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Best Riverside Hikes in United States

The directory currently contains 422 quality-checked routes matching this guide in United States. Their average mapped distance is 10.0 km and average recorded ascent is 286 m (938 ft); the longest route in the set is 231 km.

This subset represents 7% of the 5,699 quality-checked routes in United States. Its average distance is 10.0 km, compared with 14.1 km across the full local set.

These routes carry the river tag. The tag does not establish how much of the mapped line follows water or whether crossings are safe. Within this set, 140 routes (33%) are rated easy, 86 (20%) are rated hard or expert, and 52 (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

5.4 km

Meadow Mountain Trail

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

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

86 m

Meadow Mountain Trail

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

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

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

View of the south summit of Mount Jefferson, Nevada from the northwest
Expert

ADT - Nevada - S - Seg 5

Nevada · United States

Distance
62.5 km
/ 38.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,619 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Looking West over the San Francisco Bay from the University of California.
Expert

ADT - California - T - Seg 8

California · United States

Distance
77.4 km
/ 48.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,020 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Box Cañon Falls, Ouray CO
Hard

Oak Creek Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
10.4 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,105 m
Typical duration
3 hr 49 min
  • River
  • Mountain
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
Expert

Santa Ana River Trail

California · United States

Distance
61.1 km
/ 38.0 mi
Elevation gain
823 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Bear Creek Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
10.7 km
/ 6.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,604 m
Typical duration
4 hr 38 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Expert

Cedar Creek Trail

Missouri · United States

Distance
53.4 km
/ 33.2 mi
Elevation gain
550 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Tonahutu Creek Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
21.8 km
/ 13.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,210 m
Typical duration
6 hr 34 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Round Hill Brook, Webb Mountain Park, Paugussett Trail, Monroe, CT.
Hard

Paugussett Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
20.9 km
/ 13.0 mi
Elevation gain
508 m
Typical duration
5 hr 17 min
  • River
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Old ties from the Aptos Branch logging railroad in June 2018
Hard

Aptos Creek Fire Road

California · United States

Distance
21.8 km
/ 13.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,016 m
Typical duration
6 hr 16 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Life on the Buffalo River
Expert

Buffalo River Trail

Arkansas · United States

Distance
67.1 km
/ 41.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,443 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Easy

Orange Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Waterfall
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Jericho Blue-Blazed Trail. Ruins of Bridge at end of Sheffield Street, Waterbury. Trailhead for Hancock Brook Trail.
Moderate

Hancock Brook Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
212 m
Typical duration
1 hr 11 min
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Arroyo Seco Trail

California · United States

Distance
7.5 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
222 m
Typical duration
1 hr 54 min
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Desert
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
Campfire scar on Abies concolor , Pinus benthamiana , Pinus lambertiana , etc., forest floor. Viewpoint location: Snow Creek Trail, Yosemite National Park Viewpoint elevation: 2100 meter (6880 ft) View direction: N/A Location source: Casio
Hard

Snow Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
14.8 km
/ 9.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,436 m
Typical duration
5 hr 14 min
  • River
  • Mountain
View of the Thunder River trail. North Kaibab Ranger District. 10-24-13. P1040030. Photo by Dyan Bone. Credit the U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Kaibab National Forest.
Hard

Thunder River Trail

Arizona · United States

Distance
19.5 km
/ 12.1 mi
Elevation gain
343 m
Typical duration
4 hr 43 min
  • River
  • 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
Giant blazing star (Mentzelia laevicaulis) against rocks. At 2,869 m (9,413 ft) along Pine Creek Trail under Brownstone Mine, John Muir Wilderness, Sierra Nevada mountains, California.
Hard

Pine Creek Pass Trail

California · United States

Distance
12.0 km
/ 7.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,259 m
Typical duration
4 hr 23 min
  • River
  • Mountain
The Carson-Iceberg Wilderness is a federal wilderness area located 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Stockton, California. It encompasses 160,000 acres (650 km2) and was designated by the California Wilderness Act of 1984. It protects an area
Hard

East Carson River Trail

California · United States

Distance
27.9 km
/ 17.3 mi
Elevation gain
288 m
Typical duration
6 hr 38 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Hard

Fish Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
31.1 km
/ 19.3 mi
Elevation gain
618 m
Typical duration
7 hr 54 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Expert

North Sylamore Creek Trail

Arkansas · United States

Distance
36.1 km
/ 22.4 mi
Elevation gain
658 m
Typical duration
9 hr 8 min
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Washed-out concrete-pier bridge, at 2,746 m (9,009 ft) along trail up Convict Canyon. John Muir Wilderness, Sierra Nevada, California USA.
Hard

Convict Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
10.3 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
969 m
Typical duration
3 hr 36 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Moderate

Golden Trout Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
14.7 km
/ 9.1 mi
Elevation gain
32 m
Typical duration
3 hr 6 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Salmon River Trail Comstock Covered Bridge from state forest parking lot side.
Moderate

Salmon River Trail

Connecticut · United States

Distance
7.5 km
/ 4.6 mi
Elevation gain
136 m
Typical duration
1 hr 45 min
  • River
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Big Arroyo Trail

California · United States

Distance
14.2 km
/ 8.8 mi
Elevation gain
111 m
Typical duration
3 hr 7 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Waterfall above Rush Creek Trail, looking up from stream crossing. Ansel Adams Wilderness, Sierra Nevada USA.
Moderate

Rush Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
14.6 km
/ 9.1 mi
Elevation gain
202 m
Typical duration
3 hr 21 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Expert

Black Creek Trail

Mississippi · United States

Distance
61.2 km
/ 38.0 mi
Elevation gain
219 m
Typical duration
14 hr
  • River
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Highland Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
29.1 km
/ 18.1 mi
Elevation gain
562 m
Typical duration
7 hr 19 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Hard

Shadow Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
13.1 km
/ 8.2 mi
Elevation gain
769 m
Typical duration
3 hr 53 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Moderate

Timber Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
8.5 km
/ 5.3 mi
Elevation gain
646 m
Typical duration
2 hr 45 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Hard

Trout Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
13.3 km
/ 8.2 mi
Elevation gain
630 m
Typical duration
3 hr 43 min
  • River
  • 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 - Nevada - S - Seg 5Nevada62.5 km1,619 m16 hrExpertJuly to September
ADT - California - T - Seg 8California77.4 km1,020 m19 hrExpertApril to October
Oak Creek TrailColorado10.4 km1,105 m3 hr 49 minHardJuly to September
ADT - Illinois (South) - J - Seg 2Illinois231 km1,295 m56 hrExpertApril to October
Meadow Mountain TrailMaryland5.4 km86 m1 hr 15 minEasyApril to October
Santa Ana River TrailCalifornia61.1 km823 m15 hrExpertJuly to September
Bear Creek TrailColorado10.7 km1,604 m4 hr 38 minHardJuly to September
Cedar Creek TrailMissouri53.4 km550 m13 hrExpertApril to October
Tonahutu Creek TrailColorado21.8 km1,210 m6 hr 34 minHardJuly to September
Meadow Creek National Recreation TrailIdaho41.9 km567 m10 hrExpertJune to October

ADT - Nevada - S - Seg 5, ADT - California - T - Seg 8, Oak Creek Trail 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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