12 of America’s Most Dangerous Hikes 

Hiking is one of America’s most accessible adventures, but it’s also deceptively dangerous. An estimated 58 million Americans take a hike each year, and the number keeps growing—fueled by social media and a desire for fresh air pursuits. But while many trails offer serene sylvan strolls or magical mountain meadows, there are others where you’re one wrong step between the summit and a search-and-rescue event.

According to a 2009 study from the National Park Service (NPS), 48 percent of search-and-rescue (SAR) missions in national parks involved hikers. And those stats don’t include rescues in federal wilderness areas, where help can be hours or days away.

Influencer posts paint a pretty picture, but they don’t always warn people about flash floods or altitude sickness (or angry birds). And the danger doesn’t always come from the environment. Sometimes, it’s the human horde hoping to shimmy around you on a small rock shelf. To avoid such hazards, experts say to start early in the day; hydrate to stay healthy, and know when to hold those handrails—and when to fold ’em. But the biggest tip of all is to know yourself and your skills before you head out. Mother Nature doesn’t care about your Instagram feed. 

From falcon-haunted hangouts to heatstroke-inducing ascents, here are 12 dangerous hikes—cited by AllTrails, Redditors, and other on-the-ground sources—that look incredible, but should be attempted only with an honest understanding of your abilities. 

1. Angels Landing // Zion National Park, Utah
2. Kalalau Trail // Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii
3. Precipice Trail // Acadia National Park, Maine
4. Huntington Ravine // Mount Washington, New Hampshire
5. Hawksbill Crag // Ozark National Forest, Arkansas 
6. Colden Trap Dike // Adirondack State Park, New York
7. Cactus to Clouds // Palm Springs, California 
8. Capitol Peak // Colorado
9. Little Bear Peak // Colorado
10. Tenaya Canyon // Yosemite National Park, California
11. Devil’s Path // Catskills, New York
12. Barr Trail // Pikes Peak, Colorado

Angels Landing // Zion National Park, Utah

This iconic hike in Zion National Park is a fan favorite for good reason. With sweeping sights and sandstone switchbacks, its final half-mile follows a narrow rock fin featuring 1500-foot drop-offs on either side. And there are only chains bolted into the rock between you and the canyon floor. At least 13 people have perished since 2000 in attempting this 5.4-mile round trip.

One Redditor described the climb this way: “It is a scary feeling … thought I was going to die on the way back down the chains. No matter how hard I tried my heart rate would not come down.”

Zion’s first superintendent, Walter Ruesch, oversaw the development of Angel’s Landing in the 1920s. The trail was hand-chiseled into the canyon walls with picks and perseverance. Today, it requires persistence, plenty of water, and a permit to attempt: Zion implemented a reservation system in 2022 to cut down on the human bottlenecks and boost safety.

Kalalau Trail // Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii

This 11-mile coastal trek along Kauai’s Nā Pali Coast might be one of the most beautiful hikes in the U.S. However, it’s also one of the most dangerous—sudden flash floods, steep cliffs, and narrow, muddy paths make it a magnet for adventurers and a nightmare for first responders. Hanakāpīʻai Stream is particularly notorious for rapidly rising after a rain and cutting hikers off mid-trail. 

Despite its hazards, the trail’s lush forest, sea caves, and hidden beaches keep drawing hikers. Local rangers advise checking the weather hourly and never crossing flooded streams. There have been deaths over the years, and in 2022 alone, Kalalau was responsible for launching 46 rescues. Here, paradise and peril coexist.

Precipice Trail // Acadia National Park, Maine

The Precipice is a short but brutal climb: You will encounter iron ladder rungs with no railings punched into a granite cliff. As several Redditors have pointed out, the trail is fine by yourself, but in a crowd? Precipice earns its reputation not just for its physical challenge but also for its human traffic jams, turning a daring scramble into a bottomless bottleneck.

While fatalities are rare (just two recorded in the past 35 years), rescues are not. Major incidents such as helicopter extractions occur every few years, and Acadia’s SAR teams are responding to a growing number of calls annually, with many of those tied to this hike. 

