When we think of boardwalks, our minds often drift to iconic coastal promenades with crashing waves and carnival games. But across America, remarkable wooden pathways extend far beyond ocean shores, winding through marshlands, forests, mountains, and urban settings. These inland boardwalks offer immersive experiences in nature while protecting delicate ecosystems and providing accessibility to wilderness areas that would otherwise remain hidden from view.
Fortunately for travelers seeking new perspectives, these pathways offer unique experiences without the crowds of their beachfront counterparts. Here is a list of 20 scenic boardwalks across the United States that showcase the country’s diverse inland landscapes, from desert oases to mountain vistas.
Anhinga Trail – Everglades National Park, Florida
This elevated wooden pathway takes visitors deep into the heart of the Everglades ecosystem without getting their feet wet. The 0.8-mile loop offers nearly guaranteed wildlife sightings, including alligators, turtles, and a stunning variety of wading birds feeding in the sawgrass marsh.
Early mornings transform the boardwalk into a photographer’s paradise when mist rises from the water and animals are most active.
Big Cypress Bend – Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, Florida
This lesser-known boardwalk penetrates one of North America’s most diverse swamp forests along a 2,300-foot wooden path. Ancient cypress trees draped with air plants and orchids create a primeval atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the country.
Lucky visitors might spot the elusive Florida panther or black bear among the dense vegetation that flourishes in this subtropical wilderness.
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High Line – New York City, New York
Perched 30 feet above Manhattan streets, this former elevated railway turned urban park stretches for 1.45 miles through the heart of the city. Native plantings inspired by the wild landscape that once grew on the abandoned tracks create a green ribbon among the concrete jungle.
Visitors experience changing art installations, seasonal plantings, and unique views of the Hudson River while walking above the bustling streets.
Tahquamenon Falls Boardwalk – Paradise, Michigan
This wooden pathway provides dramatic views of one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. The amber-colored water, stained by natural tannins from cedar swamps, creates a root beer-like appearance as it cascades nearly 50 feet across the 200-foot-wide upper falls.
Winter transforms the boardwalk into a magical corridor with frozen spray creating ice formations along its length.
Ann and Roy Butler Trail – Austin, Texas
Circling Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, this 10-mile trail includes beautiful boardwalk sections that extend over the water. Urban skyline views contrast with abundant wildlife and native plant communities along this peaceful retreat in the heart of Texas’ capital city.
Evening walks offer cooler temperatures and the spectacle of 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerging from under the Congress Avenue Bridge during summer months.
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Ridges Sanctuary – Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin
Hidden in Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula, this nature preserve features a fully accessible boardwalk traversing a rare boreal forest and wetland complex. The elevated pathway protects delicate orchids and over 500 plant species that thrive in this unique ecosystem.
Spring brings an explosion of wildflowers while winter transforms the boardwalk into a snow-covered corridor through a silent forest.
Boardwalk Trail – Congaree National Park, South Carolina
This 2.4-mile elevated loop offers access to the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States. Massive loblolly pines and bald cypress trees create a cathedral-like atmosphere along the wooden pathway that protects visitors from seasonal flooding.
During high water events, the forest floor transforms into a mirror, creating dreamlike reflections of the ancient tree canopy.
Tensleep Preserve – Ten Sleep, Wyoming
This wooden pathway winds through a unique desert spring system in Wyoming’s high plains region. Crystal clear water bubbles from limestone formations, creating lush oases in an otherwise arid landscape.
Visitors walking the boardwalk witness the dramatic contrast between water-loving plants and desert vegetation that exists just a few feet apart in this ecological transition zone.
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Big Morongo Canyon Preserve – Morongo Valley, California
This desert oasis boardwalk traverses a rare cottonwood-willow riparian habitat surrounded by harsh Mojave Desert conditions. The wooden path hovers above marshlands fed by underground springs, creating habitat for over 250 bird species in this critical migration corridor.
Dawn walks reward visitors with a symphony of bird calls that echo through the canyon walls surrounding this hidden gem.
Limberlost Trail – Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
This accessible pathway meanders through a mountain wetland and recovering forest in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Originally devastated by logging and chestnut blight, the area now showcases forest regeneration with interpretive signs explaining the recovery process.
