If you routinely toss your hiking boots in the coat closet when temperatures begin to drop, then it’s time to think again.  The fun and adventure don’t have to be over just because summer has ended!  From Maine to Oregon to Colorado, you will find numerous noteworthy winter hiking trails that feature fewer crowds, stunning, beautiful views, and winter wildlife-spotting opportunities too.

The country’s hiking trails truly clear out in the winter.  Experts report that you can literally hike “for miles without seeing another soul.”  If snowshoeing across frigid, white plains isn’t your thing, go south and hike trails that are often too hot to take in the summer.  Pack what you need to keep warm, and avoid the sun’s glare. 

Lightweight layers and the right footwear are essential.  You want outer clothing that can be easily stuffed into a backpack, so you have lots of room for extra trail snacks and other essentials as well.  Don’t forget that the days are now shorter too, so you need to head out early enough to enjoy the views and complete your hike before nightfall.  Here to help you in deciding where to go, are some of America’s best, beautiful winter hikes.    

1.  The Jud Wiebe Trail, Telluride, Colorado

The  Jud Wiebe Trail begins and ends in Telluride.  From the very top of this terrific trail, you can see the skiers enjoying their stay at the popular Telluride Ski Resort.  This mountain town might be famous for its snow, but the state has roughly 300 beautiful days of sunshine too.

This particular trail is about three miles in total.  More importantly, it’s comparatively dry most of the year.  If you venture there following a snowstorm, bundle up and consider microspikes.  Veteran visitors confirm that this hike is at least as beautiful beneath a blanket of virgin snow.

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The Watchman Trail, Zion National Park, Utah

In the summer, southern Utah’s dry heat often deters many hikers.  In the winter, though, any warmth is welcomed.  Zion National Park’s Mars-like landscape is reported to be as stunning in the winter.  Some say it’s even more attractive under a layer of snow.

It’s an unexacting three-mile trip transporting you to a unique landscape of prickly pear cacti and colored sandstone spires that basks beneath the desert sun all year long.  Get gear from Parks Project and support America’s national parks while hiking since this specific brand actually donates to various park conservation efforts.

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The Cumberland Trail, Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, Tennessee

The Cumberland Trail is incomplete at press time.  It will be 282 miles upon its official completion.  It will traverse the state from north to south.  

You can get a feel for the trail this winter when the fair-weather hikers tend to avoid the park.  If you can spend an entire day here, hit the nine-and-a-half-mile Possum Creek portion.  Take in the sights of the nearby picturesque, wooded creek, and wonderful waterfalls as well.

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The Cape Falcon Trail, Oswald West State Park, Oregon

The favored Cape Falcon Trail is about five miles in length.  If you make it up to the 100-foot awesome outcropping halfway through your day, you might be able to see a pod of gray whales.  Just be sure to pack your binoculars and watch the winter waters for the whales’ telltale spray.  

The best time to spot them is in the months of December and January.  That’s when the whales are migrating from the icy Bering Sea to beautiful Baja.  Pack a sweatshirt to keep you warm and extra snacks to help you make the hike back later.

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The Gorham Mountain Trail, Acadia National Park, Maine

Maine is about more than sunny summers of double-scoop ice cream cones and fresh lobster dinners.  It might get chilly in the winter, but winter weather actually often empties such well-liked trails as the Gorham Mountain Trail.  It’s the best time to see the splendor of the coast free of the crowds.  This lovely loop trail is three and a half miles.  Be sure to bring your cross-country skis or snowshoes though so you can stay on top of the fresh snow as you hike over the snow-covered granite in the spruce forest.

The Mazama Ridge Trail. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

There’s little chance of missing massive Mount Rainier.  This huge, active volcano dominates the landscape.  It actually reaches a height of 14,410 feet above sea level.

You can visit the area below Rainier all year.  Still, veteran visitors say that being there when Mount Rainier’s peak is snow-capped will make the visit “extra special.”  So dust off your snowshoes and take the well-known six-mile Mazama Ridge Trail.  You’ll be rewarded with almost constant breath-taking views of the Tatoosh Range and Mount Rainier itself.

The Florida Trail, Suwannee River State Park, Florida

Here in northern Florida, you can take a winter hike in nice 60-degree temperatures, and crash in comfy shelters with hot showers too.  Start your hike at the popular Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.  This eight-mile hike will take you past limestone bluffs, and cypress trees before ending at welcoming Holton Creek River Camp.

Need more?  Cover the nest section via boat.  Whatever you finally decide, be sure to pack some sunscreen, and a sun shirt to cover all the angles.

The Roundabout Trail, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Steamboat Springs is an unusual cowboy ranching town.  It includes more winter Olympians than any other place on the continent.  This place reputedly lives for winter.

It includes the family-friendly Steamboat Ski Resort and enough additional expert terrain.  Strap on your snowshoes and get ready to take on one of the many different snowshoe hiking trails that begin at the renowned on-mountain Thunderhead Lodge.  It’s located 9,080 feet above sea level.  

The best beautiful trail to start with is the flat, family-friendly Roundabout Trail, which is only a mile in length.  Need more of a challenge? Keep hiking to the impressive Rendezvous hut, 9,325 feet above sea level.

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