Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
From Tom Mangan of Two-Heel Drive:
Best of the best in Bay Area trails:
These are my favorite hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve done them all a few times. Links at the end of each item go to guide books and professionally produced maps available at Amazon.com and its partner retailers. …
Pinnacles National Monument trek – trip report
I’m looking for first hand advice on the lastest, greatest hike on Vancouver Island, B.C.
The North Coast Trail has been on our list of best hikes in North America since before it opened officially in 2008.
Nathan Derksen hiked it in 2004 – trip report
one of Nathan’s excellent photos – larger version
… The 43.1 km trail in Cape Scott Provincial Park runs along beaches and in forest around the northern tip of Vancouver Island from Shushartie Bay to Nissen Bight. At Nissen Bight it links up with an existing 15 km trail which leads to the trailhead at San Josef River[1]. The total distance for hikers between the trailheads is 61 km. The trail is in a wilderness area and hikers may see deer, elk, black bears, cougars, wolves, sea birds, seals, sea lions, grey whales and sea otters. …
It’s often compared with the famed, nearby West Coast Trail.
I have already contacted the 3 main trailhead transportation companies as I won’t have a personal vehicle.
Cape Scott Water Taxi
Box 580 Port Hardy B.C. V0N 2P0
Phone (250) 949-6541
Toll Free: 1-800-246-0093
info@capescottwatertaxi.ca
capescottwatertaxi.caCatala Charters Jim & Cathy Witton
Box 526 Port Hardy, BC V0N 2P0
Phone/Fax (250) 949-7560;
Toll Free 1-800-515-5511
catalacharters@hotmail.com
northcoasttrailwatertaxi.comNorth Coast Trail Shuttle
Box 977 Port Hardy, BC V0N 2P0
Phone: 250-949-6888 Cel 250-230-1994
shuttle2@telus.net
northcoasttrailshuttle.com
Leave a comment if you have recommendations for me.
Only about 500 people have completed the Bibbulmun Track, nearly 1000kms (620mi) from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills to Albany on the south coast of Western Australia.
One of those is Dave Tomlinson who posted his 2007 trip report on Our Hiking Blog.
… When I reflect on the entire time I spent hiking the track, I think the first few days were the toughest of all. There is nothing quite like the challenge of carrying a heavy pack over difficult terrain in 40 degree heat. Although the track goes through eight towns, the first one is ten days from Perth. So, my pack was very heavy with supplies and I was stiff and sore during those initial stages. But as I progressed, my muscles began to get attuned to what was expected, my pack gradually lightened and things became easier. …
… Amazingly, I completed the whole distance without even a blister. Apart from some general soreness when I first started, I didn’t have any problems at all. There wasn’t a single day when I didn’t wake up and feel excited by what I was doing. Even on the most physically demanding days I embraced the challenge and never felt any doubt about reaching Albany in good health. The weather was generally very good and my Goretex jacket was often nothing more than my pillow at night. I only had rain on four days in the entire seven weeks. …
To learn more about this amazing tramp, here are the most important links:
» The Bibbulmun Track – a long distance hike – Trip Report – Part One
» Bibbulman Track – Southern Section – Trip Report – Part Two
» official website – Bibbulmun Track
More often than not on our list of best hikes in the world we promote “challenging” adventures.
The very dangerous West Coast Trail is our #1 pick. One in every hundred hikers has to be evacuated!
What if you don’t want to be evacuated?
From Our Hiking Blog:
We have come up with a short list that meets the following criteria:
– No death defying stunts required to complete the trip
– Relatively mountain / drop off free
– Challenging enough to make you feel a sense of accomplishment
– Multi day with at least 3 nights camping required
– Generally isolated and away from too much infrastructure
Before we give you the list, recall that Australia is chock full of dangerous animals. My friend from Canberra found a poisonous snake in the back seat of his car while putting his infant daughter into the car seat. I’d rather risk a Grizzly than meet a Brown Snake on the Trail.
The walks, in no particular order, are:
Great South West Walk – Victoria Wilsons Promontory Circuit Walk Overland Track – Tasmania Australian Alps Walking Track Thorsborne Trail – Hinchinbrook Island – Queensland Bibbulmun Track – Western Australia Great Ocean Walk – Victoria
Read the entire entertaining post – Hiking with Bathmophobia – 7 hiking trips that won’t scare you to death (too much) !
photo – besthike editor Rick McCharles – Overland Track, Tasmania – 2007 trip report
Book fast if you want one of the 30 spots. Late July 2009.
It’s a fund-raiser for the trail association.
