Best National Parks For Summer Hiking

For all those folks out there who eagerly waited for the summer season and have a great vacation with your family and friends. There are many activities to do in the national parks during summer. The perfect way to enjoy the beauty of the landscape is to hike in the National Parks. You can find the absolute hikes anywhere in the US, which are in the national parks. You will have an amazing experience with your friends and family in these wonderful destinations. But the only problem is with choosing the best national park for hiking, where the one’s worth your time and effort. Here we are to recommend the beautiful national park hikes where you can go spend your time in summer. 

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is home to a few of the wonderful hiking trails. If you look at the scenery in this park, it is stunning and you will not find a better way to experience it than going on a hike in summer. People adore this national park for its hiking. The following are the ten best hikes in the Glacier National Park.

  • Avalanche Lake
  • Hidden Lake
  • Highline Trail
  • St. Mary and Virginia Falls
  • Apikuni Falls
  • Cracker Lake
  • Grinnell Glacier
  • Iceberg Lake
  • Ptarmigan Tunnel
  • Pitamakan Pass and Dawson Pass

Glacier National Park is a large park with many different areas. The hikes which are given above are located in ManyGlacier, Two Medicine, and the area which is around Going-to-the-Sun Road and Logan Pass

The best time to go for a hike is in Summer and Early Fall. The staff in the visitor center will assist you with your own choices and also explain about the most popular trails in the park. You can also check the Ranger-led Activity Guide to find out when and where you can join a ranger on the trail. The adventures you can find are hiking, rafting, kayaking, and backpacking. 

Denali National Park

Denali National Park is one of the most popular hiking spots in Alaska, United States. It has many different landscapes which are jaw-dropping and people would enjoy being here. This park is unspoiled and wild. The park is huge and beautiful. There are almost eleven hikes in Denali National Park like:

  • Savage River Loop
  • Horseshoe Lake Trail
  • Mount Healy Overlook
  • Triple Lake Trail
  • Taiga Trail
  • Thorofare Ridge Trail
  • McKinley Bar Trail
  • Rock Creek Trail
  • Oxbow Loop Trail
  • Savage Alpine Trail
  • McKinley Station Trail

Unlike many other hiking destinations in the world, the Denali National Park offers stunning trails that will never fail to take you to the unique and breathtaking landscapes. The best time to go hiking is in summer and you can spend your precious time with your family and friends. A good way to learn about Denali is by joining a ranger. The adventures you find here are hiking and backpacking. 

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park is a massive park located in Arizona. Few parts of the park extend outside the national park and also into other states. The most popular hiking activity is going on in the Grand Canyon National Park through the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails. When you go for a hike, you will pass over many layers of the Grand Canyon and you will finally end up on the shores of the Colorado River which looks stunning. Some of the people would like to thru-hike the entire Grand Canyon from the South to the North entrance. The adventures which you find here are hiking which is most popular during early summer, backpacking, and rafting. The hiking trails in the Grand Canyon include:

  • Bright Angel Trail
  • South Kaibab Trail
  • Rim Trail
  • Bright Angel Point
  • North Kaibab Trail
  • Hermit Trail
  • Cape Royal Trail
  • Grandview Trail
  • Cape Final Trail
  • Tonto Trail
  • Widforss Trail
  • Lava Falls
  • Tanner Trail
  • Red Canyon Trail
  • Deer Creek Trail
  • Tusayan Ruin Walk
  • Boucher Trail
  • Clear Creek Trail
  • South Bass Trail
  • Rainbow Rim Trail
  • Nankoweap Trail
  • Bill Hall Trail
  • Thunder River Trail
  • North Bass Trail
  • New Hance Trail
  • Ken Patrick Trail
  • Zuni Point

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is one of the most impressive natural landscapes in California. Yosemite has its prime season but then you can visit any time in a year and have a wonderful experience. During hikes, when you commune with nature, you will see the more beautiful places and feel satisfied experiencing the park.  For hiking, Summer and Spring are the perfect seasons. The activities which you find here are hiking, backpacking, and climbing. The best things to do in Yosemite National Park are photograph the tunnel view, backpack clouds rest, and summit half dome. The eleven hikes in Yosemite National Park are:

  • Half Dome
  • Mist Trail
  • Nevada Fall
  • Four Mile Trail
  • Upper Yosemite Falls Trail
  • Cathedral Lakes
  • Mono Pass
  • Glen Aulin Trail
  • Clouds Rest
  • North Dome
  • Mirror Lake

