10 Best U.S. Urban Areas For Walking And Hiking

Walking and hiking in the great outdoors does wonders for body and mind. So when you travel, take a hike — and we’re defining hiking as long walks for recreation. (When it’s a city, you might call it an urban walk; outside the city, in natural surroundings, it’s a hike.)

Whether on flat land or tough terrain, whether easy, moderate or difficult, just know your limits, get gear to help, do your research, stay safe — and enjoy.

With that in mind, LawnStarter, which collates travel statistics, surveyed the best US cities for urban walks and nearby hikes. Each area offers long, pleasant urban walks with excellent hiking nearby. We’ll start with number ten and end with number one.

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San Diego, California. One of the best parks is to Mount Woodson, a four-plus hour hike, which goes to an elevation of three thousand feet. Potato Chip Rock there is a great Instagrammable moment. There’s also Eagle Rock, along the Pacific Crest Trail. Father Junipero Serra trail has the oldest dam west of the Mississippi, a national historic landmark.

Balboa Park, within the city, is immense. At the San Diego Zoo you can have a lovely walk among the animals.

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Las Vegas, Nevada. Fremont Street in the older part of Vegas is a walk filled with neon, and there’s pleasure in the over-the-top sights just walking up and down the Strip. Nearby, Lost Creek Falls in Rock Canyon is a short (0.31 miles one way) trail that runs across Red Rocks, with a rare desert waterfall. You can also walk along the top of nearby Hoover Dam, a short drive away, for a fascinating experience.

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Boise, Idaho. The coolest thing is the Greenbelt, 25 miles connecting downtown with more than 850 acres of parks and natural areas along the Boise River. Sites along the way include the old Idaho penitentiary which contains 19th century prison cells and gallows.

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Los Angeles, California. The LA area offers dozens of hilly, scenic hikes close in, including Griffith Observatory Trail. And to spot celebrities along with the views, try Runyon Canyon Park or Franklin Park.

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Salt Lake City, Utah. Surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains, with waterfalls and forests, the area is filled with excellent hiking trails. Donut Falls is in the middle of the Big Cottonwood Canyon. At lakes Mary, Martha and Catherine you can walk around in the Cottonwood basin.

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Oakland, California. Along The Sequoia Bayview trail you can walk among magnificent trees, with glimpses of the bay. Hilly urban walks also offer water views, and the San Francisco skyline.

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Colorado Springs, Colorado. Red Rock Canyon offers open space, with great views of Garden of the Gods, rated number one in TripAdvisor in terms of hikes. Nearby Pikes Peak is a national forest with hiking trails and a cog railway.

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Phoenix, Arizona. South Mountain Park is popular, and Desert Botanical Garden has 50,000 desert cacti and numerous native plants. The area is filled with scenic trails, and abundant flowers throughout spring and summer.

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Tucson, Arizona. Bear Canyon to Seven Falls trails, and Subpoena Canyon to Seven Falls are popular hikes. The Desert Museum, the Biosphere, and the Old West Movie Studio are not far from the graveyard of old planes. Saguaro National Park has the stately giant cacti, icons of the American West.

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Portland, Oregon The largest urban forest in the country is Forest Park, 80 plus miles of trails; Spring Water Trail is especially beautiful. The cultural trail connects museums, and urban parks downtown.

(For all things travel, check out my award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, Follow on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. You can also find the podcast on my website.)