America's most scenic short walks, state by state

The prettiest paths

America has some epic national trails, some of which cross several states and even the entire country. But the most scenic hikes aren't necessarily the ones that require the most effort. We’ve picked the most picturesque walks around the US, each doable within a day or even an hour or two, so you have more time to enjoy the gorgeous surroundings.

Click through this gallery to discover the most scenic day hike in every American state...

Alabama: Rosemary Dunes, Gulf State Park

Alabama’s Gulf Coast is full of surprises, from its alabaster beaches to Gulf State Park, a patchwork of marshlands, forest, lakes, and sand dunes that’s home to a rich array of birds and other wildlife. The park has several easy-to-follow trails, though Rosemary Dunes is the best for views of the Gulf of Mexico.

The trail runs for 2.1 miles each way with paved paths weaving between undulating marshland and dunes.

Alaska: Harding Icefield Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park

Alaska has America's largest and most wonderfully remote national parks and swaths of wilderness, so there are scenic hikes galore here. Some of the most glorious views can be found at Kenai Fjords, one of the state’s smallest national parks that still covers 1,047 square miles.

Tackle the Harding Icefield Trail, which runs for 4.1 miles in each direction from the Exit Glacier area, traversing meadows and forests to reach views over Harding Icefield and the Atlantic. Even a short stroll up the trail yields gorgeous views.

Arizona: Devil's Bridge Trail, Coconino National Forest

Arizona means wide-open landscapes and awe-inspiring rock formations, and the hike to Devil’s Bridge near Sedona is a great way to experience a glimpse of this beauty. The 1.8-mile round-trip hike to get to the top of the natural sandstone arch is relatively short but involves quite a climb.

Any aching limbs should soon be forgotten once you get there – this perch opens up views across the forest, with red-rock buttes rising from a sea of green.

Arkansas: Lost Valley Trail, Buffalo National River

There’s breathtaking natural scenery all along this 2.1-mile hike, which slices through the forest and crosses several natural bridges, with benches where you can pause and soak up the surroundings. The end point is particularly enchanting, though, with the trail finishing at Cob Cave and Eden Falls (pictured).

It’s the most popular hike at Buffalo National River, but still tends to be relatively quiet on weekdays.

California: Laguna-Coast Loop, Point Reyes National Seashore

For breathtaking coastal vistas with fewer crowds, it’s hard to beat the Laguna-Coast Loop. Running for 2.5 miles in each direction between the Laguna and Coast Trailheads at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, it takes you through salt-sprayed meadows and forests, with beaches and the gray-blue of the Pacific framed by fragrant shrubs and grasses.

The final stretch is up on the bluffs, with clear views of the mudflats and salt marshes of Tomales Bay.

Colorado: Maroon Bells Scenic Loop Trail, White River National Forest

Close to Aspen, the twin peaks of the Maroon Bells are among the most photographed spots in the state, largely because they’re so often beautifully reflected in the alpine lake they overlook. It’s also possible to get a good look without a strenuous trek.

The Maroon Bells Scenic Loop Trail, in the White River National Forest, is around two miles long and traverses wildflower meadows and lake beaches.

Connecticut: Walnut Beach Boardwalk, Silver Sands State Park

The sand is actually more of a golden hue at this state park in Milford, and it’s best appreciated on a leisurely stroll along the wooden boardwalk raised above salt marshes and dunes, with views across the bird sanctuary to Long Island Sound and Charles Island.

It’s only around 0.75 miles in each direction, though you’ll probably want to take your time, scouring the beaches and skies for birds or just admiring the scenery.

Delaware: Gordons Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park

Delaware’s coastline is one of the most underrated in the US, and nowhere is its beauty more apparent than at Cape Henlopen State Park, part of the Delmarva Peninsula. The park occupies a former military base and there are several routes, with the Gordons Pond Trail giving a good overview without being too strenuous.

Running for 3.2 miles, it traces the edge of the pond then follows an elevated boardwalk, with scenic overlooks offering views of marshes and beaches along the way.

Florida: Miami Beach Boardwalk, Miami

Art Deco architecture, creamy beaches, colorful lifeguard huts, and palm trees – what more could you want from a walk? Miami Beach Boardwalk is one of the city’s most famous attractions, unfurling along the oceanfront for around four miles from 5th Street in South Beach to 46th Street at Indian Beach Park.

With beaches and bars along the route, this is a walk to be taken at leisure and with frequent stops for sunbathing and people-watching.

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Georgia: Southend Loop, Cumberland Island

The Southend Loop, covering 4.3 miles, covers some of the most beautiful parts of Cumberland Island, just off Georgia’s southern coast. It weaves through maritime forest, skirts marshland and dunes, and strolls along the beach, following dirt paths, quiet roads, and boardwalks.

