Over the
last decade, author Peter Potterfield - National Geographic Adventures
has hiked more than 10,000
miles on six continents to research this list. We
present the world's 15 best hikes, including Patagonia,
Newfoundland, Petra, and more.
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Kungsleden, Sweden
|
Abisko Mountain Station to the Saami Village
of Nikkaluokta
Round-Trip: 65
miles, 3 to 5 days
When to Go: The Europeans do it in August, when they get
holiday time, so be bold and go in early September for authentic solitude and
no bugs.
A hundred miles inside the
Arctic Circle, Sweden’s
legendary 275-mile Kungsleden (the “The King's Trail”) begins its traverse of
the last great wilderness in western Europe. This mind-blowing northernmost
section penetrates the vast Arctic landscape of Sweden
through birch forests, open tundra, and big glaciers before crossing the
shoulder of Sweden’s highest
peak, 6,926-foot Mount
Kebnekaise. Using the
comfortable huts placed about a day apart assures you have refuge in bad
weather. Sturdy suspension bridges take the danger out of the big rivers. The
vibe here is “far north,” with palpable emptiness and low-angled light that
stirs the soul.
Insider Tip: The route can be done in either direction, but do
it north to south, as that keeps the sun on your face—no small consideration in
the Arctic.
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Grand Canyon Hike, Arizona,
USA
|
Rim to Rim to Rim
Round-Trip: 44 miles, 4 to 6 days
When to Go:
Everybody does this hike in September to October or April to May, so go in
March or November for a more contemplative experience.
Any walk in the Grand Canyon is
going to rate pretty high on the Richter scale of hikes, but this route shows
you both rims and the river, offers different trails in and out, and gives you
enough time within one of the greatest features on Earth to actually savor the
majesty of the natural architecture. Time travel through the multicolored layer
cake of the Colorado Plateau for two billion years' worth of geology, from the
Kaibab limestone at the rim to the Vishnu complex at the river, all on good
“corridor” trails with known water sources and pleasant camps.
Insider Tip: Bomb
down from the South Rim via the uber-direct South Kaibab Trail to cross the
Colorado River on the Black
Bridge and camp at Bright
Angel camp. Then ascend through the Box, the inner heart of the canyon, up to
Cottonwood Camp and the remote North Rim. On the return trek, cross the
Colorado on the Silver Bridge and ascend to the South Rim through Indian Garden
via the Bright Angel Trail, better suited for uphill travel.
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Everest Base Camp Trek, Nepal
|
Lukla to Everest Base Camp
Round-Trip: 70 miles, 16 days
When to Go:
Pre-monsoon (March or April) gives you the rhododendrons in bloom and lots of
climber action, but post-monsoon (November) gives you drier weather. Go with
guide services that use local Sherpa guides, cooks, and porters—it’s part of
the experience.
Arguably the greatest of all
high-mountain journeys, this stroll through Nepal’s Khumbu district lets you
see three of the highest peaks on Earth (Everest, Lhotse, and Lhotse Sar) in
one glance—and dozens more Himalayan giants along the way. A favorite is the
view from Thyangboche, called by renowned mountain explorer W.H. Tillman the
“greatest view in the world.” But it’s the deep immersion in the Sherpas’
Buddhist culture that will bring you back for the friendly villages, the
monasteries, and the polyglot scene of world travelers who come for the
high-octane pilgrimage to Everest.
Insider Tip: Go
slow on the way up. Healthy hikers could cover 35 miles in two days, but
the need to acclimatize means you’ll take ten days on the trek in to Everest,
but only three on the trek out. The enforced downtime allows you to savor the
experience—and the culture of people who live there.
|
Fitz Roy Trek, Patagonia, Argentina
|
El Chaltén to Laguna Torre to
Poincenot Camp to Laguna Eléctrico
Round-Trip: 36 miles, 4 to 7 days
When to Go:
February to March to avoid the crowds of midsummer and enjoy stable fall
weather when the infamous Patagonian winds abate.
Hike among Argentina’s fabled Fitz Roy Massif, the iconic
ridge where the peaks of Poincenot, St. Exupery, and 11,073-foot Fitz Roy
itself rise out of the steppes of Patagonia
like a vision. This grand tour gives you three views of Fitz at sunrise, with
Cerro Torre and Marconi
Pass thrown in for good
measure. This ramble through Delaware-size
Los Glaciares
National Park takes you
from gnarled, spooky beech forests and open plains to glaciers, roaring
waterfalls, and granite monoliths afire with orange dawn light.
Insider Tip: From Camp Poincenot,
hike up in the predawn hours to Laguna de los Tres by headlamp for the full
impact of sunrise on the Fitz Roy Massif.
|
Petra
Through the Back Door, Jordan
|
Dana Reserve to Petra
Round-Trip: 50 miles, 7 days
When to Go:
October through April, when desert temperatures relent—a little. Go with
Adventure Jordan, the local company that discovered this 50-mile route through
the deserts, mountains, and peaks of Jordan.
