Coming up with a list of my top 5 favorite hikes of all time was no easy task. I chose hikes not just for the trail or scenery, but for the particular emotional feel of that day. I encourage you to hike the trails on this list, but also to pick 5 hikes of your own that gave you a memorable experience of heightened emotion.
Number 5-Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook/Fairy Falls Trail, Yellowstone National Park
This was a great hike (meaning nobody complained) that I was able to take with my whole family while traveling through Wyoming in August 2020. This was just one experience we had together during a 2-week tour of Wyoming but it was a very memorable one. I think the combined victory of perfect weather and harmonious children was intensified on this trip by the realization that we were here, on vacation, after months of uncertainty due to the pandemic.
After returning from the falls, the parking lot for the boardwalk around Grand Prismatic Spring is a very short drive north. I highly recommend combining the hike up to the overlook with this short walk around the spring. The feeling you get as you the heat coming from the earth hits you is surreal.
Posted by Jennifer McMaster Lumia on Saturday, August 22, 2020
Number 4-Mt Marcy Summit from Johns Brook Lodge-ADK High Peaks Wilderness, New York
June of 2018-I had just closed out another school year and was excited about the great plans I had for summer. My first adventure was a hiking trip in the Adirondack High Peak Wilderness with a group of fellow teachers from all around WNY. We hiked in and stayed at Johns Brook Lodge for two nights. This lodge was a great starting point for the roughly 11-mile roundtrip hike to the summit of Mt Marcy. Mount Marcy, at 5344 feet, is the highest point in New York State.
After a great breakfast at the lodge, my friend Mary and I broke off from the group to start out on our hike. After about a mile and a half, there is a short but steep spur trail to take you to the beautiful Bushnell falls. Take the trail! It is well worth it.
For several miles, we trudged through what appeared to be more of a seasonal stream bed than a trail but our lively conversation kept us going. Before long, we reached a break in the trees where we could assess how far we had ascended by taking in the view.
For the last half mile or so, the trail opened up to bare rock. At this elevation, one enters an arctic-alpine zone. This ecosystem contains beautiful and fragile plants. If you hike this trail, please walk only on solid rock to protect these plants.
We retraced our steps to return to the lodge with plenty of time to relax on the deck before rejoining our group for a hot meal. We were tired and sore but felt immensely accomplished after the completion of this bucket list hike.
Number 3-Cascade Falls Trail, Pembroke Virginia
February 2020, I embarked on a whirlwind trip with a good friend. Unlike most of my adventures where the planning is done by me, this trip was entirely planed by my friend Shane and I had the pleasure of enjoying 22 waterfalls and 40 miles of hiking over 5 days! Cascades Falls was the very last hike of a perfect trip which is probably why it was so memorable. The other reason I loved it was because of the suspense that built up as the trail snaked back and both along Little Stony Creek. At every turn you thought maybe the waterfall was just around the bend!
The trailhead for Cascade Falls is just north of Pembroke Virginia in the Jefferson National Forest. You can find the parking lot here. The hike to the falls, on this out and back trail, was just about two miles for a total of 4 miles round trip.
Though it was February, there was still a lot of green on the trail. Mountain Laurel, mosses, and ferns were found throughout the area.
Not having planned this trip, I was not sure what the waterfall would look like. I was walking a little in front of my friend and thought maybe we had arrived when I saw the falls below, but it was just a pretty little seasonal fall along the trail, not on the main creek.
We continued around interesting bends in the creek, often along stone paths like this one below. I tried to discover the origin of this stonework online but only found that the trail was built in the 1960’s. If you know more about who built it, I would love to know!
And then finally, around the corner, the waterfall appears!
I was fortunate to have the gift of time to sit and watch the cascading water for awhile. This hike, this trip, this moment were all truly worth waiting for. I was happy to relax and enjoy it.
Number 2-Four Mile Trail, one-way from Glacier Point to Swinging bridge, Yosemite National Park
In July of 2019, we took a family trip through northern California that ended in Yosemite National Park. I really wanted to hike this trail, but with kids in tow, knew that going down would be the only way to convince them it was worth it. You can book a shuttle for a one-way drive up to Glacier Point from the valley, but they were all sold out. My husband wanted me to have this experience so he drove us up to the top and my youngest child volunteered to be my hiking partner. The two older kids were happy to get a ride back down. This trip made the list not just for it’s sweeping views of an incredible landscape but also for the memory of the time spent with my son and the tradition this hiked started for us. Every trip we have taken since, he asks if we can do a hike, just the two of us.
After taking in the view from Glacier point and stopping in the gift shop to buy popsicles, we were ready to head down the trail. The trail started out wooded but soon opened up to sweeping views of the valley below.
As we made our way down the switchbacks in the trail the view continued, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, repeat.
It was a great hike. We took advantage of magic hour on the mountain and still made it down with plenty of daylight left. Once back in the valley, my mileage tracker told us we had hiked just over 6 miles. So much for the 4-mile trail!
We crossed over the Merced River at Swinging Bridge and headed back to the lodge for a big dinner with the rest of our family.
Number 1-Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park, Utah
My husband and I have always climbed things. On our very first trip together, we stopped at a roadside attraction because the sign said: “Climb our tower!” In Astoria Oregon, we climbed their column. On our honeymoon, we climbed the Arc D’ Triumph. Our daughter climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower as a fetus. Space Needle, Sears Tower, World Trade Center, CN Tower, Empire State Building…..we have climbed them all. So it’s fitting that we started climbing mountains. If there is a hill in life to get over, we will do it together. So my favorite hike of all time was climbing Angel’s Landing for our 15th wedding anniversary.
This trail, located in Zion National Park, is no easy feat. Though only about 5 miles round trip, what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in elevation gain! I first heard of this trail on our family trip to Zion in 2017. I really wanted to climb it, but not with the kids. I decided then that I would just have to return to Utah in the next few years!
This first leg of the trail continues to gain steadily in elevation ending with the super steep switchbacks know as Walter’s Wiggles. This part of the trail is pretty wide and affords hikers nice views. It terminates at Scout Lookout and some people choose to pause here and then head back down.
Before heading back down, we paused on this stretch of rock. There was no one else on this lesser-traveled stretch of trail heading away from Angel’s Landing. We watched as the mid-day crowds arrived at Scout Lookout and scurried up Angel’s Landing in front of us and we marveled at this little evergreen, growing out of such adversity. It was a perfect moment to appreciate how far we had come and a reminder of our own triumphs over adversity.
