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| Chimney Tops at Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is so large that unless you spend years there, you won’t see all it offers. So when you’ve only a week or so to visit the park, what are the absolute must-do sights?
Alpine Ridge Trail
Rocky Mountain National Park
If you’re looking to prove your mettle, you may want to hike one of Rocky Mountain National Park’s shortest trails. The 0.6-mile round trip Alpine Ridge Trail gains 300 feet while sitting at an altitude of 12,000 feet above sea level, where there’s significantly less oxygen than most of us are used to. Because of that, the route through the alpine tundra appropriately is nicknamed Huffer’s Hill.
Hidden Lake Overlook Trail
Glacier National Park
Day hikers stand a good chance of spotting the rare marmot on the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail at Glacier National Park in Montana. Though several species of marmots exist across the globe, in the United States their range is limited to mountains of the northwest. The result is very few Americans ever see the marmot.
Jenny Lake Trail
Grand Teton National Park
Day hikers can walk along a tranquil blue lake with some of the most impressive mountain views in the United States as a backdrop on the Jenny Lake Trail in Grand Teton National Park. The 6.5-mile trail wraps around the world-famous lake at the base of the snow-capped Teton Mountain Range in northwest Wyoming.
Rancheria Falls National Recreation Trail
Sierra National Forest
A 150-foot high waterfall awaits day hikers at the end of the Rancheria Falls National Recreation Trail in California’s Sierra National Forest. The 1-mile out-and-back trail (2-miles round trip) sits high in the Sierra Nevada, south of Yosemite National Park. For those wishing to avoid Yosemite’s crowds, the Sierra National Forest offers a nice alternative from June to October; the trail typically is closed the rest of the year due to heavy snowfall at the 7200-foot elevation.
Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.
