Many of us walk well-worn paths to get to the coveted 10,000 steps a day. My loop goes through a post-World War II housing complex filled with lush greenery and walkable pathways that bring me space to breathe and recharge.

Sometimes though it is nice to set your goals by imagining that you are walking in another location. So here are the step counts at six National Trust Historic Sites. We know that some of these step counts are very (very-very) large so we’ve provided some more reasonable paths to “walk,” along with a note from a staff member about what you might see along the way.

Calculations use each historic site's official acreage, not all of which is accessible to the public, and are based the understanding that 1 acre is 43,560 sq ft, and most humans walk about 2.5 feet per step.

Brucemore, (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
453,024 steps | 26 Acres

Try this (.2 miles | 463 steps): From Brucemore’s carriage house follow the road up past pond (on your left) as you make your way up towards the mansion.

Brucemore tells the story of three different families and their impact on the state of Iowa, but they are also dedicated to inspiring visitors through community, cultural, and heritage-based programs.

Visitor Services Assistant Glenna Houtz grew up next to this historic site in Cedar Rapids. When she talks to visitors about the grounds, she likes to encourage them to do the same activities she did with her family when they visited. She said, “I always like to tell people to take a little bit of time to sit by the pond and watch the ducks, when it’s in season. Same with the garden. All things we did growing up next to Brucemore.”

The Glass House (New Canaan, Connecticut)
818,928 steps | 49 acres

Try this (.3 miles | 620 steps): This walking tour (available with an educator for those who visit in person) starts at the entrance gate to the Glass House after you arrive from the visitors center. Take a stroll over to Da Monsta one of the many structures on the site’s landscape before making your way past the pine trees down the long driveway/hill to see both the Glass House and newly renovated Brick House. After that head up along the paths, over the bow bridge to the Painting Gallery and Sculpture Gallery.

Built between 1949-1995 by architect Philip Johnson this site is not only a modern architecture marvel but also includes 49-acres of pastoral landscape bordering the Stamford Reservoir (or say “bordering a nature reserve). It’s also home to a 20th-century collection of art and many other architectural structures and follies.

Kate Lichota, manager of interpretation and education said, “I really enjoy the part of the tour when we cross the “Brow Bridge” above the wild ferns, continuing along a narrow path lined with oak trees towards that leads to a 1965 building that looks like a berm in the hill. This building, known as the Painting Gallery was constructed by Philip Johnson in 1965 to house his growing collection of contemporary art. As one enters, the lights are turned off, so when visitors first enter and we turn on the lights, it is a real “ah-ha” moment of surprise as the interior space is quite large with three circular bays containing monumental scale paintings dating from the early 1960s to 1990s, representing the length of Johnson’s collecting of contemporary art over the course of several decades.”

President Lincoln’s Cottage (Washington D. C.)
40,075 steps | 2.3 acres

Try this (1.5 miles | 3,168 steps): This walk, available by purchasing a landscape tour, takes you through parts of the grounds around the Cottage that are not usually accessible to the public. For those of you walking virtually, you will start at the Cottage before making your way up and down MacArthur Drive, back through the entry gate, and ending at the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.

President Lincoln’s Cottage was home to Abraham Lincoln for over a quarter of his Presidency. Today the site, which sits within the 272 acres of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, is centered on sharing perspectives on issues of freedom, justice, and humility while also bringing the community together on site for programs, events, and exhibits that range from live music to deep reflection on the challenges we face today.

Hannah Urrey, director of advancement at President Lincoln’s Cottage said, “One of my favorite things about the Cottage is that it is surrounded by incredible natural spaces. We are a haven for animals like fox, deer, and many types of birds. I have seen wild turkeys, red tailed hawks, dark-eyed juncos, and teeny tiny ruby-crowned kinglets. It isn’t unusual to see bats flying across the south lawn of the Cottage at dusk, helpfully eating mosquitos and other less desirable insects.

We also see lots of blue jays, mockingbirds, robins, sparrows, and more, with both our wild and cultivated spaces providing food and shelter for them throughout the year. The quiet natural spaces are as much a part of Lincoln’s experience here as the Cottage itself, so I always recommend visitors take the time to sit out on the Cottage’s veranda or on the benches overlooking the lawns or take our audio-guided landscape tour.”

Cliveden (Germantown, Pennsylvania)
104,544 steps | 5.5 acres

Try this (.4 miles| 914.37 steps): Since Cliveden is in a residential neighborhood try taking a walk around the block circling the site from all four streets before exploring the site itself. (.4 miles| 914.37 steps)

A country house for attorney Benjamin Chew, and home to many individuals enslaved by and in service to the Chew family, Cliveden was also the site of the American Revolutionary War Battle of Germantown in 1777.

For Jaime Davenport, the gardener at Cliveden of the National Trust, progress is what currently excites him the most. “I love hearing from regular visitors and dog walkers about the progress of newly established paths and clearing of invasives that up until recently have swallowed many old growth beautiful shrubs, such as our rhododendrons and azaleas that are now free to grow and bloom.”

Kykuit (Tarrytown New York)
1,498,464 steps | 86 acres

Try this (.44 Miles | 944 Steps): Starting at the Coach Barn, this path leads visitors through Kykuit’s varying landscapes to experience their unparalleled beauty. From Kykuit’s traditional Rose Garden to the shrub-lined banks of the Brook Garden, visitors will also see the Three Pools, Inner and Morning Gardens, ending at the Forecourt before heading back to the Coach Barn.

Kykuit, a Beaux-Arts villa once home to four generations of the Rockefeller family, is set high above the Hudson River with dramatic hilltop terraces and formal gardens with pavilions, grottos, fountains and classical and modern sculpture. The site highlights the lives of the family and their place in American history. Kykuit provides unparalleled opportunities to experience gorgeous vistas.

Clare Levy Strom, the head gardener for Kykuit, where she has worked for nearly twenty years, said, “I love to point out how the Vista Hedge and the Okarikomi Hedge mimic the view of the river and the mountains. “

Oatlands (Leesburg, Virginia)
6,899,904 steps | 396 acres

Try this (1.05 miles | 2,227 steps): This path bisects the Oatlands property and takes visitors from the front gate, around the historic core and then out the historic cobblestone rd. (1.05 miles | 2,227 steps.)

Located about an hour outside Washington, D.C., Oatlands was constructed in 1810 as a plantation and site of enslavement. Today, the site tells that story amidst its natural spaces and gardens, and through the various structures that make up its vast 396 acres.