4 of America's Most Easily Hikable Views

A few months ago we shared a list of America's 6 Most Dangerous Hiking Trails, which chronicled hikers freezing, falling, and dehydrating themselves to ill health or worse. Aren't there more reasonable hikes with some similarly spectacular views? Take away the glory and the danger, and you're left with these safe, easy hikes to beautiful places. So grab your camera, and leave your signal flares and avalanche shovels at home. . . because you're going to enjoy these. 

Taft Point, California

This Yosemite hike takes only an hour or two. After barely breaking a sweat, hikers are treated to a generous view. From west to east: Cathedral Rocks, the face of El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls. Plus, there's 180 degrees of Yosemite valley thousands of feet below.

Ute Trail, Colorado

Famous for its 53 hikes over 14,000 feet, Colorado can be intimidating. However, the National Forest around Estes Park contains a number of trails that are both easy and exciting. Hiking to Dream Lake takes only two hours and involves a climb of under 500 feet. From the lake you can look east and see the end of the Rocky Mountains, where dramatic peaks give into the plains extending into the infinite flatness of the Midwest. To the west it's nothing but mountains.

Fay Canyon, Arizona

Like red rocks? Then feast your eyes on martian walls and rock columns of this accessible canyon. It's only three miles round trip, and unlike hikes in the Rockies, there isn't crazy elevation to overcome. If Fay seems like a warm-up, you can find many more hikes to enjoy around nearby Sedona.

Laurel Falls, Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a lot of waterfall-heavy hikes. Laurel Falls has a paved trail, and a very forgiving grade. The entire walk is only two-and-a-half miles long. (Another slightly longer hike, on the North Carolina side of the park, has multiple waterfalls in only 4.5 miles of trail.)

 

Tell us: Where do you go for an easy hike and a great view? Share your favorite trails in the comments section. 

--image by istockphoto

 

This post has been corrected. The Mariner's Ridge trail in Hawaii is not open to the public and was removed from our list. 

Cedar Attanasio is an editorial intern at Sierra. He has blogged for The National Geographic Daily News, Peter Greenberg Worldwide, and others. A graduate of Middlebury College and a 2012 K. Davis Language Fellow, Cedar is a perpetual student of Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and all things Latin America. You can follow him on twitter @cedarattanasio.

 

READ MORE: 

Get Inspired, Take a Hike

Green Your Hike

How To Recycle Shoes