Yosemite National Park. sarah_xie7/Shutterstock
The mountains are calling you. Yes, you must go. But what you don’t have to do is lug your tent, food and cooking supplies on your back – a vision of suffering that has stopped many a budding backcountry adventure in its tracks. If the fear of a heavy backpack has kept you away from longer trails, consider an inn-to-inn hike. You’ll still carry a daypack, but professionals take care of your shelter and, often, your meals.
Though common across Europe, do-it-yourself hikes between inns and lodges are harder to find in the US, but they’re out there.
Here are the five best inn-to-inn hikes, plus one canvas tent adventure, to get you started.
1. White Mountains, New Hampshire
Best for New England mountain views
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has eight overnight huts scattered along the Appalachian Trail (AT) in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. The huts’ names evoke fairytale destinations, from Greenleaf to Zealand Falls to Lakes of the Clouds. On your hike between these storied lodges, you’ll scramble over granite boulders, dart across windswept summits and pause beside mossy waterfalls. The AMC has managed this backcountry hut system since 1888 and also offers guided adventures. Today the “Croo” (hardworking seasonal staff members) manages each hut during hiking season. Guests sleep in dorm bunks and enjoy communal meals with fellow adventurers.
Many hikers spend their first night at one of two AMC-run lodges: the Highland Center near Crawford Notch or Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch. Both sit near popular trailheads. You will typically hike about five to seven miles between huts via the AT or one of the numerous spur trails.
Where you'll stay: AMC’s High Mountain Huts
Available: June–late September or mid-October
Amenities: Bunks, home-cooked dinners and breakfasts, cold running water and bathrooms; no electricity
Getting there: White Mountain Hiker Shuttles ($24 per person one-way) run between busy trailheads (early June-September)
2. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Best for wildflowers and waterfalls
The AT heads through Shenandoah National Park for 101 miles, running roughly parallel to Skyline Drive as the latter swoops along the forested crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As it crosses the Central District of the park, the legendary trail links three accommodations, including cabins and lodges, managed by Delaware North Parks & Resorts.
Likely trail distractions include wildflowers, white-tailed deer, boulder fields and mountain streams. Spur trails lead to swimming holes and waterfalls. Raptors ride thermals above the park’s mountain slopes during their annual migration from September through mid-October. This three-day hike is about 25 miles. Expect ups and downs, but the AT is not extremely steep on this route. You will feel the burn, however, on side trails to peaks and waterfalls.
Where you’ll stay: Lewis Mountain Cabins, Big Meadows Lodge and Skyland
Available: Early May to October
Trip length: Three days, 25 miles
Amenities: Cabins have an outdoor BBQ, picnic tables and gift shop; lodges have a restaurant, coffee shop, taproom, gift shop and Wi-fi (note: there is limited to no cell service at both cabins and lodges)
Getting there: Big Meadows Lodge is 105 miles from Washington DC – about a 2 ¼ hour drive. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has put together a helpful, if slightly outdated, guide to inn-to-inn hikes and transportation options along the AT.
3. The Berkshires, Massachusetts
Best for rolling hills (or fall foliage)
This lovely three-day hike, also along the AT, climbs to Bascom Lodge on the summit of Mount Greylock in northwestern Massachusetts. The arts-and-crafts style rooms come in a variety of configurations, including family rooms and a bunk room. Hardwood floors, Stickley furniture, the occasional fireplace and a sturdy stone-and-timber exterior evoke America’s finest days of adventure.
On your first day, start from the town of Dalton and follow the AT nine miles north to Cheshire. The welcoming Harbour House Inn in Cheshire is then a short walk from the trail. On Day Two, you’ll head to the mountain. The 3489ft summit of Mount Greylock is the highest point in the state, but the 7.7-mile ascent to the top from the town of Cheshire isn’t overly strenuous.
Hiking north from Bascom Lodge, it’s a 6.7-mile drop into the city of North Adams. This steep descent is a banger on the knees, but relief – and mulled cider – awaits at TOURISTS, a revamped, 46-room motor court not far from the trail that has a 90-acre campus of fun beside the Hoosic River.
To return to your car in Dalton, you can take a taxi or Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, Line 1 to Line 4.
Where you’ll stay: A B&B, a mountaintop lodge and a hip motel
Available: Late May–mid-October
Trip length: Three days, 23.4 miles
Amenities: Food available at all locations
Planning tip: Consider spending your first night at a hotel in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, then drive five miles east to Dalton.
4. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Best for red rock views
There is one gobsmacking view after another on this rim-to-rim hike across the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. The immensity and age of the Big Ditch, which is home to some of the oldest rocks in the world, will likely trigger thoughts about your cosmic insignificance. But the communal friendliness of Phantom Ranch, where hikers gather for cold beer and family-style dinners, feels pretty darn significant after a day on the trail.
Many hikers begin on the North Rim, dropping into the canyon on the steep North Kaibab Trail. After a night at Phantom Ranch they climb the Bright Angel Trail to the South Rim. There are numerous lodges on the South Rim, but the rustic elegance of El Tovar is a fine end-of-hike reward. This is a one-way trek of nearly 24 miles. (Note that construction on the River Trail between Phantom Ranch and the Bright Angel Trail temporarily alters this route in 2025).
Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim is only open from May 15 to October 15, which means there is a five-month window for this hike. If you skip the North Rim, you can hike to Phantom Ranch year-round on a 17.5-mile loop from the South Rim. This classic route follows the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch then links to the Bright Angel Trail for the ascent. Lodging options at Phantom Ranch include cabins and hiker dorms – though dorms are currently closed for renovations – and are available by lottery. (Enter the lottery 15 months ahead of your desired trip date.)
Where you’ll stay: Grand Canyon Lodge, Phantom Ranch and El Tovar
Available: May 15–October 15
Amenities: El Tovar has dining options and full hotel amenities, including TV and room service; Grand Canyon Lodge has dining options and rooms and cabins have ceiling fans and private bathrooms; Phantom Ranch cabins have bedding, cold water sinks and a toilet – showers and hot water sinks are available in a central location
Planning tip: Trans-Canyon Shuttle can drive you between the two rims, which is a distance of 213 miles.
5. Sneffels Range, Southwestern Colorado
Best for big sky and big mountains
You’ll find big mountains, big skies and big adventure in the Sneffels Range, where four huts are set along a 34-mile mountain path that runs from the outskirts of Telluride into the city of Ouray, Colorado. Managed by San Juan Huts, your accommodations are all located on national forest land.
Meadows, streams and aspen groves await, and spur trails lead to blue alpine lakes and the 14,157ft summit of Mt Sneffels. Each hut holds eight bunks, sleeping bags, propane stoves, cooking utensils and soap – you bring a bag liner and your own grub. You can also request food deliveries at two of the huts.
Though you’re hiking at elevation (between 9250ft and 10,800ft), the route is doable for most hikers, and this can be a good adventure for families. No specialty equipment is needed. Take a look at the online calendar and pick the nights that work for you or your group. If you’re in a small group, you may share the hut with others. You must hike the entire route on your trip.
The company oversees hut-to-hut adventures across the region, including mountain biking and cross-country skiing trips.
Where you’ll stay: San Juan Hut System
Available: June–October
Trip length: 34 miles over five days of hiking
Amenities: Cooking supplies are available at each hut; travelers must bring their own food
Getting there: A company shuttle will pick you up in Ouray and drive you to the trailhead near Telluride. You will hike directly into Ouray at trip’s end.
6. Yosemite National Park, California
Best for high-country adventure
Note: These camps are closed for the 2025 season, due to problems with the potable water system. They are expected to reopen in 2026.
Reservations for this high country adventure in Yosemite National Park's High Sierra Camps are hard to snag and must be won through a lottery, but the epic beauty of the soaring Sierra Nevada range will confirm the worthiness of your efforts. Scottish naturalist John Muir – one of the region’s earliest boosters – once wrote that the Sierra Nevada “...seems above all others the range of light, the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain chains I have ever seen.”
This hike travels a circuit between five camps in the Tuolumne Meadows area along Tioga Rd north of Yosemite Valley. Canvas tent cabins at each camp hold dorm-style bunks complete with pillows and linens. Dinner and breakfast are included and served family-style in a central dining tent, and lunch is available for purchase. You’ll hike six to 10 miles daily. These trips have garnered some criticism in recent years due to potentially negative impacts on the backcountry, including damage to the trail from pack mules.
Guided trips are also available for an additional cost and must also be secured through the lottery system.
Where you’ll stay: Five High Sierra Camps
Available: June–September
Trip length: Five to seven days, 56-mile loop
Amenities: Sleeping space in co-ed tents (you must bring a sleeping bag or liner with you), access to bathrooms and showers, purified water, shared bear-proof food lockers (no refrigeration); no electricity and limited to no cell service
Planning tip: Enter the lottery during the month of November the year before your planned trip.