Here's where Rocky Mountain, other national parks rank for best hiking
The parks were judged based on three criteria: number of hiking trails, number of visitors (as an indication of popularity) and user trail reviews found on the AllTrails app. The research was conducted by Kuru, which makes sneakers, sandals and hiking boots.
Rocky Mountain National Park took third place with 220 hiking trails, 4.1 million visitors in 2024 and an average trail rating of 4.5 stars on the AllTrails 1-5 scale. "That 4.5 star rating? It's well-earned," according to Kuru's summary of the survey, "just like every breathtaking view above tree line."
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, far and away the busiest U.S. national park with 12.1 million visitors, placed first with 348 trails and an average trail rating of 4.4 stars. It is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian range.
At No. 2, Yellowstone in northwestern Wyoming came in with 252 trails, 4.7 million visitors and an average trail rating of 4.4. "Beyond geysers and bison, Yellowstone offers miles of trail magic," the report said.
Zion, located in southwestern Utah, came in at No. 9 with 93 trails, 4.9 million visitors and a trail rating of 4.4. "Zion's towering sandstone walls and narrow slot canyons make it a mecca for thrill-seekers and photographers," the report said. "It's red rock bliss with rave reviews."
Grand Teton in northwestern Wyoming placed 10th with 3.6 million visitors and a trail rating of 4.6. "Grand Teton may be last on this list, but it's high on impact," the report said. "The jagged skyline alone is worth the trip, but pair it with over 100 well-rated trails, and you've got a hiker's paradise."
Other parks on the list aree Yosemite in California (fourth), Acadia in Maine (fifth), Olympic in Washington state (sixth), Grand Canyon in Arizona (seventh) and Glacier in northern Montana (eighth).
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Travel + Leisure
3 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
This Underrated Country Is Becoming One of Asia's Best Outdoor Destinations—and It Has One of the Region's Most Popular Hiking Trails
When people think of popular outdoor destinations in Asia, places like Thailand's beaches and jungles, Japan's Kumano Kodo, or Bhutan's rugged mountains may come to mind. But one, oft-overlooked Southeast Asian country is quickly becoming a rising star. According to a new study conducted by online tour operator Malaysia has some of the best hiking trails in the region, and nine of 10 of the routes that made its list can be found in the Golden Peninsula. For its study, Exoticca analyzed AllTrails data from 11 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, and assigned scores based on hiker ratings, foot traffic, and the volume of positive reviews. 'Malaysia proves particularly popular,' an spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure . 'The data shows that hikers value trails that combine accessibility with natural beauty.' Though Malaysia dominated the list in general, one trail in particular came out on top as the best hiking trail in Southeast Asia: the Bukit Gasing Circular, a leafy loop in Malaysia's capital region. Found in the Bukit Gasing Forest Park between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, the 2.4-mile-long loop is a local favorite and takes around one to 1.5 hours to complete. On AllTrails, the Bukit Gasing Circular has a moderate rating and has a mix of flat, open paths and challenging staircases. In the reviews, hikers noted the "killer stairs," hidden hanging bridges, and elevated wooden platforms along the way. In Exoticca's analysis, the Bukit Gasing Circular scored 98.4 points out of 100, thanks to a 4.6-star average from 2,225 hikers and a near-perfect 99.6 percent popularity score. Second place went to Bukit Kiara via Changkat Abang Haji Openg (96.73 points), a 2.8-mile path that links several popular green spaces on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The interconnected Twin Peaks–Quill Killer–Rock Garden–Lower Carnival network(95 points) came in third with a 2.9-mile web of trails with steady inclines and shaded stretches through thick forest; this winner is also located near Kuala Lumpur. Even shorter treks earned high ratings, like the 1.4-mile Ketumbar Hill trail (located in Kuala Lumpur's Cheras neighborhood), which snagged the fourth place spot with 93.9 points and a 98.9 percent popularity rating. Known for its easy access and city views, the trail is a favorite among early-morning walkers. Thailand broke Malaysia's streak with the 4.5-mile Wat Pha Lat 'Monk's Trail' to Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, which placed fifth. The rest of the top 10 were also in Malaysia. Sixth place went to Sri Bintang Hill, a 1.4-mile trail in Kuala Lumpur popular for its sunrise views. In seventh was the Bukit Gasing Fence Trail Loop, another scenic circuit within the Bukit Gasing forest reserve. Tiga Puteri Peak via Merbuk ranked eighth with a 3.7-mile climb to a summit vista in Selangor. Mount Datuk came ninth as the most challenging trail on the list, earning a five-out-of-five difficulty rating for its rock scrambles and sweeping views in Negeri Sembilan. Rounding out the list in tenth was the Taman Tugu Green–Yellow–White Trails, a 2.3-mile loop through a restored urban forest park in Kuala Lumpur.
