Calling all wildflower wanderers, leaf peepers, and winter hiking warriors: 2025 is here. And you know what that means? Another year of hiking—in every season. Some backpackers and dayhikers find that planning out their next adventure spot is almost as much fun as going on the adventure itself. No matter if you have your sights set on a long backpacking trail or a dayhike tour there’s a perfect trail (and perfect time of year) to explore.
It’s a time to dream big, manifest memories, and refine your New Year hiking resolutions. To inspire your travels, we’ve rounded up our favorite wilderness areas, tried-and-true national park hikes, and lesser-traveled trails you might not have heard of before. Here are a dozen Backpacker-approved destinations to hike in 2025.
January: Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Swap your winter woes for summer backpacking on the Hump Ridge Track in New Zealand’s iconic Fiordland National Park. The route is the country’s 11th Great Walk, a collection of treks that show off the best of the best of New Zealand’s epic scenery, diverse landscapes, and cultural history. Hikers will navigate the 38-mile, three-day loop through podocarp- and fern-filled forests, all while overlooking the Southern Ocean and Stewart Island. Instead of camping, accommodations take shape in the form of two luxe lodges—the Okaka Lodge, which sits atop the highest point on the track, and the coastal Port Crag Lodge. December is prime time for viewing lupins that bloom in a variety of vibrant purples, pinks, and blues. Plus, you’ll likely have the trail to yourself as it’s yet to catch the attention of the masses. Make note: You need to secure a permit in advance to hike the Hump Ridge Track.
February: Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Most hikers flock to Bryce Canyon National Park for warm-weather hiking in spring, summer, and fall. And there’s good reason why—prickly pear cactuses sprout fuchsia blooms in spring, warm desert nights radiate in summer, and you can soak in the sight of changing foliage sans shivering in fall. Despite its in-season perks, Bryce Canyon also boasts advantages in the off-season like snow-blanketed canyons, cascading frozen waterfalls, and much lighter foot traffic. Piece together several days of winter hiking at popular spots like the short yet stunning Mossy Cave Trail (0.8 miles) to view the frozen falls, or the Fairyland Loop (8 miles), which is as magical as it sounds. Looking for a slightly longer route? Try the Peekaboo Loop (5 miles) that shows off hundreds of the park’s signature hoodoos—thin, towering spires that rise from the desert floor. Be sure to check conditions and pack crampons for hiking the slippery canyons in winter.
March: Point Washington State Forest, Florida
Fend off chilly weather in a hidden gem of northwest Florida. Point Washington State Forest is home to an extensive network of interconnected trails like the Longleaf Pine Trail (8 miles) and Eastern Lake Trail (11 miles) that wind through serene pine flatwoods with rare biodiversity like carnivorous pitcher plants and coastal dune lakes. Fun fact: This state forest is the one of the few places in the world where you can find coastal dune lakes. Keep an eye out for rare species like the American kestrel, gopher tortoise, and the flatwoods salamander. Point Washington State Forest is also one of 500 wildlife viewing areas that make up the 2,000-mile Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (GFBWT), a point-to-point collection of trails and scenic stops across the Sunshine State.
April: Kii Peninsula, Japan
If Kyoto and Osaka are on your bucket list destinations, you’ll also want to trek around the Kii Peninsula while you visit Japan. Take a bullet train south to the foothills of the Kii Mountains to hike the thousand-year-old spiritual Kumano-Kodo Nakahechi Pilgrimage Route (80 miles). The region’s main connector trail links some of Japan’s most sacred shrines, including the notable three Kumano Grand Shrines—Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha. April is prime time to see apple blossoms burst from their winter dormancy. Delicate blooms of white and light pink light up the Kii Peninsula region by mid-April. Don’t miss out on hike up Mount Yoshino via the Mount Yoshino Tour (3 miles) where more than 30,000 blooming apple blossom trees engulf the mountainsides in early April.
May: Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
Trade mud season—that yucky, transitional time between winter and spring when snow, rain, and melt create wet (and muddy) conditions—for drier trails in New Mexico this spring. By mid-May, Santa Fe National Forest’s high-desert flora such as red-flowered hedgehog cactus, white-flowered yucca, and yellow-flowered crimson columbine reach their peak. You’ll spot blooms on Tesuque Creek Trail (3.5 miles), Nambe Lake Trail (6.5 miles), and Aspen Vista Trail (8.2 miles). Keep an eye out for the native boreal owl and the transplant population of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep that call the Pecos Wilderness home. If it’s a particularly snowy winter, head further south to the Lincoln National Forest. Its southern location yields less snow than its northern counterpart. Top trails here include Argentina Canyon Trail (2.5 miles), the longer Big Bonito Trail (4.6 miles), and the even longer Rim Trail (31 miles), which is a popular point-to-point backpacking route.
