15 Expert-Only Hiking Trails From Utah To New Hampshire

These trails don’t forgive mistakes. Exposure, steep climbs, and unpredictable weather make them a challenge only seasoned hikers should attempt.

Elevation gain, route-finding, and technical scrambles mean preparation is as vital as endurance. Every route here carries risk, but also beauty beyond measure. For those ready to test their limits, these are the places where wilderness reveals its rawest face.

Here are fifteen trails that define true adventure.

1. Angels Landing — Zion National Park, Utah

Perched high above the Virgin River, this trail is famous for its narrow sandstone spine anchored with steel chains. Every step requires focus as canyon winds sweep across ledges carved from fiery red rock. From the summit, a panoramic view unfolds over sculpted cliffs and valleys shaped by millions of years.

Crowds and heat make the journey more demanding, with permits required to regulate the constant flow of visitors. Summer storms add to the danger, but those who complete the climb find themselves looking out over one of the Southwest’s most breathtaking vistas.

2. The Subway (Top-Down Route) — Zion National Park, Utah

Slot canyons twist into tunnels of stone, where light refracts through water to paint walls in shifting shades of green and gold. Pools demand swims, while slick boulders and rappels turn this into an adventure more than a simple hike.

Flash floods threaten at any sign of rain, and permits are required to protect fragile canyon ecosystems. Completing the route feels like stepping through nature’s own art gallery, carved and polished by flowing water over centuries.

3. Lone Peak Via Jacob’s Ladder — Wasatch Range, Utah

Dense pines cloak the first stretch, hiding the granite massif until hikers break through into alpine meadows. Beyond, steep slabs and boulders create a final gauntlet of scrambling that demands agility and balance. The summit offers expansive views of Salt Lake Valley below.

Sudden storms roll across the Wasatch Range, often forcing climbers to retreat before reaching the top. For those who endure, the reward is a rare perspective of Utah’s rugged peaks, seemingly endless in every direction.

4. Longs Peak Via Keyhole Route — Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

This 14,259-foot giant begins with steady switchbacks before shifting into ledges, gullies, and exposed slabs past the Keyhole. High-altitude thin air slows every step as climbers negotiate the final stretch toward the summit.

Lightning and hail arrive without warning, often before dawn climbers can return below treeline. Those who summit stand at the heart of the Rockies, looking across a jagged skyline carved by glaciers and time.

5. Capitol Peak Via Northeast Ridge (Knife Edge) — Elk Mountains, Colorado

The Knife Edge is a legendary test, forcing hikers to straddle a spine of rock with drops plunging thousands of feet. Balance, confidence, and calm are the only safe companions across its narrow surface.

Weather in the Elk Mountains can change quickly, adding risk to every exposed move. Making it to the summit rewards climbers with one of Colorado’s most dramatic and feared routes, forever etched into memory.

6. Cactus To Clouds (Skyline To San Jacinto) — California

Starting in Palm Springs at desert floor, the trail climbs over 10,000 feet in a single exhausting push. Heat dominates the lower canyon, where switchbacks rise endlessly toward the forested shoulders of San Jacinto Peak.

Permits and water planning are critical, as no reliable sources exist on the first stretch. Reaching the summit after such a vertical journey feels like stepping from one world into another, desert to alpine.

7. The Enchantments Through-Hike Via Aasgard Pass — Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington

Granite peaks rise above turquoise lakes scattered like jewels in the high Cascades. Larches turn golden in autumn, framing ridges dusted with early snow. The climb up Aasgard Pass tests endurance with steep, loose scree.

Permits are notoriously difficult to obtain, but they help preserve the fragile alpine ecosystem. Completing the traverse feels like entering a mythical landscape where every turn offers a new postcard view.

8. Borah Peak Via Chicken-Out Ridge — Lost River Range, Idaho

The highest mountain in Idaho forces climbers across the exposed crest of Chicken-Out Ridge. Snowfields, loose rock, and sharp drops push many to retreat. The path tests courage more than technical skill.

Weather turns quickly in this remote range, creating conditions that feel more alpine than desert. Those who persist find themselves on Idaho’s rooftop, gazing across valleys that stretch toward endless wilderness.

9. Granite Peak Via Froze-To-Death Plateau — Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness, Montana

The approach crosses the forbidding Froze-to-Death Plateau, a wind-blasted expanse of boulders that lives up to its name. Navigation skills matter as much as stamina.

Snowfields often linger into late summer, and storms sweep across with ferocity. Success rewards climbers with Montana’s tallest peak, where silence and scale redefine solitude.

10. Katahdin Knife Edge — Baxter State Park, Maine

Jagged ridges connect rocky towers like a natural bridge suspended above forests and lakes. Crossing requires calm nerves as wind rushes across the granite.

Permits limit visitors, ensuring safety and preservation of Baxter’s wilderness ethos. Completing the Knife Edge crowns Katahdin’s summit, offering a dramatic conclusion to the Appalachian Trail.

11. Mahoosuc Notch And Mahoosuc Arm — Appalachian Trail, Maine

The Notch is infamous as the hardest mile of the Appalachian Trail, demanding crawls under and over massive boulders. Cold air seeps from cracks year-round.

Climbers then face the brutal ascent of Mahoosuc Arm, a steep wall of forested rock. Together, these sections test every ounce of stamina and creativity.

12. Great Range Traverse — High Peaks Wilderness, Adirondacks, New York

This route strings together multiple summits, each requiring steep ascents and descents that wear down even strong legs. Views of the Adirondacks unfold endlessly from every peak.

The full traverse can exceed 20 miles, with over 10,000 feet of gain. For many, it defines the toughest single-day challenge in the Northeast.

13. Devil’s Path — Catskill Park, New York

Considered one of the most brutal day hikes in the East, the route climbs and drops across six major peaks. Roots, rocks, and steep ledges dominate the journey.

Despite the name, the path rewards persistence with sweeping views of rolling forested ridges. Hikers finish exhausted yet proud, having endured one of New York’s fiercest trails.

14. Huntington Ravine Trail — Mount Washington, New Hampshire

Steep granite slabs lead straight up the ravine wall, with sections closer to climbing than walking. Falling is not an option.

Weather on Mount Washington is notoriously violent, combining wind, rain, and cold even in summer. Successful climbs offer a front-row seat to New England’s wildest mountain.

15. Presidential Traverse — White Mountains, New Hampshire

Covering multiple 4,000-footers in one push, this traverse demands strength, planning, and an early start. Rocky alpine terrain stretches across the exposed ridge line.

Unpredictable weather has humbled even experienced hikers on this route. Completing the traverse leaves hikers with unmatched pride and a memory etched in granite skies.