Once-In-a-Lifetime Backpacking Trips

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail‘s most recent fame may have been for its leading role in Wild, where novice hiker Cheryl (played by Reese Witherspoon) cuts her teeth on the route, but this is no route for novices. The trail travels through California, Oregon, and Washington before reaching the Canadian border and is known for its varied landscape and elevation — mountains, deserts, and colorful foliage and plants. “As one of my friends likes to say, this trail is just golden the whole way,” says LaRuffa. Along with its natural good looks, the Pacific Crest also showcases the full range of West Coast landscape diversity, from the Californian desert to the snowy peaks of the Cascade Mountains. “This trail really keeps you entertained with the way it changes so dramatically,” says Davis.

Miles: 2,650

Time to Complete: 6 months

Terrain: Challenging. Expect a little bit of everything from mountains to glacial valleys to desert; elevation ranges from sea level to 13,000+ feet.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: Timberline Lodge to Paradise Park (12 miles round trip) is a classic mountain trek in Oregon with Mount Hood vistas.

Appalachian Trail

The granddaddy of all long distance trails, the Appalachian Trail traverses 14 states on its route from Georgia to Maine through the Appalachian Mountains. More than 260 shelters dot the trail, along with campsites, each spaced about a day’s walk apart. While the majority of the trail is through forest and wildlands (including some sections above the tree line), there are also many segments that cross roads, farms, and towns, making for convenient resupply.

Westerners, especially, are often surprised at how challenging the terrain can be. “The AT was designed for hikers only,” says LaRuffa. “The other national scenic trails out West were designed for equestrians too, so they don’t go above a 10 percent grade and use a lot of switchbacks. This is straight up, and straight down.”

With this in mind, the AT speed record holder, Jennifer Pharr Davis has advice on making it to the end: “You have to be stubborn, and yet highly adaptable. It’s this balance of not giving up, not wanting to quit, not going home, and being able to handle the unexpected challenges that try to force you off the trail, like your boot that’s killing you, or a wildfire in the way.”

Miles: 2,185

Time to Complete: 5-7 months

Terrain: Strenuous with a lot of abrupt ups and downs without switchbacks. 

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: McAfee Knob (7.2 miles round-trip) is a forested trail in Virginia that leads to the most photographed overlook on the Appalachian Trail.

Florida National Scenic Trail

Starting at the southern tip of Florida just outside Miami, the Florida Trail traces 1,000 miles from Big Cypress National Preserve to the panhandle. Hikers cover a variety of habitats and ecosystems on the Florida Trail including cypress swamps and grass wetlands (home to endangered birds, alligators, and the elusive Florida panther) in south Florida; expansive horizon-to-horizon prairies that support the massive cattle ranches in central Florida; hardwood forests that conceal numerous crystal-clear freshwater springs in north Florida; and the white sand beaches at the Florida Trail’s northern terminus in the panhandle.

“This is one North American trail you know you can always hike in the winter,” says Davis. “It doesn’t have mountains but it’s challenging because of cypress swamps — you can be wading through water — and the marsh terrain.”

Miles: 1,300

Time to Complete: 2-3 months

Terrain: With the exception of some hills in the panhandle, this is a flat, but surprisingly tough trail, thanks to the wading required in the swamps.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: The Southern Terminus, in Big Cypress National Preserve just outside of Miami is the best place for an out-and-back hike. Start at the Oasis Visitor Center for what’s considered the most remote and wild section of the entire trail.

Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

Leading hikers from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean, this 1,200-mile stretch contains the best hiking in the mountain-packed Pacific Northwest. The trail starts in the northeast corner of Glacier National Park in Montana, crosses Idaho’s northern panhandle into Washington, and roughly follows the state’s northern border including North Cascades National Park before dropping into Olympic National Park, traversing the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, and ending on the coast at Cape Alava.

“As my friend Cam puts it, this trail is like walking through God’s country,” says LaRuffa. “It’s still extremely wild and remote. And unlike other trails that walk with the grain of the mountain, you actually go against it — making for a difficult hike with a lot of up and down. There’s also a fair amount of bushwhacking.”

Miles: 1,200

Time to Complete: 2-3 months

Terrain: Remote and rugged, considered the most challenging of the 11 National Scenic Trails.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: Ozette Triangle (9-mile loop). Starting from the Ozette Ranger Station in Olympic National Park, this loop crosses forest and meadows on its way to the ocean, for a satisfying taste of hiking in the Olympic Wilderness.

Arizona Trail

The Arizona Trail crosses the state from south to north, beginning at the Mexican border and ending a stone’s throw from Utah. Known for showcasing a variety of ecosystems — mountains, canyons, flatlands, and deserts — the trail includes wilderness areas, historic sites (such as the cliff dwellings at Tonto and Walnut Canyon National Monument), and the Grand Canyon. Many trail-friendly communities dot the path, from old mining towns like Kearny to mountain town hotspots like Flagstaff. “If you’re just getting into the desert hiking scene, this is a great trail to start,” says LaRuff.

