How to hike the world's great trails
Distance, elevation gain, difficulty, permits and a realistic itinerary for 100 hiking destinations — the same places covered on our Places to Stay pages, now with the route itself explained. Real, sourced trail facts; where a number isn't confidently verified yet, we say so rather than guess.
United States
Sierra Nevada · California, USA Half Dome & Yosemite Valley 14–16 miles (22.5–25.7 km) round-trip How to hike it
Colorado Plateau · Utah, USA Zion — Angels Landing & The Narrows Angels Landing: 5.4 mi (8.7 km) round-trip. The Narrows (bottom-up from Temple of Sinawava): up to ~9.4–10 mi (15–16 km) round-trip to Big Spring, or ~6 mi (9.7 km) round-trip if turning around at Wall Street How to hike it
Colorado Plateau · Arizona, USA Grand Canyon — Bright Angel Trail South Rim to Colorado River / Bright Angel Campground: 9.5 mi (15.3 km) one-way, ~19 mi (30.6 km) round-trip How to hike it
Sierra Nevada · California, USA Mount Whitney Trail 22 miles (35.4 km) round-trip from Whitney Portal How to hike it
Sierra Nevada · California, USA John Muir Trail 211 miles (340 km) point-to-point How to hike it
Grand Canyon region · Arizona, USA Havasu Falls — Havasupai 10 miles (16 km) one-way from Hualapai Hilltop to Havasu Falls/campground; ~20 miles (32 km) round-trip How to hike it
Front Range · Colorado, USA Rocky Mountain NP — Sky Pond & Emerald Lake Two separate out-and-back hikes: Emerald Lake ~3.6 mi round-trip (from Bear Lake TH); Sky Pond ~9.4 mi round-trip (from Glacier Gorge TH) How to hike it
Blue Ridge · Virginia, USA Appalachian Trail — McAfee Knob ~8.8 miles round-trip, out-and-back (from the VA-311 trailhead near Catawba) How to hike it
Mount Desert Island · Maine, USA Acadia National Park Three distinct signature trails, not one hike: Precipice Loop ~2.1–2.5 mi; Beehive Loop ~1.4–1.6 mi; Cadillac North Ridge ~4.4 mi round-trip How to hike it
Colorado Plateau · Utah, USA Bryce Canyon — Navajo & Queen’s Garden 2.9 miles (4.6 km) loop How to hike it
Teton Range · Wyoming, USA Grand Teton — Cascade Canyon 13.6 miles round-trip from the South Jenny Lake trailhead to the Forks of Cascade Canyon (~8.8 mi round-trip if using the seasonal Jenny Lake boat shuttle each way) How to hike it
Southern Appalachians · Tennessee, USA Great Smokies — Alum Cave to Mount LeConte 10 miles round-trip How to hike it
Cascades · Washington, USA Wonderland Trail — Mount Rainier ~93 miles (150 km) loop How to hike it
Alpine Lakes Wilderness · Washington, USA The Enchantments ~18 miles one-way (Stuart/Colchuck Lake trailhead to Snow Lakes trailhead), typically hiked as a single very long day-hike or overnight thru-hike How to hike it
Northern Rockies · Montana, USA Glacier — Highline Trail 11.6 miles (18.6 km) one-way, from Logan Pass to The Loop trailhead How to hike it
White Mountains · New Hampshire, USA Presidential Traverse ~19–23 miles point-to-point (varies by chosen trailheads/route — not a single fixed trail) How to hike it
White Mountains · New Hampshire, USA Franconia Ridge — White Mountains 8.9 miles loop (up Falling Waters Trail, across Franconia Ridge Trail/Appalachian Trail over Little Haystack, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Lafayette, down Old Bridle Path) How to hike it
Chihuahuan Desert · Texas, USA Big Bend — South Rim & Chisos 12.6-mile loop (Laguna Meadows Trail up, Pinnacles Trail down) is the standard full South Rim Loop; a shorter 6.3-mile one-way spur to the South Rim viewpoint also exists for those returning the way they came How to hike it
Nā Pali Coast · Kauai, Hawaii, USA Kalalau Trail — Nā Pali Coast 11 miles (17.7 km) one-way; 22 miles (35.4 km) round-trip How to hike it
Kenai Peninsula · Alaska, USA Harding Icefield Trail 8.2 miles (13.2 km) round-trip How to hike it
