52 Hike Challenge for 2017 is complete! This challenge took us all over the U.S. It was an amazing adventure and it’s been fun going back and seeing the amazing hikes we were able to do this past year. When I learned of this challenge, it was an immediate yes! We were going to be hiking anyways, so I thought this would be a fun way to document and keep them together. Plus motivation or inspiration for people who are looking to get into hiking, are avid hikers or bucket list travelers.

Visiting a total of 13 states, 10 national parks, 5 national monuments, and more, here is a recap of our hiking adventure!

States: 13

Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, South Carolina

National Parks: 10

Haleakala National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Big Bend National Park

Arches National Park

Canyonlands National Park

Capitol Reef National Park

Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Congaree National Park

National Monuments: 5

Tent Rocks National Monument

Petroglyph National Monument

Natural Bridges National Monument

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument

National Forests: 5

Chattahoochee National Forest

Sawtooth National Forest

Salmon-Challis National Forest

Deschutes National Forest

Umpqua National Forest

State Parks: 3

Valley of Fire State Park

Lake Ouachita State Park

Tumalo State Park

1 Steelhead Falls Trail – Oregon (Bend)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 300′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

2 Pipiwai Trail – Hawaii (Haleakala National Park)

Miles: 3 +1 (side trail) ♦ Elevation Gain: N/A ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

3 Fire Wave Trail – Nevada (Valley of Fire State Park)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 242′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

4 Brown Mountain Trail – Arizona (Tucson)

Miles: 3.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 767′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Moderate

5 Devil’s Hall Trail – Texas (Guadalupe Mountains National Park)

Miles: 4 ♦ Elevation Gain: 682 ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

6 Grapevine Trail – Texas (Big Bend National Park)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 285′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

7 River Place Nature Trail – Texas (Austin)

Miles: 6 ♦ Elevation Gain: 1100′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Moderate

8 Caddo Bend Trail – Arkansas (Lake Ouachita State Park)

Miles: 4 ♦ Elevation Gain: 626′ ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

9 Honker Trail/Hematite Trail – Kentucky (Land Between The Lakes)

Miles: 4.5 (Honker) & 2 (Hematite) ♦ Elevation Gain: NA ♦ Trail Type: Loop (Honker) & Out and back (Hematite) ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

10 High Shoals Falls Trail – Georgia (Chattahoochee National Forest)

Miles: 2.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 593′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy 

11 Panther Creek Falls Trail – Georgia (Chattahoochee National Forest)

Miles: 7 ♦ Elevation Gain: N/A ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy (moderate at parts)

12 Blood Mountain, Appalachian Trail – Georgia (Chattahoochee National Forest)

Miles: 6 ♦ Elevation Gain: 1758′ ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail Difficulty: Hard (up) & Moderate (down) 

13 Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte – Tennessee (Smoky Mountain National Park)

Miles: 10 ♦ Elevation Gain 2,600′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail Difficulty: Hard 

14 Canyon Trail to Cave Loop – New Mexico (Tent Rocks National Monument)

Miles: 3.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 938′ ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail Difficulty: First part easy, second part moderate/hard 

15 Rinconada Canyon Trail – New Mexico (Petroglyph National Monument)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 0′ ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail Difficulty: Easy

16 Wave Cave Trail – Arizona (Phoenix)

Miles: 3 ♦ Elevation Gain: 958′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail Difficulty: moderate (to hard in the heat)

17 Soldier Pass Trail – Arizona (Sedona)

Miles: 6 ♦ Elevation Gain: 1,200′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail Difficulty: easy to moderate

18 West Fork Trail – Arizona (Sedona)

Miles: 8 ♦ Elevation Gain: 10′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail Difficulty: easy

19 Sipapu Bridge Trail, Kachina Bridge Trail & Owachomo Bridge Trail – Utah (Natural Bridges National Monument)

Miles: 3 (1.4/1.2/.4) ♦ Elevation Gain: 500/400/180 ♦ Trail Type: Out & Back ♦ Trail Difficulty: easy

20 Delicate Arch Trail – Utah (Arches National Park)

Miles: 3 ♦ Elevation Gain: 610 ♦ Trail Type: Out & Back ♦ Trail: Moderate

21 Corona Arch Trail – Utah (Moab)

Miles: 2.5 ♦ Elevation Gain : 547 ♦ Trail Type: Out & Back ♦ Trail: easy to Moderate