It also cuts through the Dungeness Historic District, home to the ruins of a 19th-century mansion (pictured) owned by the Carnegie family. Look out for (but keep your distance from) wild horses, as the barrier island is home to around 150 of them.

Hawaii: Pīpīwai Trail, Haleakalā National Park

This four-mile round-trip trail packs in several waterfalls along its route, including the 185-foot cascade of Makahiku Falls. Even this seems short once you reach Waimoku Falls at the climax of the walk, though.

The lofty waterfall is a head-spinning 400 feet tall, roaring down a sheer lava rock face into a limpid, boulder-scattered pool. It’s undoubtedly the highlight of this walk in Maui’s Haleakalā National Park, but the journey there is a delight, cutting through bamboo forest and passing streams and smaller cascades.

Idaho: Greenbelt Trail, Idaho Falls

The Idaho Falls Greenbelt Trail covers a total of around five miles with paths on either side of Snake River, famed for its dramatic 600-foot-wide waterfall (pictured).

It’s the highlight of the walk, which has benches dotted along the way and is also home to a variety of local businesses, from restaurants and cafés to a disc golf course.

Illinois: various trails, Castle Rock State Park

A couple of hours’ drive west of Chicago, Castle Rock State Park is named after a sandstone bluff that juts over the broad river. The area is thick with forest alongside rock formations, ravines, and the remains of prairies that once carpeted the land.

There are six miles of marked hiking trails in total, with different routes well-signposted throughout and information on woodland animals and birds frequently seen here. The park is also popular for kayaking and canoeing in summer.

Indiana: West Beach Trails, Indiana Dunes National Park

These dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan are stunning year-round but, if you’re heading here in the warmer months, you can make a day of it and follow a walk with some beach time. There are two trails here: the 3.4-mile 3-Loop Trail and the much shorter Dunes Succession Trail, which is just under a mile.

Combine the two for a longer walk, taking in secluded sections of forest, looking out for birds, and stopping to gaze at gorgeous views from the top of the Dune Succession Trail stairs.

Iowa: Point Ann Trail, Pikes Peak State Park

There’s plenty of beauty packed into this state park in Iowa’s Driftless region, characterized by vertiginous valleys and steep hills – plus a variety of excellent trails. The most straightforward is the 0.5-mile boardwalk that leads to Bridal Veil Falls, though you can go further on the four-mile route to Point Ann, from which you can look out over the mighty Mississippi.

Look out for fossils along the route, and for the particularly lovely sunrises.

Kansas: Scenic Overlook Trail, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

One of few remaining places in the US that's still carpeted by prairie, this national preserve is all rolling hills and big blue skies. Walk for around three miles from the visitor center to the scenic overlook, following a gravel trail into the Flint Hills and spotting wildlife including bison grazing on the grasses.

There are also options for longer hikes or short nature trails. The park is open year-round but come in fall to see the green-gold grasses at their tallest and best – or visit in spring, when wildflowers add pops of color.

Kentucky: The Pinnacles, Berea College Forest

There's a trail to suit pretty much everyone at Berea College Forest, with routes leading to five different lookout points: East Pinnacle, West Pinnacle, Buzzard's Roost, Indian Fort, and Eagles Nest. You can do all of them in a day, hiking around five miles, or take the shortest trail – to Indian Fort Lookout – which is just over a mile.

The views are the highlight, stretching across a patchwork of forest, fields, and hills.

Louisiana: Barataria Preserve Trails, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park

Just outside New Orleans, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park is a heady mix of marshy, mossy bayous and Cajun history. There are five accessible gravel and boardwalk trails, each under a mile, and four mildly more challenging hiking trails, the longest of which is the 1.8-mile Plantation Trail loop.

Look out for the 600-year-old bald cypress tree along the Bayou Coquille Trail, or head to Ring Levee Trail at high water to spot alligators. This is a wildlife-rich trail, and food is prohibited to avoid attracting animals.

Maine: Ocean Path Trail, Acadia National Park

This 2.2-mile path shows off the most beautiful parts of Acadia National Park, with glorious views of the rocky, craggy coastline between Sand Beach and Otter Cliffs. It’s a there and back hike, so 4.4 miles in total, but the scenery is so beguiling that it’s hardly a drag to revisit it.

On one side is the ocean, laced with rock pools, coves, and sculptural granite rock formations, and on the other are forested mountains. One of the many highlights is Boulder Beach (pictured), which is scattered with smooth rocks the size of grapefruits.

