I feel like putting these hikes into a “10 Best”, numerically ordered list is not the way to properly describe these hikes. There are a variety of different types of hikes in the park, to ponds, to waterfalls, to mountains and more. So generally speaking, …
The 5 Best Hikes at Bryce Canyon National Park. Make sure you get out and explore on your trip! 🙂
I won’t bore you in the “how to get there” part of the blog, everyone ends up having different itineraries and different needs anywho-so pick what is best for you. I will go over what we did, and wish we didn’t do on our trip to Death Valley. It was not at all how we expected it to be, which I guess is due to my lack of planning.
I was much more focused on Bryce Canyon and Zion, which we did on the same trip. We wanted to check off Death Valley on the same road trip because of where it sat in California. There is no very easy way to get there.
Death Valley is “the hottest, driest and lowest U.S. National Park” according to the National Park Service. The highest temperature recorded was in 1913 when it hit 134 degrees Fahrenheit. Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation point in North America. Death Valley is also an International Night Sky Park, which means it is one of the best places in the world to see the stars.
Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes
These sand dunes are a fun stop in the morning before it gets hot. We stopped at sunset and it was beautiful. The sand was still really hot when we got there as the sun was going down. There aren’t any actual trails on the sand dunes, but there are some taller ones in the far distances where you can get your cool looking dune photos.
Zabriskie Point
The Zabriskie Point pull-off makes things easy on you, you don’t have to walk far at all to the viewpoint. Being there at dawn makes the colors stand out that much better.
Artist’s Palette and Drive
A definite can’t miss on your trip. The drive to get there is fun, with amazing views the whole way up. The Artist’s Palette itself is a volcanic deposit, where the coloring comes from the minerals in the soil. I would suggest walking right up into the colorful hills instead of viewing from your car. This is also how you get the really cool photos like you see online.
Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level. When you walk out to the flats and turn back towards the parking lot and mountain’s you’ll see a green sign tucked up on one of the mountains. The sign is where sea level is and gives quite the perspective. The salt can get dirty depending on the season and how much rain there has been, so double check what time of year you go.
Natural Bridge
Flash floods caused the rock to erode into a bridge over the canyon. It is a 1-mile hike up a canyon to see the Natural Bridge. There is no official “trail” but there is a parking area and it is pretty obvious where you will need to go. You can always download the map from AllTrails.
Harmony Borax Works
A great historic stop for history buffs. Harmony Borax Works and 20 Mule Team Canyon. A long story short Borax was found and mined in Death Valley for a good while, and it is an important history of the park.
Dante’s View
One of the most phenomenal views of Death Valley is from Dante’s View. It is 45 minutes from Furnace Creek, so it’s not too far off the beaten path.
Devil’s Golf Course
Another stop where you will probably just want to pull over and take some photos. It is essentially just rock salt that has been eroded into sharp bits.
Devil’s Cornfield
The Devil’s Cornfield is more of an attraction, a thing to see than a stop itself. You may want to just pull over the car on the way by and get a few photos. It is a massive spanse of arrowweed in big clumps.
All of these additional stops were originally on our itinerary, but we had to cancel seeing them due to how far away they were. Most of them are around 3 hours away from the rest of the park. However, they are also some of the coolest sites to see.
Ubehebe Crater:
To visit the crater you can either park, or take the trail along the rim of the crater. Ubehebe crater was created by a maar volcano, and is estimated to be around 2,100 years old.
Race Track Playa:
Race Track Playa is a dry lake bed with “moving rocks”. I always picture the scene from Pirates of the Caribbean when Jack is trapped on the ship. There are new articles that are posted on the National Park’s website that go into detail on how the rocks actually get around. Another reason we axed this stop is because we were in a rented car, and the road is supposedly recommended for 4×4 vehicles only.
Wildrose Charcoal Kilns:
10 Charcoal Kilns built in 1877 for the mines, but were also used during the filming of Star Wars.
We drove into Death Valley from Beatty and Daylight Pass Road. The very first thing we noticed and had not anticipated was that the entire park quite literally sits in a valley where you can see everything. We got there late in the evening with the intention of staying at Stovepipe Wells campground. That was closed and we needed to turn around-everything is far apart in this park. We high-tailed back to Furnace Creek Campground and found it to have a few open spots. We visited in April and it was SO windy. Our camper van shook all night long, we woke up to find the vans next to us had moved in the night because it was so bad.
