There are currently 11 routes that make up the National Trails System in the US, each long enough to fill days, weeks or even months of hikes. They open up some of the nation’s most beautiful landscapes, wiggling along coastlines, clambering up hillsides and mountains, and slicing through forests. We look at the highlights along each one. Be sure to check the individual websites for information on permits, camping, safety information and any closures.
The Appalachian Trail is a public footpath with a difference: it’s the longest continuous stretch dedicated to hiking only in the world. The route, completed in 1937, stretches for a staggering 2,180 miles (3,508km), joining up the breathtaking landscapes of the Appalachian Mountains from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Along the way it passes through 14 states (including North Carolina, pictured), following mountain ridges and passing woodland, skimming by meadows and ascending to high-altitude peaks and plateaus.
Each year, thousands of people attempt to complete the entire route, camping along the way, though this typically takes around six months. Other options are to complete it in chunks of a few days at a time or to choose a portion for a day hike. In Georgia, almost half of the route cuts through designated wilderness. The state also has the only portion to pass through a building: Neel Gap mountain pass goes through the Walasi-Yi Interpretive Center (pictured), built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
One of the most spectacular portions of the trail is that which follows the Great Smoky Mountains through Tennessee and North Carolina, including Newfound Gap (pictured) and Clingmans Dome – the highest point on the route, reaching an elevation of 6,625 feet (2,019m). A relatively short day hike is Lovers Leap Loop Trail, a 1.6-mile (2.5km), steadily ascending route that starts and ends in Hot Springs, North Carolina with gorgeous views of the French Broad River. While Damascus, Virginia – known as “Trail Town, USA” – has hikes to suit all ages and levels through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The Arizona Trail links up 800 miles (1,287km) from the state’s southern border with Mexico right up to the northern border with Utah. Of course, it’s what’s in between that really enchants, from villages tucked in valleys to deserts, mountains and, of course, canyons. The entire route, divided into 43 passages, is open to non-motorised vehicles and hikers only, and it’s a unique way to appreciate Arizona’s diverse, breathtaking beauty. Pictured is Coronado National Memorial park, part of the first passage in the south.
The route, which was designated a National Scenic Trail in 2009, attracts a mix hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers and even horseback riders. Some of the highest-elevated portions are only open in summer and autumn, and it ranges in difficulty from relaxed stroll to strenuous climb. Every inch is spectacularly pretty all year-round, although there’s little doubt that the part that goes through Grand Canyon National Park (pictured) is a highlight.
Among the other, many highlights are the Santa Catalina Mountains (with forests, a reservoir and canyons), Mogollon Rim and the San Francisco Peaks (pictured). In between are more canyons, mesas, gorges and, in spring, valleys and meadows scattered with yellow wildflowers.
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Stretching, soaring and slicing over a staggering 3,100 miles (4,989km), this trail really does divide the continent from the Mexican border up to Canada. En route it showcases the country’s breathtakingly diverse landscapes along the Continental Divide, from dusty, cacti-studded deserts in New Mexico to canyons, rock formations and forested mountains up to the dramatic peaks of Montana.
Covering the entire trail is obviously an epic task, and one that many do attempt to tackle in a single season. Others prefer to take a portion at a time, or just pick one of the many scenic stretches for a day or multi-day hike. Highlights include the high-elevation part that weaves through mountain-top meadows in the Colorado Rocky Mountains (pictured).
The trail also goes through several national parks including Yellowstone, pictured, where it passes gushing geysers (including Old Faithful), rivers, hot springs, waterfalls and snow-capped peaks. The last portion goes through Glacier National Park, revealing a landscape of prairie land, forest-clad valleys and peaks roamed by mountain goats and grey wolves.
The 1,500-mile (2,414km) Florida Trail shows off a different side of the state that’s worlds away from its theme parks and busy beach resorts. Designated for use by hikers and non-motorised vehicles only, it encompasses semi-tropical forests, barrier islands and snow-white beaches lacing the Gulf Coast. It runs between Big Cypress National Preserve (pictured) in the Everglades and heads north before tracing the coastline westwards to Fort Pickens, part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
After circling Lake Okeechobee, the trail travels through central Florida, skirting around Orlando to reveal a surprising amount of greenery and wildlife. There are options to head northeast through Seminole and Ocala (pictured) forests or sweep northwest through Green Swamp, Withlacoochee State Forest and Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve. Or do a loop that encompasses both – it’s all spectacular.
The theme of taking the wilder path continues as the trail hits the Gulf Coast and a beguiling blend of thick forests (such as Apalachicola), colourful towns and villages, and beaches with sand so white it glints in the sunshine. Gulf Islands National Seashore (pictured), at the official southern terminus of the route, provides a fittingly gorgeous start or end point with marshes, dunes, clear waters and more of those beaches.
As the name suggests, Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail is something of a step (or hundreds of thousands of steps) back in time. It traces the edge of the glacier that once covered most of North America, roamed by cave lions, mammoths and sabre-toothed cats. You won’t come across any of these prehistoric beasts but, over 1,200 miles (1,931km), you will encounter the gloriously green landscape created and left behind by the glacier.
It turns out glaciers are quite accomplished architects, because the resulting scenery is just breathtaking. From lakes fringed by forest and rocky outcrops to flower-carpeted meadows, rolling hills and lush river valleys, there isn’t an ugly inch. Pictured is the portion of the trail that loops by Devil’s Lake State Park.
The easternmost part of the trail follows the shore of Lake Michigan, looping south then north past glacial lakes, natural bridges, creeks and forests. Then it wiggles west to finish by St. Croix Falls, all the time tracing the edge of the glacier that existed here around 15,000 years ago.
