You have to hand it to the folks at Trails.com. What a tremendous amount of work must go into compiling their annual list
of the 100 Best Trails in North America. I mean, someone is doing one hell of a lot of walking.
OK,
the walking is done by people like you and me, who take to the trails and then submit votes on their favorite trails.
Which may explain, perhaps, why some of the best trails are located near dense urban areas. That, and because the scale
uses a Nielsen rating-type ranking to define both trail popularity and usage. You may also notice that trails like the
AP are listed several times, which makes some sense because the damn thing is so long and diverse…even though it
takes up space from other trails that might have made the list. No matter. So here are the top 20 trails in the country
according to the list:
Top 100 North American Trails:
1. Breakneck Ridge Trail
(Beacon, New York; Hiking)
2. Cohutta Wilderness Area Trails (Ellijay, Georgia; Hiking)
3. Glacier Gorge
(Estes Park, Colorado; Hiking)
4. Harriman State Park (Bear Mountain, New York; Walking)
5. Mount Whitney
(Lone Pine, California; Hiking)
6. Appalachian Trail: The Pinnacle (Hamburg, Pennsylvania; Hiking)
7.
Appalachian Trail: Springer Mountain to Hightower Gap (Suches, Georgia; Hiking)
8. Appalachian National Scenic
Trail – Pennsylvania Section (Rouzerville, Pennsylvania; Hiking)
9. Conundrum Hot Springs (Aspen,
Colorado; Hot Springs)
10. American River Confluence to Lake Clementine (Auburn, California; Hiking)
11.
Furnace Mountain / Trayfoot Mountain Overnight Loop (Waynesboro, Virginia; Hiking)
12. Dolly Sods Wilderness
(Petersburg, West Virginia; Hiking)
13. Appalachian National Scenic Trail: CT & MA
(North Adams, Massachusetts; Hiking)
14. American River Bike Path (Sacramento, California; Mountain
Biking)
15. Bear Mountain – Mount Riga State Park (Salisbury, Connecticut; Hiking)
16. Half Dome
(Merced, California; Hiking)
17. Appalachian Trail: Crampton Gap to Harpers Ferry (Burkittsville, Maryland;
Hiking)
18. Appalachian Trail (VA): Chester Gap to Harpers Ferry (Front Royal, Virginia; Hiking)
19.
Cougar Mountain Regional Wildlands Park (Issaquah, Washington; Hiking)
20. North Country Trail (Morenci,
Michigan; Hiking)