One of the worst things that can happen in the mountains.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
2023 Banff Mountain Festival – Teaser
The 2023 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is in Banff, Alberta, from October 28 to November 5.
… 84 films from 13 countries.
Online film screenings during the Festival are also back, bringing on-demand films to your homes in Canada/USA from October 28 through November 5, plus some award-winning films online from Nov. 6-8.
Get your tickets for events in Banff or your Online Film Pass today 👉 https://www.banffcentre.ca/film-fest
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Tour du Mont Blanc: France, Italy, Switzerland
Perhaps the most famous multi-day route in Europe.
- Alpine charm: valleys, lakes, glaciers
- great food, history, culture
- circumambulate Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4810m, 15,781ft)
- 9-14 days
- 170+kms (106mi)
- best months June-Sept
- gains 10,000+m (32,800ft) elevation
Check out our TMB Information page.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (39min)
related – the main alternative to the TMB is the Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route.
I’m BOOKED ➙ Faroe Islands, Summer 2024
by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Postponed in 2023 … this time I made my reservations 10 months in advance to get the ferries I wanted. And inexpensive accommodation.
I can cancel accommodation at no cost.
If I eventually have to cancel the ferries, I’ll pay 10% of the € 337 total cost for me, my bike, and a bunkbed on the ship.
The Faroe Islands are expensive and in high demand, high season. Far less so if you book long ahead of time.
July 27th – depart Hirtshals (Denmark) on the Smyril ferry
July 28th – arrive Tórshavn (Faroe Islands)
Aug 7th – depart Tórshavn
Aug 8th – arrive Seyðisfjörður (Iceland) at 8:30am
That gives me 9 full days for cycling and hiking. Weather is a factor, of course. Faroe Islands are just south of the Arctic Circle.
The more days, the more opportunity for clear skies. 😀
I booked during the Olympics.
IF it rains 😀, I’ll instead be following the action in Paris online. Indoors.
Hyperlite Unbound 55 Backpack
If I bought a new pack today — it would be the Unbound 55.
It’s similar to my current Hyperlite 3400 Windrider, but I like the pockets and boxier shape even more.
I want a huge pack for 5-6 days without resupply, but one that I can get on to the plane as carry-on luggage.
I prefer the black as it’s not going to show the dirt nearly as much.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
related – Adventure Alan review
Alan recommends the Unbound 55 over the Unbound 40 for 99% of people. It only weighs an ounce more.
PATHOLOGY … the study of hiking trails? 😀
Thanks Stu.
#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
#9 best hiking region in the world is …
The Alps
Many North American hikers pooh-pooh hiking in Europe as “too civilized and too expensive”. The ones who have never hiked there.
With advanced planning you can get to some of the best wild scenery in the world and not go bankrupt in Europe.
Iconic peaks reflected in tranquil mountain lakes, sweeping hillsides blanketed in wild flowers and dramatic, sprawling glaciers characterize the Alps. Discover why this mighty range, the birthplace of modern mountain walking, has enthralled walkers for centuries. – LP
The culture and history of Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenian and Switzerland are an added bonus.
Travel is easy in Europe, of course, but the hiking window is short. You want to be there Jun-Sept, the same high season as North America.
More information on our new Alps information page.
Our favourite trip in the Alps was the Tour of Mont Blanc. But after besthike editor found the TMB crowded with hordes of tour groups the summer of 2009, we changed our “favourite hike in Europe” to the more challenging Walker’s Haute Route, Chamonix to Zermatt.
Both long hikes are in the same region, sharing sections of trail near Chamonix. Both are great, truth be told.
Consider both these adventure:
• Tour of Mont Blanc Information page
• Haute Route information page
Check out, too, the 2009 Haute Route trip report (Mt Blanc to Matterhorn) by besthike editor Rick McCharles.
Leave a comment if you have your own favourite hike in the Alps.
Most Photographed Hiking Trails
… By cross-referencing the number of photographs on stock imagery libraries tagged with “walking trail” or “hiking trail” for over 500 locations, we found which destinations yielded the highest number of photos, thus emerging as the places in the world with the most scenic trails.
Explore
- GR20, France
- Everest Base Camp Trek, Nepal
- The Westweg , Germany
- Camino de Santiago, Spain
- Inca Trail, Peru
- Appalachian Trail, eastern USA
- Jordan Trail, Jordan
- West Coast Trail, Canada
- Laugavegur Trail, Iceland
- Lycian Way, Turkey
Having hiked most of the top 10, I’d rank Laugavegur and Everest as most photogenic.
besthike.com 