Happy Trails

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

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35. The Chilkoot Trail, Alaska (33 miles)

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Of the 100,000 people who lit-out for the Klondike gold fields in the 1890s, less than 30,000 made it. Which speaks volumes about this tough, three-day trek through the Coast Mountains, once known as “the 33 meanest miles in the world” thanks to a series of deadly switchbacks and narrow traverses. Now part of a National Historic Park, the trail begins in the Alaskan ghost town of Dyea, slogs across several climatic zones— coastal rainforest, boreal forest, and high alpine range—and ends in Bennett, British Columbia, near the headwaters of the mighty Yukon River. Peak season is from June to August, and avalanche danger lingers into late May. Bear spray is a must.

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36. Floral Park Traverse, Glacier National Park, Montana (20 miles)

“I hope I don’t get shot for telling you about this,” says Brad Ludden of a mostly well-kept local secret. Also known as the Hidden Lake Route, this trail takes you through a 6,646-foot alpine pass via a glacier basin, with all of GNP’s natural majesty on display: old-growth forests, glacial lakes, and mountain goats prancing through wildflower meadows. There’s the added pleasure of an overnight stay at Sperry Chalet, a rustic cabin operated by the NPS (book far in advance). An important detail: it’s largely off-route, so be sure to drop by Rocky Mountain Outfitter in Kalispell for maps and trail advice. “I’d strongly recommend not just heading off with a water bottle and a Garmin thinking you’ve got it nailed,” says Ludden. “Be prepared.”

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37. Road Canyon, Cedar Mesa, Utah (6 miles)

Picture Monument Valley without the mobs of European tourists. Giant red sandstone buttes, high-desert mesas and endless, sweeping valleys cut with thousands of canyon trails dominate this part of southern Utah. Plus, nobody’s there. Road Canyon, near the Kane Gulch BLM station, plunges down a winding, sandy river bottom jammed with cottonwood trees and 1,000-year-old Anasazi ruins. The Recapture Lodge, in the sleepy town of Bluff, makes an idyllic home base, with a library of topographical maps—helpful in the largely un-blazed Cedar Mesa area—and a hot tub for après-hike soaks. It’s also just down the road from the inestimable Cottonwood steakhouse.

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38. West Maroon Pass Trail, Colorado (13 miles)

“This is probably the most photographed piece of scenery in the west, if not in the United States,” says John Waterman. And for good reason: There are two stunning alpine lakes, a couple of waterfalls, meadows sprinkled with wildflowers, and rolling mountain scenery dominated by three 14,000-feet peaks, including the Maroon Bells and Pyramid massifs. “I won’t lie to you, it’s a popular destination,” says Waterman, “but very few people ever get beyond the first mile.” Waterman suggests a two-day roundtrip, from Aspen to Crested Butte, where you can stay the night in a bed-and-breakfast and the next day hike back to your car in Aspen via East Maroon Pass.

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39. The Boulevard Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee (8 miles)

One of this hike’s main selling-points, besides the near-total isolation of the Smokies, is an overnight stay at the LeConte Lodge—the only accommodations in the entire half-a-million-acre Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The lodge has seven rustic cabins at the summit of Mount Le Conte, with arguably the grandest views in the park. There’s no electricity, but it does offer flush-toilets, kerosene lamps, and washbasins to take a sponge bath, plus a hot breakfast in the morning (Make reservations far in advance). The hike-in is practically all uphill, as the trail rises and falls—though mostly rises—over the ridgeline between LeConte and the main crest of the Smokies. The hike-out is your reward.

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40. Ptarmigan Traverse, Washington (30 miles)

In the shadow of North Cascades National Park’s 8,065-foot Johannesburg Mountain sits one of the greatest alpine hikes in the world. Tracing nearly 25-miles of Cascades Crest, the traverse cuts across the north side of the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. It’s the kind of iconic route that experienced Cascades mountaineers have been tackling since it was established in 1938. Essentially a mini-mountaineering expedition, the hike can take anywhere from three-to-ten days and requires off-trail wilderness navigation and some formidable calf muscles. Besides serious bragging rights, the rewards are spectacular views at almost every section. Some climbers even make the return trip by kayaking the Class III Suiattle River and biking the final stretch back to Cascade Pass.

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41. High Sierra Trail, Sequoia National Park, California (72.2 miles)

Parts of the John Miur Trail can feel like a human highway. The High Sierra offers all the same scenery—in fact, it roughly parallels the Muir in places—but without the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. From the trailhead in Sequoia National Park, the route wanders up and down a ridgeline that crosses the Sierra Nevadas from east to west, with huge vistas of the Great Western Divide. Much of it’s above 10,000-feet, with the highest point coming at the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,508-feet). It’s about as far from civilization as it’s possible to get these days, though as you descend to the Kern River, a hot springs bath awaits you at a spot where the water has been captured in a manmade wooden tub.

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42. Elk Trail, Elk State Forest, Pennsylvania (16 miles)

Pennsylvania has one of the largest wild elk herds in the eastern United States. Once native to the region, PA’s elk were wiped out in the 19^th century but have thrived since being reintroduced in the 70s. This two-day ramble through a 200,000-acre state forest takes you into prime elk habitat. The well maintained, straight yet rolling trail mostly follows old logging and wagon roads, unused railroad grades, and two-tracks laid by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Cold-water springs along the way provide opportunities to refill your canteen. If you go in October during the rut, you’ll hear the elk bugling day and night.

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43. Florida National Scenic Trail, Florida (75 miles)

The Ocala National Forest, or “the Big Scrub,” as it’s affectionately known, holds the world’s largest stand of sand pine scrub forest (That might not sound like much, but after a day here you’ll be a true believer). The Big Scrub also contains the most scenic stretch of the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST), a 1,300-mile behemoth that extends from Pensacola to the edge of the Everglades. This 75-mile leg passes through longleaf pine forests, over rolling hills, along well-worn footpaths past hidden ponds and lakes, and plunges into cypress and gum swamps where many of the wettest areas are helpfully spanned by boardwalks.

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

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35. The Chilkoot Trail, Alaska (33 miles)

36. Floral Park Traverse, Glacier National Park, Montana (20 miles)

37. Road Canyon, Cedar Mesa, Utah (6 miles)

38. West Maroon Pass Trail, Colorado (13 miles)

39. The Boulevard Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee (8 miles)

40. Ptarmigan Traverse, Washington (30 miles)

41. High Sierra Trail, Sequoia National Park, California (72.2 miles)

42. Elk Trail, Elk State Forest, Pennsylvania (16 miles)

43. Florida National Scenic Trail, Florida (75 miles)

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)

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