You’re likely to get wet as you hike this trail from Yosemite Valley to Vernal Falls and then the even higher Nevada Falls. It’s also a way to reach the Cables Route on Half Dome, though you need a permit for that.
If you want to hike to Cathedral Lake, that’s fine. However, if you have a good map and some scrambling skills, you can head up slabs past the lake to an alpine plateau.
This one’s a little different than the rest on this list because it goes through the John Muir Wilderness and, after about 7 miles, reaches Bishop Pass on the border of Kings Canyon National Park.
Over 7 one-way miles, you’ll climb almost 3000’. The math disguises that some stretches are painfully steep. Telescope Peak is the highest point in Death Valley National Park.
Eventually, you end up at Upper Grinnell Lake, where the Grinnell Glacier calves icebergs into the icy, silty waters in the summer.
After a steep climb at the start, the rest is pretty mellow, and you’ll enjoy wildflowers and views of mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls the rest of the way.
A rugged ridge of peaks separates Cascade Canyon and Paintbrush Canyon, and you can go up one and down the other via Paintbrush Divide.
Heading up Glacier Gorge takes you through some of this park’s best scenery. Ultimately, you end up at a windswept tarn called Sky Pond.