8
As a fellow Michigander, it baffles me that Pyramid Point was picked here too.
Especially given all of the trails in the Upper Peninsula and the Huron
Mountains.

~~~
83
I was expecting Pictured Rocks.

~~~
brink
Thankfully it's not. As beautiful as Pictured Rocks are, it's so over-
recommended that it's making Michigan look like a one-trick pony.

------
lfowles
"The Elk River Hiking Trail will make you swear you’re not in Kansas anymore."

So for the best hike in Kansas you want to pretend you're not in Kansas? :P

~~~
mauvehaus
I bicycled across Kansas as part of a larger bike trip. The scenery in most of
the state is a different kind of stunning, especially in the fall. Imagine
being halfway between two towns that are 20 miles from each other, and being
able to see the grain elevator in each. In the fall, the ground is golden and
the skies are blue, and it's magnificent, and it looks like it'll never end.

Eastern/Southeastern Kansas, on the other hand, looks nothing like that, and
if you've just put a couple hundred miles in crossing the western and central
parts of the state, it'll blow your mind that it's that different (and work
your legs for the first time since the Rockies).

------
Someone1234
Little off-topic but the short video at the top of the page is absolutely
amazing, I watched it at least twice.

~~~
gwbas1c
I really want to know where that video was filmed

~~~
mikeyouse
Napali coast - where their recommended Hawaii hike takes you. If you go,
definitely do some hikes, but I'd highly recommend a snorkel trip to that side
of the island too, the coast is just as beautiful from afar.

[https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=napali+coast&chips=...](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=napali+coast&chips=q:napali+coast,g_1:high+resolution:xWgLJe3gCmg%3D&usg=AI4_-kSDzJUDAqFvs_qAryMyQVuG2tgCZQ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_v-
bE0_TmAhVO_J4KHQ-tA04Q4lYILigC&biw=1383&bih=788&dpr=1#imgrc=8LgHu5wCB_lt-M):

~~~
ghaff
There's also a great sea kayak along the coast. It's also very long (~18
miles) and potentially challenging in other ways if it's not very calm.

------
zigzaggy
For Alabama, there are plenty of beautiful hikes. Rivers: Coosa, Cahaba,
Tennessee, Paint Rock, Elk; Mountains: Cheaha, Noccalula, Oak Mountain, Monte
Sano, Red Mountain; Beaches: Gulf State Park, Daphne, Orange Beach; ;Lakes:
Guntersville, Perry Lakes, Lake Martin. We have waterfalls, rock climbing, and
canoeing too - which always involve hiking when I go!

Like any other state, Alabama can most certainly not be filtered down into a
"best of" list, because we're all from different parts.

I imagine writing about the great outdoors is a challenge. There's nothing
like the real thing!

------
arminiusreturns
The best ones are the ones only locals know about for the most part, and don't
want tourists to ruin.

~~~
AWildC182
Not sure why this is downvoted, it's true. Go try and post a hike to one of
the CO subreddits (/r/colorado, /r/denver, etc) and if you post a location for
anything other than the super common hikes with your photo you'll immediately
eat a huge wave of downvotes. With the explosion of backcountry skiing, the
apps crowdsourcing spots have drawn a lot of ire from the locals as well.

While I don't like the elitism, I can appreciate the fact that it challenges
you to do your own scouting and find your own cool places.

~~~
wcarron
I find myself on the opposing side of this debate. I am fine with hiding local
gems from the frothing online masses. I don't want to one day go on a favored
hike of mine, which has always been deserted and hard to get to, only to find
it swamped with gumbies because someone posted it online. I would especially
resent it if I were to find that the newcomers were all tourists or out-of-
towners.

Locals put time, money, and effort into outdoor locals and communities, often
in the form of trail or crag restoration/cleanup days. It is completely
understandable that they don't want to see, for example, their favorite
"hidden" trails ruined from the impact of a 10x increase in traffic and the
associated littering, defecating, urinating, drones, off-leash dogs, loud
children, etc. Locals deserve to reap the rewards of their efforts. Give to
Caesar what is Caesar's.

