Follow the Trail to Your Next Favorite Photo
Summer is calling, and your camera deserves to come along for the ride.
Whether you’re chasing waterfalls, checking off a national park on your bucket list, or trying to catch golden hour in the mountains, there’s no shortage of trails that deliver incredible views from start to finish. Here’s a look at a few trails worth adding to your bucket list.
Skyline Trail, Mount Rainier National Park
Skyline Trail showcases everything people imagine when they think of Mount Rainier in the summer. Wildflower meadows blanket the landscape, waterfalls cascade down rocky hillsides, and there are massive snow-covered peaks in the distance. One of the trail’s highlights is Myrtle Falls, where a short hike leads to the first photo op. Continue climbing toward Panorama Point, where sweeping views reveal neighboring volcanoes, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens, on clear days.
Before heading home, make time for the nearby Reflection Lakes, where calm mornings offer mirror-like reflections of Rainier.
Grinnell Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park
Grinnell Glacier Trail passes Swiftcurrent Lake, follows the shoreline of Lake Josephine, and climbs past Hidden Falls, as it unveils one of the park’s most spectacular viewpoints overlooking Grinnell Glacier and its iconic turquoise lake below.
Summer brings the park to life with mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bears, and vibrant wildflowers, creating opportunities for both wildlife and landscape photography.
Glen Creek Gorge Trail, Watkins Glen State Park, New York
Tucked in New York’s Finger Lakes region, this trail takes you through Watkins Glen State Park, leading hikers past 19 waterfalls, stone bridges, and shale cliffs. This relatively short trail packs in an incredible amount of scenery, with highlights including Rainbow Falls, where visitors can walk behind cascading water, and descend the park’s iconic spiral tunnel beneath the rushing waters of Cavern Cascade.
Devil’s Bridge Trail, Sedona, Arizona
Devil’s Bridge Trail is home to Arizona’s largest natural sandstone arch and one of the most recognizable viewpoints in the Southwest. This hike winds through high-desert scenery, passing towering red rock formations, juniper trees, and prickly pear cacti on the way to this famous arch.
The bridge itself is the main attraction, offering panoramic views of Sedona’s red rock country, including Mescal Mountain, Wilson Mountain, and the surrounding canyons.
Mount Lafayette and Franconia Ridge Loop, New Hampshire
Home to some of the best views of New England and a popular day hike, this loop takes hikers up three peaks, past two waterfalls, and along one lake. This loop starts by passing Stairs Falls and Cloudland Falls, climbing above the treeline to the summits of Little Haystack Mountain, Mount Lincoln, and Mount Lafayette. Along the exposed ridgeline, hikers are rewarded with panoramic views of the White Mountains and the rest of the Presidential Range.
Mist Trail, Yosemite National Park
If you’re looking to chase waterfalls this summer, the Mist Trail should be at the top of your list.
Beginning in Yosemite Valley, the trail follows the Merced River, later climbing a series of stone staircases alongside Vernal Falls, where mist from the waterfall gives the trail its name. During the spring and summer, the falls are especially powerful, creating dramatic photos and rainbows.
Just above Vernal Falls, Emerald Pool offers calmer waters and scenic river views, leading up to the towering Nevada Falls, where hikers are rewarded with sweeping vistas of the surrounding valley and Sierra Nevada.
What to Bring Along
When every mile counts, every ounce does too. Choosing lightweight, dependable gear means you can spend less time thinking about what’s in your backpack and more time enjoying the views ahead. Here are a few trail-ready essentials that are built to keep up with your next adventure.
A lightweight tripod like the ProMaster Carbon Fiber Chronicle Tripod makes it easier to capture sunrise landscapes, flowing waterfalls, and long exposures without adding unnecessary weight to your pack. It’s also ten pieces of gear in one, including a handheld stabilizer, tabletop tripod, and monopod, so you’ll have easy access to multiple tools.
The comfortable Jasper 2.0 Rolltop Backpack helps keep camera gear organized while leaving room for hiking essentials like water, snacks, and an extra layer. This bag has a 7.5 L camera compartment, which can fit a camera with multiple lenses, a small light, and numerous accessories, and the rolltop adds 9 more liters of storage.
Long days out on the trail hopefully mean plenty of photography, so bring along a few USB-C rechargeable camera batteries to make it easy to recharge from a compatible power bank while you’re on the go. If you’re planning to record video, V-Mount batteries provide up to 8.5 hours of power, helping keep compatible lights, cameras, and accessories running throughout your day without worrying about finding an outlet.
Compact lights like the Chroma 9” and 2’ Tube LED Lights are simple, but sometimes essential, additions to a hiking kit, especially for photographers who enjoy experimenting with creative lighting. Use them to add fill light for portraits, illuminate a foreground subject, light a camp scene, or add a creative splash of color to your photos and videos. You’re also able to easily control the settings of both lights within the Light Attendant app for your phone or tablet.
No matter where your summer adventures take you, packing light leaves you free to focus on what matters most—getting outside, exploring somewhere new, and coming home with photographs that remind you every mile was worth it. We hope you use this list of top trails in the US and gear guide to get out there and make some beautiful content. If you do, make sure to tag us on Instagram @promasterphoto, so we can check them out!