At the top of an ancient
stairway carved into the red rock, the narrow defile leads around a sharp bend,
and suddenly you are stopped cold. There stands the exquisite carved façade of
Al Deir, better known as the Monastery, perhaps Petra’s grandest monument. And you have it to
yourself. To enter the Nabataean city of Petra
in a small party at the conclusion of almost a week in the rugged wilds of the Kingdom of Jordan is a far more satisfying arrival
than pulling into the parking lot with its idling tour buses ten miles away.
That’s what makes the weeklong trek unique.
From the ancient city of Dana, the route leads down to the Feynan Eco-Lodge before
crossing the vast arid expanse of Wadi Araba before climbing into the Sharah Mountains
past iconic oasis and Bedouin camps toward Petra itself. The off-trail travel through
the deserts and mountains can be grueling, exacerbated by the heat, but the
hike sets you up to enter Petra in a receptive
frame of mind, ready to absorb the mystical qualities of the Rose Red City.
Insider Tip: Do
your research before you arrive. Time in the canyon system of Petra is precious, so it’s best to know what
you want to see before you arrive. Besides the iconic sites of the Siq, the
Treasury and the Monastery are mystical venues, as are the Place of High
Sacrifice and the Great
Temple.
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Grindelwald, Switzerland
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First to Lake
Bachal to Faulhorn Hut
Round-Trip: 10 miles if you ride up
and walk down, 2 to 3 days
When to Go: High summer is the
season here, but hikable weather often extends into September, when the
Europeans are back at work. The Faulhorn closes in October.
Perhaps the biggest payoff for
effort applied in the Alps, this ridiculously
beautiful walk takes in the scenic highlights of the Bernese Oberland—including
the notorious Eiger and its more impressive sister peak, the fearsome
Shreckhorn—looming across Grindelwald’s fairy tale valley.
All this, and a night or two at
the comfortable Faulhorn hut or berghotel, impossibly perched at 8,800 feet on its
namesake peak, for just a day’s worth of hiking. And you can shave some time
off that by taking a cable car up to First. Walk the whole way from Grindelwald
and you’ll earn that beer you’re drinking on the terrace as the setting sun
paints the Eiger’s north wall a blood red.
Insider Tip: Even
if you ride the lift on the way up, be sure to walk down, and have lunch at
Waldspitz, a classic Swiss mountain chalet where you’ll enjoy a tasty rösti
watching snow plumes blow off the summit of the Shreckhorn so close it’s scary.
|
Yosemite
Grand Traverse, California, USA
|
Post Peak Pass to
Tuolumne Meadows
Round-Trip: 60 miles, 6 to 7 days
When to Go:
Reaching as high as 12,000
feet, this trans-Sierra route is open only from mid-July
to mid-September.
It’s hard to say “Sierra in
summer” without thinking of granite towers rising above sparkling high-country
lakes into deep blue skies. This traverse is a cheat sheet of Yosemite
backcountry, touching more than a few of the real high points of the Sierra in
just a week, including an ascent of Half Dome via the Cable Route.
Starting on obscure trails in
the Ansel Adams Wilderness with unexpected views of the Minarets and other
landmark Sierra Nevada peaks, this hike soon enters Yosemite
National Park to follow the unique
drainage of the Merced River. The traverse
then joins the iconic John Muir Trail for a spectacular finish among the spires
of the Cathedral Range. An unexpected highlight is the
jaunt through the extensive drainage of the Merced River, the lifeblood of Yosemite Valley, where the route traces the headwaters
through waterfalls, granite basins, and channels, interspersed with sprawling,
sublime sub-alpine meadows.
Insider Tip: The
trailhead logistics for this trip can be challenging, so make things easy by
doing this trip with Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides, who pioneered the route
and have mastered the journey from start to finish.
|
Chilkoot
Trail, Alaska
and Yukon Territory, USA and Canada
|
Skagway to Bennett Lake
Round-Trip: 33 miles, 3 to 5 days
When to Go: The Coast Range
opens up a bit earlier than the Rockies, so
you can push the season a bit. Late June to early October works most years, but
August has the best weather—and sees the heaviest traffic.
The very names on this epic
route—the Golden Stairs, the Scales, the Stone Crib—are redolent with the
suffering of 1898 gold miners, and there’s no mistaking the history here. Both sides
of the trail are littered with rusting remains of equipment the miners
jettisoned out of exhaustion. More than a century later, the backcountry
journey those miners blazed, driven by greed, has become one of the iconic
wilderness routes in North America. It’s a
natural. The route rises quickly from tidewater to crest Chilkoot Pass
at 3,300 feet.
