16 Best Hiking Destinations (PHOTOS)

There is something very special and spiritual about walking: fresh air, unlimited discovery, and ever finer views taking you as far as the eye can see. At a slower pace, there is the opportunity to enjoy nature's wonders, the hidden treats the world has to offer, which become sharper and focused far away from the blur of speed tours. We asked National Geographic for their favorite places to go for a hike.

Adapted from National Geographic's book "The 10 Best of Everything". Text and captions courtesy of National Geographic.

 

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Great Smoky Mountains

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The Great Smoky Mountains, long regarded as the ancestral homeland of the Cherokee Indians, is a region rich in natural diversity and pioneer history. Named by the Cherokee for the mysterious wisps of blue-gray smoke that often shroud the highest peaks, this majestic mountain range marks the southern climax of the Appalachian chain. Established as a national park in 1934, the area today spans a magnificent 500,000 acres, making it the largest wilderness area of the eastern United States. Within proximity of its extensive 900 miles of walking trails lies an abundant reserve of both natural and historic interests. The Smokies are home to more than 130 species of trees, 1,500 varieties of flowering plants, and 200 types of birds. Nestled within this haven of cascading waterfalls and fantastic mountain vistas stand the preserved remnants of pioneer heritage: the log cabins, farmhouses, grist mills, and barns built in the 18th and 19th centuries by European settlers. Entering into this immense and abundant forest, walkers can retrace a pioneer past that follows the footsteps first marked by the Cherokee Indians. Flickr: kypfly

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The Great Smoky Mountains, long regarded as the ancestral homeland of the Cherokee Indians, is a region rich in natural diversity and pioneer history. Named by the Cherokee for the mysterious wisps of blue-gray smoke that often shroud the highest peaks, this majestic mountain range marks the southern climax of the Appalachian chain. Established as a national park in 1934, the area today spans a magnificent 500,000 acres, making it the largest wilderness area of the eastern United States. Within proximity of its extensive 900 miles of walking trails lies an abundant reserve of both natural and historic interests. The Smokies are home to more than 130 species of trees, 1,500 varieties of flowering plants, and 200 types of birds. Nestled within this haven of cascading waterfalls and fantastic mountain vistas stand the preserved remnants of pioneer heritage: the log cabins, farmhouses, grist mills, and barns built in the 18th and 19th centuries by European settlers. Entering into this immense and abundant forest, walkers can retrace a pioneer past that follows the footsteps first marked by the Cherokee Indians.

Flickr: kypfly

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Comments

[Jeannette Harris]

07:57 AM on 09/18/2010

For a more personal perspective on hiking throughout the country, there's "walkin' Jim" Stoltz (http://walkinjim.com/) who traversed astonishing miles of it, including the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, and many others cross-country. Also a musician and wilderness educator, he passed away recently at 57 -- leaving songs, poetry and travelogues of those journeys as his legacy, and an ecological organization called MUSE (http://www.musemusic.org/).

[Jeannette Harris]

07:46 AM on 09/18/2010

The Smokies, straddling the Tennessee/North Carolina line, are the most diverse biosphere in the world, officially! It's a mystical and breathtakingly beautiful area of our country. And endangered by pollutants of various ,so that visibility from its peaks has diminished precipitously, especially over the past few decades when ecological health took a back seat inter/nationally to commercial interests despite endeavors of regional environmental groups small and large. That prior focus and emphasis has shifted decidedly and dramatically under our current federal administration, and with the support of our state representatives, in preserving the grandeur and charm of Appalachia ("The Mountain Empire").

[Squib]

01:22 AM on 09/17/2010

wow the 1st list of outdoor destinations I've seen with out Colorado on the list some where

[Jakaro]

09:46 PM on 09/16/2010

wow a highlight of Irelands west coast is a house once occupied an English-appointed Welsh aristocrat? "the British isles westernmost point"...get real.

[liberal123]

05:00 PM on 09/16/2010

Sedona, AZ - amazing painted desert scenery

[ghf]

03:08 PM on 09/16/2010

I have 'News' for you.

New Zealand and Newfoundland.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

06:30 AM on 09/16/2010

No Mention of rickets glen, Pa. grand Canyon,or the appalacian trail , does the east coast have to beg?

[sheila]

12:15 AM on 09/17/2010

the FIRST slide is appalachian trail and the grand canyon is hardly on the east coast!

[Dunkleberger Karl]

04:33 AM on 09/17/2010

But there is a grand canyon in Pennsyvainia, see wellsboro and head west !

[Manly Pointer]

03:43 AM on 09/16/2010

As much as I hated living there, Quebec's country side is beautiful.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

04:05 PM on 09/16/2010

I loved montreal, and st johns, saw my first 4 national league games in Canada,lost my Virginity,1st girlfriend,And saw My first Whale! what could anyone hate about Quebec? The Snow? Ok It does snow alot! Like walk on the roof of cars , alot! And Often ! But the Comedy Festival is one of the greatest in the world!

[Manly Pointer]

03:31 AM on 09/17/2010

Highest mental illness rate in the industrialized world.
Kafkaesque bureaucracy.
Rudeness
Crumbling infrastructure
Eurotrash Guidos
Endless Hype.

[cpwestcoast1]

03:19 AM on 09/16/2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/15/10-best-hiking-destinatio_n_716640.html

[Bike Commuter]

01:15 AM on 09/16/2010

I see lots of good examples in the comments, but the single biggest omission is the Grand Canyon, one of the true wonders of the natural world.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

06:31 AM on 09/16/2010

not really a hike, if your grand mas hover round can do it it aint a hike , looking over the rim is not a hike!

[Bike Commuter]

10:10 AM on 09/16/2010

There are some incredible trails in the Grand Canyon. I hiked all the way down to the river and back.  Just because many people stand at the edge and look (or fly over in a helicopter) doesn't mean there isn't more to see and do. 

[Notsosurearewe]

12:51 AM on 09/16/2010

Skipping the Tahoe Rim Trail is .. tragic. A walk around the southern portion of Lake Tahoe, especially at 6-8k feet is nothing less than spectacular.

[seatech1]

11:16 PM on 09/15/2010

Wharton State Forest in the south New Jersey pine barrens. Great hikes, sandy pathways, and lots of wildlife.

[SuzyScorp]

10:56 PM on 09/15/2010

What's a going on???

[Truckeedude]

10:47 PM on 09/15/2010

Beautiful pics, nice list...our area is already to crowded so skipping my area is fine with me.

[kennonk]

10:33 PM on 09/15/2010

The omission of any part of the John Muir trail in the Sierra Nevada makes this list pretty weak.

[Jhunter]

10:32 AM on 09/16/2010

I added a photo of the JMT.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

04:12 PM on 09/16/2010

Is Beutiful, but aint a large portion of J. Muir  closed, this year?