The trail was completed in 2011, and unlike any of its predecessors, was also designed for mountain bikers. That means unusual features (at least for hikers) like berms.

Miles: 817

Time to Complete: 2 months

Terrain: Highly varied, from mountain passes to canyons. Not for summer hiking, when extreme temperatures can kill you.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: Picketpost Trailhead (11.5 miles one-way) is a saguaro-studded segment of the Arizona Trail that winds through the Sonoran Desert along the base of Picketpost Mountain.

Grand Enchantment Trail

Meandering east-to-west across the heart of the Southwest, the Grand Enchantment Trail runs from roughly the middle of Arizona near Phoenix to the middle of New Mexico near Albuquerque. En route, it crosses the Sonoran Desert, the “Sky Island” mountain ranges (forested mountains surrounded by seas of desert and grassland), and the Continental Divide. Cliff dwellings, hot springs, and ghost towns all line the trail.

“This trail isn’t as well known as some of the others yet,”says LaRuffa. “But it’s one of the most intriguing trails in the West.” 

Miles: 770

Time to Complete: 2 months

Terrain: Ranges from desert to forested mountain summits, with everything in between. The trail tops out at Mogollon Baldy at 10,770 feet and hits bottom at the Gila River at 1,700 feet.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: Dutchman Trail (18.2 miles one-way), located outside of Phoenix in the Superstition Mountains, can be taken on as an out-and-back from the First Water Trailhead and gives a glimpse of the Grand Enchantment Trail’s vast desert landscape.

Colorado Trail

Cutting a diagonal line across the state, the Colorado Trail stretches from Denver to Durango through six wilderness areas and eight mountain ranges. With an average elevation of 10,000 feet, this trail requires iron lungs, or at least an affinity for high elevation. It rewards the effort as it crosses some of the most beautiful landscapes in the state with remote forested trails, wildflower meadows, mountain panoramas viewed from above tree line, old mining towns, and a ski resort.

“In my opinion it’s the best way to explore Colorado,” says Davis, who has hiked the entire trail. “The section between Silverton and Lake City is one of the prettiest stretches of trail I’ve done anywhere in the world. And if you can time it with the wildflowers coming out in June and July it’s just really magnificent.”

Miles: 500

Time to Complete: 4-6 weeks

Terrain: Dramatic climbs and descents on mostly forested paths, with a significant portion above tree line.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: The Stony Pass (12 miles out-and-back) follows the Continental Divide, offering non-stop views at 12,500 feet in the San Juans (arguably Colorado’s most stunning mountain range).

Benton MacKaye Trail

Like a miniature Appalachian Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trai follows the Appalachian mountains of the southeast U.S. and shares a southern terminus with its big brother. Starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia, the Benton MacKaye finishes on the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, crossing eight Wilderness areas in some of the most remote sections of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Bonus: The trail crosses multiple trout rivers. “This is your classic Appalachian terrain,” says LaRuffa. “Big rhododendrons, mountain morales, a deep primordial kind of east coast forest.”

Miles: 300

Time to Complete: 2-3 weeks

Terrain: Strenuous, akin to the Appalachian Trail. Elevation ranges from 765 feet at the crossing of the Hiwassee River in Tennessee to the 5,843-foot summit of Mt. Sterling in the Smokies.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: Low Gap to Davenport Gap (7.2 miles one-way). Located in the Great Smokies National Park, this is the scenic finale of the Benton MacKaye Trail, and it includes a side trail to the Mount Cammerer Fire Tower, which serves up a must-see panorama.

Lost Coast Trail

The Lost Coast Trail takes over where Highway 1 leaves off along California’s rugged coastline. “This trail is similar to the Oregon Coast Trail in that it’s a really cool blend of being in mountains that touch the sea,” says LaRuffa. “And there’s a lot of madrone trees, which are really unique and really dramatic to look at. They have an exfoliating bark that’s this rusty-orange color.”

The total trail distance is 52 miles, divided into a north and south route. The north section is mainly beach and the south section is mostly mountains (with 12,000 feet of elevation change). A four-mile section of road in the Shelter Cove area separates the two.

Miles: 52

Time to Complete: 4-6 days

Terrain: Sand, boulders, pebbles, stream crossings, and high tide point walk-arounds are all par for the course, and your feet absolutely will get wet.

Best Segment You Can Do In a Day: Black Sands Beach to Gitchell Creek (8 miles out-and-back) is a sandy path starting at the southern terminus of the Lost Coast Trail’s North Section.