Most Beautiful National Park Hikes You Must Go On

If you're looking to plan a trip to some of the most beautiful destinations in the country, look no further than the National Parks of America. Filled with thousands of acres of land, these parks are home to some of the most breathtaking trails a hiker can dream of.

On our list of the best national park hikes to travel to, we have featured hikes that are worthy of any bucket list. From the Shenandoah National Park to the Grand Canyon, these specific hiking trails are home to some of the most amazing views our country has to offer.

Hawksbill Loop Trail, Shenandoah National Park

To start off our list of the best national park hikes, we had to start with a classic location such as the Shenandoah National Park. Due to the vast size of the park, with 200,000 acres of land, the park can be overwhelming to take in, especially if you only have a few days in the location. That's why we have narrowed down one of the best hikes to take while visiting this beautiful landscape.

The Hawksbill Mountain is home to the tallest point in the Shenandoah National Park. And hiking the Hawksbill Loop Trail is one of the best moderate hikes to take in the country. It will take you straight up the mountain, and is a .85 mile hike up to the peak view.

The ultimate view is of the Massanutten Mountain on the west, the Stony Man Mountain on the north, and the peak of the Old Rag Mountain on the east. Perfect for a picnic or to even watch the sunset, the round trip distance is about 1.7 miles.

Bring a light jacket, hiking shoes, water, and some food. And of course, don't forget your camera at home.

Highline Loop, Glacier National Park

The Glacier National Park is one of the best national parks to take in the beautiful scenery of Montana. The park began forming over 170 million years ago, and is over one million acres large, sporting two mountain ranges, 1,000 species of plants, and over 130 lakes.

The Highline Loop, contrary to its name, is not a loop, and rather a one-way hike. One of the most popular hikes in the national park, the trail follows the Continental Divide, or the Garden Wall. It features beautiful views of wildlife and wildflowers, as well as peaceful and unique scenery with a famous ledge nearing the end of the trail. The ledge drops off 100 feet and features a beautiful view for those of you who lack the fear of heights.

As one of the best national park hikes to see native animals, the trail is home to many mammals such as moose, mountain goats, grizzly bears, Candian lynx, and bighorn sheep.

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon

Of course, we had to mention the Grand Canyon National Park. As one of the top vacation destinations in the world, the park is home to some of the most breathtaking trails. Filled with plenty of rest stops, shaded areas, and beautiful vistas, the Bright Angel Trail is a path you need to take while visiting the canyon.

On the easy end of the hiking spectrum, it's perfect for most ages. It is also one of the safest rails in the Grand Canyon and follows a break in the cliffs, which was formed by the Bright Angel Fault, hence the name of the trail.

The views are all framed by massive cliffs, and feature plants, animal species, and much more. Perfect for viewing wildlife, the trail is one everyone should see for themselves at least once in their lives.

Sargent Mountain Loop, Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park is home to one of the best national park hikes in America, the Sargent Mountain Loop. Along the Atlantic coastline, over 3.3 million people visit the National Park each year. With over 150 miles of trails, the park is home to many beautiful views of Maine.

A bit of a longer path, the trail is a 5.5-mile round-trip walk that features a 1,373 foot view at the top of the Sargent Mountain. Sargent Mountain is one of the main landmarks of the park, and features breathtaking views of the Acadia coastline.

With views of the beautiful forest below, the outlook is one out of a painting, and well worth the walk to the top of the mountain. A day you won't forget, the Sargent Mountain Loop will be forever embedded in your memories of this vacation spot.

Hoh River Trail to Cougar Creek, Olympic National Park

The Olympic National Park of Washington features four regions within its grounds: the alpines, the temperate rainforest, the Pacific coastline, and the forest. As one of the most unique locations in the country, the national park is one worth traveling to for the variety of ecosystems alone.

If you're looking for the best trail among the land, we would suggest the Hoh River Trail to Cougar Creek. This includes a hike through the Hoh Rainforest and is just a little over 17 miles, running the trail of the Hoh River. Though most do not complete the trail, it is easy to simply turn around and retrace your steps at any point in the path.

As one of the most popular trails in the park, the path features amazing views of the river and is easy to walk for the first 12 miles of flat ground. With meadows, campsites, small waterfalls, and valleys, the path takes you through an entirely new world of nature.

Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon

The Bryce Canyon National Park is located in Utah and is home to one of the best national park hikes in the country, the Navajo Loop. Extending only 1.3 miles, the trail is a complete loop, starting and ending at Sunset Point.

Taking around one to two hours to finish, the hike is very popular in the national park, and is often combined with the Queens Garden Trail, if you're looking for a more lengthy travel day.

The most popular aspect of this hike is the Thor's Hammer, which is a rock formation in the shape of a sledgehammer. As one of the top photographed destinations, the hike also includes views of the Silent City, where rocks represent shapes of buildings and temples.

And finally, the most breathtaking view of the hike is the Temple of Osiris, an amazing rock structure.

Wild Cave Tour, Mammoth Cave National Park

Located in central Kentucky, the Mammoth Cave National Park holds within it the longest cave system to be discovered in the world. A national park since 1941, the Mammoth Cave National Park is over 52,000 acres large, and features some of the most amazing cave tours to its 650,000 visitors a year.

The Wild Cave Tour is an adventure in itself and features a wild path through the deep depths of the caves. The entirety of the tour is about six hours long. However, you can opt to do a shorter version of about three hours.

You will find yourself in large cave rooms viewing rock formations and walking across ledges, over cave canyons, and crawling through small passages.

Just be sure to be aware of the climbing, hiking, crawling on all fours, belly crawls, and bouldering involved in the tour, as it requires athleticism to complete. A once in a lifetime experience, the tour is one that will forever be remembered by every tourist.

Root Glacier Trail, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

As one of the national park hikes you must go on, the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is a national park and features the Root Glacier Trail. Located in central Alaska, the national park has a total of over 13 million acres of land, making it the largest area managed by the National Park Service. The park includes volcanoes, glaciers, icefields, wildlife, mineral extraction, you name it.

The Root Glacier Trail has a tour that takes you along a guided hike that allows you to view the best of the park, with spectacular sights and experiences. The tour features the fastest path, as well as optimal views of the glacier during its two-mile span along the path. A fun and exciting experience, the glacier provides a picturesque view of the Stairway Icefall and much more.

Columbia Rock Trail, Yosemite National Park

Take in the beautiful view of the Yosemite Valley meadows and the Merced River at the peak of the Upper Yosemite Falls trail in the Yosemite National Park. As a two to three hour round trip path, the ultimate elevation travel is 1,000 feet, which features a breathtaking bird's eye view of the park.

Two miles in distance, the difficulty is moderate, and begins at the Camp 4 area. Well worth the hike, the peak is a 180-degree view from Half Dome along the Yosemite Valley. And the best part? The trail's best time to visit is year round, with great views 365 days of the year in sunny Northern California.

With cliffs, waterfalls, groves, lakes, streams, mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and much more, this is the ultimate hike of the national park, and is visited by about 4 million people each year.

Guadalupe Peak Trail, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Last, but not least, on our list of the best national park hikes is the Guadalupe Peak Trails of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in Texas, and is home to the highest point in the state, the Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 feet.

The Guadalupe Peak Trail takes its visitors to the top of the mountain, gaining 3,000 feet over 8.4 miles. Well worth every step to the peak, the view is one that will take anyone's breath away. Hikers will witness each of the park's ecosystems. This includes the desert as well as the high elevation forests.

There is no better way to view Texas than from the top. The trail is one worth taking just for the photographs and memories.