Hiking Destinations - Upper Midwest & Mid-Atlantic regions

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I'm trying to decide where to go for vacation this year... not so much what direction to go, but where specifically to go within that trip. As of yet, I've visited 45 of the 50 states. The 5 I haven't visited:
Alaska
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Rhode Island

Since 3 of these (CT, DE, RI) can be done in a single road trip, I'm thinking about heading that direction to knock them out. My 2 interests are hiking and history. Obviously, I will be visiting some historical sites if I'm in that part of the country. But I'm also interested in some hiking as well.

I live in Iowa and would plan to drive east, visit these areas, then drive back for a total of 7-10 days. Does anyone have specific suggestions of places to stop for day hikes on the way there or back? I'm thinking Cuyahoga Valley National Park (I did a day hike there during a similar trip once). I would be open to national parks, national forests, state parks (assuming it is worth the user fee, if any), etc.

I've not figured out a date yet either, but it will probably be July or August, so weather should be great!