Best Hikes in the US: 10 Multi-Day Routes
Inn to inn on the California coast, huts in New Hampshire, wilderness permits out West: ten of the best multi-day hikes in the US and the month each works.
Jon
Published September 1, 2026
Edited October 13, 2026
14 min read
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Most famous American trails are wilderness walks. You carry a tent, win a permit months ahead and plan your own food drops. That is the version every bucket list shows you, and it is only half the story.
The other half gets less attention: routes where you walk with a daypack and sleep in an inn or a mountain hut. This guide puts those first, starting with our own three walks on the California coast, then works through the wilderness classics and the permits that decide them. For regions and huts in more depth, our sister brand keeps a full guide to hiking in the USA.
Quick facts:
Where: ten routes across California, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, New Hampshire and Hawaii
What: multi-day hikes of two days to three weeks, sleeping in inns, huts or a tent
How difficult: from 180 feet of climbing a day around Monterey Bay to 27,000 feet in total round Mount Rainier
When: September is the best all-round month, and the California coast walks every month of the year
At a Glance
Pick the region by the month you can travel and the way you want to sleep, then pick the hike.
Region | Terrain | Best for | Best months | Multi-day pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
California coast | Cliffs, beaches, redwoods | Inn to inn with your bag moved | All year | Mount Tamalpais |
Sierra Nevada | Granite, high passes | Long wilderness trips | July to September | John Muir Trail |
Pacific Northwest | Volcanoes, meadows, canyons | Wildflowers and glaciers | Mid-July to September | Wonderland Trail |
Rocky Mountains | High alpine country | Big mountain scenery | July to September | Teton Crest Trail |
New England | Steep rock, bare ridges | Hut to hut | June to September | Presidential Traverse |
Hawaii | Sea cliffs, deep valleys | A short, wild coast | May to October | Kalalau Trail |
10 Best Multi-Day Hikes in the US
The first three are our own inn-to-inn walks, and they come first because they are the easiest way to walk for days in America without carrying a tent or entering a lottery. The rest are among the best hikes in America, and every one of them needs more planning than a flight and a booking.
1. Mount Tamalpais Inn to Inn
State: California
Distance: 44 miles, 8 to 10 a day
Days: five walking days
Season: March to November
Sleeping: inns and B&Bs, luggage moved
Permit: none
The walk crosses the Golden Gate Bridge on its first day, and your bag goes by road from there. Day 2 crosses to Sausalito, day 3 runs over the Marin Headlands with Alcatraz and Angel Island offshore, and day 4 climbs Cardiac Hill on the way to Stinson Beach.
Day 5 drops through Cathedral Grove in Muir Woods before the last climb, and day 6 is the East Peak of Mount Tamalpais at 2,571 feet. It is the hilliest of our three California walks, with up to 2,700 feet of climbing a day and 3 out of 5 for both fitness and technique on our hiking difficulty guide.
2. Half Moon Bay to San Francisco
State: California
Distance: 39 miles, 8.5 to 10.5 a day
Days: four walking days
Season: March to November
Sleeping: inns and B&Bs, luggage moved
Permit: none
This one walks into a city rather than away from it. It starts at Half Moon Bay beside Mavericks, the big-wave surf break, and follows the ocean north for four days through Montara and Pacifica, then along Ocean Beach into San Francisco.
Day 3 crosses San Pedro Mountain, 1,170 feet of climbing and the only real ascent of the week. The rest is cliff path, tide pools at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and the city's ocean edge, which makes it the gentlest introduction to inn-to-inn walking we offer in the USA.
3. Monterey Bay
State: California
Distance: 43 miles, 8.3 to 15.3 a day
Days: four walking days
Season: all year
Sleeping: inns and B&Bs, luggage moved
Permit: none
Santa Cruz to Monterey around the curve of the bay, by way of Aptos, Moss Landing and Marina. The distance swings hard between days, but the climbing never really arrives, 510 feet on the biggest day, which is why this is the walk that works in January when almost everything else on this list is shut.
Day 3 follows Elkhorn Slough, where sea otters float in the tidal channels, and the last walking day comes into Monterey along the bay's coastal trail.
4. The Presidential Traverse
State: New Hampshire
Distance: 19 to 23 miles
Days: four, with three hut nights
Season: June to late September
Sleeping: AMC huts with dinner and breakfast
Permit: none, but hut beds book up early
The traverse runs from the Appalachia trailhead in Randolph to the Highland Center in Crawford Notch, over Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower and Pierce. Mount Washington sits in the middle at 6,288 feet, the route climbs about 9,000 feet in all, and much of the line is above treeline.
Spread over four days with nights at Madison Spring, Lakes of the Clouds and Mizpah Spring, it is the nearest thing to an Alpine hut trek in America, and the classic route for hut to hut hiking in the USA. Our sister brand covers it in depth in its Presidential Traverse guide.
