New Year’s hiking resolutions don’t need to be all about reaching the highest summits. Objective lists can inspire you to hit the trail all year-round, even if peakbagging isn’t your thing. A little internet research is likely to turn up challenges local to you, or you can invent your own, like visiting every state park in your area or hiking a certain number of miles.

And if you’re someone who is motivated by a reward, plenty of official challenges supply finishers with certificates and patches. Ready to get planning? Check out the following hiking goal ticklists that aren’t peakbagging.

Carolina Mountain Club Waterfall Challenge

What’s better than peakbagging? Waterfall bagging. This list features 100 cascades across the Carolinas and Tennessee. Live somewhere else? Create your own waterfall ticklist to tackle in 2025.

Backpacker’s 50 Best Hikes in the US

With our picks for the best hike in every state, you can embark on the cross-country hiking journey of a lifetime. While hiking in each state will take longer than a year for most hikers, you can start with your state or region.

North Country Trail 100

The North Country Trail, which stretches from Vermont to North Dakota, is 4,800 miles long. But to complete this challenge, you only need to hike 100 of them. You can split it up any way you like— a series of dayhikes, overnights, or one long backpacking trip. Do so before the year ends, and you can receive a patch and certificate of completion.

Shen500

Hikers in the southeast dream of completing this challenge, which includes every mile of trail within Shenandoah National Park, totaling about 512 miles. You’ll end up hiking more than that as you retrace your steps to hit every section, gaining an exhaustive understanding of one of the nation’s most spectacular parks as you do so.

Become a Trail Tracer

Looking for a local challenge, or one that’s personal to you? Pick any map or guidebook (the AMC White Mountain guide is popular for this, but you can choose your favorite). From there, the goal is simple: Hike every trail. Trace the trails you’ve completed with a marker or highlighter for a fun visual representation of your progress!

Fire Lookout Hikes

If you want the climbing challenge of peakbagging with some extra incentive, check out trails to fire lookouts. These structures offer unobscured views of nearby peaks, and some allow you to stay overnight. Washington State has 93 towers you can hike to, and there are 32 across the Adirondacks and Catskills.