If Yosemite National Park figures in your vacation plans, here’s a nice video from a park ranger outlining the muscle-burners in the Valley:

Great thing about the harder hikes: They’ll get you up and away from the throngs of tourists, few of whom have the muscle for much elevation gain. Trails covered: Mist Trail, Panorama Trail, Upper Yosemite Fall Trail. (OK so these are not super imaginative choices, given that I’ve hiked all three, but if you’re car camping in the valley and need a day away from the clamor, these can’t miss.)