Top 10 Hiking Destinations ➙ Southwest USA

South West USA

Capitol Reef, Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Glen Canyon, White Sands National Monument, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. This part of the world is awesome.

We hike the SW USA every year and have yet to be disappointed.

Fascinating, diverse and mind-boggling. The best WOW geological zone we’ve seen anywhere.

The high desert plateau intersection of the four U.S. states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado Plateau is not the deepest nor largest, but it’s by far the most stunningly beautiful on Earth.

Most of the best slot canyons and natural stone arches in the world are here. A desert, your views are unobstructed. The light is perfect for photography.

The best weather is Oct-Nov, Mar-May. Summers are too hot for most hikers.

Most of the hikes in the Four Corners are short due to lack of water and the real risk of getting lost. People die in this wilderness every year.

Our favourite hike in the Four Corners region is Paria Canyon on the border of Arizona and Utah. You enjoy many days beneath huge walls in a slot canyon.

more from our Paria photo set

If you hike Paria you’ll certainly try to add on a nearby day hike called The Wave.

more Wave photos

More information on on dozens more great adventures on our new SW USA information page.

Mt Everest Base Camp Trek for Those Battling Type 1 Diabetes

Guest post by Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation:

Today the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation announced that fundraising efforts are reaching new heights.

Beginning October 27, Foundation friend and Highlands Park, Colorado search and rescue volunteer Gary Fraser will be undertaking an arduous journey to the base camp of Mount Everest in honor of Sophia Ruggieri, who tragically died from complications due to Type 1 Diabetes.

After a series of flights that will culminate in a white-knuckle landing into Lukla, Nepal, one of the world’s most dangerous airports, “Fraser’s Trek for Type 1” will cover 15 days of grueling climbs, with stops in multiple Sherpa villages as Mr. Fraser acclimates to the thinning atmosphere on his way to the Everest base camp at 17,600 feet.

“I am so happy to be able to honor Sophia and bring attention to this great cause by my expedition to the Everest base camp,” stated Mr. Fraser. “Sophia loved hiking, and I know that her spirit will help inspire me during this demanding journey.”

Proceeds from Fraser’s Trek for Type 1 will be used to support children and young adults battling Type 1 Diabetes, including by providing college scholarships and paid attendance at a specialized T1D camp. 

To support Gary’s climb and help those with T1D, please click on the Give Lively link here:

Support Fraser’s Trek for Type 1

Those who donate $100 or more will receive a commemorative “Fraser’s Trek for Type 1” t-shirt. To see updates of Mr. Fraser’s journey, please visit the Foundation website at www.sophiaruggierifoundation.org.

THE SOPHIA RUGGIERI MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

The mission of the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation Serving Those with Type 1 Diabetes Inc., a 100% volunteer public charity, is to identify cost-effective ways to help T1D youth, and to provide such aid directly, such as through college scholarships, or indirectly through other 501(c)3 organizations.

The Foundation was established to honor Sophia Ruggieri, a Dacula, Georgia resident, loving daughter, sister and friend, who passed away from Type 1 Diabetes.

The organization’s inaugural and ongoing fundraising event, Sophia’s Stroll, is a testament to Sophia’s love for hiking the forests and trails of North Carolina, travel and exploration.

Each summer, the Foundation sends children to Camp Kudzu, a Georgia-based camp that for 25 years has brightened the summer for children ages 8 to 18 who have Type 1 Diabetes, where Sophia enjoyed volunteering.

At Camp Kudzu kids not only have fun, but they also get to learn important steps in dealing with this silent disease.

In addition, the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation awards college scholarships to students with Type 1 Diabetes and helps fund the provision of needed medical supplies and devices.

For more information about the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation, please call 470-389-2931, email info@sophiaruggierifoundation.org, or visit www.sophiaruggierifoundation.org.

Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation

+1 470-389-2931

info@sophiaruggierifoundation.org

BestHike loves Chamonix, France

I spent a couple of weeks hiking out of the mountain town in 2009, astonished at how down to earth and welcoming it is for outdoor sportsmen from around the world.

It’s one of our Top 10 Hiking Towns in the World.


photo – ptpotts

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix … was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics. The commune’s population … around 9800 …

… Mont Blanc, at a height of 4810 metres, is the third most visited natural site in the world …

… well known and loved by skiers and by mountain enthusiasts of all types. …

Chamonix is located 80 km southeast of Geneva, Switzerland …

Chamonix Place Balmat

More interesting photos tagged Chamonix.