Business Wire
6 days ago
- Business Wire
Hipcamp and AllTrails Partner to Launch the Ultimate Late-Summer Adventure Guide
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CNET
31-07-2025
- CNET
Best Hiking Apps of 2025 for Enhancing Your Outdoor Adventures
I test hiking apps by, well, hiking. I use them to find, build and navigate trails and backcountry terrain. Dillon Lopez/CNET Although I'm not a professional mountain guide or extreme hiker, I've been hiking regularly for more than a decade and would consider myself advanced. I hike multiple times a week and have summited a handful of challenging peaks, including Mount Whitney, Half Dome and Costa Rica's Cerro Chirripó, as well as many other notable hikes around the Sierra Nevada mountains where I live. I enjoy hiking in national and state parks across the US and exploring trails while traveling internationally. AllTrails has been my primary source for locating and navigating hikes until recently. I've exhausted most of the known trails around our area and sought a new app to help me plan and execute more backcountry hikes. I've tested seven other hiking apps for the past month to compare and contrast features and functionality. The main qualities I considered when selecting the apps on this list include functionality and features, user interface, trail database, offline maps, navigation, pricing and reviews. User interface: I've familiarized myself with each app's interface, learning its features and functionalities. I note whether it's pretty intuitive and easy to pick up or if there's a significant learning curve. Once I have a trail picked or a custom route created, I've been hitting the trails and using the apps to navigate, paying attention to how accurately the GPS tracks my movements, how easy it is to follow the trail and how the maps display on my phone. While testing the popular (and free) Hiking Project app, I had issues with the interface and functionality, including glitches, app crashes and the inability to zoom in or out, which is part of the reason it didn't make the list. Aly Lopez/CNET On each hike, I use two apps to compare and contrast their functions. I note whether they have glitches or issues with rotating the screen and zooming in or out, as well as which maps are most accurate compared with the actual paths, landmarks and general topography in front of me. Offline navigation: One of the most critical components I looked at is access to maps and navigation offline. After all, it doesn't matter what app you use if it won't work when you lose cell service. Luckily, these offline features are becoming industry standard, and most outdoor hiking apps now offer them -- though they'll make you pay for it. I always download the trail and maps I need before heading out (I've been burned by not doing that in the past). Features: I examine the app's other features, including extra overlays, weather forecasts, satellite previews, safety tools and community features, such as whether there are user-generated reviews and photos. Finally, I look at the posthike interface and assess how accurately the app measured all my metrics during the hike. I asked the experts Anouk Erni of Blackbird Mountain Guides, a highly experienced, certified mountain guide with an impressive list of credentials longer than the alphabet, offered expert insight. "Many guides and recreationalists use either CalTopo or Gaia for planning routes and downloading maps with different topographical layers. These apps work very well for trip planning and allow you to incorporate layers such as snow coverage, global imagery, US Forest Service maps and topo and contour lines. If you're into creating routes on your map, these have many features, such as creating geospatial PDF topo maps that you can download onto your phone for offline use. I like to have these PDFs downloaded to my phone, as well as use the app to access the route and orient myself in the moment. The apps sync all your information quickly -- but make sure to download the maps for offline use before going out of service, so that you can use them to orient yourself throughout the hike. Other decent options for apps are AllTrails, Avenza and onX," explains Erni. It's an ongoing process Testing hiking apps is an ongoing process. Hiking application companies constantly evolve and upgrade their products, improving the technology and offering more features, trails and functionalities as their database grows. This roundup of the best hiking apps will evolve as we continue to test them, so check back at CNET for updates.
