Forget Japan. These eight forest therapy trails in the U.S. are the real deal.
Japan popularized shinrin-yoku (forest bathing). But the practice of slow, sensory-driven immersion in nature isn’t confined to Kyoto’s bamboo groves or Hokkaido’s old-growth cedars.
Jump to:
- Washington Park Arboretum — Seattle, Washington
- Pinnacle Park Trail — Sylva, North Carolina
- The Lodge at Woodloch — Hawley, Pennsylvania
- Silverwood Park Forest Therapy Trail — St. Anthony, Minnesota
- El Yunque National Forest — Naguabo, Puerto Rico
- Creekside Nature Trail — Sonoma County, California
- Old Forest Trail — Memphis, Tennessee
- Nature Trails East — Quincy, Illinois
Across the United States, there’s a growing network of certified forest therapy trails, each one vetted by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) for safety, ecological health and therapeutic design.
These forest therapy trails are short (most under a mile), intentionally slow (plan on two hours, not twenty minutes) and engineered to make you rethink what a walk in the woods can do for your health.
From a tropical rainforest in Puerto Rico to a quarter-mile loop in suburban Minnesota, these eight certified forest therapy trails in the U.S. are some of the most intentionally designed outdoor experiences in the country.
Why Forest Therapy Works
Forest therapy starts with the five senses. The whole practice is built on the idea that your body already knows how to connect with nature. You just have to slow down enough to let it.
There’s a reason doctors in Japan have been prescribing forest time since the 1980s. And there’s a growing body of science to back up what your body already knows. Being in a forest changes you, physically and neurologically, in ways that a treadmill or a meditation app can’t replicate.
Studies show that even 20 minutes in a forest environment lowers cortisol levels, reduces blood pressure and slows heart rate. Trees release compounds called phytoncides, antimicrobial organic oils that boost the activity of natural killer cells in your immune system.
This is not a metaphor. Your body literally responds to the chemistry of a living forest. Beyond the clinical data, regular forest therapy improves sleep, sharpens focus, and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Part of this comes from the basic act of unplugging. And part comes from something harder to quantify: what happens when you stop moving through nature as a backdrop and start experiencing it as a participant.
Eight Forest Therapy Trails in the U.S.
The eight certified forest therapy trails on this list facilitate exactly that kind of attention. ANFT consultants assess each one for sensory richness, ecological health, accessibility and freedom from distraction—and most include self-guided brochures or signage that offer “invitations” rather than instructions, such as closing your eyes to listen for birdsong or pressing your palm against the bark of a tree.
Consider them less as hiking trails and more as outdoor laboratories for paying attention. Here are our eight top certified forest therapy trails in the U.S. to put on your radar.
1. Washington Park Arboretum — Seattle, Washington
Washington Park Arboretum spans 230 acres on the shores of Lake Washington. Jointly managed by the University of Washington and the City of Seattle, the arboretum is one of the few certified forest therapy trails set within an urban setting.
The beauty of this location is in its botanical range. World-class collections of oaks, maples, camellias and magnolias line the trails alongside native salmonberry and Pacific Northwest conifers. Arboretum Creek runs through the length of the park, and a Japanese Garden occupies the southern end.
The famous Azalea Way, a paved ADA-accessible path, explodes with color in spring. It’s free, it’s open dawn to dusk year-round, and it offers something rare for a certified trail: the feeling of genuine wilderness without leaving the city.
2. Pinnacle Park Trail — Sylva, North Carolina
The first certified forest therapy trail in North Carolina sits on the lower loop of Pinnacle Park, a 1,529-acre former watershed on the Plott Balsam Mountain Range. The certified section is just under half a mile with about 150 feet of elevation gain. Still, the landscape punches well above its distance.
Two streams, a robust deciduous canopy, wildflowers in season and an ecosystem thick with mosses, lichens, fungi and salamanders make it feel far more remote than it is. Mark Ellison, the ANFT-certified guide who helped establish the trail in 2022, was one of the first forest therapy guides in the country, leading walks in these mountains since 2012.
Self-guided brochures at the trailhead walk you through five sensory invitations. An audio tour is also available for download. Guided walks run about 2.5 hours and end with a tea ceremony made from foraged local plants.