Cascades · Washington, USA PCT — Goat Rocks & the Knife’s Edge Most often hiked as a ~20-25 mile out-and-back day hike from the Snowgrass Flat or Berry Patch trailhead, joining the PCT past Old Snowy Mountain and across the Knife's Edge; on the PCT itself this section runs roughly 28-30 miles point-to-point between White Pass and Walupt Lake. The narrow 'Knife's Edge' ridge proper (PCT mile marker ~2284.5-2287) is only about 2-2.5 miles long. How to hike it
Sierra Nevada · California, USA PCT — High Sierra & Forester Pass Forester Pass (13,153 ft) is the single highest point on the entire 2,650-mile PCT. The direct PCT climb to the pass from the PCT/Bubbs Creek Trail junction is 7.9 miles one-way. Most hikers experience it as part of a multi-day High Sierra trip via the Kearsarge Pass Trailhead (Onion Valley) — round-trip backpacking routes to and past the pass run roughly 46-49 miles. How to hike it
Rockies · Wyoming, USA CDT — Wind River Range The CDT runs roughly 100 miles through the Wind River Range, point-to-point from South Pass City to Togwotee Pass, crossing the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone National Forests. Many thru-hikers detour onto high-alpine alternates within this stretch, such as the Cirque of the Towers alternate (~9 miles one-way via the Big Sandy Trailhead and Jackass Pass, or 17-40+ mile loop variants) and the Knapsack Col cross-country route (crossing the crest at ~12,200 ft). How to hike it
New Zealand
Fiordland · South Island, New Zealand Milford Track — Fiordland 53.5 km / 33.2 mi, point-to-point (one direction only) How to hike it
Nelson · South Island, New Zealand Abel Tasman Coast Track 60 km one-way, Mārahau to Wainui (walked in 3-5 days) How to hike it
Southern Alps · South Island, New Zealand Routeburn Track ~32-33 km one-way (The Divide to Routeburn Shelter/Glenorchy, or reverse), typically walked in 2-3 days How to hike it
Central Plateau · North Island, New Zealand Tongariro Alpine Crossing 20.2 km, one-way, Mangatepōpō to Ketetahi How to hike it
Otago · South Island, New Zealand Roys Peak 16 km return How to hike it
Italy
Dolomites · Italy Alta Via 1 — Dolomites ~120-125 km (75-78 mi), Lago di Braies/Dobbiaco to Belluno How to hike it
Alps · Italy (TMB) Tour du Mont Blanc — Val Veny & Courmayeur ~33-39 km combined, typically split over 2 stages (Les Chapieux, over Col de la Seigne 2,516 m, through Val Veny/Rifugio Elisabetta, to Courmayeur) How to hike it
Ligurian Coast · Italy Cinque Terre — Sentiero Azzurro 12 km (7.5 miles) total, split into 4 linked sections between the 5 villages (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore) How to hike it
Amalfi Coast · Italy Path of the Gods — Amalfi Coast 7.8 km (4.8 miles) one way, Bomerano (Agerola) to Nocelle How to hike it
Dolomites · South Tyrol, Italy Seceda & Alpe di Siusi — Val Gardena Two distinct cable-car-served areas typically combined in one day, not a single trail: (1) Seceda ridge - from the Col Raiser/Seceda cable-car top station, an easy ~4 km summit loop with more extended on-foot options from the valley (2.5-4.5 hrs depending on starting village - Selva, Santa Cristina, or Ortisei); (2) Alpe di Siusi plateau - a network of gentle paths, e.g. the Saltria-Monte Pana stretch is ~12.8 km point-to-point How to hike it
United Kingdom
Scottish Highlands · Scotland West Highland Way 96 miles / 154 km, point-to-point (Milngavie to Fort William) How to hike it
Eryri (Snowdonia) · Wales Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa 9 miles / 14.5 km round trip via the Llanberis Path (4.5 mi / 7.25 km one-way to the summit); other official routes are shorter, roughly 7-8 miles round trip (Pyg Track, Miner's Track) How to hike it
