The Very Best Short Hikes
Make the most of your national-park visit and discover the hikes that offer exactly what you’re looking for. Here are my personal recommendations for the best of the best.
VERY BEST IN EACH NATIONAL PARK
9. Devils Garden (Arches) More than a dozen arches in one hike, including Landscape Arch, the longest in the world
15. Queens Garden and Navajo loop (Bryce Canyon) Venture below the rim into the heart of Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos.
27. Elephant Hill to Chesler Park (Canyonlands) A slickrock trail with something for everyone—slots, washes, views, and varied terrain
37. Sulphur Creek (Capitol reef) The creek is the trail as it flows through narrows and over waterfalls and ends up at the visitor center.
44. Angels landing (Zion) Enter Refrigerator Canyon and ascend Walter’s Wiggles before making the chain-assisted climb to the top of this spectacular canyon tower.
VERY BEST VIEWS
1. Park Avenue Walk down the Main Street of Arches National Park, flanked by immense fins and formations on both sides.
23. Crater View Trail and Upheaval Dome Overlook Gaze down into Upheaval Dome, with expansive views over the Canyonlands basin and beyond.
24 Grand View Point Trail An aptly named cliffside route overlooking the Canyonlands basin
38. Rim Overlook An easy walk from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point, two of Bryce’s most popular viewpoints
47. Observation Point A splendid hike to a spectacular viewpoint above Zion Canyon
VERY BEST WILDLIFE VIEWING
43. Emerald Pools Trail Birds nest in the canyon’s deep recesses, while wild turkeys and deer are frequently seen in the open areas of Zion Canyon.
49. Taylor Creek Songbirds, deer, and small mammals enjoy this shaded and wooded canyon as much as you will.
VERY BEST ARCHAEOLOGY
21. Aztec Butte Trail Beautifully preserved ancestral Puebloan granaries
29. Horseshoe Canyon Explore the Louvre of prehistoric rock art in the United States.
39. Capitol Gorge Trail to the Tanks Fremont Indian rock art and the Pioneer Register are etched on the canyon walls.
VERY BEST FOR SMALL CHILDREN
3. Windows Loop Kids can climb and play on three of the park’s most impressive arches.
4. Double Arch A short walk to the second-largest arch in the park and a visual mind-bender
22. Whale Rock Trail High adventure in a short hike to the top of a slickrock dome
VERY BEST FOR EASY STROLLING
2. Balanced Rock A level loop around an immense gravity-defying rock
14. Rim Trail A level, paved path from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point, two of the park’s favorite viewpoints
20. Mesa Arch Loop An easy walk to an arch perched on a cliff, with commanding views beyond
VERY BEST ICONIC NATURAL FEATURES
5. Delicate Arch The most iconic natural arch in the world
13. Peekaboo Loop Get up close and personal with the hoodoos from within the Bryce Amphitheater.
30. Hickman Bridge From the Fremont River trailhead, you’ll walk to a natural bridge on a trail that passes underneath and through the opening.
48. Riverside Walk This easy stroll leads you into the mouth of the Zion Narrows.
VERY BEST VEGETATION
11. Bristlecone Loop A dense fir forest with bristlecone pines, some of Earth’s oldest trees
46. Weeping Rock to Hidden Canyon Pass through various ecosystems, from cacti to ferns, all marked with interpretive signs.
