Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
by site editor Rick McCharles
My first trip to the Dolomites, I now know that it was a grievous injustice that we left this astounding scenery off our list of the top 10 hiking regions of the world.
I’ll be correcting that in the coming weeks.
These mountains are the best I’ve seen anywhere.
Trip reports to come. Internet access in the mountains is lousy. (The worst thing I can say about these mountains.)
I’ve moved to the S.W. part of the region for my next two hikes.
by site editor Rick McCharles
Arrived first in Cortina, Italy. First trek is Tre Clime di Lavaredo Circuit.
Looking at a multi-day mountain biking trip next.
I have friends planning on hiking the Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson in Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies.
We last did that excellent adventure in 2003.
Good luck gang!
Tom Mangan linked to a terrific photo article on Amazing Adventure Around the World.
Happy Canada Day!
When I was a young adult, “hiking” held no appeal to me at all.
One of the first actual hikes I ever did voluntarily was the Bear’s Hump in Waterton National Park, Alberta.
It’s a great adventure for kids, non-hikers and … everyone. What a view!
Waterton Scrambling has a great post on this iconic landmark – Bear’s Hump
That excellent site has a post on another terrific beginner’s hike, Avion Ridge.
Waterton Scrambling – Avion Ridge
Waterton is my favourite National Park in Canada. I’ve been there perhaps 20 times. And I’m looking forward to returning for more.
Other Waterton walks in our list of the best hikes in North America:
• Tamarack Trail
• Crypt Lake
• Carthew/Alderson,Waterton
Kili is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.
A guiding company, Mountain Quest Adventures, posted 10 facts to consider before you climb Kilimanjaro.
1) Safety must be your top concern.
2) Consider staying away from the “tourist” routes.
3) Choose a company who specializes in climbing Kilimanjaro.
4) Select the route that best helps you acclimatize.
5) Choose a trekking company who actually visits your lodgings, knows the staff and approves your menu…
6) Your support team of guides and porters will make or break your trip. Choose wisely.
7) Select a company that hires the best staff, pays them fair wages and supports the local economy.
8) Do NOT rush your ascent…
9) If you are traveling to Africa, a Safari is a “must do.”
10) Get the best climb for your money.
Check our stub best hike information page for more.
SummitJunkie posted a good trip report and photos from an April 9, 2009 summit of the best hike in Death Valley, California.
… The views were jaw dropping, perhaps some of the best I had seen on any peak I have ever climbed. You can see forever, there is nothing as high as you are for over a hundred miles. Absolutely amazing!!
I had to take my time with the pictures, my hands were freezing. I was also having problems with my camera, when the batteries get too cold they stop working. I had the same issue on Shasta and Whitney so knew the solution was to put the camera and batteries inside my jacket to keep them at operating temperature. So between switching hands and batteries, it took me 15 minutes to take these summit pictures. …
My own Telescope hike in early June was so easy, it’s hard to believe I was on the same mountain … only a couple of months later.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
On Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, at the Port Alberni Tourist Information Centre, I picked up a free brochure called Mount Arrowsmith. There is a guidebook, but the brochure is all you need to hike this mountain.
The brochure map shows 11 trails for hikers, climbers, snowshoers and skiers.
Close to amazing Cathedral Grove, is one easy access to the mountain, Old (Historic) Arrowsmith Trail.
There’s good parking ($3), pit toilets and a picnic area at the east end of Cameron Lake.
The trailhead across the highway is easy to find … after you know where it is. (I drove by it the first time.)
It starts (deceptively) as a road.
In fact, this route is extremely well marked. It has to be for winter adventurers, when snow covers the track.
This trail gets very steep and rough in places, climbing continuously for about 2hrs.
I was lucky there had been no rain for about a month. In wet conditions you might be scrambling up temporary creeks.
The route is mostly tree locked. That makes getting to Lookout even more enjoyable:
If you have about 8hrs, you can continue on this trail to the now defunct Mt. Cokely ski hill. One trip report calls that 20km return.
Better, however, would be to slog up in the afternoon. Wild camp tent overnight. And explore the top trails next day.
That’s what I’ll do next time.
I’m for it, of course.
The greatest backcountry boozer I’ve hiked with is Kelly Mock, then living in Whitehorse, Yukon. It was Kelly that carried a “Bubba” (mini keg of beer) over the Golden Staircase to Happy Camp on the famed Chilkoot Trail in Alaska.
Arriving on the solstice, Kelly bought a round for the house at Happy.
He’s been one-upped.