But instead of dropping back down, it meanders more than 20 miles through an alpine
wonderland, while losing only a thousand feet before returning to its terminus
at Bennett Lake.
Insider Tip:
Spanning two national parks, two countries, a state, a province and a
territory, Chilkoot Trail makes staging a challenge. Solve that by starting and
ending in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and use the robust
infrastructure for trailhead transport. Take the White Pass and Yukon Railway
over the mountains to Skagway, a stupendous
ride, and have Alpine Aviation pick you up in a floatplane at Bennett Lake
for the outrageous 45-minute flight back to Whitehorse, in plenty of time for a beer on
the deck before dinner.
|
Tonquin Valley, Canadian Rockies,
Alberta, Canada
|
Portal Creek to McCarib Pass
to Tonquin Valley
and Out via the Astoria
River
Round-Trip: 27 miles, 3 to 5 days
When to Go: July
to September; it can snow any day of the year.
Watching the sunrise light up
the enormous broadside of the Ramparts, throwing golden reflections into the
waters of Amethyst
Lake, is an experience
worthy of any effort expended to get into this wild valley. First photographed
in 1915, the unrelenting beauty of the Tonquin Valley, nestled deep in the
heart of the Canadian Rockies, has drawn pilgrims ever since—including Ansel
Adams, whose very first trip as a Sierra Club photographer was right here. This
big hiking loop takes you in over high, scenic McCarib Pass and out via the
lovely Astoria River, laying the whole mind-blowing landscape before you in a
backcountry journey to rival any.
Insider Tip: If all
those grizzly bears wandering around make you uneasy, consider booking
accommodations at two wilderness lodges hidden at the edges of the valley.
Founded as horsepacking operations, both the Amethyst Lake Lodge and Tonquin
Valley Lodge increasingly cater to hikers looking for a bit of comfort and
home-cooked meals in this wild place.
|
Bay of Fires, Tasmania, Australia
|
Stumpy’s Bay to Bay of Fires
Lodge
Round-Trip: 16 miles, 4 days
When to Go:
October to May is the season for this beach route along the northeastern shore.
Go with the Bay
of Fires Walk; it’s the
only way in or out.
From the start in Mount William
National Park to the finish at the
impressive Bay of Fires Lodge, the route never deviates from seemingly
endless beaches of blinding white sand and surreal rock formations lapped by a
turquoise Tasman Sea. Only the occasional headland
of granite boulders, turned blood red by lichen or forested points of
shoreline, pushes you up and out of the coves. The Bay of Fires
walk is a four-day guided trip; you can’t do it solo, as there is no water on
the route so no place to overnight. The first day takes you out to a permanent
camp at Forester Beach. The second, longer day finishes
at the architecturally striking Bay
of Fires Lodge. It’s as
green as they come—in fact, you’ll pump your own water up to rooftop tanks for
a shower. Day three is the ultimate reward: free time on the stunning Bay of Fires
coast with the comforts and fine wine of the lodge at your beck and call.
Insider Tip: Don’t
bother learning to discriminate between the species of snakes on Tasmania—they all have
fatal bites. Strikes are rare, however, so just keep your eyes peeled for the
slithering black creatures when you’re crossing the headlands.
|
Long Range Traverse,
Newfoundland, Canada
|
Western Brook Pond to Gros Morne
Mountain
Round-Trip: 23 miles, 3 to 5 days
When to Go:
Relatively low elevation means this route opens in June and can be hiked until
late September. But come prepared: The Long Range Mountains are on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and take the brunt of some of the
worst weather in the world. Go with a guide service if you’re not an expert
navigator.
This off-trail traverse takes
you from inland fjords lined with 2,000-foot-high granite cliffs draped with
wispy waterfalls deep into Gros
Morne National
Park. The rugged seaside plateau is just one
reason Newfoundland
is the new mecca for adventure. The landscape here is as dramatic as it is
remote: It was carved by glaciers from massive, uplifted blocks of granite that
form the expansive plateau, a wild place still loaded with moose and caribou.
Good skills with map, compass, and GPS are required here, as no marked or
maintained trails penetrate this unique wilderness. So wild is this trek that
the park wardens won’t give you a permit unless you carry a locator beacon
(they call it a caribou collar). This ensures they won’t have to search the
whole park if you fail to emerge on time.
Insider Tip: The
impenetrable alpine krummholz vegetation (called tuckamore on Newfoundland) in Gros Morne is so dense it
seriously complicates navigation. One useful technique is to follow “caribou
leads,” trails carved through the tuck over centuries by moose and caribou.
Then take a GPS waypoint and adjust your vector as required when you pop out
the other side.
|
Queen
Charlotte Track, New
Zealand
|
Ship Cove to Anakiwa
Round-Trip: 44 miles, 3 to 5 days
When to Go: Located on the sunny
north end of the South Island, near the famed wine growing region of Marlborough, the Queen
Charlotte can be done virtually year round. Hike with Marlborough Sound
Adventures, who have the logistics wired.
