The Benefits of the 52 Hike Challenge
I can’t say enough about the 52 Hike Challenge! The challenge is a life-changing experience that I wish everyone could enjoy. Hiking renews the mind in ways that words can’t describe. Nature is very healing and restorative. We started the challenge in June of 2022 and finished 51 weeks later. We chose the Explorer Series because we love to travel and explore new places. Each hike was a new trail for us. We hiked in 6 states: NC, SC, WV, FL, GA, and CO. At 60 and 62 years old we don’t want to stop or slow down. The 52 Hike Challenge keeps us motivated! We finished the challenge and then signed up for another one – more on that later!
Our Top 5 Trails
We enjoyed all 52 trails so picking our top 5 was not easy. We used the following criteria: scenery, uniqueness, and “opportunity” for distance and/or elevation gain. We didn’t necessarily max out each distance or elevation gain for every hike but the opportunity is there to do more and push ourselves further in future hikes. Your criteria may be completely different so consider this a subjective rating 🙂!
Hanging Rock Loop, Hanging Rock State Park, NC
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Hanging Rock is easily one of the top state parks in NC. According to AllTrails, it ranks #2 for best NC State Parks. We agree! We experienced beautiful views of the Piedmont plateau from the cliffs and massive rock formations. We could see Pilot Mountain in the far distance. Hanging Rock has over 20 miles of trails. We chose the Hanging Rock – Wolf Rock – Cook’s Wall Loop for a hike of 6+ miles with an elevation gain of 1000+.
Bald Knob Trail, Canaan Valley Resort State Park, WV
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Canaan Valley Resort State Park is a hiker’s paradise. Miles and miles of connecting trails exist in this Allegheny Mountain park. We barely scratched the surface on our visit but will most definitely return. We hiked the Bald Knob Trail with our friends from Charleston, WV. The trail is a moderate climb but you could add many more miles and elevation gain with the connecting trails on the mountain. From the top, we found expansive views overlooking the valley.
Boneyard Beach, Hunting Island State Park, SC
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Boneyard Beach makes our list of top hikes for its incredible scenery and uniqueness. Located in South Carolina’s most popular state park, Hunting Island State Park, the “boneyard” is a site to see. We found pristine beaches, marshland, and maritime forest on our 8+ mile hike. Boneyard Beach is a section of beach along the larger 5-mile stretch of beach. It’s worth noting that a few years back the state did a renourishing project at Boneyard so we can’t speak to how it looked before the project. However, there are still plenty of fallen palmetto and pine trees to explore if you venture to the south end of the island.
Mount Mitchell Loop, Mount Mitchell State Park, NC
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Hands down the most difficult trail we completed on the challenge! This one is not for the casual hiker. The trail has every technical difficulty – rock scrambling, ropes, steep elevation changes, and distance (7+ miles). We did this one with our son, Spencer, who added moral support when we needed it!
We really wanted to complete this hike because Mount Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet. The park is situated at the top of the mountain making the peak very accessible to everyone (a big plus!). However, that adds another element of difficulty to the hike – it is more of a canyon hike down and up. Nonetheless, it’s worth it.
South Zapata Lake Trail, Mosca CO
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For our final hike, we chose the South Zapata Lake Trail at Zapata Falls Recreation Area in Colorado. Located a few short miles from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and overlooking the absolutely gorgeous San Luis Valley, this hike did not disappoint. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are ever present in the background of this recreation area and include the 14ers of Blanca, Crestone, and Culebra. We experienced incredible views, a bighorn sheep sighting, rock scrambles, and creek crossings.
Truth be told, we wish we could’ve ended the challenge on one of these 14ers. However, elevation sickness kicked in at about 11,000 feet so it wasn’t meant to be this time. No worries – it gives us a good reason to return and complete the quest!
52 Hike Challenge National Park Series
Did I mention that I can’t say enough about the challenge? We will always cherish the memories of all 52 hikes and the goals that we achieved. What’s next? We signed up for another challenge – The 52 Hike Challenge National Park Series! The goal of this series is to hike 52 nationally designated parks/areas in your lifetime. I think we will do that…Hike on!
See the post: Why We Hike