Four Day HIking Trip in US-suggestions, please
 

We are four couples who enjoy hiking holidays...but we are also interested in good food and comfortable lodging. Any suggestions on good destinations within an hour of an airport? We have hiked Whistler, Jackson, Bar Harbor areas and most of North Carolina.
Thanks.

There is great hiking to be had south of Tucson, within about an hour of the airport. Comfortable lodging not a problem, and in Tucson, there are good restaurants; farther south, fewer. The desert is gorgeous...

Thanks, E.

From your description, it sounds like you are talking about staying in one place and doing dayhikes, as opposed to a four day backpacking trip, as I had assumed from your title.

As a hiking enthusiast living in Durango, Colorado, I have to say that this is a great place for hiking and good food. Vail, Aspen and Telluride are other excellent options in Colorado.

The Pacific Northwest has been another favorite area for my husband and me. We have hiked near Portland and Seattle. We enjoyed hiking in Zion National Park last June, and the park is right next to the town of Springdale, which has very nice accomodations. Sedona, Arizona, is another good option.

Thanks, travellyn. I see my title was confusing. We are day hikers. Thanks for your suggestions. I loved the area around Zion. Gorgeous.

ttt

Lake Tahoe - fly into Reno, stay in Reno, S. Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, or any number of other towns around the lake. I believe there is plenty of nice lodging & good food in the area.

Glacier National Park/Waterton - fly into Kalispell. Stay in the quaint park lodges (the one in Waterton actually looks nice, not just 'classic/old/rustic), or there is nicer lodging outside the park.

Shenandoah National Park, VA - Don't know the exact distance, but don't think it is too far from Washington D.C. There are park lodges, and small towns with lodging, also plenty of cabin/cottage rentals in surrounding areas.

A second vote for Shenandoah National Park. It's on the Appalachian Trail, close to 1 hour from Dulles airport and has 100+ miles of hiking access points between Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway.If civilization calls, Charlottesville is very driveable.I would suggest that you try to stay at 1 of the 3 lodging choices on Skyline Drive and don't shy away from the Lewis Cabins - they are fine!

The Canadian Rockies. Fly into Calgary and then head over to the Banff/Lake Louise area. You can also head up the Icefields Parkway for more hiking.

In the PNW fly into Portland and hike around the Columbia River Gorge (lots of people though!) or the Mt. Hood area. If you want to fly to Seattle then it is a bit further than an hour from the airport, but still close enough for some amazing hiking! There are the Olympics and the Cascades...many, many choices for hiking. We lived in the Seattle area for 5 years and still have not hiked all the places we want to. Another idea is to fly into Redmond (central Oregon near Bend). More hiking trails than you can count down there!

Here's a third vote for Shenandoah NP. My girlfriend and I have taken day-hiking vacations there for the past two years. We stay at Big Meadows Lodge, which is near the center of the park.
They have a surprisingly good restaurant (you can eat there for three or four days without running out of good things to try). After dinner, it's relaxing to hang around in the big lodge hall looking at the view, talking, reading, or playing cards or a board game. There's also a little downstairs bar with local musicians (some good, some not so good) where you can while away a few evening hours.

We love hiking and exploring during the day, then returning to the lodge for a shower, a good meal, and a comfy bed. It's the best of both worlds, in our book!

Shendandoah offers a wide variety of beautiful side trails (from the very basic to the challenging) and of course the Appalacian Trail. If you get a day too wet for hiking, it's a fairly quick drive down to Luray Caverns (despite the kitschy exterior, truly an awe-inspiring natural wonder) or to Charlottesville. In addition, the ranger station just a mile from Big Meadows offers various films and ranger-led talks, so you can vary your daily activities.

The only downside is that if you've hiked extensively in North Carolina, the scenery and wildlife will be fairly familiar. But beautiful nonetheless.

Fly into Washington Dulles airport, rent a vehicle, and hop on I-66 west. You'll be at the north end of the park (Front Royal) in an hour, and at Big Meadows Lodge in two hours.

Great suggestions. Thank you very much, Fodorites.