10 Awesome Winter Day Hikes

When winter arrives, it doesn’t have to mean hiking season’s over. Snow and ice can transform trails into new adventures with different kinds of dramatic scenery. Bare tree branches reveal vistas otherwise obscured in warmer months, creeks and ponds turn to glittering ice, and distant mountains take on a new kind of beauty under blankets of snow.

There are countless amazing winter hikes in the US alone — far too many to list here — so we’ve chosen ten of them to share. Have you hiked any of these in any season?

10 Awesome Winter Day Hikes:

Charlies Bunion
Benton MacKaye Trail Segment 8a-8d
Franconia Ridge Loop
Lake Isabelle Trail
Dominguez Canyon Loop
Chinle Trail
Big Laguna Mountain Loop Trail
Marble Falls Trail
Deschutes River Trail
Baker Lake Trail

READ NEXT — How to Layer for Cold Weather Hiking and Backpacking

Charlies Bunion

Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
8 miles

When it comes to hiking in the Smokies, Charlies Bunion is a classic. This hike follows the Appalachian Trail to a stone outcrop with breathtaking views of snow-covered mountains, including Mount Kephart, Mount Guyot, and Mount LeConte. This is a fairly challenging winter hike with some rocky, icy sections, so snow spikes are recommended.

Benton MacKaye Trail Segment 8a-8d

Blue Ridge, Georgia
13.2 miles

The entire Benton MacKaye Trail is nearly 300 miles long, but you don’t have to hike the whole thing to enjoy its amazing winter scenery. The 8a-8d segment is a great choice for a day hike. With the leaves off the trees, you’ll experience beautiful vistas as you follow the ridgeline from Bushy Head Gap to Fowler Mountain.

Franconia Ridge Loop

White Mountains, New Hampshire
8.5 miles

If you’re looking for a challenging winter hike with breathtaking alpine scenery, look no further than the Franconia Ridge Loop Trail. Starting near the Lafayette Campground in Franconia Notch State Park, it traverses Little Haystack, Mount Lincoln, and Mount Lafayette for some of the best views in New England. Be sure to bring appropriate winter gear, as parts of this trail are exposed and weather in the Whites can be unpredictable and severe.

READ NEXT — Hiking the Whites in Winter

Lake Isabelle Trail

Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado
11 miles

Located in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness, the Lake Isabelle Trail is a high-altitude journey to a stunning lake surrounded by 13,000-foot peaks. Once you reach the lake, you have the option to extend your hike another couple of miles to Isabelle Glacier. Although this trail traverses relatively gentle terrain, you’ll need good footwear and traction to navigate icy areas safely. Check trail conditions and weather ahead of time and prepare accordingly. Even the drive to the trailhead can cause headaches for the underprepared.

Dominguez Canyon Loop

Whitewater, Colorado
40 miles

Winter is an excellent time to do some desert hiking, and the Dominguez Canyon Loop offers plenty of amazing scenery. Explore waterfalls, rock art, sagebrush flats, rock formations, and more on this challenging adventure in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness. Sections of this trail are not well maintained, so route-finding skills are a must.

And obviously, 40 miles is a little burly for a day hike, but with two sides of the loop to explore, there are options for exploration no matter how much time you have to spare. But while you’re at it, if you ‘accidentally’ bring your overnight gear and need to spend a night out there, we won’t tell anyone…

Chinle Trail

Zion National Park, Utah
15.4 miles

The Chinle Trail takes hikers through Zion’s lowland desert habitat, the warmest and driest ecological area in the park. With stunning views of cliffs, towers, and open desert, this trail offers unique beauty in wintertime, when the surrounding summits are covered in snow. While the mountains and canyons might be too cold, the Chinle Trail is a hillside hike in full sunlight. It’s great for a day hike or an overnight backpacking trip.

Big Laguna Mountain Loop Trail

Mount Laguna, California
10 miles

There are a lot of great hiking opportunities in the Laguna Mountains outside of San Diego, and the best part is that they are spectacular no matter the season. One of our favorites is the 10-mile jaunt that loops the Big Laguna Trail (BLT) and Pacific Crest Trail. Starting at Penny Pines Trailhead on the PCT, hikers have a choice of directions, but we prefer to save the best for last, which means heading counter-clockwise. Beautiful meadows and forests define the first half along the BLT, and the jaw-dropping vistas from the PCT ridgeline into the depths of the Anza Borrego desert last for miles on the northward swing back to the start.

Bonus: tack on a summit of Garnet Peak from the same trailhead for even better bird’s-eye views. Better yet, just move to San Diego, because the weather is always amazing and trails are abundant.

Marble Falls Trail

Sequoia National Park, California
8 miles

Marble Falls Trail makes a wonderful late winter/early spring hike, especially since summer temperatures are extremely high. Early in the year, flowing rivers, waterfalls, and blooming wildflowers offer a beautiful trek up to Marble Falls and stunning views of Castle Rocks. With a steady uphill walk to the Falls, you’ll enjoy a return journey that’s downhill all the way.

Deschutes River Trail

Deschutes River State Park, Oregon
22.6 miles

As its name suggests, the Deschutes River Trail follows the Deschutes River along an old railroad grade, making this a gentler hike with only about 200 feet of elevation gain. Temperatures are quite high in the summertime, so winter makes a great season to explore the area. Enjoy sweeping views of rocky cliffs and river rapids on this out-and-back adventure.

Baker Lake Trail

North Cascades, Washington
8 miles

While most other Cascadian trails are buried under snow, the Baker Lake Trail’s low elevation makes it an excellent winter adventure with old-growth forests, spectacular views of Mount Baker, and the beautiful Baker Lake itself. Camping areas outfitted with fire pits and vault toilets offer the opportunity to turn your hike into an overnight trip if you so desire.

Featured image: A Maggie Slepian photo. Graphic design by Zack Goldman.