USA TODAY 10Best
Endless Wall Trail Named Best National Park Hike
Best National Park Hike (2015)
Warmer weather means hiking season is upon us, and USA TODAY 10Best went on a quest to find the best national park hikes from coast to coast. For four weeks, readers voted for their favorite hikes, and now the votes have been counted and we have a winner.
It was a close race between the top two nominees, but in the end, Endless Wall Trail inside New River Gorge National River, managed by the National Park Service, came out on top. Runner-up Cadillac Mountain has long been one of the most popular spots in Maine's Acadia National Park.
The top 10 winners in the category Best National Park Hike are as follows:
A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Greg Miller (American Hiking Society), Michael Lanza (The Big Outside), Lisa Maloney (Hiking Expert at About.com), Diana Gerstacker (The Active Times) and Karen Catchpole and Eric Mohl (Trans-Americas Journey) were chosen based on their extensive knowledge of hiking and outdoor recreation in the U.S.
Additional nominees included Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park, Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park, Nevada Falls Loop in Yosemite National Park, Cascade Canyon Trail in Grand Teton National Park, Queens Garden & Navajo in Bryce Canyon National Park, Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Fern Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, Upper Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park and Civil War Defenses of Washington in Rock Creek Park, operated by the National Park Service.
10Best and USA TODAY extend their congratulations to all the winners. The contest was promoted on 10Best and USA TODAY.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Diana Gerstacker
Diana Gerstacker is an Editor at The Active Times... Read More
Diana Gerstacker is an Editor at The Active Times where she writes about travel, fitness and the outdoors. Her articles are frequently syndicated to the webpages of FoxNews, ThePostGame and Sports Illustrated. When not writing or editing, you can find her reading fiction, hiking or searching the world for the absolute best cup of dark roast coffee.
Diana Gerstacker
Diana Gerstacker is an Editor at The Active Times where she writes about travel, fitness and the outdoors. Her articles are frequently syndicated to the webpages of FoxNews, ThePostGame and Sports Illustrated. When not writing or editing, you can find her reading fiction, hiking or searching the world for the absolute best cup of dark roast coffee.
Greg Miller
Dr. Gregory A. Miller has served for 10 years as... Read More
Dr. Gregory A. Miller has served for 10 years as President of the American Hiking Society and before that 16 years as Vice President at The Nature Conservancy and has more than thirty years of experience in conservation, sustainable recreation, and park and trails planning. He worked in the Galapagos Islands, Andes and Amazon for many years and has hiked extensively on five continents. Dr. Miller is a noted ecologist and has a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship, hiking and the outdoors and has served as a volunteer leader with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
Greg Miller
Dr. Gregory A. Miller has served for 10 years as President of the American Hiking Society and before that 16 years as Vice President at The Nature Conservancy and has more than thirty years of experience in conservation, sustainable recreation, and park and trails planning. He worked in the Galapagos Islands, Andes and Amazon for many years and has hiked extensively on five continents. Dr. Miller is a noted ecologist and has a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship, hiking and the outdoors and has served as a volunteer leader with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
Karen Catchpole and Eric Mohl
In 2006 journalist Karen Catchpole and... Read More
In 2006 journalist Karen Catchpole and photographer Eric Mohl left their jobs and apartment in New York City and embarked on their ongoing Trans-Americas Journey working road trip through North, Central and South America. The SATW award-winning pair freelance from the road for outlets including Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, American Cowboy Magazine, BBC.com, Slate.com, RoadsandKingdoms.com, the Sunday travel sections of the Dallas Morning News and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune other outlets. Follow their Trans-Americas Journey travel blog as their little road trip continues south.
Karen Catchpole and Eric Mohl
In 2006 journalist Karen Catchpole and photographer Eric Mohl left their jobs and apartment in New York City and embarked on their ongoing Trans-Americas Journey working road trip through North, Central and South America. The SATW award-winning pair freelance from the road for outlets including Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, American Cowboy Magazine, BBC.com, Slate.com, RoadsandKingdoms.com, the Sunday travel sections of the Dallas Morning News and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune other outlets. Follow their Trans-Americas Journey travel blog as their little road trip continues south.
Lisa Maloney
Lisa Maloney is the hiking expert for About.com,... Read More
Lisa Maloney is the hiking expert for About.com, and author of the Alaska guidebook "50 Hikes Around Anchorage." When she's not out on the trail she writes for Alaska magazine and the Alaska Dispatch News, and during the summer she ghostwrites health and fitness copy while perched atop roadside cliffs — much to the consternation of climbers who weren't expecting to find her sitting there with a laptop when they topped out.
Lisa Maloney
Lisa Maloney is the hiking expert for About.com, and author of the Alaska guidebook "50 Hikes Around Anchorage." When she's not out on the trail she writes for Alaska magazine and the Alaska Dispatch News, and during the summer she ghostwrites health and fitness copy while perched atop roadside cliffs — much to the consternation of climbers who weren't expecting to find her sitting there with a laptop when they topped out.
Michael Lanza
Michael Lanza has been a freelance writer and... Read More
Michael Lanza has been a freelance writer and photographer for more than 20 years. He is the author of several books, a public speaker, and the creator of The Big Outside, where he blogs about his outdoor adventures, including many with his wife and children. He was the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine from 2003 to 2014, and continues to write for the magazine. His book Before They're Gone—A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award honorable mention, chronicles his wilderness adventures with his wife and their young son and daughter in national parks threatened by climate change.
Michael Lanza
Michael Lanza has been a freelance writer and photographer for more than 20 years. He is the author of several books, a public speaker, and the creator of The Big Outside, where he blogs about his outdoor adventures, including many with his wife and children. He was the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine from 2003 to 2014, and continues to write for the magazine. His book Before They're Gone—A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award honorable mention, chronicles his wilderness adventures with his wife and their young son and daughter in national parks threatened by climate change.