A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

I didn't know there were so many long distance hiking trails!


I love running trail and hiking. Luckily, I live near many state parks with beautiful trails. The Appalachian Trail runs through PA, and I am fortunate to live just a short drive from many AT trail heads.

I'm a creature of habit, so I tend to run the same trails! My nearby favorites are the Lakeside Trail at Pinchot Park, the mountain bike single tracks at Swatara State Park, and of course the Appalachian Trail.



While PA is beautiful, my favorite hikes are in Colorado, New Mexico, and California! My favorites include...

*If you click on the trail name, it's a link to a previous blog post about our experience hiking that particular trail!*

1. Lumpy Ridge Trail to Gem Lake, Estes Park, CO- 3.3 miles round trip.



2. Bear Lake to Emerald Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO- 3.5 miles round trip.



3. Dipsea Trail and Ben Johnson Trail, Muir Woods, CA- various distances.



4. Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, New Mexico, 3 miles round trip.



5. North Inlet Trail to Cascade Falls, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO- 7 miles round trip.



Now, I know my favorite trails aren't super long, but did you know that there are many really long distance hiking trails in the United States? Boot Bomb recently put out a list of the Top 50 Long Distance Hiking Trails in the USA. I didn't know there were 50! Before I read Boot Bomb's article, I only knew of the AT and the Pacific Crest Trail!

I had fun looking through the trails on Boot Bomb's list. The only one I had ever hiked on was the Appalachian Trail. But of course I had fun looking through the list and picking the the top five trails I would hike if given the opportunity!

Those trails are...

1. Continental Divide Trail. Since I have hiked in the Rockies before, I know how beautiful it is. Although I also know that this trail would be much to difficult for me! Hiking a smaller, well marked section as a day or half day hike sounds a lot more doable to me!

2. Pacific Crest Trail. Having hiked in parts of CA, I can only imagine how beautiful it would be to hike the entire West Coast! I tried reading Cheryl Strayed's book but I couldn't get into it. Maybe I should try the movie?

3. Appalachian Trail. I would love to hike the entire AT. Unfortunately, I don't like to camp so this is never going to happen! I will have to be satisfied with hiking and running sections of it.

4. Pacific Northwest Trail. This one starts in Glacier National Park (Oh my gosh I want to go there!) and ends in Washington State. I bet it would be cold... but beautiful.

5. Tuscarora Trail. I simply had to include this one because once I tried looking for a trail head and couldn't find it! The only time I have ever been able to stumble across this trail was where it crossed over the AT at the top of a mountain. I would love to run part of this sometime but need a buddy to come with me. Who's game?

If you want to learn more about the best long distance hiking trails, check out Boot Bomb's comprehensive list! I have a feeling after you read through it, you'll have some updates for your bucket list!
What are your favorite trails to run/hike on?
Have you ever hiked on any of the trails on Boot Bomb's list?

24 comments:

  1. You are so lucky! I really don't think we have many trails near me. I mean, we do have parks/conservatories with trails but maybe when I mean is, we have no mountains and also it's too hot for trails ;)

    I am jealous that you live near such gorgeous places to hike/run. Maybe I do need to add some to my bucket list!

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    1. I guess you have to give up the mountains for the beach! Both are really pretty. There was a trail on that list that's in FL but I'm sure it's not mountains. It's called the Florida Trail. Have you ever heard of it? It starts at Gulf Islands National Seashore and ends at Big Cypress National Preserve.

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  2. I dont run on trails very often. The closest one is probably the NCR but even that is about 25 minutes away so I dont go there often. I wish that more trails were easy to get to!

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    1. I would like to run that sometime! It's so close to me! Well, not as close as it is to you, but close enough to try on a summer day.

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  3. We are so lucky that we do indeed have some gorgeous place!
    Didn't you recently hike in Shenandoah National park? I'm curious why that didn't make your list. Is it worth visiting?

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    1. Oh it is pretty there for sure, but I guess I didn't include it because it doesn't look a lot like PA, and the different trees and stuff in CA and CO just trumped the VA hike! But that hike was pretty too, don't get me wrong!

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    2. Oh and Paul and I want to go back there! So yes, I think Shenandoah is def worth visiting.

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  4. I love how you love my state! I have enjoyed growing up in a area with so much hiking. I don't do a lot of hiking as it can irritate my hammy but it's always so wonderful to be out there in the beauty.

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    1. Well you were the one who told me about Lumpy Ridge! It wasn't even on my radar! :)

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    2. ...and the name is so funny! Sometimes after too many vacation days of no working out and indulging too much I feel like a lumpy ridge! LOL. I do like it because it's right there and not very long but challenging and so beautiful at the end! Much easier than driving all the way to Grand Lake!

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  5. I wouldnt run it with you, but Id def hike Tuscarora Trail with you! There's a trailhead near Colonel Denning and I hiked that section a few times! It's beautiful and you pass by Flat Rock!

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  6. I rarely run on trails but a few years ago I went on a trail running road trip around SC with some friends. We ran 5 different trails in various areas and it was a lot of fun! We were gone ALL DAY though! None of the trails were super long and many were hiking trails rather than running but we got a good workout in. Even if these trails are short, if someone wants a longer workout they can always run it twice :)

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    1. Absolutely! Plus, trail slows you down so it's lots of time on your feet even if it's not a huge distance. My favorite trail run distance is about 10 miles. That's like 2 hours ish so it's perfect.

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  7. A little tidbit about me is that I haaaaate hiking. I love the views, but can't stand moving so slow to get there. I don't like pouring all my energy into my footing. So when I come to visit you, we're going to hit the brewery instead (I'll leave the kids at home, don't worry).

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    1. Sounds good to me! Do you like trails if you are running on them?

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  8. I don't do much hiking, but since my parents live 6 miles from RMNP, it's easy to get to in the summers and walk around.

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    1. Omg I am sooooooooooooooooooo jealous your family lives so close RMNP!!!!!

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  9. I run trails quite a bit but haven't ventured beyond the ones that are pretty close to me. Those all look amazing!

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  10. The longest hiking trail goes right through my state and I had no idea. Summer trail running just got a whole lot better!

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  11. I'll go find Tuscarora with you!! I'm pretty sure is somewhere in Colonel Denning state park!! We crossed it too when we hiked Flat Rock. That is one of my favorite trails close by! We keep saying we need to go run there, but then we chicken out because it's so steep!

    I would love to run the trails in Gettysburg, along the monuments. We were going to try it a couple of years ago, but it was a really hot day. The monuments and sites, are built to have running / walking trails in between. I also want to try hiking in Brandywine and Lehigh Valley Forge.

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    1. Yes, my friend Andrea worked at Col. Denning and she said it does cross on the Flat Rock hike. I will run it with you! And I told Andrea I would hike it with her too. I will be a pro at this trail.

      I did not know there were paths to run between the monuments! That sounds like it would be an awesome run.

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