5. The Rogue River Trail
State: Oregon
Distance: 40 miles, Grave Creek to Big Bend
Days: four to five
Season: spring and autumn
Sleeping: riverside lodges or camps
Permit: none for self-supported hikers
A hiking-only trail along a Wild and Scenic river, and it stays beside the water the whole way. It passes Black Bar Lodge at mile 9.3 and the historic Rogue River Ranch at mile 22.7, with rafters on the river below.
Summer in the canyon can pass 100°F, which is why spring and autumn are the seasons. Fire damage has closed parts of the lower trail in recent seasons, so check the BLM trail page for current access before you plan the full 40 miles.
6. The Wonderland Trail
State: Washington
Distance: about 93 miles
Days: 10 to 14, by the park's own guidance
Season: mid-July to October
Sleeping: 18 wilderness camps and three campgrounds
Permit: wilderness permit, with an early-access lottery
A full loop of Mount Rainier, and the ascent is the story: 27,000 feet of climbing in 93 miles, because the trail drops into every river valley and climbs out the other side. The wildflower meadows in late July and August are the reason it books out.
Hikers post their own food caches ahead to Longmire and White River. Permits open with a lottery in late winter, and about a third of camp sites are held back for walk-up permits, according to the National Park Service.
7. The John Muir Trail
State: California
Distance: 211 miles, plus 10.7 down to Whitney Portal
Days: about 15 to 20 at 11 to 15 miles a day
Season: July to September, depending on the snow
Sleeping: wild camping, bear canister required
Permit: Yosemite wilderness permit, mostly by lottery
From Yosemite Valley along the spine of the Sierra Nevada to the summit of Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet, the highest point in the lower 48 states. It is the longest walk on this list, and the permit is the hardest part of it.
Most Yosemite wilderness permits go by lottery 24 weeks ahead and the rest are released a week before, and only 45 people a day may leave Yosemite over Donohue Pass. The details sit on the Yosemite wilderness permit page.
8. The Teton Crest Trail
State: Wyoming
Distance: 39 miles one way
Days: four to five, with three or four nights out
Season: summer, busiest late July to early September
Sleeping: camping zones, two nights per zone at most
Permit: backcountry permit, reserved or walk-up
Phillips Pass to String Lake along the high ground behind the Grand Teton, with more than 9,000 feet of climbing on the way. The camping zones are full almost every night in high summer, so the permit decides the itinerary.
About a third of permits can be reserved from early January and the other two thirds go to walk-ups, collected in person by 10am on the day you start. Grand Teton's backcountry page has the current rules.
9. The Lost Coast Trail
State: California
Distance: 24.6 miles, Mattole to Black Sands Beach
Days: three at least
Season: all year, busiest mid-May to mid-September
Sleeping: beach and creek camps, bear canister required
Permit: overnight permit, released 90 days ahead
A remote stretch of the California coast in the King Range, walked on sand, cobbles and bluff paths well away from any road. The drive to either trailhead is long and slow, and most walkers use one of the licensed shuttles between the two ends.
Three sections flood at high tide and can only be passed on a low, falling tide, so a tide table is part of the kit. Some dates cannot be walked at all, so read the BLM's Lost Coast page before you book a permit.
10. The Kalalau Trail
State: Hawaii
Distance: 11 miles each way, Ke'e Beach to Kalalau Beach
Days: two to three, five nights at most
Season: May to October, when the surf is calmer
Sleeping: campsites at Kalalau and Hanakoa
Permit: state camping permit, up to 90 days ahead
Along the Nā Pali coast of Kauai, where the cliffs drop straight into the Pacific. It is short by the standards of this list but hard going underfoot, with steep, eroded path and several stream crossings.
Anyone going past Hanakāpīʻai, two miles in, needs the camping permit, and overnight parking or the shuttle is booked separately. Streams rise fast after rain, so follow the state park's trail guidance and turn back in bad weather.
Three Bonus Day Hikes
These three are single days rather than multi-day routes, so they sit outside the ten. They fit around a longer trip, and two of them need a permit too.
Half Dome, Yosemite: 14 to 16 miles round trip with 4,800 feet of climbing, the last stretch on cables. A permit lottery runs while the cables are up, from late May to mid October.
Angels Landing, Zion: 5.4 miles round trip with 1,488 feet of climbing. A permit is needed only for the chained fin beyond Scout Lookout.
Franconia Ridge, New Hampshire: an 8.9 mile loop over Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette, much of it above treeline. No permit.
When to Go
The country has no single hiking season. The month you can travel rules out most of the map, and what remains is an easier choice.
January to March: the California coast and the desert Southwest. Monterey Bay walks in shirtsleeves while the mountains are shut.
April and May: the coast, the Southwest and the southern Appalachians, plus the Rogue River before the canyon heats up.
