National Parks or States with great short hikes. (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/20/2026 12:46:25 PM EDT
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Not looking to do 20 mile hikes, but would like to go and do 3-5 mile hikes each day that has one of more of the following Huge waterfalls Awesome views Highest peaks Something unique may not see at other places No interest in seeing any snow.  Would plan to go during warmer weather even if the crowds will be larger. You can exclude Hawaii as already got that covered. Thinking of Yosemite or Glacier National Park. Thought about the grand canyon but figured you are getting different views of the same scenery. Would like to see something unique on each hike each day. Let me know what you experienced and found to be great places to get away. |
TBD
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South of Billings. MT/WY border. Do day hikes out of Red Lodge. 99% of the views and majesty of Yellowstone+Glacier with 99.9999% less people. If you want specifics I can PM them to you. Attached File |
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Highly recommend "Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park - 55 Great Hikes" by Robert Stone. Many of these hikes are located in the eastern part of the park away from the main Valley, so much less crowded. I've done a bunch of them, and maybe saw just a handful of other people all day. I have another book, "Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula" by Craig Romano. It's a very good book, he has a lot of hikes and rates them by difficulty, natural beauty, etc. Did a bunch of these hikes too. Recommend the book. Good luck, be safe, and enjoy our wonderful country! |
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Chasm View Notch at Longs Peak, RMNP. 5 to 6 miles, one way. Mile for mile, you'd be hard pressed to be standing at more unique point of view. Bring binoculars. And mind the gap. Sky Pond, RMNP. Maybe 4 miles to the lake? It's one of the prettiest areas I can think of, for that level of access. |
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Tennessee State Parks has many options like that all across the state. Fall Creek Falls is what I think is the nicest one amd is also nearby me. https://tnstateparks.com/parks/fall-creek-falls?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1451242040&gbraid=0AAAAADPRDi1KejQnjiPdViCZkKCkGncfO&gclid=CjwKCAjwiL7VBhA-EiwAhZi9ENs0z8tAMQIUXP2te5H6sLhKLEucsYkomWvt8Q58xCaHkfIAiftN4RoCWkgQAvD_BwE Nearby are also Lost Creek and Scott's Gulf. You could easily stay at one location for two weeks and hike a different 3-5 mile trail every day and see a ton of beautiful country. |
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Originally Posted By seaskidoo: South of Billings. MT/WY border. Do day hikes out of Red Lodge. 99% of the views and majesty of Yellowstone+Glacier with 99.9999% less people. If you want specifics I can PM them to you. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/370487/af7377a8-ea45-471f-bb6e-30fa927db05e-1_a-3830137.JPG Love the scenario, but a "Day Hike" is a bit more than we are wanting to day. |
TBD
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If you get there stupid early and start hiking before sunrise and beat the crowds, the hike up to Emerald Lake in Rocky Mtn Natl Park is probably my favorite I’ve done so far. Under 4 miles round trip and three lakes and lots of great views. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Originally Posted By seaskidoo: South of Billings. MT/WY border. Do day hikes out of Red Lodge. 99% of the views and majesty of Yellowstone+Glacier with 99.9999% less people. If you want specifics I can PM them to you. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/370487/af7377a8-ea45-471f-bb6e-30fa927db05e-1_a-3830137.JPG Awesome photo! |
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Originally Posted By seaskidoo: South of Billings. MT/WY border. Do day hikes out of Red Lodge. 99% of the views and majesty of Yellowstone+Glacier with 99.9999% less people. If you want specifics I can PM them to you. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/370487/af7377a8-ea45-471f-bb6e-30fa927db05e-1_a-3830137.JPG I need to move... |
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Avalanche Lake at GNP Now with pics! 😁 Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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McAfee Knob near Roanoke, VA. The most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail. It's a bit longer than the five miles you stated, but it's easy and is well worth the hike. Attached File |
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Beehive Acadia National Park, fun and beautiful.  Acadia National Park August 11, 2024 - Bar Harbor, Maine Mount Katahdin, painful and beautiful. |
| I would suggest Alltrails for good info on this. Trails listed by length, difficulty etc. Short hikes are everywhere. Nice to have a guide book so you don't have to drive there to find out. |
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Wow, you all posted some amazing places. Being from Texas, anyplace that is cooler works for us. For a quick get away from here, we like to go to northern New Mexico, there are endless trails and hikes there. The added benifit is that there are Indian relics and carvings all over the place, making it fun to hike and look for that stuff. The Los Alamos area and the Caldera its built on are my favorite in northern NM. |
| Palo Duro Canyon is great for hiking. Lots of trails in the 3 or so mile range. Plenty that connect to other trails too, so you can make them longer if you want. |
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Originally Posted By VACaver: McAfee Knob near Roanoke, VA. The most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail. It's a bit longer than the five miles you stated, but it's easy and is well worth the hike. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/100647/McAfee-Knob-Sunrise-by-Wheres-Gordo-Phot-3830197.JPG Never would have guessed that was VA. |
TBD
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Far far far too many to list. Here's a starter list Haven't even touched most the state Ocean, rivers glaciers desert waterfalls rainforest. Many are short hikes from the rd 18 easy hikes wash state https://share.google/9LHS55KzI3hlrjWw5 Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File H8205f Olympic Park easy https://share.google/flc1oU6DyqR6S7hRD |
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Endless Wall New River Gorge NP Attached File |
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Remember to kick it over, no one will guide you through armagideon time...
