There is no better way to experience nature's untouched beauty than to hike through some of our national parks. Even parks with vast mountain terrains typically have trails for hikers of all experience levels. Straight from the experts—here are the trails worth trekking.
Novice
Olympic National Park in Washington is the perfect place to spend a meandering afternoon. Olympic is home to the only temperate rainforest in the United States, and many of the park's trails are beautiful but very relaxed.
""You can experience a lot of wildlife and climate that is not found anywhere else,"" said park ranger Sophie Claren. ""And it's definitely not that strenuous.""
Intermediate
If you feel you're a relatively experienced hiker but arent quite ready to climb mountains or navigate unmarked terrain Acadia National Park in Maine has a lot of appealing trail options.
While there are no backcountry overnight options, there are several day-long trips that are both challenging and fun.
""In an afternoon you can follow trails from the rocky shoreline through varied forests around lakes to mountain summits,"" said park supervisory ranger Marc Neidig. ""These summits provide spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and the ocean dotted with outlying islands.""
Advanced
No national park offers as many options for experienced hikers as Glacier National Park in Montana. The park features more than 60 back country trails stretching more than 700 miles.
""Over 90 percent of our park is managed wilderness,"" said park trails expert Melissa Wilson. ""You could see anything from a ground squirrel to a grizzly bear.""
If you want to hike Glacier's back country trails it is best to come during summer, unless you want to be prepared to cross snowfields.
""It all depends on what you want to hike,"" Wilson said. ""There's everything from dense forest in the west, and then on the other side of the continental divide it's more open. It's all in how much elevation you can handle.""