22 Chesler Park Loop Trail – Utah (Canyonlands National Park)

Miles: 11 ♦ Elevation Gain: 2,263′ ♦ Trail Type: Lollipop Loop ♦ Trail: moderate to hard

23 Sulphur Creek – Utah (Capitol Reef National Park)

Miles: 6 ♦ Elevation Gain: N/A ♦ Trail Type: One Way ♦ Trail: Easy (couple rock scrambles)

24 Sunset Trail – Utah (Cedar Breaks National Monument)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 10′ ♦  Trail Elevation: 10,300′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy 

25 Kanarra Creek Canyon Trail – Utah (Kanarraville)

Miles: 4 ♦ Elevation Gain: 544′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Moderate

26 The Narrows – Utah (Zion National Park)

Miles: 9 ♦ Elevation Gain: 0 ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy to moderate

27 Zebra Slot Canyon – Utah (Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument)

Miles: 6.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 100 ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy 

28 Willis Creek Trail – Utah (Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument)

Miles: 4.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 10 ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy 

29 Peek-a-Boo & Spooky Canyon – Utah (Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument)

Miles: 2.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 300′ ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail: Moderate (Difficult at spots)

30 Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail – Utah (Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument)

Miles: 6 ♦ Elevation Gain: 882′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and back ♦ Trail: Moderate 

31 Navajo Trail to Sunset Pt. – Utah (Bryce Canyon National Park)

Miles: 2.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 350′ ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail: Easy 

32 Sunrise to Sunset – Utah (Bryce Canyon National Park)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: NA ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy 

33 Chocolate Gulch Trail to North Fork Trail to Fox Creek Trail – Idaho (Sawtooth National Forest, Ketchum)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: NA ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail: Easy 

34 Norton Lake Trail #135 – Idaho (Sawtooth National Forest, Ketchum)

Miles: 5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 1400′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Moderate

35 Goat Lake – Idaho (Sawtooth National Forest, Stanley)

Miles: 8.7 ♦ Elevation Gain: 2,484′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Moderate to Hard

36 Sawtooth Lake (Alpine Lake) – Idaho (Sawtooth National Forest, Stanley)

Miles: 10 ♦ Elevation Gain: 2,000′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Moderate 

37 Alice Lake – Idaho (Sawtooth National Forest, Obsidian)

Miles: 13 ♦ Elevation Gain: 1,600′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Moderate

38 Kane Lake Trail – Idaho (Salmon-Challis National Forest, Sun Valley)

Miles: 7.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 1400′ ♦ Trail Type: Out & Back ♦ Trail: Moderate/Hard 

39 Todd Lake Trail – Oregon (Deschutes National Forest, Bend)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 100′ ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail: Easy

40 Boardwalk Loop Trail – South Carolina (Congaree National Park)

Miles: 2.5 ♦ Elevation Gain: N/A ♦ Trail Type: Lollipop Loop ♦ Trail: Easy

41 Paulina Creek Falls Trail – Oregon (Deschutes National Forest, Bend)

Miles: 1 ♦ Elevation Gain: 100 ♦ Trail Type: N/A ♦ Trail: Easy

42 Tumalo Falls – Oregon (Deschutes National Forest)

Miles: 6 ♦ Elevation Gain: NA ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

43 Hidden Forest Cave – Oregon (Arnold Lava Tube System)

Miles: 1 ♦ Elevation Gain: NA ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

44 Benham Falls – Oregon (Deschutes National Forest)

Miles: 5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 100′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

45 Boyd Cave – Oregon (Deschutes National Forest, Bend)

Miles: 1 ♦ Elevation Gain: N/A ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

46 Shevlin Park – Oregon (Bend)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 100′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

47 Metolius Creek – Oregon (Camp Sherman)

Miles: 5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 50′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

48 Chush Falls Trail – Oregon (Sisters)

Miles: 5 ♦ Elevation Gain: 100′ ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

49 River Trail – Oregon (Tumalo State Park)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: NA ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

50 Umpqua Hot Springs Trail – Oregon (Umpqua National Forest)

Miles: 1 ♦ Elevation Gain: 350 ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

51 Toketee Falls Trail – Oregon (Umpqua National Forest)

Miles: 1 ♦ Elevation Gain: 200 ♦ Trail Type: Out and Back ♦ Trail: Easy

52 Watson Falls Trail – Oregon (Umpqua National Forest)

Miles: 2 ♦ Elevation Gain: 200 ♦ Trail Type: Loop ♦ Trail: Easy

 

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