And another note of caution—during peregrine falcon nesting season, the trail closes entirely to protect the birds, which can become aggressively territorial. Heed the park signs’ warning: “Falcons may dive at your head.”

Huntington Ravine // Mount Washington, New Hampshire

At almost 6300 feet in elevation, Mount Washington is modest compared to some of its Rocky Mountain counterparts, but it’s famous for having “the worst weather in the world.” It earned this crown during a record-breaking 231 mph wind gust in 1934, and it still experiences some of the worst of U.S. blizzards.

Huntington Ravine is where that weather gets really wild. Steep, boulder-strewn slopes easily become a fierce wind tunnel, meaning a calm day at the base can bely whiteout conditions at the top. And this isn’t a casual walk—ice axes and microspikes are standard gear, not optional bling. Between 2019 and 2023, New Hampshire Fish and Game carried out about 190 SAR missions annually, with nearly two-thirds of them hiking-related and many centered on trails including Huntington Ravine.

“The top of the mountain, no matter which mountain it is, is only halfway. The goal is to get back to your car safely, under your own power,” New Hampshire State Parks supervisor Patrick Hummel told the ABC affiliate WMTW.

Hawksbill Crag // Ozark National Forest, Arkansas 

Hawksbill Crag might look like something straight out of a fairytale (or the top of the Chrysler Building), with its eagle-shaped rock outcrop jutting into thin air. But that perilous perch, also known as Whitaker Point, has a hidden cost. It’s one of Arkansas's most photographed and most hazardous hiking spots.

The three-mile round trip can feel tame until the final few feet, where hikers inch out onto a slick bluff that drops off sharply, with no railings or safety precautions. It’s become a magnet for selfies, proposals, and even weddings, which is a big part of the problem.

Local emergency responders report that at least one fatal fall occurs each year, frequently involving distracted visitors trying to capture that perfect pic. With its coating of moss plus some unpredictable weather, this crag is a place to tread carefully—or not at all.

Colden Trap Dike // Adirondack State Park, New York

Mount Colden’s Trap Dike is a beloved Adirondack scramble—but also a serious challenge. This narrow, exposed granite chute demands careful footing on slippery rock with little room for error. 

The Trap Dike was first tried in 1850, long before climbing gear was a thing. Today experts recommend wearing a helmet and approach shoes, bringing rope just in case, and being prepared for water raging through the chute and over two waterfalls. Park rangers report multiple rescues every year, often for hikers who underestimate the difficulty or hit the trail in bad weather. 

In 2024, rescuers were flown in by helicopter and had to rappel down the rock face to extract a trapped hiker from Trap Dike, a mission that took 12 hours. 

Cactus to Clouds // Palm Springs, California 

This trail serves up a staggering 10,000-foot elevation gain in about 17 miles, making it one of the most punishing day hikes in the country. It starts in the scorching Sonoran Desert and climbs all the way to the cool alpine forests atop San Jacinto Peak. It’s a lesson in extremes—both in temperature and terrain.

Earning its reputation as a death trap for the unprepared, heat exhaustion and dehydration are very real threats on this route. Temperatures at the trailhead can soar past 110 degrees, and there’s almost no shade on the relentlessly uphill, waterless path strewn with boulders. Park rangers warn that helicopter rescues happen nearly every summer.

Local rescue teams also have said heat-related incidents are a significant concern on the trail. A member of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit told SFGate that, a decade ago, they might have responded to one or two emergency calls in a year. That number has risen to three or five heat-related rescues annually, with at least one death on the trail each year.

Capitol Peak // Colorado

The “Knife Edge” of Capitol Peak, a narrow, 150-foot-long rock spine with 1000-foot drop-offs on either side, scares even experienced climbers. One misstep could be your last. Knife Edge isn’t just a hike, it’s a tightrope without the rope. 

