One of the worst things that can happen in the mountains.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
#2 day hike – Zion Narrows, Utah USA
One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.
Why?
Best slot canyon hike in the world.
- in Utah’s Zion National Park
- 16 miles (25 km) from Chamberlain’s Ranch to Temple of Sinawava in the Park
- June through October best months
- usually closed from mid-March to mid-May due to spring snowmelt and runoff
- in places chasm up to 1,968 ft deep and 20 ft wide
- about a 1500 ft descent
- walk in water up to half the time
- 9 – 13 hours. Confirm the time of the last shuttle out of the park!
- a long, tiring day or you can camp overnight. Be aware that there are only 12 campsites available and they book quickly. Start as early as possible if you are doing it in a day.
- Permit is required
World → North America → S.W. USA → Utah → Zion Narrows
For details click over to our Zion Narrows information page.
Starting a Fire 🔥 the Easy Way
Iceland ➙ Laugevagur Trail YOYO – day 0
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
- Laugevagur day 0
- Laugevagur day 1
- Laugevagur day 2
- Laugevagur day 3
- Laugevagur day 4
Sept. 12, 2023
Hiking Interior Iceland.
Fantastic. But challenging. You need to be organized.
Do your research well in advance.
Click PLAY or watch my hike on YouTube. (4min)
After this page, check out TMB Complete Guide to the Laugavegur Trail.
I was probably making a mistake going so late in the season. Laugevagur could shut down any time after Sept. 11th due to weather.
All agree that Laugavegur is the best hike in Iceland. It’s fairly close to Reykjavik. There are a number of transportation options to get to the trailheads.
Cost
For me as a tourist, Iceland has been by far the most expensive nation. And I’ve been to over 90 nations.
Bring. Money. $$$$$
You probably don’t need any Icelandic currency as they accept credit card almost everywhere. The notable exception is local buses that only take cash or payment by their own app.
Food & Fuel
Knowing that food is expensive and limited in variety, I brought quite a bit of camping grub with me on the plane.
I bought the rest in Reykjavik. And bought a small canister of very expenisve fuel.
Of course there are hundreds of partial containers at the trailheads, but I didn’t want to risk not having fuel.
Transportation
Deciding on this adventure last minute, I was excited to do it late in the season when there would be fewer hikers. Of course, bad weather is a greater risk.
What I didn’t realize until arrival is that bus service to the trailheads started shutting down Sept. 11, 2023.
Last bus to Landmannalaugar was Sept. 11, 2023.
Buses to Þórsmörk (Thórsmörk) ended Sept. 15, 2023.
There are 3 main bus companies:
I decided to take the Reykjavik Excursions bus to Þórsmörk on Sept 13.
I’d YOYO the Laugavegur — hiking it both ways back to my starting point. Then continue over the Fimmvörðuháls pass to Skógar on the coastal highway. From there it would be easy to find transportation back to Reykjavík.
I’d done Landmannalaugar to Skógar, August 2018, so knew what I was facing.
Navigation
I did carry a paper map as back-up, but mostly used the free Maps.me app offline whenever I wanted to check that I was on track. It’s excellent for Laugevagur and most major hikes worldwide.
The one time I really needed Maps.me was coming in to camp in the dark with headlamp. It’s very easy to get confused when you can’t see the next post in the distance.
Electronics
There’s no access to power on the trail. In order to keep your devices working, bring enough power bank batteries. I brought two 20000mah batteries on my hike.
Be sure to carefully store your electronics in waterproof ways. It’s difficult to keep the rain out.
- Laugevagur day 0
- Laugevagur day 1
- Laugevagur day 2
- Laugevagur day 3
- Laugevagur day 4
Everyone Should Walk
It’s well documented that walking is good for your health.
Researchers from the University of Sydney and the University of Southern Denmark found that 10,000 steps each day is the “sweet spot” to help lower the risk of disease and death. They also found that a faster pace, such as a brisk power walk, can have even greater benefits. …
Sam has some tips for those who want to get into walking for fitness.
My own tip is … get a dog. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Women – 140 days Great Himalaya Trail
Wow. What an undertaking.
The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) Women Leaders on the Trail Campaign (GHT Women Leaders campaign) is a once in a lifetime opportunity to elevate the roles and status of female Nepali guides and porters in Nepal.
