Happy Trails

50 Best Hikes in the World Every Adventurer Should Do in Their Lifetime

mj-618_348_delta-lake-grand-teton-national-park-wyoming-8-miles-50-greatest-hikes

Getty Images 43 / 49

44. Delta Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (8 miles)

Learn More

Despite the mileage, this is no casual climb (A Russian tourist died on this hike last year). Beginning at the Lupine Meadows parking area, the route ascends a ridge up to the Valley Trail, wherein ensues a series of narrow and dizzying switchbacks along the eastern slope of the Tetons, with views of Jackson Hole and Taggart Lakes below. After a little bushwhacking, you scramble up a steep boulder field and drop into the Glacier Gulch, home of Delta Lake, one of the Tetons’ hidden gems. Its brilliant turquoise waters are tucked beneath Mount Owen, the second-highest peak in the Tetons, and Teepee Pillar to the south. It’s a special place, and the secret is getting out.

For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!

Sean Gallup / Getty Images 44 / 49

45. The Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah (16 miles)

The money-shot on this famous and demanding river course is the thousand-foot sheer sandstone cliffs soaring above the serpentine Virgin River. You’ve seen the photographs—it’s one of the most popular locales in Zion—though the particulars mean it’s relatively forsaken by tin-can tourists: many sections require wading waist-deep in the river, which is susceptible to flash floods (hikers have been swept away here), so the 16-miles feel more like 36. A two-day trip in the spring and summer, when the water tends to be the warmest and at its lowest level, goes from Chamberlain Ranch to the Temple of Sinawava and leaves time for hitting swimming holes and exploring side-canyons.

Learn More

Getty Images 45 / 49

46. The Superior Hiking Trail, Minnesota (11 miles)

Known locally as “SHT,” this 296-mile monster in northeastern Minnesota follows Lake Superior for most of its length. The 11-mile section from Silver Bay to Tettegouche State Park is one of the more challenging, with lots of ups and downs through boreal forests and spectacular views of the lake and inland bluffs. It has the added benefit of being located in remote Midwest country, and you’ll have a damn good chance of seeing a wolf in the wild, and perhaps even a mountain lion. Andrew Skurka, that high-profit of backcountry splendor, lists the SHT among his favorites.

Learn More

MCT via Getty Images 46 / 49

47. Gospel Hump Loop Trail, Idaho (68 miles)

What begins as a leisurely stroll through an open meadow slowly reveals itself as a rugged, sweaty, quadriceps-bursting test of your backcountry gravitas. This unabashed bitch of a seven-dayer in north-central Idaho traverses the 206,053-acre Gospel Hump Wilderness, one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the west: sub-alpine ridges, sparkling mountain lakes, wildflower meadows, ponderosa pine forest, and the near-desert of the Salmon River Canyon. Atop the 8,000-foot Plummer Point, you’ll get a view that includes Oregon Butte to the east, the Seven Devils to the southwest, and directly south, the Salmon River and its tributaries. Chances are you’ll finish most of this hike without hardly seeing another soul.

Learn More

Getty Images 47 / 49

48. The Long Trail, Vermont (100 miles)

Vermont’s 272-mile “footpath in the wilderness,” established in the early 1900s, is the oldest distance hike in the U.S., and flat-out one of the greatest backcountry routes in the world. Stretching from northern Massachusetts to Canada and coinciding for a good stretch with the Appalachian Trail, it encompasses craggy mountain peaks, alpine bogs, hardwood forests, and countless lakes and streams. The best section, according to Philip Werner, runs between the Maine Gap and the Canadian border, just after the LT and AT split. “It’s very remote and far less crowded than other parts,” says Werner. “There’s no one and nothing up there, except maybe moose.”

Learn More

Getty Images 48 / 49

49. Bigfoot Trail, Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, California (40 miles)

The 400-mile Bigfoot, first blazed in 2009, goes from one random spot in northern California to another random spot in northern California. Thru-hiker Sage Clegg recommends the 40-mile South Yolla Bolly section, from the Ides Cove Trailhead near Mt. Linn, in the Mendocino National Forest, all the way to Solomon Peak and back. “It crosses a funky mountain range that hardly anyone knows about,” says Clegg. “You bag four peaks, gain 6,000-8,000-feet in elevation, and the views are amazing. On a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean.” Clegg, who grew up in nearby Mendocino County, took her first backpacking trip here as a kid. “It just blew my mind. I went back this summer and was like, ‘Wow! There’s nobody here!’ If you want a chance to see Bigfoot in the wild, this is it.”

Learn More

Mike Cherim / Getty Images 49 / 49

50. Franconia Ridge Traverse, White Mountains, New Hampshire (8.2 miles)

“Probably the single best day-hike in the country,” says climber Jonathan Waterman of this classic northeast loop. Located in the Franconia Notch State Park, the route traverses the second-highest range in the White Mountains (after the Presidential Peaks). “You walk along a knife-edge ridge with huge commanding views of the valley,” Waterman says. You also bag three 5,000-foot peaks in the process: Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette. The downside: it’s two-hours north of Boston, which means around 700 hikers a day during the high season. Aim for midweek in the fall when the crowds have thinned and the foliage is peaking.

Learn More

More News

Recent Breakthroughs Suggest Nuclear Fusion Is Close to Reality, but Who Will Get There First?

Trail Running in the Dolomites Will Restore Your Sense of Wonder

Death in Stone Forest: Why 21 Runners Died Competing in China's Ultramarathon

Participate in Coast Guard Safety Survey and Be Entered to Win $100

How to Stay Safe in Bear Country, According to an Expert

Tincup Whiskey & American Alpine Club Announce Adventure Grant Program

All Stories

44. Delta Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (8 miles)

45. The Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah (16 miles)

46. The Superior Hiking Trail, Minnesota (11 miles)

47. Gospel Hump Loop Trail, Idaho (68 miles)

48. The Long Trail, Vermont (100 miles)

49. Bigfoot Trail, Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, California (40 miles)

50. Franconia Ridge Traverse, White Mountains, New Hampshire (8.2 miles)

More News

More Videos