- Utah ranks third nationally for hiking, according to a KURU Footwear review.
- The West generally fared better on the list because of its trails, parks and weather.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is a great state to hike in with its blend of mountains, red rocks and other natural splendor.
So much so that it ranks among the top five states in the nation to hike, when blending in the number of designated parks and available trails, and favorability of them, one local shoe company says.
KURU Footwear, headquartered in Salt Lake City, set out to determine the best states to hike in based on these types of metrics earlier this month.
The company explored the number of available hiking trails, the number of reviews and average annual precipitation, which helps show who has the most hikes, how many of them are common enough to be used and what area is more likely to have nicer weather. The average rating of a trail on AllTrails, the number of national parks and the number of state parks also factored into the rating, but to a slightly lesser extent.
Utah ended up third in the nation when combining everything together, behind California and Colorado. Arizona and Oregon rounded out the top five, as the West dominated the list.
The Beehive State scored highly because its 2,763 hiking trails carried an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars, matching California and Colorado. Having five national parks and 46 state parks helped out, along with the generally favorable weather.
"Utah's beauty is as bold as its red rock formations — and with the driest climate on our list, the trails are often hike-ready year-round," the company wrote. "Utah is a dream for desert wanderers, slot canyon explorers and anyone chasing otherworldly vistas without the mud."
But California was difficult to beat because of its size and outdoor range. The Golden State is home to 13,175 hiking trails, nine national parks and 280 state parks, which helped it stand out in the rankings.
The heavy number of national parks and trails helped the West dominate the list. New York, at No. 7, was the highest-rated East Coast state, as it's home to over 4,400 hiking trails with an average rating of 4.3 stars, along with 180 state parks.
Washington, North Carolina, Texas and Alaska also landed in the top 10 nationally.