This 14er (a mountain peak that rises at least 14,000 feet above sea level) is considered one of Colorado’s most difficult and dangerous, with multiple fatalities recorded over the years. The summit is reportedly breathtaking, but getting there requires exposed scrambling, strong nerves, and precise footing.

Since 2000, at least nine climbers have died on Capitol Peak, including five during a tough six-week stretch in the summer of 2017. Pitkin County Search & Rescue, alongside Mountain Rescue Aspen, regularly responds to incidents—from falls to rockfall-triggered rescues—and firmly states “extreme exposure and loose, crumbling rock” make this peak no place for weekend warriors.

Little Bear Peak // Colorado

Another Colorado 14er, Little Bear Peak rises above the San Luis Valley just southeast of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The mountain’s infamous Hourglass Couloir challenges hikers to unstable footing and ice in a steep, narrow gully that acts like a bowling lane for rolling rocks.

Since 2000, at least five climbers have died here, many during unroped descents through the Hourglass. Climbers are strongly encouraged to bring ropes, helmets, and climbing experience—not to mention luck with weather and timing. Local SAR teams routinely warn this route is best left to those with alpine skills and a healthy respect for gravity.

Tenaya Canyon // Yosemite National Park, California

Here’s a “trail” so unmarked that Yosemite officials call it the park’s Bermuda Triangle. Legend also says it’s cursed. An impossible maze of slick granite walls, hidden waterways, and poor cellphone coverage, hiking is strongly discouraged when snowmelt is rushing through the gorge. Search teams say disorientation is common. At least 17 people have died in the canyon over the past 60 years and many more have needed rescue. 

Climber Christopher Brennen, who completed the 10-mile trail in 10 hours in 2000, told SFGate, “There are lots of places where you can slip and fall. Then you’re really in trouble.”

John Muir, co-founder of the Sierra Club and regarded as the “father of the national parks,” called Tenaya Canyon “a place of enchantment.” And yet, a stumble in the canyon knocked him unconscious. A sign today very clearly warns would-be adventurers of a similar fate: “Travel beyond this point is dangerous.” 

Devil’s Path // Catskills, New York

If hikes can be considered horror films, the Devil’s Path is already aptly named. It’s not only long (24 miles) for a day hike, but there are relentless elevation changes and rock scrambles, making for devilish ups and downs. Starting from Indian Head Mountain and heading west over Twin, Sugarloaf, Plateau, Hunter, and West Kill mountains, it packs a punch of nearly 9000 feet of cumulative gain into rugged ridge-and-notch terrain.

“In many sections, it’s about as close as you can get to having a trail that’s not really a trail at all—like someone marched a straight line through the woods pinning trail markers to trees with complete disregard for what lay underfoot,” ultra-runner Michelle Merlis (who ran the entire route in 5.5 hours) told the Albany Times Union.

SAR teams respond regularly to lost, exhausted, or injured hikers. Catskills stewardship reports confirm this stretch is one of the most dangerous trails in the Northeast [PDF].

Barr Trail // Pikes Peak, Colorado

The Barr Trail doesn’t only take you up a mountain—it includes a dramatic ascent from desert town to alpine summit. At 13 miles and nearly 7800 feet of elevation gain, this world-famous trail tests both the heart and lungs. 

Starting at Manitou Springs, the trail winds past cozy Barr Camp before ascending into alpine exposure and storm-prone terrain. But what makes Barr infamous is its frequent lightning. According to NOAA, many of Colorado's lightning strikes hit hikers and campers with nowhere to hide—with a number of those zapping hikers above the tree line on Pikes Peak. In July 2000, one claimed an 18-year-old Eagle Scout less than 100 feet from the summit just as storms started to brew.

“Pikes Peak is a big mountain, and it can be a needle in a haystack” finding people when they need to be rescued, an El Paso County Search and Rescue official told KKTV11. “It takes a long time to get to somebody and get them out.”

If hiking Barr Trail, you’re in for an endurance test of altitude, heat, cold, and sudden storms. Leave with plenty of time to summit before noon, stay sharp, and know the best hike is the one you walk away from.

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