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Originally Posted By RhinelandArms: Wow, you all posted some amazing places. Being from Texas, anyplace that is cooler works for us. For a quick get away from here, we like to go to northern New Mexico, there are endless trails and hikes there. The added benifit is that there are Indian relics and carvings all over the place, making it fun to hike and look for that stuff. The Los Alamos area and the Caldera its built on are my favorite in northern NM. Also Red River NM is pretty good.    
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| IMHO the Shenandoah National Park has lots of nice short hikes, most of which are in fairly close proximity to sections of the Appalachian Trail that runs through the park. |
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Turkey Run State Park in Indiana is one you might enjoy. It's a gorgeous area. They have a 3, 5 and 8 mile hiking trail. Also canoeing on the river. If you're there when it's hot, make sure you go to the "Devils Icebox". That's a deep sandstone rock formation that is about 20 degrees F cooler than everything around it, so you can cool off. Attached File |
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Brevard, NC, would is a great destination for waterfalls, and not that far from Florida. I've never hiked up to the top of Looking Glass Rock, but the number of hikers up there indicate an easy enough approach. It's a big granite pluton, so there's no definitive Kodak perch up top, but more than enough places to get a good view. Just exercise caution, because the round-over nature of the cliff is "ok, until it's not". Not too far away, Chimney Rock SP has a great waterfall, and the place is built-out for foot accessibility. |
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Originally Posted By JThompson: Not looking to do 20 mile hikes, but would like to go and do 3-5 mile hikes each day that has one of more of the following Huge waterfalls Awesome views Highest peaks Something unique may not see at other places No interest in seeing any snow. Would plan to go during warmer weather even if the crowds will be larger. You can exclude Hawaii as already got that covered. Thinking of Yosemite or Glacier National Park. Thought about the grand canyon but figured you are getting different views of the same scenery. Would like to see something unique on each hike each day. Let me know what you experienced and found to be great places to get away. Az. |
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Originally Posted By 20229mm: Porcupine mountains in the upper peninsula of Michigan Tahquamenon on the other end. |
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Originally Posted By mitchellh: Beehive Acadia National Park, fun and beautiful.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2UWQLbjV-AMount Katahdin, painful and beautiful. And Cadillac mountain is the first place in the United States you can see the sun rise above the horizon in the morning. |
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Take your pick, TN has 14 waterfalls all in driving distance of each other. Google: TN waterfall loop I'll also add Illinois has garden of the gods and little Grand Canyon, Ky has red river gorge and Mammoth Cave area has trails Smoky Mtn NP has tons of short hikes that intersect the Appalachian Trail, as above the highest waterfall is on reservation land in Cherokee, NC and super easy. I like Ramsey Cascades the most |
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Originally Posted By seaskidoo: South of Billings. MT/WY border. Do day hikes out of Red Lodge. 99% of the views and majesty of Yellowstone+Glacier with 99.9999% less people. If you want specifics I can PM them to you. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/370487/af7377a8-ea45-471f-bb6e-30fa927db05e-1_a-3830137.JPG @seaskidoo if you don’t mind I would really like some info, this would be great to take the dog out for a few days! |
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Hawaii is good for this. Drive 20 minutes from your hotel. Park at the base of the mountain. Climb mountain, go back for a nap, then dinner at the tiki bar. No 10 mile approach or driving on a dirt road for an hour. Everything is pretty close to everything else. |
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Originally Posted By ShermanMcCoy: Hawaii is good for this. Drive 20 minutes from your hotel. Park at the base of the mountain. Climb mountain, go back for a nap, then dinner at the tiki bar. No 10 mile approach or driving on a dirt road for an hour. Everything is pretty close to everything else. We got Hawaii covered.
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TBD
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El Morro nat'l monument in NM has a short hike around the base, where you can see inscriptions carved into the rock made by ancient peoples, conquistadors, and early settlers. There's another hike to the top where there's a smallish ruin. |
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Buffalo national river Lots of waterfalls (when we have rain), high bluffs, and great views. Spread out over 135 miles. Our short hikes can break tourists down (such as a popular 5 miler that is 1400 feet decent/ then climb back) because of heat, humidity, and underestimating. We have some easy ones too. I give TEXANS water and electrolytes constantly. 
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