10 Amazing Places to Walk In North America

Walking tours are a vacation option that allow you to experience the world differently-immersed in the sights, sounds and even the scents of a destination while you explore on foot. For the past 40 years, Country Walkers has been crafting walking adventures around the world, both guided and unguided. The company recently shared with TravelPulse the top, off-the-beaten-track options in North America, places where it's still possible to enjoy a stunning vista entirely on your own.

While many view San Francisco as over-crowded and teeming with traffic, travelers on this unique self-guided tour get an immersive experience of the intimate side of the city, experiencing eclectic, artsy neighborhoods and stellar cuisine before walking across the Golden Gate Bridge to take in the natural beauty of Marin County, the haunting redwood hush of Muir Woods and the coastal views of Point Reyes. Seaside boutique hotels, charming English-style inns and mountaintop lodges, all serving up fresh and enticing California fare, round out the experience.

Charleston and Hilton Head may be popular destinations but walking these often-overlooked southern stops allows guests to be fully immersed in the region's history, including robber-baron estates and civil war ruins plus the magnificent natural beauty and scenic walking trails of the barrier islands. Stroll under stately trees dripping with Spanish moss, on pristine beaches and in coastal forests, and stay on private Little St. Simons Island to explore its 11,000 acres of protected wilderness and bird sanctuaries by foot, kayak, boat and bicycle.

As thousands pilgrimage to Yellowstone, Zion and the Grand Canyon, Olympic National Park -the largest temperate rainforest on the planet - remains relatively unknown. A landscape of monumental trees clad in green epiphytes alongside wild rivers, Olympic National Park is incredibly lush, with cathedral groves of Sitka spruces sheltering herds of Roosevelt elk, subalpine meadows, soaring eagles and mossy river banks concealing merganser nests and river otters. And don't miss the breaching whales and basking seals found on Kalaloch Beach.

This fall, skip Maine and head to Vermont instead to avoid the leaf peeping crowds with Country Walkers. There, an ecstasy of color turns the state into an artist's vision of brilliant reds, deep burgundies, glowing oranges, and sunny yellows. Travelers walk the rural landscape of working farms, rolling hills, old-growth forests and picture-perfect villages and up the ridgeline of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, to an amazing view encompassing three states and Canada.

Take an intimate, immersive "walk in the woods" in the coastal wilderness of Vancouver Island, through dramatic western shores and vast swaths of sylvan forests rising from wide beaches alongside rocky headlands lashed by ocean surf. The journey begins in Vancouver and concludes in the culture-rich British Columbia capital of Victoria. Travelers witness the legacies of First Nations people by tracing pastoral footpaths through the old-growth forests of Pacific Rim National Park and explore remote coastal inlets by Zodiac boat in search of black bears.

Explore Utah's two most famous national parks away from the crowds, taking in Bryce's pink-limestone hoodoos and swooping natural arches and Zion's sandstone slot canyons and lush hanging gardens. In Bryce, travelers encounter staggering views of the Aquarius Plateau and Navajo Mountain, and traverse through stands of bristlecone pine. Zion's soaring 2,000-foot cliffs, meanwhile, offer a rich palette of red earth and wind-polished stone accented by the green of ponderosa pines that offer shaded walks.

In Maine, quiet trails lead to serene ponds fringed with blueberry bushes, while lobster boats chug to tiny islands, and rocky coastline gives way to glorious balsam forest. One of the best walking destinations in New England, Acadia offers 100 miles of historic trails and carriage roads where travelers encounter herons stalking fish in limpid ponds, historic lighthouses and miniature tide-pools along rugged coast. And don't miss the views atop Cadillac Mountain, a weathered peak of pink granite dotted with cinquefoil.

Sculpted over millennia by the largest tidal surge in the world, the Bay of Fundy presents remarkable seascapes of gouged caves, soaring cliffs, sea stacks, and expansive tidal flats. On trails through spruce-fir forest, vast marshes, and quaint seaside villages, travelers discover the essence of New Brunswick's unique charm: a delightful mix of Acadian roots, maritime culture, natural beauty, and vibrant Scottish traditions.

In Glacier, travelers step into a world of imposing, snow-graced peaks, massive glaciers, whispering cedar forests, and icy waterfalls tumbling into broad green valleys. The perfect place to spot mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, eagles, and even mighty grizzly bears foraging through secluded valleys, Glacier is a pristine ecosystem in the heart of North America - the "Crown of the Continent"-the meeting point of headwaters for the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay.

Quebec mixes the rugged pines and plunging fjords of northern Canada with the Old World sophistication of Europe's walled cities. Travelers stroll along the banks of the St. Lawrence River to explore the region's highlights, from the grandiose gorges of the Charlevoix to charming villages nestled in rolling farmland.