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Hit the Trail: 7 Great Hikes for Older Americans
Explore spectacular landscapes on these not-so-strenuous excursions
Head to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah for a moderate hike among the red rocks.
Laurence Parent
Hiking is an activity for all ages. It gets you out of the gym and into nature. Just walk — at whatever pace you want. Hiking is also about exploration, which keeps the mind active, too. On a good hike, you navigate shifting terrain while enjoying the theater of the natural world. Bring along a bird guide, spend time identifying wildflowers, or pick up a history lesson as you trek.
Here are some favorites among older hikers.
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Easy
Fairy Falls Trail at Yellowstone National Park is considered an easy trek. The Grand Prismatic Spring is a must-see.
Alamy Photo
Fairy Falls Trail
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
4.5 miles out and back
Yellowstone’s backcountry is not only easy to manage but also rewarding for those seeking a wilderness experience. The relatively flat Fairy Falls Trail takes hikers to a picture-perfect view of 200-foot falls, with water cascading off a volcanic cliff. Be on the lookout for wildlife, from bison to beavers, and carry bear spray just in case.
Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail leads to a stunning view of the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone.
Stephanie Coffman/Tandem Stock
Easier option: Start from the same trailhead and hike the roughly half-mile Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail, which leads to a stunning view of the Midway Geyser Basin.
Skyspace Loop
Red Butte Recreation Area, Green Mountain Falls, Colorado
1.5-mile loop
The Green Mountain Falls Skyspace is a stop along the Skypace Loop in Colorado.
David Lauer/Courtesy Green Box
Take a ramble on the ridge overlooking the bucolic town of Green Mountain Falls, located in a deep valley on the sides of the Pikes Peak massif. On the Pittman and Keigwin Cutoff trails, you’ll climb through ponderosa pine, gambel oak and yucca, with pygmy nuthatch birds chirping in the branches. The highlight is a stop in the Green Mountain Falls Skyspace, built by famed light artist James Turrell. One of more than 80 Turrell “Skyspaces” in the world, the stone building set in the wooded hillside has a retractable roof; shows at sunrise and sunset create an experience that melds natural and artificial light for a meditative experience in the midst of a hike.
Easier option: You can simply hike the roughly half-mile to the Skyspace and back from town. Be advised that the terrain can be steep.
Moderate
First Manassas Loop Trail is a 5.4-mile loop at the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
Courtesy National Park Service
First Manassas Loop Trail
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia
5.4-mile loop
One of the great things about hiking America’s national battlefields is that they give you insight into intense moments of history along with a stroll through undisturbed ecosystems. Located near Washington, D.C., the rolling First Manassas Loop Trail tours the site of the first clash of the Union and Confederate armies, a bloody engagement on July 21, 1861, that made both sides face the reality of a long war ahead. Covering a decent distance but with just 360 feet of elevation gain, this hike takes in famed sites including the spot where Gen. Stonewall Jackson earned his sobriquet, as well as oak-hickory stands and grasslands that provide a habitat for songbirds and migrating butterflies.
Easier option: The 1.1-mile Henry Hill Loop Trail puts you in the middle of the battlefield.
Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop Trail
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
2.9-mile loop
While not as popular as nearby Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon delivers the same deep sandstone reverence that’s a trademark of southern Utah’s desert rock formations. This popular loop, which combines the Navajo Loop Trail and exquisite Queen’s Garden, has a bit of elevation gain on the way out (you’ll climb 625 feet on the trails’ well-built switchbacks), but few short hikes are this spectacular, placing you in the depths of the weirdly beautiful canyon with eroded sedimentary hoodoos that look like something out of a fantasy novel. Plus, you’ll enjoy a short and photogenic stroll along the canyon rim.
Easier option: The 1.3-mile Navajo Loop Trail alone is still a treat.
Point Lobos Loop Trail is a 6.4-mile loop in Carmel, California.
Alamy Photo
Point Lobos Loop Trail
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California
6.4-mile loop
Not far from the fairways of Pebble Beach and wineries of Carmel Valley, this nature reserve jutting into the breakers of the Pacific is a hiker’s paradise — and one of the easiest places to explore on the breathtaking coastline. This loop offers tidal pools where you’ll find starfish and anemones at low water and catch glimpses of harbor seals, sea otters and even humpback whales farther out from the rocky coast. The trail also winds through fragrant cypress groves that are home to acorn woodpeckers, California quail and thrashers.
Easier option: Just about a half-mile round-trip, the Sea Lion Point Trail starts in the cypress trees and leads to the beach.
The Delaware River cuts through the Appalachian Mountains to create the Delaware Water Gap. You’ll find a steep but short hike at Council Rock and Lookout Rock.
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Council Rock and Lookout Rock
Appalachian Trail, Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania
2.4 miles round trip
About two hours from the bustle and congestion of Manhattan, this steep but short hike gives you a chance to travel a bit of the famed Appalachian Trail and puts you atop one of the best natural viewpoints on the Delaware River. After rolling through the hardwood forest with just a bit of effort, you’ll reach a granite cliff overlook that rewards you with a postcard-perfect view of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a draw for boaters and an important place for the Indigenous Lenape people. The nearby town of Delaware Water Gap is worth a stop afterward: The resort community that sprang up here around the railroad in the 19th century was part of the beginning of the outdoor recreation industry.
Easier option: Dingmans Falls is a lovely cascade accessed by a quick hike, about a half-mile up the Dingmans Creek Trail, which accommodates wheelchairs for part of the way. There’s a bridge replacement project in 2025; check whether it’s open before you go.
More difficult
Lake of the Clouds on Crawford Path in New Hampshire is a more difficult hike.
Joe Klementovich/Cavan
Lake of the Clouds, via Crawford Path
Mount Washington, New Hampshire
2.9 miles out and back
New Hampshire’s 6,288-foot high point is not an easy summit to hike; it’s a good thing that a road leads to the top. From the summit, drivers can get out of their cars and explore this exposed alpine ecosystem when the weather cooperates (winds can be fierce, so check ahead). Park at the top and head down to the aptly named Lake of the Clouds on Crawford Path, which plops you out onto rocky terrain dotted with bursts of tiny colorful wildflowers. This is a rare opportunity to explore this ecosystem, since there are only 13 square miles of alpine habitat in the northeastern U.S. After a picnic, you’ll need to steel yourself for the short but steep (1,279 vertical feet) climb back to the top. You might want to use trekking poles.
Easier option: Don’t turn around until tomorrow! Book a night at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut through the Appalachian Mountain Club, and take on the summit slog in the morning.
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