Yikes! 6 HIKES

In a half-dozen places, Mother Nature is apt to lure you onto the trail—even if you usually avoid exercise.

Hiking is having a moment. Whether it’s the beneficial exercise or the beautiful countryside folks crave—or simply a brief, scenic escape from routine—record numbers are enjoying this outdoor activity, from Snow Lake Trail near Seattle to the end of the Appalachian Trail at Mount Katahdin in Maine.

Hiking can be a strenuous challenge. But even at its most leisurely it’s an activity you can feel good about. Taking a hike requires stability, mobility, endurance and strength, and yields many fitness benefits. Just one hour of trekking can burn up to 500 calories, depending on the incline level and the load being carried. While hiking is a powerful cardio workout, many trails are also less taxing on your joints than asphalt or concrete, making a walk in the woods (or on the beach or through the desert) more forgiving on ankles and knees than a sidewalk ramble.

The sport builds strength in your glutes, quads, hamstrings, hips, lower legs and core while boosting bone density and improving blood pressure. It may even be a cancer fighter. According to a study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, long-distance hiking trips may improve antioxidative capacity, which helps fight off disease.

Being out in the wild, away from the screens and keyboards and beeping noises that signal your everyday stressors, can get your mind and spirit in better shape too. It can increase attention span and boost creative problem-solving. Hiking is a proven meditative activity because the repetitive motion of strides is calming; it decreases stress response and lowers the body’s cortisol levels. Studies show that people regularly exposed to natural surroundings have decreased depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, headaches and inflammation. Some fitness experts predict that hiking will become more popular than yoga as a stress-busting workout.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned hiker, there are magnificent trails from coast to coast that will get your heart pumping vigorously while you enjoy spectacular views. Check out the following half-dozen; some of them are hard to resist even if you’re trying to:

McWay Falls Overlook Trail, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Big

Sur, California

Difficulty level: Easy

Along the storied California coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco lies Big Sur, a jewel of the Pacific Coast. This trail offers a nearly flat stroll that ends with flawless views of the iconic McWay Falls. Here water drops 80 feet from a granite cliff into a sandy cove below and flows into the mighty Pacific Ocean. And check out the one-mile Partington Cove Trail, also in the park. This steep but short hike will take you across a rustic wooden bridge, then down a 60-foot tunnel where you emerge onto the park’s only beach access. Confirm that the trails are open before heading to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, as recent wildfires may have closed some of them.

Hoh River Trail, Olympic National Park Forks,

Washington

Difficulty level: Easy to moderate

The scenery along this route can best be described as an enchanted forest. Winding through one of the few true rainforests left on the planet, the Hoh River Trail features moss-covered stones along the picturesque river, ancient trees towering over beds of ferns and Roosevelt elk feeding in meadows with sweeping mountain views. Most of the trail is flat and appropriate for all fitness levels. However, the last five miles become more strenuous, so beginners may want to plan to end their hike near Five Mile Island or Lewis Meadow. For more seasoned hikers looking to push through, the payoff is huge. From here it’s nine more miles to the Blue Glacier Overlook, where visitors see an impressive slab of a glacier along the side of Mount Olympus.

North Country Trail, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Munising, Michigan

Difficulty level: Moderate

Located on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers raw coastal beauty and a variety of habitats. The North Country Trail loop begins in a serene forest on a relatively flat and well-traveled path. The trail takes you past Pictured Rocks, named for the colors created by mineral deposits, with opportunities to see Miner’s Castle Overlook, Chapel Rock and several picturesque waterfalls. The granddaddy of them all is 60-foot Chapel Falls, located along a remote offshoot of the main trail. Along the North Country Trail, you’ll be tempted to take in the lakeside view. Just remember that there are no guardrails on the rocky cliffs, which are some 200 feet above Lake Superior. But once you’re there, the panoramas are incredible.

Maze Overlook Trail, Canyonlands National Park Moab, Utah

Difficulty level: Moderate to difficult

Though it’s the least visited of Utah’s “Mighty 5” national parks, Canyonlands is nothing short of spectacular. Hiking the terrain is the best way to see the area— which spans more than 520 miles and features canyons, mesas, cliffs and spires—but prior experience (along with a long rope and a map) is a plus for the remote, outand-back Maze Overlook Trail. It’s a oneof-a-kind, 8-mile adventure, starting with picturesque desert landscape before turning into a natural labyrinth of colorful rocks, sandstone walls and the unique Chocolate Drops formation. But the trail is not for the faint of heart, as it will test physical and mental endurance. Getting to and from the majestic Maze Overlook requires brief class 4 rock scrambling, tip-toeing on narrow ledges and navigating tight squeezes and steep cliffs. Pro tip: Instead of carrying a backpack through a tight incline/decline, use a 25-foot rope to lift or lower it.

Maryland Heights Loop, Harpers Ferry National Historic Park

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Difficulty level: Difficult

History buffs will especially love this mid-Atlantic hiking trail. The loop starts and finishes in the quaint West Virginia village of Harpers Ferry. The town itself is a National Historic Park, brimming with 19th-century architecture, museums, exhibits, trades workshops and living history events. The hiking trail passes the remains of a naval artillery battery built in 1862 and a Union Army fort built in 1863. Other Civil War remnants seen along the way include ammunition pits and breastworks. The path gets more intense as you climb cliffs that overlook Harpers Ferry with stunning views of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. After a strenuous hike, visitors can reward themselves at True Treats Historic Candy, a store near the trail’s end in downtown Harpers Ferry that specializes in sweets from the 1500s through the mid-1900s.

Sam’s Point and Verkeerderkill

Falls Trail, Minnewaska State Park Preserve Cragsmoor, New York

Difficulty level: Difficult

The star of this hike is the Verkeerderkill Falls, where a 180-foot waterfall drops to the bottom of an isolated canyon. Access to cliffs around the canyon is unfettered, and hikers feel as though they are the first humans to discover the scene. Spring and summer are the best times of year to see the falls in full, rushing glory. Hikers also can climb down steep rock and a series of ladders for a third of a mile into ice caves cold enough to hold snow through July. The trail winds through an endangered dwarf pitch pine barren and abandoned berry-picker shacks, remnants of a time when the area was known for wild blueberry gathering. Hikers mount several cliffs—including Sam’s Point—for views of High Point Monument in New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains.