13 Readers Share Their Favorite Walking Paths

This post is holy poetry. Gosh. So many things I felt deeply. “Cathedral of cedar trees.” Afoma’s beautiful smile with grief roaring in her heart, feet moving at a steady pace. My deep envy of being able to walk along a coast, any coast! Zoos are *excellent* walking spots (especially in the winter! It’s one of my favorite parenting hacks.) Big agree that babies in bear suits is one of the top-tier reasons to have a child. And when the child is old enough to walk alongside you, to a cafe or through a cemetery, there is magic in the walk ‘n talk. And sweet Olive, rest in doggy heaven with my buddy Pluto who accompanied me on many, many miles of trail walking in Overland Park, KS.

My favorite places are where I can find solitude. We have an established trail about 1 1/2 blocks from our house, but it’s paved and often full of others. I like to go out on bad weather days with my dog so we can have it to ourselves. I also have horses and the farms where they are kept have an amazing trail system due to like minded neighbors who don’t mind us wandering around the edges of their crops. Mount Rogers/Grayson Highlands in southern VA is an annual backpacking trip for us…wild ponies and wild longhorns and rhododendron tunnels…plus it’s where we got engaged many years ago. Other magical places would be almost anywhere in Zion or Yosemite, something hard to get to so the tourists don’t bother. We did about 6.5 miles yesterday at a new to us trail system and it was a little crowded and the people weren’t very friendly (that’s D.C. for you…I smiled and said good morning to everyone who passed and only 2-3 people returned the greeting and actually made eye contact). UGH. Get me out of here.

Pittsburgh!! Please tell me what cafe your friends own! I’m so excited to see my hometown and want to patronize this neighborhood establishment. ❤️

“…cathedral of cedar trees…” will stick with me for a while. I wish we all could see the holy in the natural world.

Can’t agree more with Raras. Absolutely—it’s a simple yet deeply meaningful moment. Walking through the rice fields in the fresh morning air, or in the afternoon as the sky glows warm and golden, brings a sense of calm that’s hard to replace. Greetings from the southern part of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

These stories have filled my Saturday morning with love. Thankx!

To be honest, this is one of my favourite articles so far. I enjoyed walking since some months and recognize how I love every moment of walking. I’m living in Northern Germany, Rostock. I have a small parc/ forest 5 minute walk away from my home and try to be there once a day. To read what others love about walking and how they change through times made me cry. Thank you so so much.

Loved this entire post and alllll the comments!! But shout out to Afoma!! As a fellow Canadian, I clicked through to her instagram and was so delighted!! Literally EXACTLY what I needed – saving me from endless google searches for interesting books for my kids! Thank you, Afoma! What a wonderful resource to put out there for the world ❤️

A couple of years ago my mum did the full 800km Camino (for the second time) She has Parkinson’s and did the last 150km on crutches because her knee was so bad. Pretty phenomenal determination I think! She has also done the Coast to Coast walk in England multiple times. She loves a good walk! Sadly, her knee never recovered from the Camino, and she pretty much can’t walk (on land) anymore. Now she’s going to the pool everyday and walking laps while she awaits surgery and hopes she can start going for proper walks again one day.

There is an old cemetery in West Philadelphia called ‘The Woodlands’ and it is my favorite walking loop – each round takes me ~15 mins, some little hills, lots of shady trees and nature. I’ve loved it on sunny days when everything feels bright and new; I’ve loved it on grieving days when I felt like I was underwater; I’ve loved it on slow days and energetic days. The paths are lovely for walking and the whole place is lovely for putting in perspective how precious our little blips of lives are (hello stones from the 1700s!)

Toronto represent! I spent 20+ years in the city and loved both the walks mentioned in the post and all the others in the comments. Going to add Cedarvale ravine to the list. My family and I moved an hour away to Guelph, Ontario, during the pandemic and can now walk one block to the beautiful Royal Recreation Trail along the Speed River, spotting ducks, geese and heron along the way. Love a good, long walk.

I live in WI but I just spent the whole winter in Durango, CO to mix things up, since I work remotely. That city has something like 300 miles of multi-use hiking/biking trails accessible in the city limits! Incredible! There are trailheads in just about every neighborhood. From my rental house I could easily walk to several. My favorite was the Horse Gulch trailhead, because it has a great coffee/bike shop near it (Durango Bike Project, what’s up!) for grabbing a little treat after hiking or biking your legs off…Gawd, I am going to miss all those beautiful, peaceful trails! You’re pretty special, Durango! More public lands everywhere, please.

I live in a small coastal town on the east coast. Our neighborhood is a small suburbia, but if I walk 5 minutes in one direction I hit a small rickety staircase down to a private beach along the harbor. 10 minutes in the other direction and I got a k network of trails through the woods. The combo makes a perfect 40 minute dog walk where I can feel the ocean breeze and the calm of the woods all in the span of one podcast episode.

@ Erica in DALLAS, I walk this trail by the lake a few times a week too. I love it so much and have also processed A LOT there as well. If I see you and Merlin I’ll stop and say hello! That would be fun!

I am very lucky to live right alongside a river and a canal path and I walk there every morning. In the winter, I like to spot Marvin the muskrat, as often we are the only two souls who like the freezing morning cold. In the late spring, I start to see Georgette the turtle and John the heron. Throughout the year, I might be lucky enough to spot Gladys the beaver who is sometimes out for a cruise or sometimes chomping on some brush and Philip the hawk looking for their next meal. I love walking along the water and seeing all my animal friends as the seasons come and go.

So many beautiful comments. I live in a beautiful part of Southern California and have so many wonderful trails right by my home. During every spring season, without a fail, the barren mountains all turn out to have magical wild mustard and other wild flower blooms. Those who are from India or have watched the movie DDLJ, the setting is the “Magical yellow flower field” setting from the song “Tujhe Dekha Do ye Jaana Sanam”. It is magical around this time of the year to enjoy the wild flower blooms (atleast for those who dont suffer from pollen allergy).

I’m in the middle of moving so I couldn’t get my usual walk today, I feel like I’m going a bit crazy! This post was an absolute delight to read.

Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. You wouldn’t believe how beautifully well-kept the grounds are. Graves stretching far back into history. A little island in the lagoon with weeping willows for the famous architect who built our city’s World’s Fair. Fall trees. Summer birds. Extensive paths. All a 15 minute walk from Wrigley Field and all the neighborhood has to offer. The elevated train rumbles right past the northeastern corner of the space. It’s absolutely one of my favorite places to bring a coffee, watch all the dogs and families with happy children stretch their legs. It’s even gorgeous during our harsh winters or muddy early springs. Chicago is a best-kept secret with all her architecture and beauty on a shoreline like looks more ocean than lake, and Graceland is a (sorta!) secret within the secret. If you visit and find yourself nearby for a Cubs game or a film at the famous Music Box theater, give Graceland a walk through.

To Erika from Dallas — I would love to hear more about how your walk- the Camino in Spain. This is something I’d really like to do in my lifetime, if possible. If you’re willing to share – I’m so interested. I also want to say that photo of Olive is beautiful. What a dog. I can feel Olive’s goodness in that photo. I’m sorry for your loss. –Jennie

Last fall, I was visiting a friend who had just moved to Midtown Manhattan from San Francisco (where I live still) and she had an AMAZING rooftop that she wasn’t taking full advantage of because she was going through stuff and stuck in her own head. But her seeing my amazement and excitement about said rooftop inspired her to spend more time up there, and to get out of her head. Back in SF, I was reminded to walk to my own “rooftop” more often too – for perspective and to get out of MY own head. My “rooftop” is the incredible city view from Bernal Hill, which is a short trek from my home. Now we share photos of our “rooftops” with each other to remind ourselves to get outside and get perspective. We always feel better when we do.

Oh my gosh, I love this so much. ♥️ “Reason enough for me to have a child.” Me too, Julia. Me too.

Emily!! My new goal is to be as badass as your 84 y/o dad! Huzzah, sir!

During Covid, someone I know was Going Through Some Stuff (as so many of us were). One of the things they did to make it through was start gardening in the neighborhood, which has resulted in quite a few new spots and views. I really appreciate being able to wander around, notice the changes, and think about how different things are now. It reminds me (very literally) that doing what we can during the Going Through It times can have really surprising and beautiful results.

“‘Hi-bye’ trail friends,” I like that!

OK, this is probably exceedingly needy, but just a suggestion – I submitted a reader walk via email, and mine wasn’t featured here. cool! totally get you, your probably get lots of submissions and can’t feature them all. But I do think that when your readers take the time to submit something that is meaningful to them, it would be nice to receive a very short email back. Something like, “thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us!” would go a long way. I work for a small business who gets bombarded with emails all day long, and I always make sure I send a reply to everyone, even if it’s a simple “thank you, but we’ll kindly pass”. not a fan of ghosting in any situation! Thanks for considering!

It’s amazing to read these descriptions and feel the emotional belonging to their walking spaces. I never truly thought into my walking route as much more as space for me to get some fresh air, exercise, clear my head, etc but reflecting on it after this post, realizing how that route/space carried me through my life, before children I would *attempt* to jog or run, pregnancy slowed me down but I kept on, baby’s in carriers and strollers, needing to move my body after miscarriages, with friends, alone, with my husband, maybe a phone call to a friend or my sisters, music, no music, podcast or silence…all of the walks, on that same route, greeted me with familiarity but also the change of each season, not just in nature but in my life too.

There is a 3-mile road in my hometown where I’ve always loved to run and walk. My best friend’s parents live at one end of the road (which I lovingly call “Camp Road”), so I would park at their house, walk or run the out-and-back 6 miles, and then spend a little time with my second family afterward. The road runs along a creek with woods on either side, and there is a summer camp located halfway, so it is quiet and peaceful. I have processed joy, heartbreak, and so many Big Life Questions on that road, laughed and gossiped and cried while running with my best friend, and did a whole lot of introspection. When my husband and I started dating and I brought him home for the first time, the Camp Road was top of my list of places I wanted to share with him. And when he proposed a year later, the first thing I said (after “Yes!”) was, “Can we get married at the camp?” We did indeed get married at the outdoor chapel at the camp, and we held a walk/run on the Camp Road on the morning of our wedding for our family and friends. It’s always been a special place for me, and getting married there has elevated it to one of my favorite places on earth. When I go home for a visit, I make it a priority to go back to the Camp Road for a walk or run. It’s like catching up with an old friend.

The 3 year old being into death and cats made me laugh out loud! I love the blunt honesty of littles

About 3 times a week I walk to the beach, sink my toes in the sand and take a quick dip in the ocean before a long work day. Sometimes I walk there after work – the waves being my ultimate destination. The ocean has always been my place to find quiet in a loud world. Each day, I am grateful to be able to live in the place where the sea meets the sky.

Emily from Boston, is that the UBC Endowment Lands in your photo??? When I lived in Vancouver (the majority of my life), that was the go to walking spot – so many beautiful trails. It was my saving grace during Covid, and the felt like a place of worship and wonder.

In February I moved back to London after 35 years living in the north of England, with the moors starting at the top of my road. Now I walk almost every day with the whole of the city as my park, my garden and my playground. Nothing bores me, everywhere is at my command. City walking. For me, the best.

I am an absolute believer in the healing power of nature and walks! I also love reading books about people on long solo epic walks – Patrick Leigh Fermor springs first to my mind. Anybody have any other recommendations?

In Sydney – South Maroubra to Malabar Coastal Walk is my favourite. The sandstone cliffs, crashing waves, nature, birdlife and watching the humpback whales teach their calves how to breach the water and flip close to the shore. Breathtaking.

Loved reading all the other responses here and feels great to be featured. Would love to have my name spelled correctly, too, please! Afoma* Thanks!

I live very close to Schönbrunn palace and treat the park like my garden. I go there for runs or walks at least once a week and enjoy watching the change of the seasons (imminent magnolia bloom!) and appreciate the work of the gardeners. By nightfall you can hear the zoo lions roar and the wolves howl. It’s a place that lots of tourists come to but it is big enough for everyone.

Sobbing about Olive. Can’t wait to get out of the office and take my Lulu on a long sunset walk along the beach. Will give her an extra squeeze today. xx

Hej Kristin, finally.. a fellow CoJ reader from Northern Germany! I live in Glücksburg and love long walks in Holnis, ice bathing in Sandwig and Solitüde and Ostseebad Flensburg – but I am also regularly running up and down the beautiful North Sea dunes. I have always wanted to have contact to a CoJ reader in Germany because I think being part of this community automatically means you’re an awesome person… Do you want to maybe get in touch?

Love this! I’m loving walking with my dog April. Her smile when she looks back at me like “isn’t this great! What a day!!” is such an uplifting balm.

Oh my, never would have expected to read the name of my nearby village Süderbrarup on THIS blog. Almost spit my morning coffee in bed ;) But I love the walks in the dunes on the northsea coast too. Greetings to you Kristin

In my 20s I moved to Seattle and then later to Portland, to get to know the city each weekend I’d pick a different farmers market. Then I’d roam around that neighborhood and try to find a cute cafe and look at houses and gardens.

