A hiker surveys his domain
Photo © Eyewire

To mark this year's National Trails Day (Saturday, June 5), GORP has teamed up with Menasha Ridge Press and four of the hiking experts who've contributed to Menasha's 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles series of guidebooks. We asked them to cherry-pick their favorite hikes in the metropolitan regions they've covered, including Portland, San Antonio and Austin, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

TRAILS GALORE Menasha Ridge Press' 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles guidebooks currently cover 11 U.S. destinations. Click below to find a stash of hikes in your neck of the woods: Birmingham (Alabama) Cleveland (Ohio) Nashville (Tennessee) Portland (Oregon) Raleigh (North Carolina) St. Louis (Missouri) San Antonio & Austin (Texas) San Francisco (California) Tampa (Florida) Twin Cities (Minnesota) Washington, D.C.

National Trails Day was first cooked up during the Reagan era when a report recommended that all Americans be within 15 minutes of some sort of trail, be it an urban walkway, lakeside path, or mountain track deep into the wilderness. The official day itself came to life in 1993 under the leadership of the American Hiking Society and a number of other public and private sponsors.

Today, it's estimated that over one million participants mark National Trails Day in thousands of events across the country. Regardless of whether you'll be joining them this year, there's nothing beats time on the trail, be it an afternoon stroll, a fast-'n'-light yomp, or two weeks in the backcountry. So join our experts as they showcase 12 of the best day hikes in four corners of this trail-laced land.

Move on to Portland Day Hikes
Move on to San Francisco Day Hikes
Move on to San Antonio/Austin Day Hikes
Move on to Washington, D.C., Day Hikes

RELATED GORP LINKS
U.S. Hiking Guide
National Scenic Trails
GORP National Parks