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Best Coastal Hikes in United States

We track 123 routes that match this search in United States. They average 17.4 km and 411 m (1,348 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 631 km.

That is 1 percent of the 9,390 routes we map in United States. The climbing is steeper too: 411 m (1,348 ft) on average versus 281 m (922 ft) across the wider area.

Coastal walking is exposed, open and completely different in every wind direction. These routes keep the sea in view for most of their length. The mix is broad: 58 are rated easy and 19 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Unconventional view, but it works. Bolinas Lagoon Preserve of Audubon Canyon Ranch, California. The coastal subspecies of Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus californicus , lacks the yellow band of median coverts, so we see only a red
Expert

ADT - California - T - Seg 9

California · United States

Distance
70.3 km
/ 43.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,539 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Ramona, United States
Expert

Coast to Crest Trail

California · United States

Distance
113 km
/ 70.1 mi
Elevation gain
4,587 m
Typical duration
33 hr
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Sinkyone State Wilderness - Bear Harbor, CA, USA
Expert

Lost Coast Trail

California · United States

Distance
85.2 km
/ 52.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,774 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
A bus of the Stanford Marguerite, the free shuttle of Stanford University.
Expert

California Coastal Trail

California · United States

Distance
55.9 km
/ 34.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,263 m
Typical duration
14 hr
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Whitestone Cliffs Trail. Blue-Blazed CFPA "loop" foot path in Mattatuck State Forest. Whitestone Cliffs Trail. Blue-Blazed CFPA "loop" foot path in Mattatuck State Forest. Whitestone Cliffs Trail head sign on Spruce Brook Road / Mt Tobe.
Moderate

Whitestone Cliffs Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
84 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Lock 33 along the en:Chesapeake Ohio Canal near en:Harpers Ferry, West Virginia .
Moderate

Overlook Cliff Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
36 m
Typical duration
17 min
  • Coastal
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Willey Pond - Saco River 3
Hard

Webster Cliff Trail

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
10.1 km
/ 6.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,131 m
Typical duration
3 hr 48 min
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Woman's Club of Lodi — in Lodi, San Joaquin County, California .
Expert

Mokelumne Coast to Crest Trail

California · United States

Distance
160 km
/ 99.3 mi
Elevation gain
4,652 m
Typical duration
44 hr
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Santa Lucia Mountains Slender Salamander ( Batrachoseps luciae )
Hard

North Coast Ridge Trail

California · United States

Distance
16.4 km
/ 10.2 mi
Elevation gain
643 m
Typical duration
4 hr 26 min
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Cunningham Falls State Park : hand-stand
Moderate

Cliff Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
101 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Sunset Palisades, Pismo Beach, CA, USA
Easy

California Coastal Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
28 min
  • Coastal
Computer science researcher Neil Immerman of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst at the Open Source Quality retreat, in the Seaside View room of the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, California.
Moderate

Coastal Rail Trail

California · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
45 m
Typical duration
1 hr 2 min
  • Coastal
Hezekiah S. Ramsdell Farm , Thompson, Connecticut. This area includes foundational remnants, and is probably where the house stood.
Easy

Shoreline Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
6.5 km
/ 4.1 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
1 hr 26 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Geranium carolinianum, taken at the Kentucky River Palisades, Mercer County, KY, May 21 2016.
Moderate

River Road

Kentucky · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
176 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • River
  • Coastal
500px provided description: lake in acadia national park [#nature lake acadia national park maine usa]
Moderate

Beech Cliff Trail

Maine · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
247 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Coastal
Conway Scenic Railway, Arethusa Falls Trail, Hart's Location, New Hampshire, United States
Moderate

Frankenstein Cliff Trail

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Coastal
Summit of the 2nd most or perhaps 3rd most frequently climbed mountain on the planet.
Moderate

Cliff Walk

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
257 m
Typical duration
53 min
  • Coastal
The view east from Penobscot Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine
Moderate

Jordan Cliffs Trail

Maine · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
103 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Coastal
Jordan Pond Reflections
Moderate

Pemetic East Cliff Trail

Maine · United States

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
116 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Coastal
KAM_8539
Moderate

The Barbary Coast Trail

California · United States

Distance
9.4 km
/ 5.9 mi
Elevation gain
419 m
Typical duration
2 hr 35 min
  • Coastal
Sand With an Attitude!
Easy

Beach Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Typical duration
10 min
  • Coastal
Cape Royal, North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park gc 267
Moderate

Cliff Spring Trail

Arizona · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Typical duration
8 min
  • Coastal
West Quoddy Lifesaving Station , Lubec, Maine.
Moderate

Coastal Trail

Maine · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Coastal
Steven Callahan
Easy

East Coast Greenway

Maine · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Coastal
Derelict building, Lubec, Lubec, Maine, US (PPL2-Enhanced)
Easy

Mowry Beach Trail

Maine · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Typical duration
7 min
  • Coastal
Hypercompe scribonia - Caterpillar - Devonian Fossil Gorge - Iowa City
Easy

Mushroom Shore Trail

Iowa · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
8 min
  • Coastal
Sail Rock, the easternmost point in the United States of Alaska. Located in Quoddy Head State Park, Maine.
Moderate

Quoddy Coast Guard Trail

Maine · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Coastal
Phyllodesma americana
Moderate

Mary Moore Cliff Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
106 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Umbrellas and Chairs
Easy

California Coastal Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • Coastal
Hard

Prince Creek Trail #1255

Washington · United States

Distance
18.7 km
/ 11.6 mi
Elevation gain
411 m
Typical duration
4 hr 37 min
  • Lake
  • River
  • Coastal
Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site
Moderate

Fort Ambercrombie Cliffs Loop

Alaska · United States

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
163 m
Typical duration
55 min
  • Coastal
  • Castle and ruins
Railway bridge, Scitico Connecticut
Easy

Shore Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
12 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Coastal
orange mycena ( Mycena leaiana )
Easy

Beach Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Pacific Northwest Trail 01 MontanaIdaho350 km7,077 m93 hrExpertJune to October
ADT - California - T - Seg 9California70.3 km1,539 m18 hrExpertApril to October
Coast to Crest TrailCalifornia113 km4,587 m33 hrExpertApril to October
Lost Coast TrailCalifornia85.2 km1,774 m22 hrExpertApril to October
California Coastal TrailCalifornia55.9 km1,263 m14 hrExpertApril to October
Whitestone Cliffs TrailConnecticut2.2 km84 m35 minModerateApril to October
Overlook Cliff TrailMaryland1.1 km36 m17 minModerateApril to October
Webster Cliff TrailNew Hampshire10.1 km1,131 m3 hr 48 minHardApril to October
Mokelumne Coast to Crest TrailCalifornia160 km4,652 m44 hrExpertJuly to September
North Coast Ridge TrailCalifornia16.4 km643 m4 hr 26 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with ADT - California - T - Seg 9, Pacific Northwest Trail 01 Montana, Coast to Crest Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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