How To Take a Hike
A guide to America's best day hikes
Comrades: Hiking rejuvenates the soul. Whenever I need an escape from Karenland FUPAZ, I seek nature. The best part about day hikes is that you don’t need to carry and set up camping gear - you can have a glorious rest in your own bed. Below are the best day hikes in our beautiful country.
Mount Whitney (Lone Pine, California) - 18 hours, extremely difficult
The mother of all day hikes. At 14,505 feet, Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the Lower 48 states that requires a grueling 7,000 foot ascent and descent. We started at 2AM and finished at 8PM. You will to enter a permit lottery at the beginning of the calendar year. Access is limited to the summer months, the only time when the peak is not covered in snow. Full details here.
Half Dome (Yosemite National Park, California) 18 hours, extremely difficult
Like Mount Whitney, you need a permit. We did not summit because the conditions and crowds were not ideal. It would take months to fully explore Yosemite, where every trail and view is draw dropping.
Paseo Miramar Trail (Pacific Palisades, California) - 3 hours, moderately difficult
Located just 15 minutes from downtown Santa Monica, it’s hard to find a more beautiful hike so close to a major city. Highly recommend pairing with the Getty Villa. David Hockney painted the stunning view:
Breakneck Ridge (Cold Spring, New York) - 4 hours, moderately difficult
One of the best hikes accessible by public transit, a 90-minute commuter rail ride from Grand Central Station. On a clear day, you can see the skyline from Bull Hill. West Point is across the Hudson, but that requires a car.
High Dune (Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado) - 4 hours, very difficult
Trudging uphill in sand at high altitude is grueling. However, the views from the top are spectacular and the descent is fun. Many people bring sleds for the downhill, or you can run at full sprint knowing that your fall will be very cushioned.
Delicate Arch (Arches National Park, Utah) - 3 hours, moderately difficult
Breathtaking at sunrise and sunset.
The Narrows (Zion National Park, Utah) - 8 hours, very difficult
One of a kind hike through a slot canyon. You will need to rent water shoes and poles because because you are walking through ankle- to waist-deep water the entire time. Get there early before the crowds turn it into a dirty water park.
Angels Landing (Zion National Park, Utah) - 6 hours, very difficult
Spectacular views if you’re not scared of heights. The last segment of the hike requires chains because you are traversing narrow passages with several thousand foot drops on either side. Start early to avoid the crowds and the heat - Zion does not allow private vehicles in so you have to get on their shuttle bus.
Grand Canyon (South Rim, Arizona) - your choice, very difficult
The inverse of every hike because your starting view is the best. Everything looks close and feels easy on the way down, but save your strength for the hike back up. Park rangers conduct rescues every day because people bite off more than they can chew and get delirious in the heat.
I would love to do Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, and Kalalau next. Which hikes are on your bucket list?
Best hike I’ve done was a Rim-to-Rim Grand Canyon hike. Down the North Rim, overnight at the bottom and up the South Rim. After 15-miles down your quads are fried so the 10-miles up can be a tad painful. But what a hike! I did this with my son when he was 20-years-old and he still says it was one of our best mother-son adventures.
I don't know about all those "very difficult" hikes. No thanks. :)
This past June, I took the hike along Leigh Lake in Tetons Nat. Park. Amazing views and mostly FLAT.