Hiking Resources
Get the information you need to feel confident on your next hike.
Joel Cross
American Hiking Society has partnered with the Hiking Project to help you find trails and featured hikes you’ll love. The Hiking Project is a crowd-sourced platform, which means that all trails are shared by hikers like you. If you don’t see trails near you now, keep checking back. And better yet, why not share your favorite local hikes?
Trail Ratings:
Easy: walking with no obstacles and low grades
Easy/Intermediate
Intermediate: 10% grade, small rocks and roots, easy scrambling
Intermediate/Difficult
Difficult: 15% grade, large obstacles, possible scrambling or climbing
Extremely Difficult: 20% grade, 15+" obstacles, many harder sections
Featured Hikes:
Sometimes it's hard to pick the perfect hike right off the map. Browse through Hiking Project's highest rated hikes to see which trails other hikers are ranting and raving about.
Download the Trail Info:
take the info with you on your next hike. Download the maps and trail info to your mobile device for offline use. Remember to pin the trails before you leave cell service.
Give to American Hiking Society Today
Help build and maintain hiking trails, conserve America’s natural landscapes, build a more inclusive outdoors, and ensure that tomorrow’s hiking experience is even better than today’s. Your gift makes you part of a growing hiking community helping to protect the places you love to hike.
Lionello Delpiccolo
Hiking Resources for Your Next Hike
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Before You Go
Callistus Ndemo
All About Trails
Hiking the Unfinished Trail
Hike 3,100 miles from Canada to Mexico along the grizzly-bear infested Continental Divide Trail? No way. The few hikers I met who had walked the Divide called it a “trail in flux.” Sections are built or changed so frequently that most USGS maps don’t bother labeling it. This is why CDT guidebooks warn would-be hikers they should…
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Women Going the Distance
When I was 18, I announced to my parents that I wanted to hike 2,000 miles along the Appalachian Mountains. My parents thought I was crazy and couldn’t understand why a girl from California suburbia would fly cross-country to spend months in the woods alone. For years, I consoled my parents by explaining my plans and practicing skills necessary…
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Hiking A Mountain of Hope
Stories of how outdoor recreation can lead to a lifetime of well-being. Hiking is the best nature-based activity that can lead to a lifetime of fitness and well-being. You’ll hear me say this every chance I get–and I really believe it. While there is an obvious cardiovascular benefit to hiking, we hikers also have fun, connect with nature and find that quiet…
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#HikingMakesMe – Saveria Tilden
American Hiking Society Ambassador, Saveria Tilden, responds to our #HikingMakesMe interview. My name is Saveria. I have never had a nickname, but my name does rhyme with my favorite flower, the plumeria. When I go on a hike, I never leave home without a buff. My favorite book series since I was young has…
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#HikingMakesMe – Jennifer Pharr Davis
American Hiking Society Ambassador, Jennifer Pharr Davis, responds to our #HikingMakesMe interview. My name is Jennifer Pharr Davis, but my friends call me Jen, because it is way more concise. Or they might call me Odyssa, since that is my trail name. When I go on a hike, I never leave home without my…
Read More#HikingMakesMe – Kara Richardson Whitely
American Hiking Society Ambassador, Kara Richardson Whitely, responds to our #HikingMakesMe interview. My name is Kara Richardson Whitely. When I go on a hike, I never leave home without my cell phone (I’m a terrible navigator). My favorite book is Wild by my friend and mentor Cheryl Strayed. In addition to hiking, I love spending…
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Member Spotlight: Kate Waite
American Hiking Society loves connecting with our members. Every single one has a story to tell about when and why they started hiking, and why they continue to do so. AHS recently had the chance to talk to new member Kate Waite about her experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT), and uncovered a touching story…
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An Introduction to Zion National Park
The wondrous Zion National Park is situated to the southwest of Utah and is near the Nevada and Arizona borders. It is at the end of Colorado Plateau. It is approximately a three-hour drive from Las Vegas and is among the major tourist attraction in the “Grand Circle Tour”: which is a list that has…
Read MoreJamison Sliger
American Hiking Society's Alliance of Hiking Organizations is a network of trail groups, hiking clubs, land trusts and other organizations working to promote and protect hiking trails, trail lands, and the hiking experience. American Hiking Society and its Alliance are the primary force in pressing for increased funding for trails and protecting places special to hikers.
Learn about organizational membership benefits and join the Alliance today.
