Johns Lake Loop starts as a pleasant trail through a mossy forest leading to a small lake, but this Glacier National Park hike has a lot more to offer. The trail follows a cascading creek past McDonald Falls, getting an eyeful of the water that feeds the expansive Lake McDonald. This varied 2-mile loop has just 225 feet of elevation gain, making it one of the easiest hikes on the west side of Glacier National Park. ...Read more.

Devils Tower National Monument was the first national monument established in the United States. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the extraordinary tower in the northeast corner of Wyoming and created the 1,347-acre Devils Tower National Monument to ensure that the rock formation was preserved. Devils Tower rises 867 feet above the surrounding pine forest and has a one-mile circumference. ...Read more.

Beneath the natural fortress known as Badlands Wall, Cliff Shelf Nature Trail presents easy access to South Dakota's badlands and has views across the Great Plains. This pleasant half-mile lollipop loop passes through a juniper forest elevated along the Badlands Wall, a 100-mile long ridge spanning across the park. The start of the loop is wheelchair friendly, but steps lead to the highest viewing platform on this wide trail. ...Read more.

This trek travels up a badlands canyon to an overlook with massive views over the Great Plains. The hike is 1.33 miles round trip with 125 feet of elevation gain. This hike does not have a boardwalk to follow, just a dirt trail and a steep wooden ladder. Notch Trail also traces a cliff's edge so it is not a good option for hikers with a fear of heights. ...Read more.

The door on this trail is an opening in Badlands Wall that introduces hikers to a rugged world. While nearby Window Trail allows visitors to look over the wall, Door Trail lets you walk through it. A short boardwalk takes hikers through a natural passageway to a viewing platform on the other side. Beyond that, follow a level path across the formidable landscape to overlooks with views into steep eroded canyons. ...Read more.

You don't need glass to have a window. All you need is a large opening like the one found in Badlands Wall at the end of this short trail in Badlands National Park. Window Trail is a quarter mile round trip with just ten feet of elevation gain - an easy hike that is suitable for all. The start of Window Trail Three hikes begin from this trailhead, Window Trail, Door Trail, and Notch Trail. ...Read more.

Dune Succession Trail in the West Beach area of Indiana Dunes National Park offers a mile-long look at the stages of dune development, starting with a beach on the shore of Lake Michigan and ending with a boardwalk through a forest that has risen from the sand. The loop has 100 feet of elevation change, covered by 250 boardwalk steps. In addition to the ecology lesson, the self-guided nature trail delivers great lake views. ...Read more.

Indiana Dunes National Park protects 15,000 acres of lakefront, dunes, bogs, and marshes on the edge of Lake Michigan in northeastern Indiana. Dunewood Campground is the principal campground in the park with 78 sites (53 drive-up sites and 25-walk-in sites). The first-come first-serve campground is open seasonally from April to October. A drive-up site at Dunewood Campground Sites are $18 per night (price as of 2018), and amenities include flush toilets, showers, potable water, picnic tables, and fire rings. ...Read more.

Inferno Cone Trail is a short but steep path up the cinder cone at the center of the scenic loop drive in Crater of the Moon National Monument. This 6,181-foot summit provides a panoramic view of the surrounding volcanic landscape. Inferno Cone Trail is just half a mile round trip with 160 feet of elevation gain. The killer overview of Craters of the Moon is well worth the effort. ...Read more.

One of the coolest things to do anywhere there are lava flows is hike through lava tubes. This makes Caves Trail the most exciting hike in Craters of the Moon National Monument. The 1.6-mile hike visits four lava tubes, that each provide a unique experience. A sign at the trailhead explains: The Craters of the Moon landscape is more than just surface volcanic features. ...Read more.