Michael Popov carried 20lbs of beer up 4,000′ of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental USA. He was doing some kind of loco carbo loading / altitude acclimatization for his record breaking unsupported John Muir Trail run. (4 days, 5 hours and 25 minutes from Mount Whitney to Yosemite Valley)
This is mentioned in Aaron Sorensen’s trip report from both Michael’s and his attempt that year.
Leave a comment if you’ve seen a greater feat of trudging alcohol up hill.
Here’s beer for you wimpy lightweight backpackers. (Treehugger hates this.)
Incidentally, Aaron Sorensen will be starting June 28th an attempt on the Unsupported Record on the Lake Tahoe Rim Trail. No one has claimed this record yet. Aaron is looking at 55-60hrs for the 168 miles.
By Kelly Gray on a new UK outdoor magazine called Wide World:
Just because there’s no snow on the ground doesn’t mean you can’t go to ski resorts. In fact, it’s a fantastic time for a mountain getaway – plus there are less crowds. White water, raw natural surroundings, forested canopies – perfect for mountain climbing, white-water rafting and challenging hikes. So put away your skis and snowboards and head to the hills in the ‘off season’. Here’s WideWorld’s pick of the 15 best.
1. Telluride, Colorado2. Zermatt, Matterhorn
3. Chamonix, French Alps
4. Mammoth, California
5. Poiana-Brasov, Romania
6. Whistler Blackcomb, British Colombia, Canada
7. Ben Nevis, Scotland
8. Snowdonia National Park, Northern Wales
9. Angel Fire, New Mexico
10. Vail, Colorado
11. Queenstown, New Zealand
12. Valberg, France
13. Pamporovo, Bulgaria
14. Åre, Sweden
15. Sierra Nevada, Granada, Spain
Click through for links and details on each – Wide World – 15 AMAZING MOUNTAIN TRIPS
The obvious omission that jumps to mind is Banff, Alberta, Canada.
No worries. Banff is hardly underexposed. Better people be reminded of Åre, Poiana-Brasov and Pamporovo that are lesser known.
No RSS feed for Wide World? That’s lame. I won’t be back very often. RSS is essential in 2009.
Pamporovo – the pearl of the Bulgarian mountain resorts, nests in the heart of the Rhodopes, 260 km from the capital Sofia, and 85 km south of the city of Plovdiv. …
(via Kraig Becker on Gadling)
Backpacker associate editor Shannon Davis and his wife Emily decided on an outdoor adventure to celebrate their nuptials.
They chose one of our top 10 hikes in the world.
… The 128-mile horseshoe-shaped route circles Nepal’s heaven-high Annapurna range, and it’s been hailed as the holy grail of trekking since it was first opened to foreigners in the early 1980s. Travel writers and hikers everywhere gush about the trail …
Season
October is the most popular, thanks to reliably pleasant weather (80°F and humid at 2,000 feet; 20°F and dry at 17,000 feet) and clear skies. …Map and Books
The best trail guide is Annapurna Trekking Map and Complete Guide, by Partha S. Banerjee (Milestone Guidebooks, $10); it can be found at every bookstore in Kathmandu. Use Trails Illustrated map Annapurna #3003 (natgeomaps.com, $17) and Nepal (Lonely Planet, $25) for pre-trip planning.Permit
Every trekker needs a permit ($25), but no reservations are necessary. Just pick one up in Kathmandu at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project office on Tridevi Marg (open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily). ntnc.org.np/trekking.phpTrailhead
The trek starts in Besisahar (catch a bus at Kathmandu’s Gongabu Bus Park; they leave regularly) and ends in Pokhara (return on a Greenline Tours bus, greenline.com.np).Cost (Less Airfare & Rental Car) DIY: Less than $500 // Guided: $1,000-$1,499
Cheap and Easy
Annapurna’s teahouses beat the huts on other classic treks in terms of convenience, cost, and local color. Teahouses charge about $12 per day for a room and meals, and they’re never more than three hours apart, making is easy to keep a flexible itinerary. But that’s not to say there aren’t rules. Here are six: Choose a teahouse before 3 p.m. to beat large guided groups to the nicest places; choose a smaller one for better meal service; take showers immediately after arriving (most hot water is solar heated); order breakfast before going to bed to speed your morning departure; and bring a padlock for your room and a ground pad for the beds, which may be foam, straw, or just blankets.
read the trip report – THE PERFECT CIRCLE: HIKING THE ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT
A follow-up article is equally informative – HIKING THE ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT: Q&A WITH SHANNON DAVIS
Want to organize a trip for yourself?
Check our Annapurna information page.
