Top 5: Long-Distance Hiking Trails in the Western United States

Thanks to movies and books like A Walk in the Woods and Wild, long-distance hiking is romanticized in the United States. Plenty of people daydream about through-hiking an epic trail, spending months backpacking through pristine wilderness areas and leaving modern life behind.

There are plenty of options out there ranging from 1,000-mile hikes that will take months to complete to shorter options that may take only a week or so.

Here are the top 5 most beautiful long-distance trails in the western United States,

A photo posted by Stuke Sowle (@mountainsowle) on Oct 27, 2016 at 6:19am PDT

The Wonderland Trail

If the name is any indication, this trail is a bucket list must. It circles Mount Rainier, in Washington State, showing off glaciers and wildflower-studded valleys.

A photo posted by Explore More Nature (@exploremorenature) on Oct 26, 2016 at 5:47pm PDT

The John Muir Trail

This 215-miler goes through Yosemite National Park, the Ansel Adams Wilderness, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks and ends at the highest peak in the Lower 48, Mount Whitney.

A photo posted by SARAH CARTER (@sarah_daydreams) on Oct 28, 2016 at 9:50am PDT

The Pacific Crest Trail

Depicted in Wild, this runs between Canada and Mexico along the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges.

A photo posted by Panorama (@ewollborg) on Oct 1, 2016 at 8:37am PDT

The Pacific Northwest Trail

The trail traverses 1,200 miles from the Continental Divide in Montana through Idaho and to the Pacific coast of Washington.

A photo posted by @dora_la_explorer on Oct 26, 2016 at 8:59pm PDT

Continental Divide Trail

The trail goes 3,100 miles along the continental divide of the Rocky Mountains.