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Best Lake Hikes in United States

There are 627 hikes in United States in our database that fit. They average 9.1 km and 242 m (794 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 294 km.

That is 7 percent of the 9,390 routes we map in United States. They are shorter than the local average, 9.1 km against 14.0 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day.

Lake routes give you a natural halfway point, somewhere to swim in summer, and the calmest reflections of the whole week if you get there before the wind picks up. The mix is broad: 282 are rated easy and 79 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Hackelia mundula , pink stickseed, in Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Fresno County, California.
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
Maroon Bells 7-4
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
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis). Photo taken near Dingleberry lake in the CA eastern Sierra at an elevation of about 10,500 feet
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
Bear Lake to Cub Lake
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
Kawuneeche Valley, Rocky Mountains, Colorado River, USA
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
@ Whitney Portal, California
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
Slender wheatgrass is common right along the JMT from montane parkland into the subalpine and occasionally alpine. Lengths of lemmas awns and degree of secund arrangement of spikelets are variously developed throughout these elevation zones
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
Mineral King Valley, California
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
View of Earth taken during ISS Expedition 38.
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
View of Earth taken during ISS Expedition 47.
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
Aspen Trail, Payson, AZ 85541, USA
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
Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, Ovis canadensis sierrae, Mt. Langley Herd. Listed as threatened under California Endangered Speciaes Act since 1974. Uplisted to endangered in 1999 by Califonia Fish and Game Commission. Listed as endangered by
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
Snowshoeing in RMNP to Mills Lake
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
This image was taken at the Minarets observation site ( Minaret Summit ). Most of the Minarets (peaks) have been informally named. The largest and tallest (Clyde Minaret) is identified in this image. Michael Minaret is where Norman Clyde fo
Moderate

Starkweather Lake Trail

California · United States

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

Cloudy Pass Trail

Washington · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
69 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • River
Moderate

Colonel Bob Trail #851

Washington · United States

Distance
10.6 km
/ 6.6 mi
Elevation gain
233 m
Typical duration
2 hr 34 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Temple Crag, seen from the Big Pine Lakes region to the north.
Moderate

Black Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
47 m
Typical duration
37 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Boiling mudpot located near Little Hot Springs Valley in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Moderate

Ridge Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
302 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Blue Lake in the morning Location: Inyo National Forest, about 2.5 miles from the lake Sabrina trail head.
Moderate

Baboon Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
213 m
Typical duration
44 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Marmota flaviventris , or a Yellow Bellied Marmot, on a rock in the Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park, California, United States.
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
Longs Peak from Dream Lake Trail
Moderate

Emerald Lake Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
273 m
Typical duration
56 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Lake Sabrina before sunrise
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
Linanthus pachyphyllus in Little Lakes Valley, eastern Sierra
Moderate

Ruby Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
292 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Peaks beyond Yosemite from Glacier Point
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
A pond in the northern portion of the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Hard

West Groton Tour

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
23.3 km
/ 14.5 mi
Elevation gain
213 m
Typical duration
5 hr 26 min
  • Lake
  • River
  • Forest
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
Blue Lake in the morning Location: Inyo National Forest, about 2.5 miles from the lake Sabrina trail head.
Moderate

Donkey Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Red Slate Mountain , Sierra Nevada , California . Image taken from Lake Mildred.
Moderate

Dorothy-Bighorn Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
125 m
Typical duration
37 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Dream Lake - Rocky Mountain National Park
Moderate

Lake Haiyaha Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
142 m
Typical duration
31 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Trail south of Duck Pass, above Duck Lake - framed mountain view along path with Pinus albicaulis . John Muir Wilderness, CA, near John Muir Trail.
Moderate

Pika Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
98 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis). Photo taken near Dingleberry lake in the CA eastern Sierra at an elevation of about 10,500 feet
Moderate

Topsy Turvy Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
62 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
MD 650 (New Hampshire Avenue) at Adelphi Road, Adelphi, MD, USA
Hard

Rachel Carson Greenway Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
20.1 km
/ 12.5 mi
Elevation gain
213 m
Typical duration
4 hr 40 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Aspen Trail, Payson, AZ 85541, USA
Easy

Carr Lake Trail 412

Arizona · United States

Distance
3.7 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
16 m
Typical duration
48 min
  • Lake
Barney Lake (foreground) and Mammoth Mountain (background), seen looking northwest from Duck Pass, John Muir Wilderness, California.
Moderate

Woods Lakes Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Forest

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
Geneva Lake TrailColorado37.5 km2,175 m11 hrExpertJuly to September
Ocean to Lake Hiking TrailFlorida100 kmflat23 hrExpertApril 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
Timber Lake TrailColorado4.7 km443 m1 hr 38 minModerateJuly to September
Highland Lakes - Arnot Creek LoopCalifornia32.2 km1,081 m8 hr 51 minExpertJuly to September

If you only have time for one, start with ADT - Indiana (South) - H - Seg 2, Catoctin National Recreation Trail, Rae Lakes Loop. 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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