Most of us will never have the time to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, but a good day hike can be as refreshing as a week in the backcountry. And if you know where to look, trails abound鈥攅ven near a concrete jungle. Here are some of the best U.S. cities for getting that backcountry fix in easy-access doses.
Portland, Oregon
Smack in the middle of town, , Portland鈥檚 5,200-acre urban wilderness,聽is laced with 80 miles of hiking trails. Tolinda Trail, a six-mile loop through ferny cedar and hemlock forests, culminates in killer views of the city's iconic St. John鈥檚 Bridge. An hour鈥檚 drive to the south, in , the 7.8-mile Trail of Ten Falls hosts聽ten waterfalls that trickle down steep canyon walls. Elk Meadows Loop, in Mount Hood National Forest, offers alpine flavor, and the Ecola Point to Crescent Beach Trail, near Cannon Beach, has tide pools, misty coastline, and rocky outcrops straight out of The Goonies.
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For most people, the capital of Colorado is all about getting some altitude, and the nearby trails don鈥檛 disappoint. , one of Colorado's most accessible fourteeners, and the famed alpine of Rocky Mountain National Park, are both within two hours of downtown. 听补苍诲 聽offer lower-elevation loops through high prairie and ponderosa pine forest.
Nathan Nee, an avid backcountry adventurer and fan of聽庐聽shoes,聽is partial to nearby loops like the Westbranch Trail to Island Lake, in the Rawah Wilderness. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great because of all the intersecting trails, which allows a variety of loop hikes,鈥 he says.
Washington, D.C.
The nation鈥檚 capital doesn鈥檛 have a reputation as an outdoor town. A quick jaunt into centrally located 鈥攁 1,754-acre hardwood forest crisscrossed by 32 miles of hiking trails鈥攊s enough to change most people鈥檚 minds. Check out the Rock Creek Ramble, a creek-side stroll through a section of the park that was frequented by President Theodore Roosevelt.
, about 30 miles south of the city, has 37 miles of trails, including the 9.7-mile South Valley Trail, which winds through the Virginia forest past old conservation camps, trickling streams deep into the backcountry. The Appalachian Trail also wends its way close to D.C., with day hikes accessible from Washington Monument and Gathland State Parks and at .
Los Angeles
Look at a map of L.A. and you鈥檒l discover that the city is surrounded by green. And that means great hiking. The 6.1-mile 聽to Sandstone Peak, in the Santa Monica Mountains, offers a little elevation and big views of the surrounding mountains and coastline. Top out at the highest point in Los Angeles County on the 10.3-mile trail up 聽(elevation 10,064), in the San Gabriel Range. , also in the San Gabriels, is 8.7 miles punctuated by 1,500-year-old trees and one of the better views in Southern California.