Outdoor adventure YouTube channel Through My Lens just dropped a summer hiking roundup covering 14 trails across the country. He makes a pretty compelling case that no matter where you live in the U.S., there’s likely some extraordinary trails within a short drive.
From the glacial canyon walls of Wyoming’s Cascade Canyon to the rope-assisted summit scramble of Mount Storm King in Olympic National Park, the list spans a wide range of terrain, difficulty, and geography.
Oregon’s Trail of 10 Falls delivers a lush 7-mile loop past waterfalls you can walk behind, while Crater Lake’s Watchman Lookout Trail is a short 1.6-mile roundtrip that provides a sweeping view over one of the wildest blue lakes on the planet. Lake Blanche in Utah is a grinder of a climb but the high-alpine reflection at the top is worth every step.
Not so surprisingly, California shows up on the list more than once. Alamere Falls drops directly onto the beach into the Pacific Ocean, a tidal waterfall that’s genuinely rare to find on any trail, while the Mist Trail in Yosemite moves alongside the Merced River in peak snowmelt season, soaking hikers on the granite staircase. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Carmel comes with harbor seals, kelp forests, and hidden coves. San Jacinto Peak, accessed by tram from the Palm Springs desert floor, has one of the most dramatic summit views in the nation.
The Midwest and East Coast get good representation too. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky stays a cool 54 degrees year-round making it a welcome underground escape from summer heat, and Watkins Glen’s Gorge Trail in New York winds through a glacier-carved canyon past tunnels and ledges that feel too dramatic for a state park. Pictured Rocks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula rounds things out as one of the most underrated destinations in the country.
Finishing off the list is the Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park on Maui, which cuts through bamboo forest to a 400-foot waterfall dropping off a lava cliff.