Cumbria · England Lake District — Striding Edge & Scafell Pike Two separate routes: Striding Edge to Helvellyn is roughly 12.9 km (8 miles) as a loop from Glenridding; Scafell Pike via Hollow Stones (Wasdale) is roughly 9.7 km (6 miles) out-and-back from the National Trust Wasdale car park How to hike it
Inner Hebrides · Scotland Isle of Skye — Quiraing & Old Man of Storr Old Man of Storr: ~3.8 km / 2.4 mi round trip (out-and-back, ~1.9 km one way). Quiraing: ~6.8–8.4 km / 4.2–5.2 mi circular loop (sources vary on exact loop length). How to hike it
County Antrim · Northern Ireland Causeway Coast Way — Giant’s Causeway ~50–53 km / 31–33 mi, point-to-point, Portstewart to Ballycastle (Giant's Causeway falls roughly mid-route), typically walked over 2–4 days How to hike it
Spain
Andalusia · Spain Caminito del Rey — El Chorro About 2.9 km of walkway through the Gaitanes Gorge (official figure 2,955 m) plus access paths at each end; total distance depends on where you start How to hike it
Green Spain · Galicia, Spain Camino Francés — Galicia to Santiago ~115 km, point-to-point (pilgrimage walk from around Sarria into Santiago de Compostela); commonly cited range is 100-116 km depending on the exact start point used in/around Sarria How to hike it
Pyrenees · Aragón, Spain Ordesa Canyon & Monte Perdido 17.5 km round trip, out-and-back (Pradera de Ordesa to the Cola de Caballo waterfall and back) How to hike it
Picos de Europa · Northern Spain Cares Gorge — Picos de Europa 12 km one-way (official PR-PNPE-3 route, Poncebos to Cain); ~24 km if walked as an out-and-back How to hike it
Canary Islands · Tenerife, Spain Mount Teide ~8.9 km one-way from the Montana Blanca trailhead to the true summit (8.2 km on trail PNT-07 Montana Blanca-La Rambleta, plus 0.69 km on trail PNT-10 Telesforo Bravo to the summit); many hikers descend by cable car rather than walking back down How to hike it
Nepal
Khumbu Himalaya · Nepal Everest Base Camp — Namche & Tengboche ~130 km / 80 mi round-trip from Lukla (~65 km / 40 mi one-way to Base Camp) How to hike it
Annapurna Himalaya · Nepal Annapurna Base Camp — the Sanctuary ~110–115 km / 68–71 mi round trip (out-and-back from Nayapul/Siwai), typically walked over 7–12 days How to hike it
Annapurna Himalaya · Nepal Annapurna Circuit — Thorong La ~160–230 km / 100–145 mi total route length, looped around the Annapurna massif — the wide range reflects how much of the route is done on foot vs. by jeep/bus on the now-motorable lower sections, and where trekkers start/end How to hike it
Khumbu Himalaya · Nepal Everest Base Camp — Gorak Shep & Kala Patthar ~130 km / 80 mi round trip (out-and-back from Lukla), typically walked over 12–14 days; the Gorak Shep–Kala Patthar side trip adds roughly 3–4 km round trip How to hike it
Canada
Canadian Rockies · Alberta, Canada Banff — Plain of Six Glaciers & Lake Louise 14.2 km (8.8 mi) round-trip How to hike it
Coast Mountains · British Columbia, Canada Garibaldi Lake & Panorama Ridge ~30 km (18.6 mi) round-trip from the Rubble Creek trailhead (day-hike to Panorama Ridge, passing Garibaldi Lake en route) How to hike it
Atlantic Canada · Newfoundland, Canada Gros Morne 17 km (10.6 mi) loop How to hike it
Vancouver Island · British Columbia, Canada West Coast Trail 75 km (46.6 mi) point-to-point How to hike it
Norway
Jotunheimen · Norway Besseggen Ridge — Jotunheimen ~14 km (8.7 miles), point-to-point between DNT's Gjendesheim and Memurubu huts (most hikers cross Lake Gjende by boat one-way and walk the other) How to hike it
Ryfylke · Norway Preikestolen — Pulpit Rock 8 km (5 miles) round trip, 4 km (2.5 miles) one way How to hike it
Hardanger · Norway Trolltunga 27 km (16.8 miles) round trip from the main P2 Skjeggedal trailhead (20 km / 12.4 mi round trip from the higher P3 Mågelitopp trailhead) How to hike it
