Fun Freetime - 2023's Best Hiking Cities

 

When someone tells you to take a hike, where are the best places to go? To mark National Trails Day on June 3, LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Best Hiking Cities in the U.S. We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five categories. We factored in hiking trail access and quality, climate, and safety, among 15 key indicators of hiker-friendliness. Walk through the 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for hikers below, followed by key stats from our report.

Best Hiking Cities Rank City 1 Portland, OR 2 Phoenix, AZ 3 Los Angeles, CA 4 Honolulu, HI 5 Tucson, AZ 6 San Diego, CA 7 Oakland, CA 8 Salt Lake City, UT 9 Colorado Springs, CO 10 Boise, ID Worst Hiking Cities Rank City 1 Jersey City, NJ 2 Pasadena, TX 3 Paterson, NJ 4 Baton Rouge, LA 5 Mobile, AL 6 Montgomery, AL 7 North Las Vegas, NV 8 New Orleans, LA 9 Pembroke Pines, FL 10 Miramar, FL

Key Insights: Trodding on the Competition: For the second year in a row, Portland, Oregon is our top hiking destination. Stumptown earned its way to the top with high scores across four out of five categories, including top five rankings in Hiking Access and Supplies Access. East vs. West: When it comes to Hiking Access, Greater Phoenix is unmatched. Three cities from this metro area claimed top 25 spots in the category, including Phoenix (No. 2) in first place and much of the East Valley region — except Chandler (No. 180). By contrast, no West Valley city cracked the top 50%. Tough Treks: Serious hikers will find the most challenging trails in Greater Los Angeles. Eight of the 10 cities with the highest percentages of “moderately difficult” and “hard” hiking trails are located in this metro area. They include cities like Oxnard (No. 24), Corona (No. 43), and Palmdale (No. 37). Ironically, Los Angeles (No. 3) itself is not among them. Campground Zero: Among the 10 cities with the most campgrounds within 50 miles, only Springfield, Massachusetts (No. 81), represents a U.S. region other than the West. In fact, the aptly nicknamed City of Firsts came in first in campground access.  Deadly Walks: Sin City can be lethal for trekkers who aren’t careful. The Las Vegas metro area — Henderson (No. 112), Las Vegas (No. 16), and North Las Vegas (No. 194) — registered the highest natural and environmental death rate in our ranking. Extreme heat, rattlesnakes, and slippery rocks are some of the most common hiking hazards in the area.   Helpful Links: See Where Your City Ranks Full Study Article Expert Insights  Methodology Is a mountain of yard chores trailing behind you? Hire a local LawnStarter pro to tackle them while you enjoy a peaceful walk in nature. More from LawnStarter:  Best Biking Cities in the U.S. Best States to Live Off the Grid Best Cities to Walk Your Dog Best Cities for Urban Gardening