A unique journey through the
sunny hills of the Marlborough Sounds, the Queen Charlotte follows the dragon’s
back ridge that separates the blue waters of Queen Charlotte
Sound from those of
Kenepuru Sound. Water taxis take you from the town of Picton to the start, at Ship’s Cove, where
Captain Cook hung out frequently between 1770 and 1779, and the finish at
Anakiwa. You can camp the whole way, a style of hiking the Kiwis call “freedom
walking,” or choose to turn the jaunt into a cush day-hiking experience not
unlike trekking in Nepal—except your gear is carried by boat, not yak. Go luxe,
and you can crank 15-mile days and stay every night in comfortable lodges at
Furneaux, Punga Cove and Portage.
Insider Tip: The
Queen Charlotte is one of the few tracks in New Zealand open to mountain bikers
for part of the season. Go early or late in the season if you want to ride, or
choose high summer if you want a more tranquil hike without bikers coming up
behind you.
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Mountains of
the Moon, Uganda
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Central Circuit, Ruwenzori Range
Round-Trip: 38 miles, 6 to 7 days
When to Go:
December to March, the “dry” season. Go with guides and porters; they know the
way and are not expensive.
When approaching high-altitude
glaciers, you don't often hear locals say, “There are elephants here.” But
everything about the Ruwenzori
Range, Ptolemy's
legendary Mountains of the Moon, is unexpected. Looming on the Uganda-Congo
border, these peaks make up the highest range in Africa, rising to 16,765 feet at the
Margherita summit of Mount
Stanley. (Kilimanjaro and
Kenya
are taller, but they aren’t ranges.) You’ll hike three days through two
14,000-foot passes and mind-bending forests of giant groundsel and giant
lobelias to get to the Bujuku Hut, base camp for those wanting to climb Mount Speke.
Hike one more day to Elena Hut, base camp for those who want to climb the
glaciers, and try for the summit of Mount
Stanley for its unique views of the Congo Basin.
Two more trail days take you over Scott
Elliot Pass,
the highest on the circuit at 14,344 feet, and back to the starting point for
your eventual return to Kampala.
Insider Tip: Bring
a pair of indestructible camp shoes impervious to moisture, such as Crocs. The
circuit can be a muddy mess. Walking in the creek beds often makes for the best
progress. It is essential to be able to change into something dry and
reasonably comfortable for your feet at day's end.
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Kalalau Trail, Kauai, Hawaii, USA
|
Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Valley
Round-Trip: 22 miles, 3 to 5 days
When to Go: May to
September for drier weather; April or October for more solitude.
The finest coastal hike in the
world, this rugged route through Kauai’s
impressive Nā Pali Coast will challenge you physically with tropical heat and
steep trails, and scare you with exposure on muddy slopes. But after a day of
slogging 11 miles
through the fluted cliffs above surf that crashes like howitzer fire on the
coast below, you are rewarded with a view of the impossibly serene mile-long
arc of golden Kalalau
Beach along the shimmering
Pacific. The Kalalau
Valley itself holds
fairy-tale waterfalls and lush tropical jungle, well worthy of exploration, but
the highlight is camping right on the beach, with the Western Pacific before
you, reflecting the setting sun.
Insider Tip: It’s hot,
and you’ll be tempted, but don’t even think about cooling off with a swim at
Hanakapi’ai Beach on the way in. All those small, makeshift memorials are
erected in the memory of hikers who thought they might enjoy wading in and were
immediately swept out to sea by the violent rips.
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Croagh Patrick, Ireland
|
Summit Climb,
Westport, County Mayo
Round-Trip: 8 miles, 1 day
When to Go: Spring
through fall is best for weather, but the climb can be done year round when the
summit isn’t covered with snow and ice. Expect fog, wind, rain, and hail
rolling in off the Atlantic at any time.
A climb of this gnarly, holy
peak provides ample beauty, challenge, and spiritual power to really experience
this long-settled country. Croagh is the Gaelic word for "sharp mountain,"
an apt term for this steep ascent of the 2,507-foot mountain where St. Patrick
is said to have spent 40 days and nights in prayer at its summit. More than
half the people who come to climb the rocky, exposed, and lung-churning trail
to the top are not hikers of any stripe, but pilgrims paying homage to St.
Patrick, who, with his Celtic cross design, symbolically brought Christians and
pagans together. Stunning views of Clew
Bay and all of verdant County Mayo
are the payoff for making it to the top, with its tiny white chapel. A Guinness
in the centuries-old Campbell’s
Pub at the base is the mandatory finish. There, the most oft heard phrase is,
“Wow, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Insider Tip: Myth
says that if you climb Croagh Patrick seven times, your entry into heaven is
assured despite previous bad behavior.
