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Best Lake Hikes in United States

The directory currently contains 375 quality-checked routes matching this guide in United States. Their average mapped distance is 6.2 km and average recorded ascent is 205 m (673 ft); the longest route in the set is 100 km.

This subset represents 7% of the 5,699 quality-checked routes in United States. Its average distance is 6.2 km, compared with 14.1 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 205 m (673 ft), versus 264 m (866 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set carries a lake tag in the directory. Whether the mapped line reaches the shore and whether swimming is allowed must be checked locally. Within this set, 121 routes (32%) are rated easy, 30 (8%) are rated hard or expert, and 45 (12%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

4.9 km

Upper Cascade Falls Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

1 recorded loop

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Expert

Rae Lakes Loop

California · United States

Distance
57.6 km
/ 35.8 mi
Elevation gain
2,081 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Canyon and gorge
Moderate

Upper Cascade Falls Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
4.9 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
784 m
Typical duration
2 hr 12 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Expert

Geneva Lake Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
37.5 km
/ 23.3 mi
Elevation gain
2,175 m
Typical duration
11 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Easy

Meadow Mountain Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
1 hr 15 min
  • Lake
  • River
  • Mountain
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, between the California Central Valley and the Basin and Range Province. The Sierra runs 400 miles (640 km) north-to-south, and is approximately 70 miles (110
Expert

North Lake South Lake Loop

California · United States

Distance
86.8 km
/ 53.9 mi
Elevation gain
2,788 m
Typical duration
24 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Fern Lake Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
11.8 km
/ 7.3 mi
Elevation gain
918 m
Typical duration
3 hr 50 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Timber Lake Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
443 m
Typical duration
1 hr 38 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Beacon Falls Yellow Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
153 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Turkington Falls Loop

Connecticut · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Expert

North/South Trail

Kentucky · United States

Distance
91.1 km
/ 56.6 mi
Elevation gain
585 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Moderate

See Canyon Trail #184

Arizona · United States

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
585 m
Typical duration
1 hr 53 min
  • Lake
  • Canyon and gorge
  • Forest
Hard

Meysan Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
7.4 km
/ 4.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,235 m
Typical duration
3 hr 23 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Mill Creek Falls Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
134 m
Typical duration
44 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • River
Moderate

Rock Creek Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
291 m
Typical duration
1 hr 33 min
  • Lake
  • River
  • Mountain
The view goes on forever after topping out at Koip Peak Pass, which is sort of a back door out of Yosemite and into the Ansel Adams Wilderness . The prominent red peak beyond the lakes is San Joaquin Mountain, which hides Mammoth Mountain s
Hard

Alger Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
15.7 km
/ 9.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,129 m
Typical duration
4 hr 59 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Inyo County star tulip ( Calochortus excavatus ) on Tyee Lakes Trail
Moderate

Tyee Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
10.4 km
/ 6.5 mi
Elevation gain
753 m
Typical duration
3 hr 18 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Hard

Bowman Lake Trail

Montana · United States

Distance
21.3 km
/ 13.2 mi
Elevation gain
117 m
Typical duration
4 hr 48 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
A north-facing photo of the rugged southern face of Empire Mountain, taken from the Crystal Lakes - Monarch Lakes trail in the Mineral King area of Sequoia National Park. The rock is jagged and has a unique red hue.
Moderate

Monarch Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
6.5 km
/ 4.0 mi
Elevation gain
824 m
Typical duration
2 hr 35 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Easy

Beckman's Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
69 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Lake
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Summit Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
117 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Hard

Birch Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
8.7 km
/ 5.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,463 m
Typical duration
4 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
view across Soldier Lake The Rock Creek wildfire was started by an abandoned campfire within a meadow, at approximately 11,000-ft. elevation in the backcountry of Sequoia National Park. Because of the lateness of the season, the high altitu
Moderate

Soldier Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
556 m
Typical duration
1 hr 44 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
20020823 1657 Forest Plants on Black Lake Trail
Moderate

Black Lake Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Dawn Falls Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
266 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Moderate

Starkweather Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
52 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Tokopah Falls Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
188 m
Typical duration
55 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Moderate

Black Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
47 m
Typical duration
37 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Ridge Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
302 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Baboon Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
213 m
Typical duration
44 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Dog Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.8 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
323 m
Typical duration
1 hr 16 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Emerald Lake Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
273 m
Typical duration
56 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Grass Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
185 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Little Lakes Valley, Sierra Nevada , California , USA
Moderate

Little Lakes Valley Trail

California · United States

Distance
5.3 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
240 m
Typical duration
1 hr 28 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Ruby Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
292 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Sunrise Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
189 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
McGee Pass Lake, snowfields, and view south - from trail at about 10,800ft, near McGee Pass. John Muir Wilderness, Sierra Nevada USA.
Moderate

Big McGee Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain

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
ADT - Indiana (South) - H - Seg 2Indiana93.7 km747 m23 hrExpertApril to October
Catoctin National Recreation TrailMaryland42.8 km1,151 m11 hrExpertApril to October
Rae Lakes LoopCalifornia57.6 km2,081 m16 hrExpertJuly to September
Upper Cascade Falls TrailColorado4.9 km784 m2 hr 12 minModerateJuly to September
Geneva Lake TrailColorado37.5 km2,175 m11 hrExpertJuly to September
Ocean to Lake Hiking TrailFlorida100 km0 m23 hrExpertApril to October
Meadow Mountain TrailMaryland5.4 km86 m1 hr 15 minEasyApril to October
North Lake South Lake LoopCalifornia86.8 km2,788 m24 hrExpertJuly to September
Fern Lake TrailColorado11.8 km918 m3 hr 50 minHardJuly to September
Dragoon Trail - Des Moines to Lake Red RockIowa73.8 km221 m17 hrExpertApril to October

ADT - Indiana (South) - H - Seg 2, Catoctin National Recreation Trail, Rae Lakes Loop currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Plan with more confidence

All planning articles →

Choosing a route

How to choose a hike beyond the difficulty label

Compare distance, climbing, route shape and missing information to build a shortlist that fits your day.

Read article →

Understanding the map

Read an elevation profile without misreading the climb

Understand total ascent, net height change, profile scale and the section breakdown on each mapped route.

Read article →

Planning your day

Build a hiking time plan with room for your own pace

Separate moving time, climbing allowance and stops, then explore how changing your assumptions changes the plan.

Read article →

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