The next morning we got up super early and set out to see the major sites. It didn’t actually take us that long to maneuver the sites. We didn’t do any of the longer hikes and walks because I developed one heck of a blister at the very beginning of our trip. Our first stop of the morning was Badwater Basin. We walked out about 250 yards before turning around. You can see most of what you’re going to see in that distance. We ended up visiting at the wrong time of year to see the nice white salt flat you think you’d see. Our next stops were the Natural Bridge, Devil’s Golf Course, Artist’s Drive, and Golden Canyon. We finished up with Zabriskie Point. We left Death Valley via 190 to Pahrump.
All in all, I personally put Death Valley at the bottom of my “favorite National Parks” list. Not to say that you shouldn’t visit, because you absolutely should, I just would not plan a whole trip around going just there. The views are fantastic and otherworldly, but to me, it was almost too much. The history of the park and the natural wonders made up for it.
Your guide to Springdale, Utah! Directly outside Zion National Park, Springdale is the main town to visit during your trip.
Pa’rus Trail
Distance: 3.5 Miles
Elevation Gain: 160 feet
Rating: Very Easy
The Pa’rus trail runs along the Virgin River from Zion Park Blvd near Watchman Campground to the Canyon Junction shuttle stop. There are a few bridge crossings and opportunities to check out the river.
The views of the surrounding peaks and river are beautiful from the trail. This trail was the busiest one we were on during our Zion trip, because it is the easiest. We walked and biked it, though we found biking it to be difficult because the trail was so utilized. That being said, this is still an amazing walk!
Petroglyph Pools to Slot Canyon
Distance: 1.5 Miles
Elevation Gain: 180 feet
Rating: Easy
This trail was one of the more unique trails we tried at Zion. You start by walking under the road through a pretty cool tunnel to a sandy path that will bring you to the Petroglyphs. A note: we walked right by this section when we hiked this trail, either we were chatting and didn’t notice at all or it wasn’t very clearly marked. The trail ends when you walk up a rock formation into the slot canyon. This would be the most difficult part of the trail but going into the slot canyon is worth it for the views. The petroglyphs are a part of history and we should all do our part to keep it visible to future generations-so please respect the area.
Riverside Trail and the Narrows
Riverside Trail: 2.2 Miles, Easy
The Narrows: Up to 9.4 Miles, walking in the river (difficult)
The Riverside Trail is the path that will take you to the Narrows. The trail is relatively level and paved until you reach the entrance to the Narrows. There are plenty of opportunities to walk along the river and dip your toes in if you want to. Note: Currently the river is under a Cyanobacteria alert, check on the NPS website for river conditions before entering the water. What no one told us: This is a heavily trafficked trail that you need to use to access the Narrows. The trail was packed with people in their waders on their way to walk up the river, which meant the walk was slower than normal.
The Narrows is an incredibly popular “hike” that you’ll see right up there with Angel’s Landing on the charts. You’ll have to walk the 2 miles up the Riverside Trail to get to the entrance of the Narrows. This is where your river walking will begin. You can go as far as you’d like until you turn around. The major highlights in the Narrows is Wallstreet, Orderville Canyon and Big Springs.
The equipment necessary for hiking the Narrows varies based on personal preferences. There are some staple choices we saw on the trail: dry suits, waders, neoprene socks & canyon boots, hiking poles and some choose to just enter with their own shoes and shorts. The choice is up to you, but, be sure to check the water temperatures depending on the season you go in. Another thing to check on is the flow rate of the river and flash flood warnings on the NPS website before you head out.
Canyon Overlook Trail
Distance: 1 Mile
Elevation Gain: 190 Feet
Difficulty: Easy
The Canyon Overlook trail is aptly named as you’ll be overlooking the valley below for most of the hike. The trail will take you by some cave looking formations on a wooden bridge, to the top with panoramic views. This would be an amazing spot to watch sunrise if you have the opportunity.
Emerald Pools Trail
Distance: 3 Miles
Elevation Gain: 620 Feet
Rating: Moderate
This trail starts at the Zion Lodge, crosses the Virgin River and heads up to the Lower and Middle Pools. Going in this direction around the loop you’ll save the best for last with the Upper Emerald Pool. The views walking along the Lower and Middle Emerald Pool are amazing, you’re likely to get a little wet from the water off of the cliff.