I, personally, have found some boulders that I cleaned and developed for
bouldering. Never in my life will I put their location on mountainproject or a
similar crowd-sourcing site. The risk for idiots blasting music or littering
is too great.

Is it elitist? Yes. I think this is an issue where elitism is fine.

~~~
zebnyc
"Elitism is bad unless it is my brand of elitism". Isn't this your own version
of NIMBYism. Is it safe to assume from your comments that you have never
traveled to exprience the great outdoors in your life?

~~~
wcarron
I never denied that it was NIMBY-ish or elitist. I get it. It's elitist and
its exclusive. But shit, I've put in effort and my own time,sweat,gas money,
etc. to improve and maintain trails and crags. I don't like it all getting
wrecked by inconsiderate jerks who litter. Furthermore, elitism regarding
hiding local trails from crowd-sourcing sites is vastly different than, oh
idk, elitism about college applicant acceptance or some such.

As for traveling to experience the outdoors, you are so far off the mark that
it's not even funny. I've been to and hiked/backpacked/camped in, uhh hold on
while I count... 16 different national parks and monuments, 7 state parks, 2
national preserves, and 8 national forests across 6 states, and that's just in
the past 3 years.

I've climbed in Bishop, Josh, Yos, Red rocks, Tahoe, Squish, "the Creek", NRG,
and the Gunks, among many other smaller crags. Why would you even make the
assumption I've never traveled?

------
rob74
> The likelihood is slim of ever getting a lottery permit to hike the super-
> popular Wave

This makes me feel even more lucky that we entered this lottery (the "remote"
version) around 10 years ago and won two permits. Looks like the popularity
hasn't decreased much since? We had to adapt our travel plans a lot to be
there on the date we got assigned, but it was worth it - although I guess the
Wave is a bit over-hyped because of the perceived "exclusivity" and other
areas are just as beautiful (albeit sometimes even harder to reach). We had
actually considered Buckskin Gulch as an alternative for having to participate
in the "on-premise" lottery and not getting permits.

~~~
bigwheeler
Buckskin Gulch was amazing. I went about 8 miles in, and saw like 2 other
people the whole time. But it was a weekday in November, so maybe it’s always
like that then? Such a beautiful canyon...

~~~
prawn
Did Buckskin over two days, camping at the confluence, and it was superb.
Stunning and memorable. Highly recommended.

------
markgall
To add to the list of state-specific complaints: there is no chance that the
best hike in PA is in Delaware Water Gap. Maybe that should win the category
of "best hike within 2 hours of NYC", but all the nicer parts of the state are
further west.

"IMAX-sized views of New Jersey"? Pass.

I bet the most common choice would be the Falls Trail in Ricketts Glen, but
I'd rather be on the Black Forest trail or somewhere on the Midstate.

------
jimktrains2
> Trail of Ten Falls Loop

We did this trail last summer with a 3½yro and a 1½yro in two parts in two
days. (We rented a cabin in the park.) It is gorgeous!

------
dkarl
Can't argue with the Texas choice of McKittrick Ridge, but the hike up via
McKittrick Canyon instead of Dog Canyon is even more beautiful if you can
handle the brutal climb.

It's at least a couple of hours driving from the Texas trailheads to the New
Mexico trailhead, so it's worth considering both directions depending on your
fitness and what direction you're coming from.

~~~
Ocerge
If only it weren't a 10 hour drive from my house in Houston :)

------
mrzimmerman
I was curious what they'd choose for Arizona and I hadn't even put the Grand
Canyon as option in my head (although it's pretty obvious). Still, I was
hoping for maybe a deeper cut then that since the Grand Canyon sort of wins by
default if it's included in a bucket list type article like this.

------
kvhdude
northern california : i am partial to "skyline to sea" trail. for bay area
trails, this is my go to site :
[https://gurmeet.net/hiking/](https://gurmeet.net/hiking/)

------
keanebean86
"Ask anyone from Arkansas"

I lived in Northeast AR for 20 years and never heard of that place.

I would suggest sugar loaf mountain near Heber Springs. Actually all around
Heber and Greer's ferry lake is great.