Hiking a long-distance trail from end to end in one push, or thru-hiking, is a badge of honor for those who have accomplished such a feat. It takes a lot of planning to coordinate food, water, campsites, and the like. Plus, you have to be extremely fit to carry your lodging and all of your food on your back for days on end.
But there’s a great way to get a similar experience without sacrificing all of your weekends to planning from now through May. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association, steward to the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail in Nevada and California, is offering people the chance to participate in a 15-day guided thru-hike with support in the way of food and other supplies. You’ll still need to be in good shape and carry a backpack with personal gear and one- or two-days’ worth of food and water. But that’s pretty cushy, by most thru-hikers’ standards. …
details via – Where Next? – Thru-Hike the Tahoe Rim Trail
larger version – flickr – asmythie
Just researching hiking in Norway …
The Norwegian Trekking Association has a nice website: English, German and Norwegian.
Today, DNT is Norway’s largest outdoor life organization, with more than 210,000 members (2006) in 55 some local member organisations across the country, from Kristiansand in the south to the North Cape in the north. …
The local member associations operate cabins, mark routes and ski tracks and arrange trips and courses. Together they maintain a network of about 20,000 km of marked foot trails and about 7000 km of branch-marked ski tracks. DNT activities are based on extensive volunteer work. Each year, volunteers together work more than 175,000 hours. …
Here’s their information on arguably the most popular walk in the country, the Besseggen traverse:
More than 30 thousand hikers traverse Besseggen each year, making it Norway’s most trekked route. With good reason. The splendid view of the wild Jotunheimen and steep trails imbue a feeling of having mastered the mountain. The hike isn’t particularly difficult or exposed, but it’s airy, with lake Gjende 400 metres below on the south side and Bessvatn a few metres below on the north side. When you’ve also gone up the gigantic Bukkelægret scree slope, you’ve had a real hike. …
If researching hiking in Norway, the Norwegian Trekking Association is a good place to start.
It will lead you to links like the official Welcome to Besseggen home page.
Another amazing photo article from Environmental Graffiti – 12 Most Incredible Crater Lakes On Earth
… While popular belief is that crater lakes are formed after water fills up meteorite impact craters, very few such lakes actually exist. Most of them are formed in volcanic craters – but all offer spectacular sights for sore eyes!
Fascinating, spectacular, stunning and at times deadly, this is a trip into the extraordinary world of crater lakes. …
see the rest – 12 Most Incredible Crater Lakes On Earth
related post – hiking Earth Impact craters
Hank Leukart posted a magazine quality essay on one of our top treks in the World, the Paine Circuit.
Adopted by Kiwis in Chilean Patagonia. How to hike the Torres del Paine Circuit on someone else’s family vacation
… The only thing standing between us and views of 270-square-kilometer Glaciar Grey was Paso John Garner, a steep and rocky pass through the Patagonian Andes Mountains. My brother Brian and I looked up nervously at the severe mountain crags and glacial ice surrounding us, and though we hadn’t been able to substantiate the rumors of a lost hiker’s death during a blizzard in the pass three days before, the gossip made us uneasy. We knew that some hikers had turned back, failing to conquer the pass due to dangerous weather. …
read the 3-part series article on Without Baggage
Especially if you want to find out why Hank decided to climb on to an iceberg.
related posts – more Without Baggage trip reports
Geoff emailed a response to our UK – South West Coast Path post.:
… if you’re going to add the Cornish Coast to your list, you really should consider the UK’s other great long distance coastal path, the Pembrokeshire Coast Trail in south Wales – the scenery is relatively similar, but being mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is less developed, less touristy, a bit more rugged (and a bit wetter) – and overall I reckon a bit better. It’s also one of the best places in the country to see seabirds, too. I’ve only done sections, but the bits I have seen are stunning.
It does look great.
larger original – Wikipedia
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is a National Trail in southwest Wales. It was established in 1970, and is 186 miles (300km) long, mostly at cliff-top level, with 35,000 feet (11,000 m) of ascent and descent. …
Mark Owen, South West Coast Path National Trail Officer, emailed to recommend his “best hike” in the world:
The South West Coast Path National Trail – 630 miles of superb coastal walking. From Minehead on the edge of the Exmoor National Park to the shores of Poole Harbour in Dorset it is the best way to enjoy the wonderful coastal scenery, wildlife and heritage.
He’s convinced us. We’ve added it to our list of the best hikes in Europe.
We love coast trails. The vistas are non-stop. Unless it gets foggy.
Of course you need not hike the whole thing. It’s very easy to section hike.
official website – South West Coast Path National Trail
besthike.com 