{"id":32865,"date":"2018-04-26T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=32865"},"modified":"2020-04-27T18:16:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T01:16:37","slug":"5-hikes-that-offer-solitude-in-iconic-destinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/5-hikes-that-offer-solitude-in-iconic-destinations","title":{"rendered":"5 Hikes That Offer Solitude in Iconic Destinations"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p>National parks are wildly popular: In 2017, people traveled outside with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/subjects\/socialscience\/annual-visitation-highlights.htm\">nearly 331 million<\/a>\u00a0visits to national parks, monuments, and historic and cultural sites maintained by the National Park Service.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t a revelation to any hiker who\u2019s spent enough time outdoors to get a sunburn in recent years. Head to the nation\u2019s most popular national parks in peak season, and you\u2019re almost guaranteed to find swamped shuttle buses and long lines of hikers traversing the parks\u2019 well-trodden trails.<\/p>\n<p>Worry not! These hidden hikes in five of your favorite outdoor destinations will allow you to get out into nature and have the views all to yourself. They offer mountainous vistas, panoramic summits, alpine lakes and other natural beauty\u2014all without the crowds.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitutah.com\/places-to-go\/parks-outdoors\/zion\/outdoor-experiences\/strenuous\/cable-mountain-trail\/\"><b>Cable Mountain Trail (Zion National Park, Utah)<\/b><\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> Springdale, UT, in Zion National Park, about 35 miles northwest of Kanab, UT<\/li>\n<li><strong>Length:<\/strong> 3 miles<\/li>\n<li><strong>Difficulty Rating:<\/strong> Intermediate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_32870\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32870\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/LesserLoved_2.jpg?resize=1024%2C768\" alt=\"Cable Mountain Trail, Zion National Park, UT\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-32870\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view from Cable Mountain Trail, Zion National Park, UT (Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/zharkikh\/\">andrey_zharkikh<\/a> under <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just about everyone waits in line for Angels Landing at Zion National Park, so peel off from the throngs and check out the park\u2019s Cable Mountain Trail for views of Zion\u2019s most beloved natural features.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gaining about 450 feet in all, the 3-mile round-trip hike passes through juniper and pinyon pine forests before hugging the canyon en route to the end of the trail. There, you\u2019ll enjoy views of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Angels <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Landing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the Great White Throne (a 2,300-foot-tall mountain of white sandstone) and another of Zion\u2019s hidden features, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the Cable Mountain Draw Works<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the oldest structures in Zion National Park, the Cable Mountain Draw Works is an aerial tramway built in the 1920s to move lumber from the mesas of Cable Mountain to the floor of Zion Canyon, some 2,000 feet below. The various tramways moved hundreds of thousands of pounds lumber\u2014not to mention the occasional passenger\u2014between 1901 and 1927.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- BEGIN Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hikinginthesmokys.com\/spruce-flats-falls.htm\"><b>Spruce Flats Falls Trail (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina)<\/b><\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> Townsend, TN, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about 24 miles southwest of Gatlinburg, TN<\/li>\n<li><strong>Length:<\/strong> 0.9 miles<\/li>\n<li><strong>Difficulty Rating:<\/strong>\u00a0Intermediate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_32872\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32872\" class=\"wp-image-32872 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/LesserLoved_3.jpg?resize=1024%2C768\" alt=\"Spruce Flats Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-32872\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spruce Flats Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/leeco\/\">Lee Coursey<\/a> under\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Great Smoky Mountains National Park fields <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/orgs\/1207\/02-28-2018-visitation-certified.htm\">more than 11 million visits each year, more than the second- and third-most popular national parks\u2014Grand Canyon and Zion\u2014<\/a><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">combined<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And although the park\u2019s 384 miles of roadway promise no shortage of natural beauty, we suggest trading the road for a trail and hiking to Spruce Flats Falls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Departing from the trailhead, you\u2019ll follow a service road (on two feet, that is) toward a scenic overlook that straddles the Little Greenbriar Fault Line. You\u2019ll continue the moderate ascent\u2014the trail gains 330 feet in all\u2014before descending toward the falls via an eroded trail that demands caution in all weather conditions. The mile-long hike ends at the foot of the roaring falls\u2014a view you\u2019ll have all to yourself<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- BEGIN Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/shen\/upload\/Jones-Run.pdf\"><b>Jones Run Trail (Shenandoah National Park, Virginia)<\/b><\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> Grottoes, VA, in Shenandoah National Park, about 130 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Length:<\/strong> 2.5 miles<\/li>\n<li><strong>Difficulty Rating:<\/strong> Intermediate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_32873\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32873\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32873\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Lesser-Loved_1.jpg?resize=1024%2C821\" alt=\"Jones Run, Shenandoah National Park\" width=\"1024\" height=\"821\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-32873\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jones Run, Shenandoah National Park (Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mlevisay\/\">Mark Levisay<\/a> under <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shenandoah National Park sees more than one million visits each year. And while one of the park\u2019s main draws is its majestic Skyline Drive\u2014105 miles of which cuts through the park\u2014it\u2019s worth your time to get off the road to explore some of the 516 miles of hiking trails within the park. Specifically, we\u2019d recommend a couple of hours on the Jones Run Trail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 2.5-mile trail actually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">loses <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">about 1,200 feet en route to Jones Run Falls. The forest you pass through was a pasture when Shenandoah National Park was established in 1935 but has since grown into a young, shady forest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You\u2019ll eventually arrive at Jones Run, which falls 42 feet over a nearly vertical cliff. Walk to the base for a closer look at the waterfall and the surrounding rocky bowl. It isn&#8217;t the highest waterfall in Shenandoah\u2014that honor belongs to Overall Run, which falls 93 feet\u2014but the trail to the falls offers a fun, rewarding hike for the whole family. