Fit Travel: 10 Best Coastal Hikes in the United States

Bartlett Shoreline Trail, Alaska

Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park is much wilder than it is tame, so there’s few maintained trails in the park. A twelve-mile, out-and-back hike along the Bartlett Cove shoreline to Point Gustavus takes a full day, but it’s flat and runs along the intertidal strip of beach sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and forest. If you’re into wildlife, this is the hike for you because there’s a mix of wildflowers, water birds, and even washed up marine life during low tide. You can ask a park ranger for a tide schedule. If you don’t feel like hiking all six miles one way, simply turn around at any point and backtrack. If you stick to the coast, you won’t get lost, even though there’s no official “trail”.