Top Christmas Day Walks in Every State: America’s Favorite Holiday Trails
While most holiday traditions centre around food, family, and the occasional burst of competitive energy, there’s one ritual that seems to be quietly gaining ground: the Christmas Day walk.
It’s the one activity that reliably works for everyone – the overexcited kids, the sluggish grown-ups, and the grandparents who mainly want some fresh air without the risk of slipping on a muddy trail.
To understand where Americans most like to stretch their legs on Dec. 25, we surveyed more than 3,000 families for their opinions on the top family-friendly walk in every state.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Water wins Christmas: families overwhelmingly choose waterfront walks, from coastlines and boardwalks to river paths in landlocked states.
- Easy beats epic: flat, stroller-friendly routes with simple access are far more popular than scenic but demanding trails.
- Cities over solitude: even in states rich with wilderness, Christmas walkers favor convenient urban paths with zero logistics.
- Local identity matters: iconic, historic, or beloved landmarks rank highly because the walk feels like part of the holiday tradition.
Best Christmas Walking Paths in the U.S.
| Ranking | Trail | Location | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kapalua Coastal Trail | Kapalua (Maui) | Hawaii |
| 2 | Ala Moana Beach Park Loop | Honolulu | Hawaii |
| 3 | Central Park Reservoir Loop | New York City | New York |
| 4 | Freedom Park Lakeside Path | Charlotte | North Carolina |
| 5 | The Battery Waterfront Promenade | Charleston | South Carolina |
| 6 | Cypress Grove Trail Point Lobos | Carmel-by-the-Sea | California |
| 7 | Garden of the Gods Perkins Central Garden Trail | Colorado Springs | Colorado |
| 8 | Taughannock Falls Gorge Trail | Trumansburg | New York |
| 9 | Liliʻuokalani Gardens Loop | Hilo | Hawaii |
| 10 | McDowell Sonoran Preserve – Gateway Loop | Scottsdale | Arizona |
| 11 | Bayfront Park to Marina Walk | Sarasota | Florida |
| 12 | Virginia Beach Boardwalk | Virginia Beach | Virginia |
| 13 | Fort Macon Beach & Dune Walk | Atlantic Beach | North Carolina |
| 14 | Forsyth Park Perimeter Walk | Savannah | Georgia |
| 15 | Mendenhall Glacier Trail Area | Juneau | Alaska |
| 16 | Prospect Park Lakeside Walk | Brooklyn | New York |
| 17 | Piedmont Park Lake Trail | Atlanta | Georgia |
| 18 | Tony Knowles Coastal Trail | Anchorage | Alaska |
| 19 | Fox River Trail (downtown stretch) | Green Bay | Wisconsin |
| 20 | Table Rock Lakeshore Trail | Branson | Missouri |
| 21 | Ocean City Boardwalk | Ocean City | New Jersey |
| 22 | Three Rivers Heritage Trail (Point State Park) | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| 23 | Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Main Loop | Fort Lauderdale | Florida |
| 24 | Watson Lake Loop | Prescott | Arizona |
| 25 | Lake Baldwin Loop | Orlando | Florida |
| 26 | Memorial Park Eastern Glades Boardwalk | Houston | Texas |
| 27 | Ferndell Trail to Griffith Observatory | Los Angeles | California |
| 28 | University of Alaska Fairbanks Trails | Fairbanks | Alaska |
| 29 | Jamaica Pond Loop | Boston | Massachusetts |
| 30 | Ocean Springs Front Beach Path | Ocean Springs | Mississippi |
A clear national preference for water
Most routes cluster around coastlines, rivers, lakes, or boardwalks – everything from Maine’s Back Cove to Nevada’s Reno Riverwalk to the Santa Monica–adjacent Point Lobos in California.
States with no coastline still gravitated toward river paths (Idaho Falls, Indianapolis Canal Walk, Detroit RiverWalk). Flat terrains are among the most popular.
Respondents generally recommended walks that leaned toward gentle terrain rather than dramatic climbs. The only exceptions were coastal cliff walks such as Rhode Island’s Newport Cliff Walk, where the terrain is a little more varied but the views compensate tenfold.
City walks offer convenience
For a Christmas walk, you might expect Americans to choose remote escapes – yet many top picks sit right in the heart of metro areas: Chicago’s Museum Campus stretch, Boston’s Jamaica Pond, Charlotte’s Freedom Park, Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Walk.
Even states with vast wilderness opted for urban options. It suggests that convenience matters more than scenery, as no one wants a logistical headache on Christmas Day.
Boardwalks are very popular on the 25th
Coastal states repeatedly chose boardwalks: Virginia Beach, Ocean City in New Jersey, Ocean Springs in Mississippi, Burlington’s waterfront in Vermont, and Hammonasset Beach in Connecticut.
It is clear that families want routes that are stroller-friendly and wide enough for mixed-ability groups. Christmas Day is not the moment for scrambling over rocks.
Americans facing colder winters opt for shorter, contained loops
Northern states tended to pick compact circuits that allow people to bail out early if the weather turns - Green Lake in Seattle, and Fargo’s Lindenwood Park River Trail.
Trails in the Upper Midwest overwhelmingly favour paved sections over woodland.
Historic or iconic locations carry real weight
Several states chose walks that double as local landmarks: Central Park in New York, Point State Park in Pennsylvania, the Big Four Bridge in Kentucky, Garden of the Gods in Colorado.
Respondents weren’t just picking a nice stroll; they were choosing something that “feels like Christmas” because it feels rooted in local identity.
West choices lean heavily toward accessibility
Washington’s Green Lake, Oregon’s Waterfront Path, Utah’s Ogden River Parkway, and Wyoming’s Casper Riverwalk all follow the same template: flat, even, loop-or-out-and-back routes with near-zero elevation.
These are “show up and walk” paths. It’s notable that not one Western state picked a trail with a technical section or a viewpoint requiring effort.
Methodology
This study draws on a survey of 3,012 U.S. families, conducted in December, to identify the walking trails they most enjoy on Christmas Day.
The sample was structured to reflect a broad cross-section of households, balancing age, gender, family size, and geographic region to ensure the results represent families nationwide. A stratified sampling approach was first used to capture demographic variation, followed by post-stratification weighting to align the findings with national population benchmarks.
The survey provides a clear snapshot of the trails families gravitate toward during the holiday season and the traditions that shape their Christmas Day outings.
