20 Legendary Day Hikes in the National Parks

The greatest hikes in U.S. national parks aren't necessarily the longest. Here are 20 treks that get hikers into the best a park has to offer in just a day.

ByRobert Earle Howells
May 18, 2017
Icefield Trail in Kenai Fjords National Park
Grand Teton National Park
a hiker in Olympic National Park, Washington
Arches National Park, Devil's Garden trail
a man hiking in North Cascades National Park with view of Mount Baker
a park ranger in Mammoth Cave National Park
Fern Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park
hikers in Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska
Grand Canyon National Park
Upper Yosemite Falls, California
a historic fire lookout tower built by Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937
a hiker in Acadia National Park
a hiker in Zion National Park
Bear Gulch Cave Trail, Pinnacles National Park, California
hikers near Fern Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
hikers at Tokopah Falls National Park, California
View of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Hawksbill Summit, in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.
wildflowers in Yellowstone National Park
a hiker in Haleakala Crater, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Mt. Rainier from the Summerland trail
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Kenai Fjords National Park, AlaskaHike: Harding Icefield Trail
Round-Trip: 9 miles
When to Go: July to Augus...
Photograph by HagePhoto/Aurora
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