Encompassing five sections of hiking routes through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, this history-seeped trail follows parts of the better-known Natchez Trace Parkway, a popular 444-mile (715km) scenic driving route. The trails total just over 60 miles (97km) and bring together hardwood forests, swamps and wetlands.
Because this isn’t a continuous trail, it makes sense to either pick one section to hike or combine the entire route with a classic road trip. The Highland Rim Section (pictured), just south of Nashville, Tennessee, is popular with both hikers and horseback riders, with soft, leaf-carpeted paths mostly shaded by trees and passing by creeks.
Other highlights include the wide-open prairies around the city of Tupelo, Mississippi (famous as Elvis Presley’s birthplace), where signs give information about flora and the importance of the land to Chickasaw people. Yockanookany, which goes through thick forests interspersed with open fields, is the longest section at 26 miles (42km) while the trail at Potkopinu (pictured) digs deep into the soil for a path dwarfed by towering trees – and is the longest stretch of the historic “sunken” Old Natchez Trace.
Covering 215 miles (346km) from the Atlantic tidal estuary Long Island Sound in Connecticut to mountain peaks in Massachusetts, the steadily climbing trail is a wonderful way to explore some of New England’s loveliest scenery. The New England Trail travels north to south through a total of 41 communities, linking pastures, huge forests, villages, river valleys and waterfalls. Pictured is the harbour on the sound in Guilford, Connecticut, at the start of the trail.
It is, as you might expect, a leaf-peeper’s dream, with pathways strewn with ochre, ruby and burnished gold leaves and mountaintop vistas across valleys gleaming with the jewelled colours of autumn. The Holyoke area of Massachusetts (shown) is particularly breathtaking. But it’s lovely all year-round, and particularly in spring when wildflowers brighten much of the journey.
The trail is also one of extremes, at least in terms of elevation: its lowest point is the southern end, Long Island Sound (at sea level), climbing up to 1,617 feet (493m) above sea level at Mount Grace near Warwick, close to the state’s northern border with New Hampshire – and appropriately right at the end of the route.
The North County Trail is the longest in the National Trails System, covering a staggering 4,700 miles (7,563km) and crossing eight northern states: Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. The route joins up a catwalk of wilderness landscapes, cute small towns and areas of cultural and historical importance.
This trail is a glorious way to experience the rugged and wild landscapes of the northern states, with paths through thick pine forests, around lakes rich in birdlife, down into lush valleys and up over the hills. There are also historic sites and signs along the way telling the story of people who lived in different areas, and explaining how the landscape was carved and fed by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. Highlights along the way include the New York Finger Lakes and Brevort Lake in Michigan (pictured).
The route also passes through 10 national forests, several national parks and more than 100 state parks, and traces the shores of three of the Great Lakes. A large part of its appeal lies in the diversity of landscapes, from portions with hills, valleys and pastureland as far as the eye can see, to views of cityscapes and hikes through the Adirondacks (pictured).
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The Pacific Crest Trail or PCT is one of the most popular and longest-established National Scenic Trails, designated under the original act in 1968. Running pretty much parallel to the Pacific coastline from the Mexican to Canadian border, it covers 2,650 miles (4,265km) of breathtaking scenery through California, Oregon and Washington, tracing the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges.
Climate and conditions vary along the route, but the best time is usually summer and early autumn, especially for those camping along the way. Unless you want snow, that is – it’s possible to ski the trail. There are highlights all the way, although for many the part that joins up with the John Muir Trail (pictured) in California is a huge draw. Around 170 miles (274km) of this trail merges with the PCT, with seemingly endless wilderness and incredible vistas from mountain peaks.
There are incredible sights along the length of the route, with landscapes seeming to become both wilder and more serene as it progresses north. In Oregon, the trail runs from near Siskiyou Summit and heads north up to the Washington border, through the ethereal volcanic landscape of the Cascades. The mountain range continues into Washington, the air becoming crisper and the landscape more glacial as it carries on up the state. Pictured is the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, near Snoqualmie Pass.
Traversing narrow mountain paths with views of snow-capped peaks, sweeping by burnished-gold beaches and plunging deep into thick pine forests, the Pacific Northwest Trail or PNT is 1,200 miles (1,931km) of hiking heaven. It runs from the Continental Divide in Montana and through Idaho to Washington’s Pacific coastline, linking up a diverse chain of landscapes and communities.
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The hiking season is short, with full access only possible between July and September – the route goes through some of the snowiest mountains in the US. It also takes hikers through some of the country’s most incredible scenery, from the Rocky Mountains of Montana to Whidbey Island’s dramatically gorgeous Deception State Pass and the Olympic National Park (pictured) in Washington.
One of the most popular and most wonderfully remote sections cuts through the Pasayten Wilderness, an area that covers 531,000 acres in Washington. It’s wildly beautiful, the nearly 100-mile trail skirting parts of the Canadian border and slicing through meadows that, in spring and summer, are bright with Indian paintbrush and lupine blooms (pictured).
The Potomac Heritage Trail covers a total of 710 miles (1,143km) in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington DC, tracing the landscapes shaped and carved by the Potomac River and paths explored by George Washington. The series of trails runs from the Laurel Hills Highlands Trail in western Pennsylvania to the mouth of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.
The trails are suitable for hiking, horseback riding and cycling, with decent facilities along the way, while parts of the route can also be explored by boat. You can paddle over more than 300 miles (483km) of the Potomac River Water Trail (pictured), which follows the waterway through several states, or tackle the rapids on the Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania.
There are plenty of opportunities for hikes from an hour or so to several days. Popular areas include the Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania, home to high peaks and deep river gorges; the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in DC and Maryland; and the Mount Vernon Trail in Virginia, with boardwalks spanning verdant wetlands.