Ah, the holidays. Travel, family and over the top meals. Every year I try to tell myself I’ll stick to just one plate of food at Thanksgiving dinner. Two rounds of gravy-smothered mashed potatoes later and the next thing I know I’m waking up from a turkey coma on the couch. Despite my inability to learn from past mistakes when it comes to giant meals, I usually make up for the holiday feast by getting outside and going for a hike in one of my favorite destinations.
- Here’s some ground rules for what I’m looking for in a post holiday meal hike: It needs to be easily accessible—I’m not looking to trek into the backcountry just to burn a few calories.
- It shouldn’t be more than 5 miles—see the above rule. Extra points if it’s a loop trail.
- It’s got to be in a place that is nice enough I can persuade some friends and family to come along.
And that’s it. Luckily, it’s my job to find the best things to do and see when it comes to enjoying amazing travel destinations. Here’s some of my top picks for short hikes in some of my favorite spots. If you’re visiting or nearby to any of these locations, consider checking them out to make the most of your holiday.
Laurel Falls Trail — Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Laurel Falls is considered one of the must do hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is one of the most popular. It’s a very pretty waterfall that’s seemingly been created and positioned for the manufacturing of selfies. Getting a parking spot is your biggest challenge—even in these cooler months. The trail is 1.3 miles, and it’s paved the entire way. The first 2/3 is a perfect constant gradual incline that is sufficient to get you breathing harder, but not so steep that you won’t be able to talk as you’re walking. We’ve seen people pushing baby strollers on this trail. The last third of the trail is flatter. Overall, a great hiking option to do with your loved ones when you’re all recovering from too much sweet potato pie.
Badlands Loop — Death Valley National Park
Badlands is an out-and-back, 2.5-mile loop that descends then ascends 400 feet, starting at Zabriskie Point off Highway 190 between the park entrance and Furnace Creek. The trail right away starts rewarding you with rock formations of layered sedimentary rocks at a 45 degree angle. After 0.5 miles you come to an intersection. You have several choices, but you’ll want to go to the right toward the Golden Canyon trailhead. After you go up and over that hill, you’ll be treated to an expense of exquisite hills that you’ll never forget. Yes, they’re called Badlands, and they look utterly badass. You end up bout a mile from the Zabriskie Point Lookout that all the other people parked in the parking lot came to see. They looked out and marveled at the Badlands below them. But you get to see the Badlands close up.
Rainbow Vista Trail — Valley of Fire State Park (Outside Las Vegas)
Up the road from the Valley of Fire visitor’s center is a handful of hikes surrounding the Fire Canyon area. Rainbow Vista Trail is one of them. With a fairly straightforward path into the canyon, this trail is good for those who want to do a quick hike and catch a glimpse of how truly massive Fire Canyon is. It’s not strenuous, and there are quite a few photo-op spots (big rocks that are easily climbable) throughout. The real gem on this hike is the view at the end of it that opens up into Fire Canyon. There is a sign marking the end of the trail, just in case you don’t think a giant opening into an even bigger canyon—with a drop-off that could equal death—signals the end of a trail.
Manoa Falls Trail — O‘ahu
This is generally considered the second most popular hike on the island (after Diamond Head), but we haven’t seen nearly as many people on it as its reputation suggests. It’s popular for good reason. The trail is close to Honolulu, but the isolated jungle valley is a world away from the city noise. The surrounding forest is staggeringly beautiful. It’s only a mile each way (though you gain 800 feet in the process), and it rewards you with a very pretty 160-foot-high waterfall. Right from the get-go, it’s obvious that this is an impossibly lush area. Giant trees with luxuriant clinging vines and every shade of green you could want along with a soundtrack of tropical birds create an Eden-like atmosphere. Once at the falls, there’s a bench to sit on and listen to the hissing water. All in all, a very rewarding hike for relatively little effort.
Kapalua Coastal Trail — Maui
This is an easy hike and although it’s less than 2 miles from end to end, you can get 3-plus miles of hiking out of it (plus the return) if you explore all the short trail offshoots. The trailhead starts at D.T. Fleming Beach Park near the Ritz-Carlton. (The other end is at Kapalua Beach, but it’s tough to park there.) The trail meanders along the shoreline to Hawea Point which contains some absolutely beautiful tide-pools with clean, clear water. You’ll have to boulder-scramble down to them if you want a closer look, but stay away from the pools if the ocean is raging or threatening. Winter can bring particularly big waves and big dangers. There are lots of cool things along the trail, and it’s an old public access, so you’re allowed to poke around. If you don’t venture off the trail, the biggest hazard is stubbing your toes on the lava rocks (good thing you chose to hike in closed-toed shoes).
If you’re traveling for the holidays, we’ve got the best guides around to help you make the most of your time. We cover way more than hiking—restaurants (if you’re tired of turkey leftovers), sights, history and most everything you’d want to know about a destination. We live the experiences and tell you the spots to avoid as well as what’s worth your valuable time. Our believable guides will bring you unbelievable vacations. And you just might burn off that holiday meal in the process.
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