Maryland: Annapolis Rock, South Mountain State Park

The Appalachian Trail runs for a total of 2,200 miles, and just 41 of those are in Maryland. But the state happens to have some of the loveliest and most accessible scenery, including the viewpoints at Annapolis Rock and Black Rock Cliff.

Reached via a five-mile out-and-back hike at South Mountain State Park, the peaks open up sweeping views across the northwest of the state.

Massachusetts: Great Island Trail, Cape Cod

Great Island Trail actually encompasses two ways to discover Cape Cod’s beguiling coastal scenery, with the option to take the 3.9-mile tavern loop or continue on the 8.8-mile round-trip to Jeremy Point overlook.

Each starts and ends at the corner of Griffin Island and Chequessett Neck Road, skirting past salt marshes and sand dunes, climbing steeply to pine-forested bluffs and crossing the soft sand, with views of Cape Cod Bay rewarding the effort.

Michigan: Pyramid Point Trail, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Hugging a stretch of Lake Michigan’s eastern shoreline, Sleeping Bear Dunes endlessly surprises with its natural beauty and has around 100 miles of trails to discover. One of the prettiest routes is the Pyramid Point Trail.

The 2.7-mile trek passes wildflower meadows, beech-maple forests, and waves of sand dunes, with short detours leading to views over the lake.

Minnesota: Fifth Falls, Gooseberry Falls State Park

The 300-mile Superior Hiking Trail, stretching along the shore of Lake Superior all the way to the Canadian border, is obviously far too much to pack into a day. But you can tackle a stunning slice of it with the three-mile loop to Fifth Falls, within Gooseberry Falls State Park.

The park’s eponymous waterfall (pictured) is among the highlights, along with other cascades and frequent views of the lake.

Mississippi: CCC Camp Trail, Tishomingo State Park

In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and named after a chief of the Chickasaw nation, Tishomingo State Park blends fascinating history with beguiling landscapes. There are several hiking routes, with the CCC Camp Trail the longest at around three miles.

The walk encompasses some of the best scenery, from rocky outcrops bursting with ferns and wildflowers to stone steps leading to the banks of Bear Creek, with the trail ending at the Swinging Bridge.

Missouri: Longview Lake, Kansas City

The focal point of Longview Lake State Park, this freshwater reservoir is just outside Kansas City and is a fabulous option for a family-friendly walk. There’s something for everyone, from short nature trails to the shoreline laced with beaches and fishing docks, surrounded by thick forest and meadows.

You can take as long or short a walk as you like, stopping at coves and picnic shelters. It’s consistently beautiful but the sunrises are especially spectacular, so head out early if you can.

Montana: Hidden Lake Overlook, Glacier National Park

Montana is made for hiking, boasting parts of Yellowstone National Park and Flathead National Forest. The trails in Glacier National Park are among the most breathtaking and many lead to incredible views with relatively little effort.

Hidden Lake Overlook is a 2.6-mile round-trip trail that weaves through alpine meadows and up to views over the lake and mountains beyond, before meandering down to the lakeshore.

Nebraska: River Trail, Wood River

Just outside Grand Island, the 1.5-mile each-way River Trail is one of several ways to explore the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center, following a section of Platte River that runs through the preserve.

There are bison and other species here year-round, though spring is the best time to visit to catch a magnificent natural spectacle: thousands of sandhill cranes filling the skies, along with other migrating birds.

Nevada: Natural Arch Trail, Valley of Fire State Park

You could follow any of the designated trails in Valley of Fire State Park and view some of Nevada’s most strikingly beautiful scenery. This park really is staggering, with pinnacles, arches, buttes, and canyons carved in red rock that glows especially vividly at sunrise.

The Natural Arch Trail, 4.2 miles there and back, is a relatively manageable route to take in the kaleidoscopic colors and appreciate how time has shaped this place. The Aztec sandstone structures were formed by shifting sand dunes around 150 million years ago.

New Hampshire: Flume Gorge Trail, Lincoln

This natural ravine, at the base of Mount Liberty, is well worth the two-mile loop trail. Parts of the path follow boardwalks hugging the granite walls of the gorge, cutting through primordial forest and leading to dramatic cascades and bridges.

There are lots of stairways on the route, though several benches allow time to pause, rest, and take in the surroundings. The season usually opens around May, once the ice has melted away.

New Jersey: Wildwoods Boardwalk, Wildwoods

Wildwoods, on the Jersey Shore, is pure Americana, and so is a stroll along its 2.5-mile boardwalk. It dates back to the 1890s, when it began at just 450 feet long, and has moved closer to the ocean twice due to the shifting shoreline.