Erika- Olive looks perfect. I walk my pup Melba on these Dallas trails as well. I feel we probably have passed each other. Glad to see another Texas based reader – makes this delightful site even smaller.

I recognize those Vancouver woods! Every season has its own good and I think the beginning of each new season I say “oh *this* one is my favourite”, but isn’t there something juicy about going for a walk in spring? All the baby cheeks are out, earnest little plants pushing out of the dark around every corner, and the way the air smells here!

Walking took on a whole new life for me this winter as a Minneapolis resident. I’m a teacher, and my school is located about a mile from where Renee Good was murdered. I had walked the mile to work on that cold January day when she was killed, and I told my middle-school walkers what my walking route would be so they knew that there would be another adult walking around if things turned chaotic that afternoon. The weeks were filled with supporting students in-person and my students in hiding through online teaching and grocery deliveries. But my constant and daily support was walking that route; from my house, parallel to where Renee was killed, and to my school each day. The walk began as a way to support students, but it ended up being a much needed cold-weather jolt to the system I believe many of us in Minneapolis were feeling, as we stood or walked out in the cold and looked out for our neighbors. Thanks again, Jo, for your support and visibility during the peak of Operation Metro Surge. I know your readers in Minnesota appreciated your thoughtful messaging. ♥️

I swear I just walked past that “your one stop shop” sign in Pittsburgh but I cannot think of where this photo was taken or where I was!

♥️Olive🐶

Alison, your church is lovely

I love this vast community. My favorite walk is a dirt path worn into the grass from decades of walking between my house in rural VT and my grandmother’s house. I should mention I lived on the side on a tiny hill in a vast forest that was our property, so I had no limits of great spots. The path is so ingrained in my head that I could do it with my eyes literally closed, barefoot all the way to grandma’s house. My mother had a lot of stuff and wasn’t really available for me as a kid, but my (step) grandmother was a wonderful shoe in. A lot of people in our family think she was kind of old school, focused on manners. I wanted to learn manners. I wanted to learn how to sew. Now I’m middle aged. Grandma passed the fall before the pandemic. Her house was sold and someone new lives there now. I miss her so much. Thanks for letting me write a novel in the comments.

Michele, thanks for the memories. When I was in primary school my cousin’s house backed up to a cemetery. It was our favorite playground. It had trees and shrubs and flowers and birds and animals. Plus it had lots of statues and interesting tombstones….even mausoleums. A child’s definition of paradise…

I have a bird sanctuary at the end of my street, and I can get a solid 45-minute walk in the woods by a stream while being in the middle of the suburbs. Whenever I first enter the bird sanctuary, I feel grateful that this is my life, and this is my home.

I always walk my dog at the local off leash beach. I love the mountains rising up to one side and the wild ocean on the other, and I totally love it when other people’s dogs pick me for a cuddle, or in some cases a running jump int my arms. I made friends on this walk, and slowly became part of a community. I used to love walking in the forest but I developed an anaphylaxis allergy to most insect bites so it is a bit dangerous to go into the woods where there’s no mobile reception… I miss that feeling of being free.

Regarding GOOD BOOKS: so many of you recommended The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue, and so I finally grabbed a copy. THANK YOU! Gasp! Thank you. That was epic!

I’m amazed that no one has mentioned London – the city of my heart and soul. I’ve gone in numerous walks in its many parks. In fact, it’s my favourite way to catch up with friends. There’s something grounding about feeling soft grass underneath your feet and being surrounded by beauty and peace. I have gone through so many seasons in life walking in Greenwich Park. I lived there for many years and have moved away since, but I will forever carry a piece of London with me.

I’m oddly comforted by how many others here got emotional reading this post and looking at the lovely photos. Also surprised not to see Portland, Oregon mentioned so far. I’m dreaming of a move there (from coastal southern CA) because of how much I love the trails (esp Forest Park). Unrelated but if anybody needs a lil boost: (NYT Gift Article) The Good List: 8 Things to Add Delight To Your Day https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/briefing/the-good-list-march-madness-desert-flowers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WVA.jtCn.ytYDWVk7qKyc&smid=url-share

Love this! I love taking a walk with my kiddo these days. She literally stops to smell the flowers. We just walked to our nearby store for milk, beer, and mini ice cream cones, the essentials. There is a nice park nearby that has a sculpture that is like a giant wind chime. She likes to sit with us on a bench and listen to bells. Everything is new and cool to her and it makes me appreciate the little things.