The campaign involves organizing a group of female Nepali guide(s) and porters to trek on the Great Himalaya Trail for 140 days beginning February until July of 2024.
This campaign is in support of the mission of the non-profit human rights organization, The Porter Voice Collective, which aims to advocate for the human rights of porters in Peru, Nepal & Tanzania via all forms of media and storytelling. …
Details
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Anu Shrestha, Campaign Manager (Nepal)
Gauri Malakar, Campaign Advisor
Sara Frenning, PVC Researcher & Campaign Coordinator, Videographer
Pema T. Sherpa, GHT Logistics Coordinator
Marinel de Jesus, Campaign Manager (Global)
Chris Lewis Walked 19,000 Miles, 6 Years
An ex-paratrooper has completed a 19,000 mile walk around the UK coast and raised £500,000 in the process.
Chris Lewis, 43, was joined by hundreds of cheering supporters as he finished the final mile of his journey …
He set off with just £10 in his pocket and has returned with a fiancee, a baby son named Magnus and a pet dog called Jet. …
Mr Lewis, who served with 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, struggled to cope after entering civilian life.
He decided to walk the UK coast after suffering anxiety and depression. …
BBC
Overrated ➙ Scotland’s West Highland Way
I was looking forward to the West Highland Way in 2009. Ended up quitting early. Now we don’t recommend that adventures.
There are MANY better hikes in Scotland.
Kraig Adams went in 2023. And his lovely drone videos make it look appealing.
Watch his entire video, however, and you’ll see he was tortured by midges.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Was Nepal right to ban solo trekking in the Himalayas?
That’s the title of a thoughtful article on National Geographic:
Part of the magic of trekking in Nepal used to be how easy it was to get started, but on 1 April 2023, the government imposed a radical shake-up of the country’s trekking rules. Whereas previously travellers could hike alone anywhere in the country, now they must hire a guide to walk through Nepal’s 12 national parks and six conservation areas, including the popular Everest Base Camp and Annapurna …
“For less-experienced trekkers, having a good guide can definitely enhance your trekking experience, but guides aren’t trained to a consistent standard in Nepal,” says Bradley Mayhew, author of Lonely Planet’s Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya guidebook. “Encouraging trekkers to hire a guide by providing better-trained guides would be a smarter approach than forcing all trekkers to take a guide, regardless of their experience.” …
Nat Geo
As an experienced hiker who’s been to Nepal more than 10 times, I’ll switch to the Indian Himalaya.
But there are certainly some advantages in requiring a guide for new trekkers.
related – Our guide to INDEPENDENT trekking in Nepal — back when it was still allowed.
#5 best hiking region in the world is the …
Central Andes
Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
Hiking holidays in Peru are hot right now. More popular than ever. Political stability since the leader of the Shining Path terrorist group was captured in 1992 resulted in a booming tourist industry.
The second highest mountain range on Earth is fantastic. Broad valleys and endless vistas. You are always above the tree line. Arid desert to the west, Amazon jungle to the east.
Our contributors have hiked most of the major treks in Peru the past few years. The peaks, glaciers and canyons are outrageous. Everyone is thrilled with the Andes.
Unfortunately, management of treks is atrocious, the Peruvian government seemingly bent on ruining their fantastic tourist draw. Do your homework before booking a flight to Lima. Or sign on with a trekking company with which you have had a strong, recent recommendation.
The weather in the Andes can be deadly, of course, but sometimes you get weeks of sunny blue skies, especially in the Cordillera Blanca out of Huaraz, Peru. The best weather for the high peaks out of Huaraz (the best jumping off point for hikers in the Central Andes) is the drier “Andean summer”: May-Sept.
In fact, there are good hikes somewhere in this region year round.
More information on our new Central Andes information page.
Our favourite hike in the Central Andes is the little known Ausangate Circuit in Peru, our #4 best hike in the world. Quite a few trekkers have decided on Ausangate (instead of the over-hyped Inca Trail) based on our recommendation. And all have been happy with that decision.
See our Ausangate Circuit Information page.
The best guidebook for the Central Andes, by far, is Lonely Planet:
Note that Bolivia is not nearly as popular as it should be due to lack of infrastructure for tourism, security concerns and political instability. Honestly, unless you know the language and culture well, it’s better to hike Peru. Or much neglected Ecuador.
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