Pass three piers with amusement park rides, rows of colorful shops, restaurants, and arcades, stop at the sandy beaches, or just gaze out at the ocean. The area is also home to a strip of mid-century modern inns known as "Doo Wop" motels.

New Mexico: Backcountry Camping Loop Trail, White Sands National Park

At first glance, White Sands National Park looks like a snowscape, with bright white waves stretching over the horizon. The gypsum dunes roll for 275 square miles and the best way to appreciate them is by following one of the park’s signposted trails.

The Backcountry Camping Loop Trail takes you on a two-mile round trip up some of the sandy mounds, and it’s well worth the effort to gaze over the landscape, with shortbread-hued dunes that curve, dip, and rise in soft peaks as far as the eye can see.

New York: Gorge Trail, Watkins Glen State Park

The scenery on the Gorge Trail could comfortably belong in The Lord of the Rings. It’s ethereally beautiful, and home to some of the most picturesque waterfalls in New York’s Finger Lakes region.

Cavern Cascade, which you can walk behind, and Rainbow Falls – named for the way the afternoon sunshine reflects on its surface – are especially lovely. Other highlights on the 1.5-mile loop include stone bridges and steps carpeted with ferns.

North Carolina: Hanging Rock Trail, Hanging Rock State Park

The trail up to Hanging Rock, the quartzite precipice that gives this state park its name, is just 1.3 miles but can take up to an hour. This is partly because it’s quite steep, following wooden and stone steps, but also because the scenery en route is so dizzyingly beautiful.

It’s even better from the top, where you can perch on the rocks and look out over the park and Blue Ridge Mountains.

North Dakota: Painted Canyon Nature Trail, Theodore Roosevelt National Park

At just under a mile, this loop walk yields disproportionate rewards. The trail dips down into Painted Canyon, passing juniper shrubs and meadows that burst with wildflowers in spring.

Look out for bison, often seen grazing close to the trail, and get a close-up look at the layered colors of the rock, caused by thousands of years of erosion.

Ohio: Old Man’s Cave, Hocking Hills State Park

Taking walkers to perhaps the most spectacular scenery in Hocking Hills State Park, the Old Man’s Cave loop covers up to 1.5 miles depending on your start point, and takes in views of the Lower, Middle, and Upper Falls (pictured) plus gorges slicing through sandstone.

You can also extend your walk to six miles, adding the spectacles of Cedar Falls and Ash Cave on the Grandma Gatewood Trail.

Oklahoma: Beaver Lodge Nature Trail, Broken Bow Lake

There are 15 miles of trails around Broken Bow Lake, a reservoir on Mountain Fork River whose surface is dotted with small, tree-covered islands. Many of these trails, including the Beaver Lodge Nature Trail – part of Beavers Bend State Park – are an approachable length.

This three-mile trail is one-way, so you'll either have to have someone waiting at the other end or double back when you're ready. The lake is a real stunner, surrounded with forest-clad mountains and with gin-clear water kept pristine thanks to the rocks covering its bed.

Oregon: Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

There’s no bad time of day or year to view the peach, apricot, and golden stripes of Oregon’s Painted Hills. The early morning light washes the claystone with pale pastels. In the afternoon, the dipping sun seems to illuminate the rocks from within.

And in spring, once the snow melts, yellow wildflowers peep out between the cracks, adding an extra dimension of color. Pick from five trails, ranging from 0.25 to 1.6 miles, to view the gold, apricot, black, and brick-red stripes and swirls up close.

Pennsylvania: Falls Trail System, Ricketts Glen State Park

The full loop that makes up the Falls Trail System covers 7.2 miles but, for that effort, you get to see a staggering total of 21 waterfalls (including Harrison Wright Falls, pictured) between dense areas of old-growth forest.

You can shorten the walk to a 3.2-mile loop by going on the Highland Trail and following the Glen Leigh and Ganoga Glen sides of the trail – and still see the majority of the waterfalls.

Rhode Island: Clay Head Preserve, Block Island

Clay Head Preserve boasts a series of interconnecting paths that criss-cross a pretty, birdlife-rich, 190-acre swath of land in the north of Block Island, which lies in the Atlantic to the south of Rhode Island.

The parking area is reached via a dirt road and, a short distance into the walk, hikers are faced with two choices. Turning right leads to a sandy beach, while left means losing your way in what’s known as "The Maze," a tangle of unmarked paths designed for getting blissfully lost in.

South Carolina: Lakeside Trail, Table Rock State Park

Take in two of the most spectacular sights of Table Rock State Park on one relatively easy trail. The 1.9-mile Lakeside Trail loop follows, as the name suggests, a portion of Pinnacle Lake’s shoreline, opening up incredible views across the mirrored surface to Table Rock Mountain.

