Summer is here, and that means it’s HIKING SEASON! Millions of Americans will hit the trails on upcoming weekends and holidays in the coming months.
At KURU Footwear, we crunched the numbers to find which states are the best for hiking in 2026 and Texas ranks #5!
Texas might surprise some people at #5, but the data tells a clear story–with over 3,450 trails, 2 national parks including Big Bend, and 76 state parks, it has the infrastructure to back it up. Its wide-open landscapes and dry climate make it one of the most underrated hiking states in the country.
You can see the full report here: https://www.kurufootwear.com/blogs/articles/best-states-for-hiking
Our rankings were based on:
Average trail ratings based on real-time data from AllTrails
Number of trails in every state
Number of National Parks in every state
Number of State Parks in every state
Precipitation rates in each state (more precipitation = lower score)
Here’s a look at the complete rankings:
Rank
State
Avg Trail Rating
# of Trails
# of Nat. Parks
# of State Parks
Precipitation (yearly inches)
Score
1
California
4.4
16,554
9
139
22.2
90.5
2
Colorado
4.4
6,077
4
43
15.9
83.9
3
Arizona
4.5
3,570
3
29
13.6
82.8
4
Utah
4.4
3,612
5
42
12.2
81.7
5
Texas
4.4
3,450
2
76
28.9
79.4
6
Michigan
4.4
2,732
1
77
32.8
72.4
7
Washington
4.3
5,613
3
142
38.4
72.0
8
Montana
4.4
1,655
2
46
15.3
68.8
9
Minnesota
4.4
1,744
1
65
27.3
67.3
10
New Mexico
4.4
1,726
2
35
14.6
67.0