Here are the best US states for hiking
Travel experts at Why This Place gave each of the 50 states a Hiking Index Score, based on five factors.
What to know before you hit the hiking trails
Wesley Trimble from the American Hiking Society joins FOX Weather to talk about everything you need to know before you hit the hiking trails this summer.
Nature lovers and adventurers can plan their next hiking trip in one of the top 10 states for hiking.
Travel experts at Why This Place gave each of the 50 states a Hiking Index Score based on five factors: the number of hiking trails and waterfalls relative to state area, the percentage of each state covered by national and state parks and the average yearly temperature and rainfall.
Here are the top 10 states on the list. While the states are located in multiple regions of the country, they are largely located along the coasts, and half of them are located in the Northeast.
1. Connecticut
Connecticut tops the list with a Hiking Index Score of 73.98 out of 100. Its high score is partially due to the Constitution State having many hiking trails in relation to its size – 1,455 hiking trails per 1,000 square miles, specifically.
The state also has 8.49 percent of its total area covered by state and national parks, the third-most of all states. Plus, it has the fifth-highest number of waterfalls relative to its size, with 30 waterfalls per 1,000 square miles.
The average yearly rainfall is about 49 inches, with an average temperature of 49.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Two children gaze up at a waterfall at Kent Falls State Park in Connecticut. (Dukas / Universal Images Group / FOX Weather)
2. Massachusetts
Coming in second is Massachusetts, with a score of 72.31 out of 100. It was the only state to beat out Connecticut for having the largest number of hiking trails in relation to its size, with 2,221 hiking trails per 1,000 square miles.
Waterfalls numbered 14 per 1,000 square miles, and 5.01 percent of the state’s total area is covered by state and national parks.
The average annual rainfall and average temperature are similar to those of its neighbor Connecticut, with 49 inches of yearly rain and 48.75 degrees.
A couple takes a selfie on the boardwalk beside the Charles River at the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick, MA on Oct. 1, 2020. (Lane Turner / The Boston Globe / Getty Images)
3. Hawaii
Hawaii is nipping at the heels of Massachusetts with a Hiking Index Score of 72.09. It has the highest number of waterfalls relative to its size, with 85 waterfalls per 1,000 square miles.
While it only has 62 hiking trails, the Aloha State has the second-highest percentage of the total area covered by state and national parks at 9.46 percent.
The average yearly rainfall is 43 inches, and the average temperature is the highest of all 50 states at 73.5 degrees.
Visitors stand atop Rainbow Falls on December 14, 2016, near Hilo, Hawaii. Hawaii. (George Rose / Getty Images)
4. California
California scored 69.49 on the list, with 107 hiking trails and seven waterfalls per 1,000 square miles.
The Golden State comes in fourth in the top 10 list for the total state area covered by state and national parks with 7.63 percent.
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The average yearly rainfall is the third-lowest on the top 10 list, with 22.3 inches. The average temperature is 59 degrees.
Hikers walk through the superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument on April 22, 2023. (George Rose / Getty Images)
5. New Jersey
New Jersey’s Hiking Index Score matches that of California at 69.49 out of 100. The state ranks fourth in the entire country for the highest number of hiking trails per 1,000 square miles with 650 hiking trails per 1,000 square miles.
The state has nine waterfalls per 1,000 square miles, and about 8.14 percent of the total area is covered by state and national parks.
The average yearly rainfall in New Jersey is similar to that of its Northeast counterparts on the list, with 48 inches of rain falling annually. The average temperature is 53.6 degrees.
A little girl runs down a path in the woods on October 18 in Mahwah, New Jersey. (Michael Bocchieri / Getty Images)
6. Arizona
Arizona has a Hiking Index Score of 64.25. It has 52 hiking trails and one waterfall per 1,000 square miles. About 2.17 percent of its total area is covered by state and national parks.
The average annual rainfall amount in Arizona is the lowest on the top 10 list and the second-lowest of all 50 states, with only 11.6 inches of precipitation. The average temperature, however, is the highest on the list at 61.06 degrees.
Tourists stand on a canyon rim at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona during the spring of 2023. (Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
7. Washington
With a score of 62.45, Washington has 140 hiking trails per 1,000 square miles, and about 4.18 percent of its total area is covered by state and national parks.
It has 47 waterfalls per 1,000 square miles, the second-highest number of waterfalls of all 50 states.
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The average annual rainfall amount and average temperature in Washington is similar to those of the Northeast states, with about 48 inches of rainfall and 47.3-degree temperatures on average.
Hikers coming up from the beach at Fort Townsend Historical State Park near Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Washington on October 9, 2022. (Wolfgang Kaehler / LightRocket / Getty Images)
8. New Hampshire
New Hampshire has a score of 61.55 out of 100, and it offers 482 hiking trails per 1,000 square miles. It also offers 40 waterfalls per 1,000 square miles, the third-highest number on the top 10 list.
New Hampshire has an annual rainfall amount of 48 inches and average annual temperatures of 44 degrees.
Waterfall at the Basin in Franconia State Park. (John Greim / LightRocket / Getty Images)
9. Utah
The Beehive State has a Hiking Index Score of 61.22 out of 100, with 87 hiking trails and about one waterfall per 1,000 square miles. About 1.86 percent of its area is covered by state and national parks.
Utah has the second-lowest average rainfall amount on the top 10 list and the third-lowest of all 50 states, with only 13.5 inches of rain falling each year. It boasts an average temperature of 44 degrees.
Hikers take pictures at the entrance of the famous Narrows hike in Zion National Park. (George Frey / Getty Images)
10. Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a Hiking Index Score of 60.65. The smallest state in the nation has the third-highest number of hiking trails relative to its size, with 1,131 hiking trails per 1,000 square miles.
It also has about two waterfalls per 1,000 square miles, and one percent of the state is covered by state and national parks.
The Ocean State has an average annual rainfall of 49 inches and an average temperature of 50.65 inches.
A jogger passes Olney Pond inside Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln, RI on Oct. 14, 2020. (Lane Turner / The Boston Globe / Getty Images)
To see how the other U.S. states ranked, check out the table here.