Updated November 2021.
top 10 hikes
#1) West Coast Trail, BC, Canada
#2) John Muir Trail, California, USA
#3) Tongariro Northern Circuit, New Zealand
#4) Ausangate Circuit, Peru
#5) Sunshine to Assiniboine, Alberta, Canada
#6) Glacier North Circle, Montana, USA
#7) Otter Trail, South Africa
#8) Everest Base Camp / 3 Passes, Nepal
#9) Haute Route (Chamonix-Zermatt), Alps
10) Overland Track, Tasmania
Be the first to hike those 10 in series in 5 months.
top 10 day hikes NEW
#1) Harder Ridge, Switzerland
#2) Zion Narrows, Utah USA
#3) Besseggen Ridge, Norway
#4) Laguna de los Tres, Argentina
#5) Reinebringen, Lofoten, Norway
#6) Alpine Circuit, Lake O’Hara, Canada
#7) Caminito del Rey, Spain
#8) The Wave, Arizona USA
#9) Puez-Odle Altopiano, Dolomites, Italy
#10) Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
top 10 hiking regions
#1) New Zealand
#2) Southwest USA
#3) The Rockies
#4) Sierra Nevada USA
#5) Central Andes
#6) Patagonian Andes
#7) Nepal
#8) Australia
#9) The Alps
T #10) Indian Himalaya
T #10) Dolomites
New Zealand is #1 for us. But the wealth of options in North America make it a more compelling destination for most.
top 10 hiking towns
#1) Queenstown, New Zealand
#2) Huaraz, Peru
#3) Namche Bazaar, Nepal
#4) Cortina, Italy
#5) Chamonix, France
#6) Banff, Canada or Canmore, or Jasper
#7) Grindelwald, Switzerland
#8) El Calafate / El Chaltén Argentina
#9) Zermatt, Switzerland
10) Moab, Utah
More candidate towns.
top 10 coastal hikes
#1) West Coast Trail, BC Canada
#2) Otter Trail, South Africa
#3) Abel Tasman Track, New Zealand
#4) Lost Coast Trail, California
#5) Thorsborne Trail, Australia
#7) Kalalau Trail, Kauai, Hawaii
#8) Pembrokeshire Coast Path, U.K.
#9) South Coast Track, Tasmania
10) Great Ocean Walk, Australia
More candidate coastal hikes.
top 10 trekking peaks
#1) Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 5895m
#2) Cotopaxi, Ecuador 5897m <wiki><pb><sp>
#3) Imja Tse (Island Peak), Nepal 6189m <wiki><pb><sp>
#4) Mera Peak, Nepal 6476m <wiki><pb><sp>
#5) Chimborazo, Ecuador 6263m <wiki><pb><sp>
#6) Huayna Potosí, Bolivia 6088m <wiki><pb><sp>
#7) Misti Volcano, Peru 5822m
#8) Stok Kangri, India 6153m <wiki><pb<sp><trip><video><info><trip>
#9) Mt. Rainier, USA 4392m <wiki><pb><sp>
#10) Mont Blanc, France 4810m <wiki><pb><sp>
Aconcágua, Argentina 6,960.8m can be a walk-up. But not many would be willing to call it a trekking peak. 🙂
Trekking peaks are mountains under 7,000 metres (22,970 ft) climbable by anyone with a moderate amount of mountaineering experience and minimal gear.
Others considered for the top 10:
- Mt. Toubkal, Morocco 4167m <wiki><pb><sp><trip>
- Mt. Elbrus, Russia 5642m <wiki><pb><sp><info>
- Lhakpa Ri, Tibet 7045m <pb>
Thanks to Kraig Becker, Adventure Blog, for help on the trekking peak section.