~~~
phibz
Same. I've never heard of that place either. I grew up in Searcy and
Fayetteville and went to Heber many, many summers. It's very pretty and worth
the trip. Picking just one place in Arkansas is too hard. I went on a lovely
backpack hike and camping trip near Aux Arc. Definitely recommend.

------
sizzzzlerz
The JMT in Cali may be the quintessential trail in the high Sierra but I could
name a number of equally magnificent hikes throughout the state including the
north coast, Death Valley, Channel Islands, Joshua Tree, as well as other
Sierra hikes that, while not as long or famous, will also take your breath
away (figuratively and literally). But then, I suppose those in other states
have their own list of hikes as well. That's what makes articles like this one
so subjective.

------
francisofascii
> Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte (Tennessee)
    
    
      This hike was very magical. And was my favorite of the three hikes I did in the Smokies. But also super, super crowded.

~~~
cwal37
Hmm, I dunno, I've done it many times (lived in Oak Ridge for a few years),
and while the the stretch from the trailhead to Alum Cave can be busy during
the peak season, if you're off of that in any way it tends to not be very bad.
Also, the parking can look full enough to suggest a much busier trail than
I've typically encountered. Typical avoiding crowds stuff is good though (go
earlier in the day, try to avoid a holiday weekend, etc., it is a very popular
hike).

The Smokies is a very car-friendly park (see the people just circling Cades
Coves in their car amazed at some deer or a turkey) since it has no entrance
fees, is the most visited park, and in an extremely car-dependent part of the
country, but that means that I often found trails much, much lighter on people
than places like Yosemite, which feel much more heavily traveled.

If you do this hike, go past the lodge on LeConte all the way to Myrtle Point.
Better views than Cliff Tops and enough people stop at the lodge that it
winnows down the people making it there even further. Most I've ever seen out
there is maybe 5-6 other people, and typically it's only a 1-3 with some time
totally alone if its off season or a weekday.

The most unique Smokies experience is surely the synchronous fireflies, which
I've been lucky enough to see twice (once through the lottery, once through
hiking in from the main road) and highly recommend.

Alum Cave to LeConte is my favorite hike in the Smokies though, even did it
another time with my partner when we came back to TN to get married.

~~~
francisofascii
Good tips. Yeah, that sounds consistent with my experience. Got there early,
had a great hike up to the lodge, but didn't go far past it. Then ran into
huge crowds on the way down between the cave and the trailhead.

------
birdfeeder8891
This is 100% clickbait for lazy people. I can't believe this is on the front
page of HN when plenty of independent trail developers build awesome tools for
finding new hikes and have shared those tools in the past on HN.

For reference:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/traildevs/](https://www.reddit.com/r/traildevs/)

------
phaedryx
I grew up in southern Utah and did a lot of hiking. I would recommend Zion
National Park if you're looking for something in Utah.

[https://duckduckgo.com/?q=zions+national+park&iax=images&ia=...](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=zions+national+park&iax=images&ia=images)

~~~
mdorazio
Zion is great, but it gets pretty touristy in the spring and summer. I was
there in April and there was an actual line to get up Angels Landing. I didn't
even bother with The Narrows because there were so many people. If you prefer
fewer people, Bryce Canyon is quite close and significantly less peopled.

------
ravenstine
The water in the Deleware photo is begging me to cast a line into it. There's
gotta be some bass in there.

~~~
stryan
Not sure about bass, but there are trout!

~~~
madcaptenor
Wikipedia says there are bass:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandywine_Creek_State_Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandywine_Creek_State_Park)

------
jgwil2
I would love to see this list expanded to at least provide a choice in each
category of moderate, intermediate, and overnight. That said, it's a great
conversation starter.

------
jonstaab
They got Idaho wrong. Hell's Canyon is cool and all, and has some really
unique geological attributes, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Sawtooths.

------
zwieback
Oregon: Silver Falls definitely a solid choice.

~~~
mdorazio
Silver Falls is a nice family-friendly and easy hike (and pretty touristy as a
result), but I personally wouldn't put it at the top of Oregon hikes. My #1
would be Neahkahnie Mountain, probably followed by your choice at Crater Lake
and then Angels Rest in the Gorge. Of course, Oregon has a stupid amount of
good hiking so it's hard to go wrong.