Lysefjord · Norway Kjeragbolten ~11 km (6.8 miles) round trip from the Øygardstøl trailhead How to hike it
Japan
Chūbu · Japan Mount Fuji — Yoshida Trail ~14 km / 8.7 mi round trip — about 6.8 km one-way ascent from the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station to the summit, with a separate (roughly similar-length) descent trail How to hike it
Northern Alps · Nagano, Japan Kamikochi — Japanese Alps No single trail — Kamikochi is a valley of interconnecting easy walks. Official routes: ~4 km return, Kappa Bridge to Taisho Pond; ~5.5 km return, Kappa Bridge to Myojin; these are commonly combined into a ~10-11 km loop using both riverbanks How to hike it
Kii Peninsula · Wakayama, Japan Kumano Kodo — Nakahechi ~70-75 km, Takijiri-oji to the Kumano shrines and on to Nachi/the coast, typically walked over 4-7 days depending on exact start/end points and side trips How to hike it
Kiso Valley · Nagano/Gifu, Japan Nakasendo — Magome to Tsumago ~8 km, point-to-point (Magome to Tsumago); sources range 7.7-9 km depending on exact measured route How to hike it
Australia
Cradle Mountain · Tasmania, Australia Overland Track ~65 km, point-to-point (Ronny Creek/Cradle Mountain to Narcissus Hut/Lake St Clair), typically 6 days How to hike it
Red Centre · Northern Territory, Australia Larapinta Trail 223 km, point-to-point (Alice Springs/Simpsons Gap to Mount Sonder), usually walked in sections across 12 stages How to hike it
Snowy Mountains · NSW, Australia Mount Kosciuszko — Main Range 22 km loop, starting and ending at Charlotte Pass car park, via the Mount Kosciuszko summit How to hike it
Blue Mountains · NSW, Australia Blue Mountains — Grand Canyon Track 6.3 km loop (NSW National Parks' own figure; some third-party sites round to 6.5 km) How to hike it
Peru
Andes · Cusco, Peru Inca Trail to Machu Picchu ~42 km / 26 mi, 4-day point-to-point trek How to hike it
Andes · Cusco, Peru Salkantay Trek ~74 km (46 mi) total over ~5 days, point-to-point from Mollepata/Soraypampa to Aguas Calientes near Machu Picchu How to hike it
Andes · Peru Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit ~120-130 km for the full circuit, typically walked over 8-14 days depending on the route variant taken How to hike it
China
Yunnan · China Tiger Leaping Gorge ~20-22 km (12-14 mi) for the High Trail, typically walked guesthouse-to-guesthouse over 2 days How to hike it
Anhui · China Huangshan — Yellow Mountain Distance: check guide How to hike it
Hunan · China Zhangjiajie — the Avatar Pillars Distance: check guide How to hike it
Switzerland
Tanzania
Kilimanjaro · Tanzania Kilimanjaro — Machame Route ~62 km / 37 mi total, Machame Gate to Mweka Gate (ascent and descent use different trail sections, so overall it is point-to-point), typically hiked over 6-7 days How to hike it
Kilimanjaro · Tanzania Kilimanjaro — Barafu & the Summit ~5 km (3.1 mi) one-way from Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak; climbers descend the same way back to Barafu (~10 km round trip) before continuing down to a lower camp the same day How to hike it
South Africa
Drakensberg · South Africa Drakensberg Amphitheatre & Tugela Falls ~12-12.4 km round trip via the chain ladders from Sentinel Car Park How to hike it
Cape Town · South Africa Table Mountain & Lion’s Head Two separate hikes: Platteklip Gorge is ~2.8-3 km one-way (~5-6 km there-and-back) from Tafelberg Road to the top of Table Mountain; the Lion's Head loop/contour path is ~5.5-6 km round trip How to hike it
France / Italy / Switzerland
Chile
Iceland
France / Switzerland
France
Sweden
Faroe Islands
Bhutan
Pakistan
India
Malaysia
Indonesia
Morocco
Argentina
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ethiopia
Namibia
France / Spain
Croatia
Slovenia
Albania
Turkey
Portugal
Jordan
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