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- BEGIN Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorproject.com\/united-states\/wyoming\/medicine-bow-peak-loop\"><b>Medicine Bow Peak Loop (Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming)<\/b><\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> Centennial, WY, at the West Marie Lake parking area on WY-103, about 45 miles west of Laramie, WY<\/li>\n<li><strong>Length:<\/strong> 7.1 miles<\/li>\n<li><strong>Difficulty Rating:<\/strong> Intermediate\/difficult<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let\u2019s be honest: Most of us associate Wyoming with Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, whose world-famous peaks and geysers are enshrined in countless Instagram feeds. But tucked away in the Cowboy State\u2019s southeastern corner, Medicine Bow Peak Loop promises some of the region\u2019s most sweeping views.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The trail gains 1,600 feet over the course of 7.1 miles, and you\u2019ll feel it almost immediately. You\u2019ll instantly start up a set of steep, rocky switchbacks onto the side of the Snowy Range before flattening out after 1.25 miles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once you\u2019ve arrived at Medicine Bow Peak, you\u2019ll enjoy panoramic views of the Snowy Ridge Peaks and the myriad lakes dotting the basin below. As you descend, you\u2019ll pass through a handful of flower-filled meadows (especially in late June and July) and numerous lakes en route to Mirror Lake. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wherever you wind up, you won\u2019t fight crowds for the best views.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- BEGIN Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"http:\/\/www.craterlakeinstitute.com\/what-to-do\/planning-your-visit\/hiking\/trails-index\/mount-scott-trail\/\"><b>Mount Scott Trail (Crater Lake National Park, Oregon)<\/b><\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong>\u00a0Crater Lake in Crater Lake National Park, about 110 miles southwest of Bend, OR<\/li>\n<li><strong>Length:<\/strong> 4.5 miles<\/li>\n<li><strong>Difficulty Rating:<\/strong> Intermediate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A majority of the people who make up the 700,000 annual visits to Crater Lake see it from the same few viewpoints: Some stay near Crater Lake Lodge, many watch the sunset from Watchman Peak and thousands of others descend to the lake\u2019s surface via the Cleetwood Cove Trail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Those sites are all well and good, but the Mount Scott Trail offers some of the most sweeping views in the 183,000-acre Crater Lake National Park. And best of all, you won\u2019t have to fight crowds for gorgeous vistas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The trail to Mount Scott\u2019s summit gains about 1,200 feet over the course of 2.2 miles and passes through hemlock, pine and fir tree forests as well as wide-open pumice plains along the way. If you visit between mid-July and August, it\u2019s hard not to notice the wildflowers blooming at your feet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once at the summit, you\u2019ll encounter a fire lookout but otherwise unimpeded views of the surrounding Klamath Basin, nearby Cascade peaks and the whole of Crater Lake. This is the tallest point in the park\u2014and one of the few places where you can see the entire lake.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Side note:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Save this one for mid- to late-summer; given its status as the highest point in Crater Lake National Park, it\u2019s one of the last trails to clear of snowfall each year.<\/span><!-- END Hiking Project --><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National parks are wildly popular: In 2017, people traveled outside with nearly 331 million\u00a0visits to national parks, monuments, and historic and cultural sites maintained by the National Park Service. This isn\u2019t a revelation to any hiker who\u2019s spent enough time outdoors to get a sunburn in recent years. Head to the nation\u2019s most popular national [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":32868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387,388],"tags":[707,1540,113,1541,1542,12,1470],"internal-tag":[1678,1684],"class_list":["post-32865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","category-travel","tag-hiking","tag-mountain-west","tag-national-park","tag-pacific-west","tag-south","tag-travel","tag-where-to-go","internal-tag-pre-redirect-hiking","internal-tag-pre-redirect-travel"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/5-hikes-that-offer-solitude-in-iconic-destinations","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"5 Hikes That Offer Solitude in Iconic Destinations","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/5-hikes-that-offer-solitude-in-iconic-destinations","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/5-hikes-that-offer-solitude-in-iconic-destinations"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/LesserKnown_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/LesserKnown_Hero.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jessica Bernhard"}],"creator":["Jessica Bernhard"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["hiking","mountain west","national parks","pacific west","south","travel","where to go"],"dateCreated":"2018-04-26T16:00:08Z","datePublished":"2018-04-26T16:00:08Z","dateModified":"2020-04-28T01:16:37Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"5 Hikes That Offer Solitude in Iconic Destinations\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/5-hikes-that-offer-solitude-in-iconic-destinations\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/5-hikes-that-offer-solitude-in-iconic-destinations\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/LesserKnown_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/LesserKnown_Hero.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000\"},\"articleSection\":\"Hike\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jessica Bernhard\"}],\"creator\":[\"Jessica Bernhard\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"hiking\",\"mountain west\",\"national parks\",\"pacific west\",\"south\",\"travel\",\"where to go\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2018-04-26T16:00:08Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-26T16:00:08Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-04-28T01:16:37Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/LesserKnown_Hero.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32865"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158699,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32865\/revisions\/158699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32865"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=32865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}