Milford to Takapuna walk in Auckland. First one to pop up in my mind so will do it this weekend. Always interested in other people’s stomping grounds. Great post.

I walk the hills in my Berkshires town every day, with one goal: to be Emily’s dad at 84.

What’s his secret? “At 84, he power walks for two hours every day.” Goals, my friend, goals.

Denver dweller here: Washington Park is my dog’s favorite, really lights him up to walk there 1-3x per week (he loves ANY park, but this was his first ‘big park’ after I adopted him, and he needed gradual exposure to so much stimuli). For a short drive out of the city, Lair O the Bair in Jefferson cty open space is fantastic. Head up through Morrison (where the famous Red Rocks outdoor ampitheater is), and keep going on the windy road following the signs! Dogs welcome and plentiful, plus a meandering creek that is completely stunning when iced over in winter.

Oh my goodness this post is making me teary. Something about all of you far – flung, but walking along with me every single day. My walk is the most central activity of my existence over the past few years. Navigating a health issue, so certain days I’m really slow out there, but I do it anyway. I was previously a runner, dog – along – side jogger, and walker, but these walks are different – a reminder that it’s all still here, and so are we.

How random is it that my same street neighbor is one of these stories! Hi Hilleary! From your neighbor at 133! Gorgeous picture! ~K

I live in a boring suburban neighborhood. I love walking there in the dark though, I love the scents of the orange blossoms on spring evenings, the scent of damp in winter, the roses in late spring and early summer. Right now is my favorite walking time, in normally pretty dry Northern California, the blossoms are transforming even the most boring neighborhood. And I love to greet all the kitties that go about their nightly business, staring at my suspiciously …

Gahhh there is just nothing more restorative than a walk in a place you LOVE! Thank you CoJ for once again reminding us all how important the little things are. I am in the suburbs of San Francisco, and I cherish the same ol’ loop I do almost everyday. Can I also say that Amy Poehler’s Good Hang Podcast is the very best company on a walk. I giggle along to myself with her and all of her incredible guests. If you haven’t listened yet, do yourself a favor and go for a stroll with the lovely Amy in your ears!

I love this post so much – can tell it’s one I’m going to come back to often when I need a little boost. Walking is such a spiritual center for me and I’ve always had a deep love for trees. I have some outside my family home that absolutely feel like they raised me and have watched over me all my life and I always try to find trees wherever I am that I notice and say hello to on my walks (at least internally – maybe I’ll have the nerve to do so externally someday! haha)

My husband and I moved out of a neighborhood we really loved a couple of years ago after we bought our house, and I had very mixed feelings about it at first. But one of the things I love most about our new neighborhood is that we’re sandwiched between two small lakes, one that’s a ten minute walk to the west, and another that’s quite literally across the street. I find it so soothing to be close to water – to say nothing of the birdsong and the trees and the many cute dogs I encounter on the walking path – and I still feel spoiled by the ability to walk out my front door and take a short stroll around the lake.

Nearly every weekend, my husband and I walk from our apartment down Page Street (a perfectly SF tree-lined street) past the library, so I can return or pick up books, to Golden Gate Park. Our first stop is always the Conservatory of Flowers. There’s a bench that we refer to as “our backyard.” We usually sit and chat for a while before deciding if we should go on or if we should head home. Heading on can be any number of places or trails. It’s one of my favorite parts of the week.

I love this. My dog is recovering from knee surgery at the moment and I reallllly miss our daily walks. Our usual route is not the most picturesque, but there are moments of beauty: the way the winter sun hits a certain stretch of road, children playing in the park, or the neighbor who always has a treat for my dog. There is something about getting to know a route in all seasons, watching the light change, which trees are especially vibrant in autumn or have fragrant blossoms in spring, how snow transforms everything. And walking with a dog is the best because they force you to slow down and (if you’re my very extroverted dog) talk to people you wouldn’t normally interact with. Ughhhh I can’t wait until we can get back to it!

Walking is one of my favorite hobbies! My daily route takes me on a loop around the fabulous Lafayette Park in San Francisco.

Anyone else teary about Olive? I bet she was the best girl!!!

Erika – Olive looks like the absolute sweetest dog. I love his little neckerchief! I bet he loved those walks. What luck for you two to have found each other, even if it wasn’t for nearly long enough.

As soon as I saw the title of this post, I just knew a beachfront walk in Toronto would be featured. Even happier to see two! I visit the beach and walk along the boardwalk in Toronto Beaches neighbourhood (like Afroma) at least a few times a week. It’s often the highlight of my day <3