3. The Lodge at Woodloch — Hawley, Pennsylvania
This one is different from the others on this list because the trail is private, accessible only to guests of The Lodge at Woodloch, an adults-only destination spa in the Pocono Mountains. Certified forest bathing specialists lead weekly two-hour walks through more than 500 acres of forest, meadows, an old orchard and a 15-acre private lake.
The sensory variety here is hard to beat. The Lodge also offers forest-bathing-themed spa treatments and a meditation labyrinth near the main building. For travelers wanting a full-on immersion experience with accommodations to match, this is the one.
4. Silverwood Park Forest Therapy Trail — St. Anthony, Minnesota
This quarter-mile trail sits in the northeast corner of Silverwood Park. When it opened in December 2020, it became Minnesota’s first ANFT-certified forest therapy trail. Don’t let the distance fool you.
The suggested time on the trail is two hours, and visitors routinely say they’re surprised by how long they can spend on such a short stretch. Five guideposts along the route offer sensory prompts: feel the breeze on your skin, listen for rhythms in the sounds around you, notice the texture of an object underfoot.
Because the trail can be tricky to locate within the larger park, the relative seclusion works in its favor. It’s easy to find yourself alone here, which is exactly the point.
5. El Yunque National Forest — Naguabo, Puerto Rico
El Yunque holds a singular distinction: it is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system. It’s also home to what the National Forest Foundation has been developing as the first ANFT-certified forest therapy trail on National Forest land anywhere in the country.
The project grew out of a bilingual forest therapy training held in Puerto Rico in 2019, the first of its kind. Local organizations like Corazón Latino and The Mission Continues helped shape the effort.
The forest spans nearly 29,000 acres across eight municipalities with 240 tree species, 23 of which grow nowhere else. Add cascading rivers and the constant soundtrack of the coquí frog, and you begin to understand why. For a forest therapy experience that feels truly unlike anything else on this list, El Yunque is it.
6. Creekside Nature Trail — Sonoma County, California
This trail carries history that no other on the list can claim. Creekside Nature Trail is where ANFT held its first Forest Therapy Guide training outside of Japan and Korea, making it a kind of origin point for the practice in the Western Hemisphere.
The trail is less than half a mile on easy, level terrain. Because fewer people know about it, you’re more likely to walk it alone. That said, the trail, which is located in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, is popular for camping and hiking.
7. Old Forest Trail — Memphis, Tennessee
Walking through the Old Forest in Overton Park is like stepping into a version of Memphis that predates the city itself. This 142-acre tract is one of the few remaining urban old-growth forests in the Southeast, with some trees exceeding 200 years and more than 350 plant species and 100 bird species catalogued within its boundaries.
The forest was nearly destroyed in the 1960s when a portion was slated for Interstate 40 construction, but a grassroots campaign fought it all the way to the Supreme Court and won. Today, a two-mile loop trail winds through a canopy dominated by tulip poplar, eleven oak species and five hickory varieties.
Guided nature walks happen monthly, and a self-guided visit is free, year-round. For anyone who thinks forest therapy requires a remote mountain or a national park, Old Forest is the counterargument.
8. Nature Trails East — Quincy, Illinois
A section of this popular Quincy trail system has been specifically designated for forest bathing. Signs at the start of the trail explain the practice and invite visitors to slow their pace, and the route itself is lined with seasonal wildflowers that add visual texture throughout the year.
What makes this trail interesting is its accessibility, both physically and culturally. The trail is situated within a well-used municipal network so it naturally invites forest therapy. Weekday visits are best if you want fewer crowds. Come when the wildflowers are up and give yourself more time than you think you need.
Snapshot
- Explore eight certified forest therapy trails in the U.S. that range from a tropical rainforest in Puerto Rico to a private spa resort in the Poconos.
- Understand why even 20 minutes in a forest can lower cortisol, boost your immune system and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Rethink what a short trail can do for you. Most of these routes are under a mile but designed for two hours of slow, sensory immersion.
- Learn how ANFT-certified trails use “invitations” rather than instructions to guide you through touch, sound and stillness.
- Find trails that fit your travel style, from free urban old-growth forests to full-immersion wellness resort experiences.
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