We made the mistake of going up the Kayenta Trail, accidentally passing the trail for the Upper Emerald Pool and heading straight for the Lower and Middle Pool. This wouldn’t have been so bad if not for the elevation change going down to the pools, then back up, and down again. Which is why we advise to go to Middle and Lower first when coming from the Lodge.
Watchman Trail
Distance: 3.3 Miles
Elevation Gain: 640 Feet
Rating: Moderate
This trail leaves from either the Watchman Campground or the Visitors Center (whichever you’re coming from/parked at). The trail is moderate but it has a gentle incline for an easy hike in my opinion. Once you’ve reached the peak of the trail there is a loop that will give canyon views from all angles.
We ended up spotting our campsite at Watchman Campground from the top. This would have also been a great spot for watching the sunrise.
Angels Landing
Distance: 5.5 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1600 Feet
Rating: Difficult
Without a doubt one of the most noteworthy hikes in our National Parks. Starting this year, there is a permit lottery system in place to be able to hike it. We were among the first groups to have to obtain a permit to hike, and it wasn’t the best system. For the permit, we submitted a time frame that we would be there, and rate which days we preferred. Then on the lottery date we got an email saying if and which date we got selected for. You can also choose from morning or afternoon sessions. We got the morning slot for our last morning in Zion.
We ended up renting bikes overnight the night before, and biking in first thing in the morning the next day. I didn’t want to wait for the shuttle to start our hike, we really like solitude and figured it would only be like-minded hikers out there at this time of day. We started our bike ride at 6:00 am and were at the trailhead hiking by 6:30. It was mid April when we went so sunrise was around 6:50. We reached the peak of Angel’s Landing around 7:45 am.
The trail starts at shuttle stop #6, the Grotto, and continues up to Scout’s Lookout. When you reach the switchbacks (called Walter’s Wiggles) the grade does start to escalate. Scout’s lookout is a great view and has bathrooms, which was a surprise to us. The hike from Scout’s Lookout to Angel’s Landing is where the chains and narrow walkways begin. The trail gets very narrow with steep drop-offs. In some spots it is like a set of built-in stairs with nothing on the sides. The peak is a wider platform that can hold a small crowd of people. I would be concerned with the lines during the peak hours at the park. We only passed a few people going down the chain section and that was slightly difficult.
The Subway
Distance: 9.1 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1300 Feet
Rating: Difficult
*A permit is required for this hike* The Subway is a beautiful trail where most of the difficulty comes from the technical spots on the trail. The trail itself is not always clearly marked the farther you get along the creek but as long as you’re paying attention to where you are you’ll be fine. You are likely to get wet from walking in the creek, good water shoes are advised.
Honorable Mentions: Hidden Canyon & Observation Point Trails. A rockfall in 2019 fell and blocked most of the trails switchbacks. Both of these trails are amazing trails and will be again once they reopen.
The Ultimate Zion National Park Guide Before we visited Zion National Park we had no idea what to expect. We didn’t know how the town was laid out, if businesses were far away and how to get around the park efficiently. Hopefully we can help …
In this list we go over the top 10 local breweries to visit near Portland, Maine. Most of the stops on the list are directly located in Portland, but a few are located in other southern Maine towns. These breweries mostly focus on fresh brews …
Maine has some of the best hiking trails around, However, finding which ones you want to do is incredibly difficult! We use Alltrails to find our perfect fit for the day but it can be hard to weed through all of the “destination” hikes. We won’t focus on Acadia National Park or Baxter State Park where a majority of the hikes in Maine reside. You will notice we did feature one from each though, because they won their spot on the list.
1) Mt. Katahdin
Baxter State Park
7-15 miles depending on trail choice
Mt. Katahdin is by far the winner on most every “best hikes” list in Maine and for good reason. Mt. Katahdin will forever be one of our favorite, yet most difficult hikes. Check out our Mt.Katahdin guide for more information on the hike. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is completable for most ages.
2) Tumbledown
Four Ponds Public Reserved Land/Mt.Blue State Park, Weld
4-8 Miles depending on trail choice
Parking can fill up fast on the prime summer days, the day we visited we did not have much of a problem parking. We usually arrive at hikes quite early in the morning though. We parked in the second parking lot, about a mile up the road from the first lot. We took the loop trail up, and the Parker Ridge Trail down. Doing the trail in this direction has you climbing up the steepest part and going down the longer, more flat part. The way down was still quite the descent.
