the best hike in all 63 US national parks

From the rocky headlands of Acadia to the sandstone cliffs of Zion, we share the best hike in every US national park

America’s 63 national parks offer an encyclopaedic array of natural sights – from trees that existed at the time of dinosaurs to fiercely active volcanos. That’s before we even get into the hundreds of other units such as national monuments, historic sites, preserves, reserves, rivers, parkways and recreation areas.

At last count, America’s public lands received nearly 300 million recreational visits a year and for good reason. The country’s national park system is a model that has been replicated the world over.

With so much variety within the millions of acres of outdoor space, it’s difficult to know where to start. To point the way, we’ve put together a list of the best hike in every US national park so you can get the most out of your walk in the woods.

Best hike in every US national park

We have drawn on personal experience, expert recommendations from the National Park Service and crowdsourcing via AllTrails – one of the world’s most popular hiking apps – to create our curated list of the best hike in every US national park.

2. Arches National Park

State: Utah
Hike: Devils Garden Loop
Distance: 12.7km
Duration: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
More info

Known for its 2,000 natural sandstone arches, snow-capped peaks and desert landscapes, Arches National Park has to be seen to be believed. The park was recently hit the headlines when it was forced to regularly close its gates by 8am as car parks and trails maxed out their capacities. Some days the gates stayed closed for five hours before reopening. As such, it has introduced a site-wide timed-entry system for all visitors….