Walking and hiking in the great outdoors is good for body and mind. So when you travel, go for a hike – and we define hiking as long walks for recreation. (If it’s a city, you could call it a city walk; outside the city, in a natural setting, it’s a hike.)
Whether it’s flat or rough terrain, easy, moderate or difficult, just know your limits, get gear to help, do your research, stay safe – and enjoy.
With that in mind, LawnStarter, which collects travel statistics, researched the top nearby US cities for city walks and hikes. Each area offers long, pleasant city walks with excellent hiking trails nearby. We’ll start with number ten and end with number one.
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San Diego, California. One of the best parks is Mount Woodson, a 4+ hour hike that climbs to 3000 feet. Potato Chip Rock is having a great Instagrammable moment. There is also Eagle Rock along the Pacific Crest Trail. The Father Junipero Serra Trail has the oldest dam west of the Mississippi River, a National Historic Landmark.
Balboa Park within the city is huge. At the San Diego Zoo you can take a nice walk among the animals.
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Las Vegas, Nevada. Fremont Street in older Vegas is a neon-filled walk, and it’s fun to see the over-the-top sights simply by walking up and down the Strip. Lost Creek Falls in nearby Rock Canyon is a short hiking trail (0.31 miles one way) that leads over Red Rocks with a rare desert waterfall. You can also walk to the top of the nearby Hoover Dam, just a short drive away, for a fascinating experience.
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Boise, Idaho. The coolest is the Greenbelt, 25 miles that connects downtown to more than 850 acres of parks and natural areas along the Boise River. Sights along the way include the Old Idaho Penitentiary, which contains 19th-century prison cells and gallows.
Springtime on the Boise River Greenbelt
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Los Angeles, California. The LA area offers dozens of hilly, scenic hiking trails in close proximity, including the Griffith Observatory Trail. And to spot celebrities along with the view, try Runyon Canyon Park or Franklin Park.
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Salt Lake City, Utah. Surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains with waterfalls and forests, the area is filled with excellent hiking trails. Donut Falls is located in the middle of Big Cottonwood Canyon. At Lakes Mary, Martha and Catherine you can walk in Cottonwood Basin.
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Oakland, California. Along the Sequoia Bayview Trail you can walk among magnificent trees and get a view of the bay. Hilly city walkways also offer views of the water and San Francisco skyline.
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Colorado Springs, Colorado. Red Rock Canyon offers open spaces with great views of the Garden of the Gods, rated TripAdvisor’s number one hike. Nearby Pikes Peak is a national forest with hiking trails and a cog railway.
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Phoenix, Ariz. South Mountain Park is popular and the Desert Botanical Garden has 50,000 desert cacti and numerous native plants. The area is full of scenic hiking trails and lush floral displays in spring and summer.
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Tucson, Ariz. The Bear Canyon to Seven Falls and Subpoena Canyon to Seven Falls trails are popular hikes. The Desert Museum, Biosphere and Old West Movie Studio are not far from the Old Airplane Graveyard. Saguaro National Park has the stately giant cacti, icons of the American West.
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Portland, Oregon The country’s largest urban forest is Forest Park, over 80 miles of trails; The Spring Water Trail is particularly beautiful. The culture path connects museums and city parks in the city center.
Woman hiking uphill in forest
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(For all things travel, check out my award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, Follow on Apple, Spotify or wherever you hear it. You can also find the podcast on mine website.)
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