You can hike out of town in any direction. And be blown away by wonderful mountain vistas. Here I am just above town on a trail run.

fit hiker in the Alps

The most famous “best hikes” in the region are:

• Chamonix to Zermatt – Walkers’ Haute Route <my trip report> (top 10)
Tour of Mont Blanc

More best hikes in the Alps.

Best time to hike is late June to early October.

Top 10 Hiking Destinations ➙ New Zealand

There’s no debate.

The Land of the Long White Cloud Aotearoa is by far the single best hiking destination on Earth.

North Island? South Island? Both are great. And both much different.

New Zealand has EVERYTHING a hiker could want.

Rees-Dart Track

New Zealand is insanely great for hikers. It’s safe. It’s clean. Trails are not crowded. It’s terrific for kids.

There’s no risk of altitude sickness as the glaciated peaks are at low elevation.

Best months are mid-November through mid-April for most treks.

More information on our New Zealand information page.

Our favourite tramp in New Zealand is the volcanic Tongariro Circuit. You’ll feel like you’ve entered Mordor in Lord of the Rings.

Click PLAY or watch a 1 minute introduction on YouTube.

See our Tongariro Circuit Information page.

Start planning your New Zealand hiking vacation right now.

BestHike – Puez-Odle Altopiano, Dolomites, Italy

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

  • fantastic vistas of jagged Dolomite peaks
  • family friendly as you can get to elevation with a cablecar
  • 9 miles / 14.5 km with 500 m ascent / 1100 m descent
  • Rifugio Puez is a good destination for lunch or hot drinks
  • extend the walk if you have good weather, time and energy
  • there are many more great hikes nearby

World → EuropeDolomites → Italy → Puez-Odle Altopiano

photo by Away On The Road

For details click over to our Puez-Odle Altopiano information page.

Fastpacking Japan’s Hardest Hiking Route

The RAB film In the Footsteps of Banryu follows athletes Jake Baggaley, Aoi Chan, Yusuke Tannaka, and Sam Hill as they attempt to fast pack a route known as the Kamikochi, Yarigatake, and Hotaka Circuit. This path, following knife-edge ridges and climbing jagged peaks …

GearJunkie

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

BestHike loves Cortina, Italy

You can see weird and wild limestone spires right from town. Convenient, efficient public transport makes for easy access to trails for hikers of all levels of ability.

One of our top 10 hiking towns in the world.

Cortina d’Ampezzo (German: Hayden) is a town and commune in the southern (Dolomitic) Alps …

The city centre is located at an altitude of 1,224 m …

Cortina is situated more or less to the center of the Ampezzana valley, encircled nearly completely on four sides by the high Dolomites. …

Population (2008) was 6150.

Shop at La Cooperativa di Cortina for gear and trekking food.

More interesting photos tagged Cortina.

La Baita

Our favourite hike hikes in the Dolomites, to mention just a few, are:

• Bocca di Brenta to Molvena
• Over the Nuvolau
• Sciliar through the Catinaccio
• Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit

Check our Dolomites information page.

besthike editor Rick McCharles – Tre Cime

Best months for hiking are mid-June to early October.

Check our Dolomites information page.

BestHike – John Muir Trail, California

John Muir Trail is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Click PLAY or watch a 1-minute preview on YouTube.

John Muir Trail

If there’s a hiker’s paradise on earth, it’s the JMT in the Sierra Nevadas.

213 miles without a road. Fantastic weather. 11 high passes. Unbelievable nonstop vistas. And Mt Whitney.

AT A GLANCE

Yosemite map
  • Yosemite, Ansel Adams and John Muir wilderness, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
  • start in stunning Yosemite, Muir’s “Range of Light”
  • 223mi (360km) to Whitney Portal adding sidetrips to Half Dome, Vermillion Resort and Mt. Whitney 14,505ft (4,421m)
  • 15-21 days recommended
  • carry your own food and tent
  • JMT about 10% the length of the Pacific Crest Trail

Read more on our John Muir Trail information page.

South America’s BEST Trek?

We’d argue for the Ausangate Circuit in Peru — BUT it has gotten a lot more popular in recent years.

Many would name the Paine treks in Chile.

The newest of the best hikes in South America is the Huemul Route out of ut of  El Chaltén, Argentina.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Especially if you want something even more adventurous.

Check out Huemul information page.