Highlights: The pond at the top of the mountain is beautiful! We took a plunge before we hiked back down. Just as we were leaving we crossed paths with a couple going up for fly fishing. We could visually see the fish while swimming so you could say that would be a hit.If you intend to do the same we highly recommend water shoes, the rocks are both sharp and slippery. Quite a ways up the Loop Trail there is a chimney that requires a technical move. We ended up throwing our backpacks over the boulder and hoisting ourselves up because the hole doesn’t allow for much movement with backpacks on. In total it took us 6 hours including our swim and lunch.
3) Fire Wardens, Horns Pond and Appalachian Trail Loop
Bigelow Preserve, Stratton
This trail is part of the Bigelow Range, a very popular multi day hike. This trail is 13 miles long, and took us 8 hours including rest stops. Heading toward the parking lot you’ll drive down what looks like a residential dirt road but it does lead to the trailhead.
We took the counter-clockwise route, starting by Stratton Brook Pond. There is a water source on near the first summit as well as several tent platforms. We wished we were able to camp there when we saw them, the views must be spectacular for sunrise and sunset. At the top of Avery Peak there is an old fire tower base that makes for an awesome photography spot. We are frequent hikers and did not find this trail overly difficult.
4) Gulf Hagas
AMC 100 Mile Wilderness
Visiting Gulf Hagas requires travelling about 11 miles down the Katahdin Iron Works Road, which is a high traffic logging road. It is an active logging road, and logging trucks have the right of way. Make sure to keep that in mind if you do visit. There is an entrance fee to get into Katahdin Iron Works which has been increasing slightly each year. On the way in (or out) check out the historic iron furnace right next to the gate house.
There are multiple routes that you could take to hike the Gulf Hagas loop, but the Rim Trail from Pleasant River Tote is the most popular. This hike is a long one even though there isn’t a significant elevation change, there are a lot of ups and downs. To get to some of the key features you may need to boulder or go down steep slopes.
You’ll start the hike off with a river crossing, so come prepared with some water shoes! When you get to the trail junction to the Rim Trail if you go left you will hit all of the attractions first, starting with Screw Auger Falls. From Screw Auger Falls you’ll move on to Hammond Street Pitch, Cole’s Corner, Buttermilk Falls, Billings Falls and Stair Falls. Each one is beautiful and you’ll often see people swimming where they can. If you choose to swim be aware that leaches do dwell in the water rather plentifully, don’t let that stop you though! Just be prepared in the event that they are around.
5) The Beehive Loop Trail
Acadia National Park
The Loop Trail is 1.5 miles and very heavily used. Acadia National Park is an exceptionally busy place, so this is not a very secluded trail. That does not take away from the beauty! It is a must do trail if you are in the area. I do not recommend it if you are afraid of heights, however. The views are among some of the best ocean views you’ll see from a hike.
6) Borestone Mountain Trail
Guilford
The trail is 3.5 Miles long and took us 2.5 hours with lunch. The views are great and we marked this as an easy hike.
7) Table Rock Trail
Grafton Notch State Park
This trail is 2.7 Miles long and took us about 2 hours to complete with a quick rest to take in the views. Be careful on trail to make sure you stay on the marked trail, it was a little easy to get off course. Completing this trail does require nimble feet and some minor bouldering.
8) Speckled Mountain via Spruce Hill
White Mountain National Forest
The drive out to this hike is equally as beautiful as the hike itself. The trail is 5.8 miles and it took me about 4.5 hours to complete. I didn’t take many breaks and kept moving so I would plan for a bit more time if you choose this one.
9) Caribou Mountain via Bog Road
White Mountain National Forest
This is a great springtime or fall hike. We hiked it in the spring as a warm up hike to the hiking season. The trail is 5.6 miles long and took us about 3.5 hours to complete. Lots of cool flora and fauna to see along the way up!
10) Mt. Megunticook
Camden
There are a few different paths to summit Mt. Megunticook. We took the path from Camden Hills State Park Campground. This is a great afternoon hike that won’t take you much time and gives you the great views of a larger hike.
