ALMOST FAMOUS

Thanks to COVID-19, big-name national parks are drawing larger crowds than normal this year, leading to busy trails and hard-to-get permits. So skip ‘em and set your sights on these sleeper alternatives instead. Not only will you still nab beauty to rival any national park, but there’s a good chance your social distancing will extend for miles and miles.

- HEATHER BALOGH ROCHFORT

SIERRA SKYLINE

SKIP Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California HIKE Mt. Ritter, Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

A permit to summit Half Dome is practically currency in California (also, the famed chunk of glacier-ground granite is on the state quarter), but 13,150-foot Mt. Ritter is the true king of the peak-rich Eastern Sierra. This pyramid blends moderate scrambling with snow-slope trekking up the Southeast Glacier, all nestled in a wilderness far off the tourist radar. The 20-mile out-and-back starts by climbing 1,100 feet into a deep granite bowl that cups the summit-reflecting waters of Ediza Lake. Meadows freckling the western shore make for excellent camping (choose an impacted spot). Next day, ascend to a dark glassy volcanic saddle, bookended by Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak, the latter a favorite subject of Ansel Adams. Hopscotch to the left of the grassy ledges before ascending class-2 granite slabs that dump you at the base of the glacier. Secure your crampons and kick step up the crevasse-free snow toward the summit. You can see the entirety of Yosemite to the north—but far enough away that no cables or crowds mar the view.

TAKE A PASS

SKIP Gunsight Pass Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana HIKE The Beaten Path Trail, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana