100 Hikes of a Lifetime

If Cheryl Strayed's Wild pings around in your head like it does mine—could I hike the Pacific Crest Trail?—then you're going to want to keep 100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A., a blend of basic facts, helpful history, and National Geographic nature porn, readily accessible. You'll page through it as you drink your coffee, pet your dog, and dream up your next adventure. 

Written by Stephanie Pearson, an accomplished journalist who focuses on the outdoors and environment, the coffee-table book profiles (at least one) hike in each of the 50 states from Alabama's Walls of Jericho to Wyoming's Titcomb Basin. (It also ventures out to Puerto Rico and other U.S.-related islands.)

I recently got to chat with Stephanie, a friend of mine and fellow Minnesotan, about her beautiful book. "It's definitely aspirational," she says, "Page through it and you can't help but excited about whatever you have on your horizon."

How did you pick the hikes to highlight?
I decided I wanted to include a hike in every state. I choose them not only because of the physical beauty, but also because of their cultural heritage. The shortest hike in the book is the Wanderer Memory Trail, a .5-mile interpretive trail that tells the story of a shipwreck off the coast of Georgia that brought enslaved people to the US. I also wanted to include the iconic American hikes, like the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail. 

Stephanie making tracks on Isle Royale.

What are some of your favorite trails?
I'm from Duluth, and grew up hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail. It literally goes through my backyard now, so I can just go out for 30 minutes on it and get some restorative trail time. So that's probably my favorite.

I also love the trails in New Mexico, where I lived for over a decade. The Pueblo Alto Trail in Chaco Culture National Historical Park for its cultural and historic offerings. There's so much history to be absorbed there, which is pretty much the case with every trail.

I prefer to hike light, carrying just what need for the day, but also I also love to get to places that require camping. Isle Royale National Park in the middle of Lake Superior is a perfect example of that.

What surprised you about featuring some of the classic trails?
How fluid things are, and how much climate change is impacting where and when we can hike. An expert I talked to at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy mentioned how, at some point, it may not be possible to do a through-hike of the Appalachian Trail because there’s so much natural disaster happening. For instance, in 2024, Hurricane Helene took out almost an entire section of the trail in North Carolina.

On the other side of the country, the Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 2025 closed things down. Nothing stays the same. 

You’ve hiked on about 70% of the trails you featured in this book. What else is on your list?
To be clear: I've put my foot down on about 70% of the trails. I haven't done all the through-hikes. That said, I don’t really have a bucket list. I’m the kind of person who gets a bee in my bonnet to do something and then I just try to make it happen.

At some point, I’d like to do a longer effort—something like a hike or mountain bike ride on the Continental Divide Trail, for instance—but I’m not actively pursuing it at the moment.

Stephanie, hard at work in her beautiful office.

Any misadventures (or wildlife sightings?) during your research?
My partner and I did a trip to the West to check out a bunch of trails, and the Maah Daah Hay Trail was our first stop. We pitched our tent, had something to eat, and then started hiking; we were packing in as much as possible. On the trail, you go up in these canyons and get on top of a mesa. It was dark and stormy, and as we got to the top,a storm hit us. The only way to go really was across the totally exposed ridge line. We got to lower ground pretty quickly, but it was definitely scary for a few moments.

I loved how you inserted the trail keepers into some of the profiles. Tell me about a few of them.
The Maah Daah Hay trail is a great example. A mountain biker named Nick Ybarra and a volunteer crew regularly mow portions of trail to keep it usable for cyclists and hikers. In Arkansas, photographer Tim Ernst and his team have been responsible for building and maintaining the Ozark Trail for decades.

With everything happening in the government, I can’t say enough about the volunteers who are out there maintaining, supporting, and building these trails. It’s tough labor, and a lot of trails are far from everything, so part of the adventure is just getting to them.

What advice do you have for somebody who wants to go beyond the trails she knows?
Do your research, but don’t overthink it. You can see the 3-D topography of anything now, but that takes a little of the mystery out of it or me. So go in, being prepared physically and mentally aware of what can be dangerous, but leave room for adventure. 

Finally, don't underestimate just hiking as often as you can, even on familiar trails. As we started on the Maah Daah Hey trail, I saw a John Muir quote: "In every walk of nature, one receives far more than he seeks." I totally agree.