You may sort our list of Alliance members below by any column, by clicking on the up/down arrows in the header.
| Organization Name | City | State | Website | Membership Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Forty-Sixers | Plattsburgh | NY | http://www.adk46er.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| American Endurance Ride Conference | Auburn | CA | http://www.aerc.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Arizona Trail Association | Tucson | AZ | http://www.aztrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Bay Area Ridge Trail Council | San Francisco | CA | http://www.ridgetrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Beaver Creek Wetlands Association | Beavercreek | OH | https://beavercreekwetlands.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Benton County Conservation | Vinton | IA | https://www.bentoncountyia.gov/departments/community-services/county-conservation/default.aspx | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Benton MacKaye Trail Association | Cherry Log | GA | http://www.bmta.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy | Franklin | NC | http://ncbartramtrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship | Hillsboro | VA | https://www.blueridgecenter.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation | Hungry Horse | MT | http://www.bmwf.org/ | Alliance, SILVER |
| Border Route Trail Association, Inc | Edina | MN | http://www.borderroutetrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Buckeye Trail Association | Shawnee | OH | http://www.buckeyetrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Camp Tuscazoar | Zoarville | OH | http://www.tuscazoar.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Carolina Mountain Club | Asheville | NC | http://www.carolinamtnclub.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Cayuga Trails Club | Ithaca | NY | http://www.cayugatrailsclub.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Champlain Area Trails | Westport | NY | http://www.champlainareatrails.com/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Chinook Trail Association | Vancouver | WA | http://www.chinooktrails.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Clean Trails / National CleanUp Day | Denver | CO | https://www.cleantrails.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Columbia Land Conservancy | Chatham | NY | https://clctrust.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Connecticut Forest & Park Association | Rockfall | CT | http://www.ctwoodlands.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Corvallis-to-the-Sea (C2C) Trail Partnership | Corvallis | OR | http://www.c2ctrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Cross Vermont Trail Association | Montpelier | VT | http://www.crossvermont.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Cuyahoga Valley Trails Council | Peninsula | OH | http://www.cvtrailscouncil.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Epic | Lexington | KY | Alliance, BRONZE | |
| Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. | Mt. Morris | NY | http://www.fingerlakestrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Florida Trail Association | Gainesville | FL | http://www.floridatrail.org/ | Alliance, SILVER |
| Friends of Blackwater, Inc. | Thomas | WV | http://www.saveblackwater.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Cloudland Canyon State Park | Trenton | GA | http://friendsofcloudlandcanyon.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Congaree Swamp | Columbia | SC | http://www.friendsofcongaree.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Don Carter State Park | Gainesville | GA | http://gastateparks.org/doncarter | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Government Canyon | San Antonio | TX | https://friendsofgovernmentcanyon.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Panthertown | Cashiers | NC | http://www.panthertown.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of the Columbia Gorge | Portland | OR | http://www.gorgefriends.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Great Shasta Rail Trail Association | McCloud | CA | www.greatshastarailtrail.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Gwynns Falls Trail Council | Baltimore | MD | http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Headwaters Trail System | Three Forks | http://threeforksmontana.us | Alliance, BRONZE | |
| Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy | Southeastern | PA | http://hstrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Idaho Trails Association | Boise | ID | http://www.idahotrailsassociation.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Klickitat Trail Conservancy | Lyle | WA | http://klickitat-trail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Lone Star Hiking Trail Club | Houston | TX | http://www.lshtclub.com | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Louisiana Hiking Club | BATON ROUGE | LA | http://hikelouisiana.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Mohonk Preserve | New Paltz | NY | https://www.mohonkpreserve.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Mountain High Hikers | Hayesville | NC | http://www.mountainhighhikers.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Nantahala Hiking Club | Franklin | NC | http://www.nantahalahikingclub.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club | Lynchburg | VA | https://www.nbatc.org/index.html | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Navajo YES | Teec Nos Pos | AZ | http://www.navajoyes.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| NC High Peaks Trail Assoc. | Burnsville | NC | http://www.nchighpeaks.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Newburyport Parks | NEWBURYPORT | MA | http://newburyportparks.org/index.html | Alliance, SILVER |
| Norfolk Land Trust | Norfolk | CT | https://norfolklandtrust.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| North Country Trail Association Incorporated | Lowell | MI | http://www.northcountrytrail.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Northwest Youth Corps | Eugene | OR | http://www.northwestyouthcorps.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Orinda Hiking Club | Orinda | CA | http://www.orindahiking.org/index.html | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Pacific Crest Trail Association | Sacramento | CA | http://www.pcta.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Palmetto Conservation Foundation - Palmetto Trail | Columbia | SC | http://www.palmettoconservation.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation | Camp Hill | PA | http://www.paparksandforests.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Red Lodge Hiking Club | Columbus | MT | Alliance, BRONZE | |
| Rise Up Adventure Guide | Lake Charles | LA | https://www.riseadventureguide.com | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Rocky Mountain Field Institute | Colorado Springs | CO | http://www.rmfi.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| San Diego River Park Foundation | San Diego | CA | http://www.sandiegoriver.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Superior Hiking Trail Association | Two Harbors | MN | http://www.shta.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Tahoe Rim Trail Association | Stateline | NV | http://www.tahoerimtrail.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Teaneck Creek Conservancy | Teaneck | NJ | http://www.teaneckcreek.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Trail Center | Palo Alto | CA | https://www.trailcenter.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Victor Hiking Trails, Inc. | VICTOR | NY | http://www.victorhikingtrails.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Visit Mississippi | Jackson | MS | http://www.visitmississippi.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Wild Basin Creative Research Center | AUSTIN | TX | http://www.wildbasin.org | Alliance, BRONZE |