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is another one of the best National Parks in the US for hiking. It lies in Utah and it is more popular than other parks in Utah. People would Zion for its hiking. This park offers abundant hiking trails and offers different views. Zion Park is also popular for canyoneering. This park is small and packed with the most thrilling hikes in the United States. The best time to go hiking is in Summer and in late Spring. The adventures you can find here are hiking, backpacking, and canyoneering. There are few best things to do in this park-like hike Angel’s Landing, hike Observation Point, watch the sunset at Canyon Overlook, Canyoneer in the subway, and hike the Narrows. The best hikes in Zion National Park include:

  • Weeping Rock
  • Canyon Overlook Trail
  • Emerald Pool Trail
  • Riverside Walk
  • Hidden Canyon
  • Angels Landing
  • Observation Point
  • The Narrows

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park is just right next to the Arches National Park. Canyonlands National Park has hundreds of miles of hiking trails where you can explore the park’s cultural and natural features. People who love adventures would have to experience this park because it features many activities where you might forget to exist. If you look at the trails, it is marked with cairns and also has signed at the intersections. The backcountry hikers must carry a topographic map. The perfect time to visit this park is in early Summer and in late Spring. You can spend your precious time in this park doing some hiking, climbing, mountain biking, and pack rafting. The best hikes in Canyonlands are:

  • Mesa Arch Trail
  • Aztec Butte Trail
  • Aztec Butte- western trail
  • Aztec Butte- eastern trail
  • White Rim Trail
  • Upheaval Dome
  • Upheaval Dome- 1st overlook
  • Grand View Point Trail

Gates of the Arctic National Park

Gates of the Arctic National Park is one of the best national parks for adventures. There are no roads or trails but it is pure and unadulterated wilderness. This place is really great to explore if you are a seasoned hiker and who wishes to have a wow feeling or a different kind of adventure. The best time to visit this park is in Summer. The adventures you can find in this park are hiking, backpacking, and pack rafting. The most popular places here are the Arrigetch Peaks with awesome scenery and Walker Lake. Though there are no hiking trails in this park, you can pick any entry point to the park and explore the park. 

North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park is more beautiful, especially in summer. The viewpoints over the mountain passes and the lakes are gorgeous. But the main thing you have to do here is hiking which is famous here. And it is also known for its backpacking and for its epic views. You don’t get to see the beauty of the North Cascades National Park unless you go hiking. And it is really worth it. The views here are jaw-dropping. The best hikes in the North Cascades National Park are:

  • Cascade Pass
  • Diablo Lake
  • Sourdough Mountain
  • Stehekin River Trail
  • Cutthroat Pass
  • Sauk Mountain
  • Lake Ann
  • Maple Pass Loop

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park is open all year round and it is the best place for hiking which can be done in summer. In this park, one mountain is centered around which looks more beautiful. They have an abundant amount of hiking trails. Mt. Rainier is made up of several entrances and they offer many unique adventures. Permits are not necessary for a day hiking. The park offers 250 miles of trails for your own enjoyment. The trails will lead you to many places which are gorgeous and to jaw-dropping sceneries. The most popular hikes here are:

  • Skyline Trail
  • Tipsoo Lake Loop
  • Paradise Loop
  • Snow Lake Trail
  • Tolmie Peak Trail
  • Burroughs Mountain Trails
  • Trail of the Shadows
  • Wonderland Trail
  • Camp Muir Trail
  • Mt. Fremont Lookout Trail
  • Box Canyon Loop
  • Nisqually Vista Loop
  • Patriarchs Trail
  • Tolmie Peak Trail
  • Liberty Ridge

Arches National Park

Arches National Park is one of the most unique places located in Utah, United States. The best way to experience this park is on your own foot. If you spend a week on the trails, you will almost cover the entire park. The perfect time to go hiking is in early Summer and in late Spring. You will be able to see the world-famous Delicate Arch when you go hiking. Arches National Park offers various hiking trails which are easy to moderate. Those trails provide access to amazing viewpoints. The adventures you find in this park are hiking, climbing, and mountain biking. There are almost eleven best hikes which you can’t miss. They are:

  • Balanced Rock
  • Double Arch
  • Windows Loop
  • Landscape Arch
  • Broken Arch Loop
  • Park Avenue
  • Fiery Furnace
  • Delicate Arch
  • Tower Arch
  • Double O Arch
  • Devils Garden
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