The trail passes historic lodges and boat houses and boasts a swimming beach along the route.

South Dakota: Sylvan Lake trail, Black Elk Wilderness

There are several trails taking you up to Black Elk Peak, the highest natural point in South Dakota and arguably the best perch from which to gaze across Black Elk Wilderness, a remote swath of the Black Hills National Forest named after a holy man of the Oglala Sioux.

The most popular (and shortest) route starts at Sylvan Lake and is a relatively easy seven-mile round trip, with places to pause along the way. The peak is topped by a 1930s-built fire lookout tower, overlooking a dramatic landscape of pine forests, jagged peaks, canyons, lakes, and open grasslands.

Tennessee: Chimney Tops Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

With forested peaks and valleys and layer upon layer of mountains, the Great Smokies resemble a painting, or perhaps a whole gallery.

Explore the mountains on the 3.5-mile round-trip Chimney Tops Trail, which heads down soft forest paths and crosses streams before ascending mountain slopes for views from "chimney" topped pinnacles and ridges.

Texas: Summit Trail, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Just outside German-settled town Fredericksburg in Texas Hill Country, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is both otherworldly and rooted in nature. Its dominant attraction is an enormous boulder that looks like it’s crash-landed from space, and can be summited on a 1.6-mile round-trip trail.

The granite surface is dotted with fragrant shrubs, blackjack oaks, and vernal pools populated by fascinating fairy shrimp, whose eggs survive the dry season before springing to life when it rains.

Utah: Rim Trail, Bryce Canyon

Spindly rock spires (or "hoodoos") fill the bowl-shaped Bryce Amphitheater, and visitors can walk the rim for perhaps the best scenery in the entire national park. The rock formations would be incredible in any color but the combination of apricot, cream, and crimson shades is especially eye-popping.

The Rim Trail runs for up to 11 miles but you can tackle just a portion of it without sacrificing the views. The paved Sunset to Sunrise trail is just one mile in each direction.

Vermont: Summit Trail, Mount Philo State Park

You can drive to the top of Mount Philo, the focal point of this state park in Charlotte, but the hike up is far more rewarding. It’s a 1.5-mile round trip, with white-tailed deer, moose, and migrating birds often spotted from the path.

It’s the views at the top that really stun, though, looking over the verdant countryside towards the sapphire-hued Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains.

Virginia: North River Trail, Great Falls Park

The falls at Great Falls Park aren’t "great" in size, with each cascade dropping no further than 20 feet. The dramatic beauty comes from the sheer number of them, and the speed at which they tumble along the jagged rocks in the Potomac River.

You can view the rapids from the North River Trail, which runs for 1.5 miles each way between the Great Falls and Riverbend Park visitor centers and traces the edge of the river. It’s especially pretty in spring, when wildflowers brighten the surroundings.

Washington: Cape Flattery Trail, Makah Reservation

A raised wooden boardwalk cuts through the forest on this 1.5-mile round-trip trail, leading to one of the most surprising and stunning pockets of coastline in the US. The water at Cape Flattery, part of the Makah Reservation and just outside Olympic National Park, swirls with shades of blue from navy to turquoise.

Throw in a thickly forested shoreline and sea stacks topped with trees and the entire landscape barely seems real.

West Virginia: Ravens Rock Trail, Coopers Rock State Forest

The heart of this state forest is the eponymous Coopers Rock, a series of sandstone bluffs overlooking the Cheat River Gorge. Most visitors head straight for the scenic overlook.

For a quieter way to take in the surroundings, take the Ravens Rock Trail: the out-and-back trail forms a three-mile round-trip walk up to a viewpoint that looks over swaths of forest to the gorge.

Wisconsin: Lakeshore Trail, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore boasts all manner of natural wonders, from craggy rock formations and wind-battered cliffs to sandy strands, and all this can be explored on the Lakeshore Trail.

There are six miles of mainland trails divided into three sections, taking in Lake Superior beaches, the Crevasse – a fracture in the bedrock – hardwood forest, and sea caves.

Wyoming: Fairy Falls Trail, Yellowstone National Park

The 200-foot-high Fairy Falls might be the ultimate destination of this trail, and a spectacular one at that, but it’s far from the only jaw-dropping sight along the route. The 5.4-mile trek runs through lodgepole pine forest and skirts around one of Yellowstone’s most famous landmarks, Grand Prismatic Spring (pictured from the trail).

It also passes other hot springs, with an optional add-on to view Spray and Imperial geysers.

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