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Great Hikes in Newfoundland

I’ve only once hiked in Newfoundland. It was terrific.

Guidebook author Taryn Eyton went twice to compile a list of best hikes on the large, wild island.

BEST of all for me is the challenging Long Range Traverse, Gros Morne National Park.

35km one way. Elevation gain 1270m. A route, not maintained trail. So distance and elevation may vary.

Parks Canada – Long Range Traverse

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Our #1 Day Hike ➙ Harder Ridge, Switzerland

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

photo – AlpsInsight

Why?

24km total … about 18km on a sharp ridge! Wow!

  • Yes, this is our pick for the very best day hike on Earth
  • Brienz to Interlaken Brienz Rothorn Railway up to the start
  • take the funicular from Harderkulm (Harder Kulm)  down to Harderkulm Station in Interlaken
  • logistics are much more difficult in the opposite direction. We highly recommend hikers start in Brienz
  • 10+ hours. Physically and psychologically challenging.
  • no water available. Carry all you need.
  • not an official trail, but it’s easy to follow in good visibility
  • about 1500m above the lake
  • permits not required
  • it’s popular with trail runners who do about 35km entirely on foot. They start at either end.
  • also known as Hardergrat (… grat is ridge in German)

World → Europe → Alps → Switzerland → Harder Ridge

Click PLAY or watch Jackson Groves on YouTube.

For details click over to our Harder Ridge information page.

related – The GoPro: ’22 Creator Summit was held in Interlaken. Some of this footage is shot on the ridge.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Top of Innsbruck, Austria

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Directly from Innsbruck city centre, you can ride the Nordkette Cable Car to Hafelekar station (2,269m).

I did the surprisingly rugged hike from the Top of Innsbruck to Pfeishütte — for a delicious pasta lunch.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s called Goetheweg: Karstube to Pfeishütte on AllTrails.

  • 6.8km one way (13.6 return plus side trips)
  • 330 m elevation gain one way
  • see Zugspitze: the highest mountain in Germany

You might guess the challenge is ridge walking — but there’s nothing with exposure.

I was wearing trail running shoes in late June. And they were NOT sufficient for the snow, ice, and loose scree. At minimum wear approach shoes. Most Europeans were wearing light hiking boots.

Poles would help for sure. If I did it again I’d carry YakTrax, just in case.

The weather kept changing. My jacket went on and off a dozen times.

Your lift ticket includes entry to the Alpenzoo which we did on the way back to Innsbruck.

It’s small, but well worth the stop. The focus is on animals indigenous to the Alps, though there are over 150 animal species. It’s built on the vertical slope of the mountain.

I was most enthusiastic to see the European Brown Bear and Lynx.

If you get to Innsbruck, this hike is highly recommended. A terrific hiking day.

Note ➙ it’s Europe, so there are easily a dozen variations to this route. You do not need to backtrack, for example. 10Adventures suggests hiking late in the day — sleeping at Pfeishütte — and walking out day two.

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Lightning Safety

I’m very relaxed out in the wilds.

One of the very few things that worries me is getting caught in a lightning storm.

I have a friend who was struck. Three of the 4 in their group survived.

  • find lower ground ➙ and get under uniform tree cover, if possible.
  • you can be struck by a storm still 10 miles away
  • lightning tends to strike the tallest object on a landscape. It’s not a good idea to stand under a tall tree.
  • lightning is not attracted to metal. Lightning is only attracted to 3 things: tall structures, isolated structures, and pointed structures. 
  • metal can conduct electricity, which can jump to a tent 10 to 20 feet away. So tent away from taller and/or metal structures like bear poles.
  • crouching to get lower is not recommended
  • sheltering in a cave not recommended

Backpacker has more:

Everything Hikers Know About Lightning Safety is Wrong 

Most backcountry lightning education—including what you may have learned as a kid—is antiquated. Here’s your overdue expert update.

Photo by Frank Cone on Pexels.com
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Walking Dubrovnik’s Walled City

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Any tourist that can climb steps, walks Dubrovnik walls. 

One of the world’s best and best preserved walled cities

UNESCO World Heritage site

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Game of Thrones scenery

length ~ 2km

It’s a hot destination right now for cruise ships and Instagram influencers.  

Highest priority for me was walking the famed walls.  2kms.  I walked it twice in sequence. 

Cost is 35 EU !?

For a HIKE !!

So — like almost every tourist — I bought the 35EU Dubrovnik Pass which pays for the wall, the castle, Rector’s Palace, and several more interesting attractions. 

You also get a 24 hour bus ticket which costs about 5 EU by itself.   … Of course there’s no room on the buses. 😀

Unfairly, the feral cats do not have to pay. 😀 

I walked the circuit twice in series in the morning. And returned later in the late afternoon to go again — only to learn that you are only allowed to enter the Walls once on a ticket.

That’s probably a good idea. In the summer Dubrovnik is PACKED shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists. This small area really can’t handle this many visitors in high season.

SONJA NOVAK, Dubrovnik tour guide, put together the Walking Dubrovnik City Walls—2023 Guide.

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TOP 10 hikes ➙ West Coast Trail, BC, Canada

West Coast Trail is our top hike in the world.

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

West Coast Trail

Challenging in many ways.

So much VARIETY in pristine Canadian coastal wilderness.

Mystic dawns and mind-blowing sunsets. Hidden pocket coves and weird coastal geology.

You’ll never forget the West Coast Trail.

WCT ladders

AT A GLANCE

  • 75 km (47 mi), 5-7 days Pachena Bay <> Gordon River
  • 3-5 day routes possible via Nitinaht Village trailhead
  • southwestern edge of Vancouver Island
  • Pacific Rim National Park
  • Permits required 
  • May 1 – September 30
  • extremely rugged, requires a high level of fitness
  • 6,000+ backpackers / year

Read more on our WCT information page.