June: the transition month. The coast is at its best, but snow often lingers on high passes and late-opening mountain roads.
July and August: the only window for the high Sierra, the Rockies and Mount Rainier. Also peak crowds, peak permit competition and afternoon thunderstorms.
September and October: the best months for most people. Crowds thin after Labor Day, New England turns colour, and the Southwest becomes pleasant again.
November and December: back to the coast and the desert as mountain roads close for winter.
If your dates are fixed and they land in July, go north and high. If they land in February, go south and low, and September is the answer more often than not.
Permits and Lotteries
Fitness rarely decides whether you walk a famous American trail. The permit system does. The most popular routes ration their places, and most open their booking months before the season starts.
Half Dome: a preseason lottery in March, then daily lotteries two days ahead.
John Muir Trail: a Yosemite wilderness permit lottery 24 weeks ahead.
Wonderland Trail: an early-access lottery in late winter, then general reservations.
Teton Crest Trail: reservations from early January, with most permits kept for walk-ups.
Angels Landing: a seasonal lottery and a day-before lottery.
Midweek dates and the shoulder months are usually the easier draw. None of our inn-to-inn walks need a permit at all, which is a large part of their appeal.
How Hard Is It?
Difficulty varies more between American routes than in most countries, because the list runs from coastal paths to a 14,505 foot summit. On our own scale the three California walks sit at 2 to 3 for fitness and 1 to 3 for technical demand.
Daily distance: 8 to 15 miles on our walks; 10 to 15 on the wilderness trails
Daily ascent: 180 to 2,700 feet on our walks; several thousand on Rainier, the Tetons and the Sierra
Terrain: coastal path and fire road in California, steep rock in New Hampshire, high passes in the West
Pace: plan the White Mountains in hours, not miles, because the trails climb straight up rock
Altitude is the part people underestimate. The Tetons and the Sierra keep you high for days, and a slow first day beats extra fitness. Our guide to training for hiking covers how to prepare.
What to Pack
The list depends on where you sleep. On an inn-to-inn walk you carry a daypack and your bag goes by road. On a wilderness trail you carry everything, and five things earn their place either way:
Rain and wind layers: mountain weather turns fast, and the bare ridges of New Hampshire and the Rockies give no shelter.
Sun protection: a brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, because much of the West is open sky.
Water capacity: at least two litres, more in canyon country, and a filter for wilderness sources.
Broken-in boots and poles: steep descents and long days are where blisters and knees go first.
A bear canister on wilderness routes: required in Yosemite and the Whitney Zone, and the only way to keep your food.
Add a paper map or offline maps on your phone, since signal is patchy on almost every route here.
Rules and Cautions
Bears are a food problem. Much of the Sierra requires food in an approved canister, and rangers enforce it. Store everything with a scent, and bears stay uninterested in you.
Heat is a real danger. Canyon country in summer runs past 100°F. Walk at dawn, rest through the middle of the day, and carry more water than feels sensible.
Water is not automatic. Western streams can run dry by late summer, so treat every source on the map as a question rather than a promise.
The rules change every season. Fires and floods close trails, and permit systems get added and dropped. Check the park's own alerts page in the month you travel, and read our mountain safety guide before you go.
Where to Sleep
Where you sleep decides almost everything else about a multi-day hike in the USA.
Inns and lodges: our California coast walks with your bag moved between inns, and the riverside lodges on the Rogue River
Mountain huts: the eight Appalachian Mountain Club huts in the White Mountains, with dinner and breakfast
Wilderness camps: the John Muir, Wonderland and Teton Crest trails, with a permit for every night
The huts are America's nearest thing to European huts, and our sister brand has a full guide to the AMC huts.
Getting There, Getting Around
Most UK and European visitors travel visa-free with an approved ESTA. Apply on the official ESTA site at least 72 hours ahead, because the paid lookalikes are everywhere.
Once you land, assume you need a car for the wilderness trails, since trailheads are rarely on a bus route. Our California walks are the exception: you need no car while you walk, because your bag goes by road between inns.
If you are visiting several national parks, the America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees for everyone in the vehicle. It does not cover camping or permits, and visitors without it pay a surcharge at the busiest parks, as the National Park Service sets out.
Ready to Go Hiking in the USA?
Our three California walks are self-guided, so you set the start date and walk at your own pace. Each comes with:
Inns and B&Bs booked in advance, breakfast included
A digital guidebook with GPS routes on your phone
Luggage moved between every overnight stop
Support from our team while you walk
All three sit on our USA hiking tours page. If you would rather we matched a walk to your dates and fitness, get in touch with our team.
Frequently Asked Questions
About this author
Jon is our travel advisor and an outdoor adventurer who is happiest on the move. While mountain biking is his personal passion, he thrives on crafting hiking adventures for others — planning routes and adding the little touches that turn a trip into a core memory.
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