June: Arc Dome Wilderness Area, Nevada
Head to the heart of Nevada’s Arc Dome Wilderness Area, a 65-mile rugged and remote spine of mountains in the southern Toiyabe Range. Take a multiday journey on the lesser-known, 60-mile Toiyabe Crest National Recreation Trail. The best time to explore the Toiyabe Tail is between May and October, where you’re less likely to encounter snow. Despite its desert trail status, you’ll find plenty of natural springs to refill at along the way. Locals recommend hiking north to south to get the steepest of the trail’s inclines (the brutal 3,000-foot vertical climb from Groves Lake) out of the way. On this climb and many other spots along the route, you’re rewarded with sweeping, 100-mile-long views of the southwest’s illustrious basin and range country.
July: Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana
Tired of dodging and weaving crowded trails in the middle of summer? Try the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex instead—a lesser-hiked and spectacularly remote backpacking spot in northwest Montana. By July, the snow will have melted in the Bob and Montana’s temperate climate and long, sunlight-steeped days make for ideal summer backpacking. This wilderness area is the third-largest in the lower 48 with more than 1.5 million acres of land for hikers to explore. The 72-mile Chinese Wall Trail features some of the most striking rock formations you’ll find beyond Glacier National Park. Simply put: The 1,000-foot-high and 22-mile-long limestone escarpment is unlike any rockwall you’ve ever seen. Backpackers can trek the out-and-back trail in three days or link up with the Continental Divide Trail to extend their trip further north.
August: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
The buttes, bluffs, and pinnacles of the North Dakota badlands make for desirable backpacking come summer. Give hiking the 144-mile Maah Daah Hey Trail through Theodore Roosevelt National Park a go in mid-to-late August—especially if you want to cherish the canyon landscape with more manageable daytime temperatures and before overnights get too chilly. Compared to the desolate, almost alien landscape of South Dakota, the North Dakota badlands are flush with vibrant vegetation: Rocky Mountain juniper woodlands, cottonwoods that thrive in the Little Missouri River basin, and sunflowers, asters, and rabbitbrush that bloom in the late summer months. As for wildlife, watch for wild horses and bison that roam free in the Theodore Roosevelt prairie lands.
September: Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
In 2024 Hurricane Helene caused sweeping devastation in and around Asheville—including in Pisgah National Forest. But hiking in this gem of Appalachia and surround wilderness areas are back in full swing. Pisgah is a dayhiker’s paradise full of short (and long) trails to explore during every season. But September shines as a quieter time to travel here. You’ll have missed the NOBO Appalachian Trail thru-hiker traffic and snuck in before early-season foliage draws crowds. An over 60-mile-long segment of the Appalachian Trail—Spivey Gap to Hotsprings—makes a perfect bite-sized portion of the longer thru-hike that runs through the heart of Pisgah. Or you can opt for a shorter, 30-mile segment—Max Patch to Hotsprings—if you’re newer to backpacking or want time to visit Asheville as a bookend to your travels.
October: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Try leaf-peeping on lesser-traveled trails this fall season. Nestled in a region of Ohio that looks more like Middle-Earth than the middle of the Midwest, Cuyahoga Valley National Park transforms into autumnal paradise by mid-October. Thick forests of sugar, red, and silver maples shift to shades of yellow, red, and orange. It’s also an ideal time of year to avoid ticks and mosquitoes known to plague this region between April and September. Popular trails like Ledges Trail (2.2 miles), Blue Hen Falls Trail (3 miles), and a stunning segment of the 1,447-mile Buckeye Trail (6.7 miles) show off the glacial-carved gorges, roaring waterfalls, and striated sandstone cliffs that make up the best of Ohio’s natural world.
November: Rouge National Urban Park, Toronto
Want to get in some urban hiking mileage in 2025? Head to the Rouge National Urban Park on the eastern edge of Toronto. This 19,500-acre urban wilderness area hardly resembles a city park. Yet it’s one of the largest urban parks in North America. Get lost on longer dayhikes on the Northeast Trail (6.6 miles) and Central Trail (6.5 miles), or opt for the Orchard Trail (1.2 mile), a rugged apple treelined path through a remnant orchard. For the best aerial vantage point of the fall foliage, hike the Vista Trail (1 mile) and the Mast Trail (1.5 miles). These are characterized by temperate deciduous forest species such as tulip trees, oaks, and hickories.
December: Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
While wet and gloomy weather looms over Ireland in winter, you’ll savor the solitude at some of the country’s most popular spots—including Giant’s Causeway—in the off-season. Located on the seacoast of Northern Ireland, this UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of seven natural wonders of the United Kingdom is otherworldly. Hexagonal basalt columns shaped by cooling lava that erupted over 60 million years ago shape the dramatic coastline.
You can walk on the rocky basalt shoreline that resembles natural staircases on the sea’s edge or stand at the base of some columns that rise 330 feet up towering cliff walls. Choose your own journey along five-plus miles of well-marked trails that range from scenic clifftop walks to accessible shoreline strolls. Backpackers can opt for the longer Causeway Coast Way that connects 32 miles of coastline between Ballycastle and Portstewart, which passes Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and Bushmills Distillery.