Fall transforms the boardwalk into a kaleidoscope of color as maples, oaks, and other hardwoods display their autumn finery.
Wildwood Recreation Site – Welches, Oregon
Located near Mt. Hood, this boardwalk system includes an underground viewing chamber where visitors can observe salmon in their natural habitat through underwater windows. The elevated pathways protect sensitive wetlands while providing access to old-growth Douglas fir forests and mountain streams.
Educational displays explain the complex relationships between forest, river, and mountain ecosystems along the wooden routes.
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Weston Lake Loop – Congaree National Park, South Carolina
This secondary boardwalk at Congaree offers a more immersive swamp experience than the main trail. Ancient cypress knees push through the water’s surface, creating otherworldly formations along the pathway.
Barred owls frequently call to each other across the blackwater channels that wind through the primeval forest landscape accessible via the wooden walkway.
West Fork Oak Creek Trail – Sedona, Arizona
Though not entirely a boardwalk, the wooden bridge crossings along this trail create memorable pathways through one of Arizona’s most spectacular canyons. The structures allow hikers to cross the creek multiple times while protecting a fragile riparian habitat from erosion.
Massive red rock walls tower above the wooden traverses, creating breathtaking framed views at each crossing point.
Sand Dunes Boardwalk – Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
This pathway provides access across Medano Creek to the tallest dunes in North America. The wooden structure protects visitors from the seasonally flowing stream while preserving the delicate ecosystem at the dune field’s edge.
Summer brings the strange phenomenon of ‘surge flow’ where the creek rises and falls in rhythmic waves visible from the elevated viewing platforms.
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Mammoth Hot Springs Boardwalks – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
These extensive wooden pathways protect both visitors and delicate thermal features at one of Yellowstone’s most unique attractions. The boardwalks traverse active travertine terraces where mineral-rich water creates constantly changing limestone formations resembling frozen waterfalls.
Steam vents, colorful bacterial mats, and the scent of sulfur create a multi-sensory experience along these elevated routes.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Austin, Texas
This network of elevated pathways showcases native Texas flora in carefully designed garden displays and natural habitats. The boardwalks cross seasonal creeks and wetland areas that demonstrate sustainable water management techniques in an urban setting.
Spring brings spectacular wildflower displays, while fall grasses create golden waves across the landscape, visible from the wooden walkways.
Fontenelle Forest – Bellevue, Nebraska
This century-old nature center features over a mile of boardwalks traversing wetlands along the Missouri River floodplain. The elevated paths provide year-round access to bottomland forests that would otherwise be impassable during wet seasons.
Birders flock to these wooden walkways during migration periods when the forest serves as a crucial stopover for neotropical birds following the river corridor.
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Rainforest Trail – Olympic National Park, Washington
These short but spectacular boardwalk loops wind through the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the few temperate rainforests in North America. Moss-draped big leaf maples and massive Sitka spruce trees create an emerald world receiving up to 14 feet of rain annually.
The wooden pathways protect the forest floor from compression while allowing visitors to experience this prehistoric-feeling ecosystem.
Silver Falls State Park – Sublimity, Oregon
The Trail of Ten Falls incorporates numerous boardwalk sections, allowing hikers to walk behind several waterfalls within this lush canyon. Wooden pathways protect the fragile basalt formations and vegetation while providing dramatic perspectives looking through falling water curtains.
Winter transforms these sections into especially magical corridors with ice formations and reduced crowds.
Santa Fe Botanical Garden – Santa Fe, New Mexico
This high-desert boardwalk system showcases native plants adapted to the unique conditions of northern New Mexico. Elevated wooden paths cross arroyos and protect erosion-prone slopes while offering views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Seasonal changes create dramatically different experiences from spring cactus blooms to golden cottonwoods lining dry creek beds in autumn.
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Beyond The Planks
These inland boardwalks offer far more than convenient pathways through difficult terrain. They represent a thoughtful balance between human access and environmental protection, allowing us to experience fragile ecosystems without loving them to death.
As climate change threatens many of these sensitive habitats, these wooden corridors serve as both educational tools and conservation ambassadors. The next time you seek outdoor adventure, consider stepping off the beaten path onto one of these remarkable wooden walkways that reveal America’s hidden natural treasures.
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