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where’s the best hike?

besthike.jpgThe main purpose of this website is to:

list the best, most memorable hikes, long & short, in the world. Hikes that can change your life.

Most are challenging, multi-day adventures. But we also include the very best day hikes: the Tongariro Crossing (New Zealand) & Zion Narrows (USA), for example. We do not (yet) include off-trail scrambles or climbs.

This site helps you get started organizing the trek of a lifetime. The best guidebooks are listed to help you plan. (Be sure to get the most recent edition.)

Currently we are researching the best hikes on Earth adding an information page overview for each.

This is a work in progress. Can you help? Do you know of a fantastic hike that is not yet listed on this site? Did you notice any errors? If so, please e-mail us through contact links on every page.

This page is in the blog section. Here we post what’s new in the hiking world. Updates to our database of the world’s best hikes. And issues facing hikers.

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fly to Huaraz, Peru

A shout out to Clara Luz Bravo Diaz of Casa de Clara Guest House in Trujillo, Peru. (Great tourist town, by the way. The north coast of Peru is wonderful.)

They emailed to let us know of a regional airline now flying to Huaraz, Peru, one of the best hiking towns in the world. If you are planning a future trekking holiday to Peru — and who isn’t — stop researching the Inca Trail and start looking at the wonderful walks out of Huaraz:

Alpamayo

Santa Cruz

Huayhuash Circuit

You can now fly into Lima and connect to Huaraz via LC Busre airlines. Air service to Huaraz had been almost nonexistent over the past few years. This really helps.

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photo – solo trekking the Huayhuash Circuit – Jake G – flickr

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not having a camera is a GOOD thing

Another great post from the surprising, thoughtful As The Crow Flies blog:

Ten years ago my camera was stolen and until this winter, I didn’t replace it. A camera is nice to have for blogging but for traveling and on the trail I find it too heavy and I think it encourages a person to objectify their experiences. Without a camera, when great sunsets are happening, you don’t think, “this will make a good picture,” you just sit back and enjoy it thoroughly.

On a trek in a jungle in Sumatra, a mother orangutan came down a tree with her baby wrapped around her, the guide gave me a banana as I was the only one without a camera in my hands, I handed the orangutan the banana, looked into her eyes and touched her hand. Over and over, I see people missing experiences by trying to capture them.

Five years ago, when I sold my house, I needed to get rid of all of my stuff. I looked through all the pictures I had, took out the ones of my son, sent them to him, and threw away the rest. Life is about now and you can never be in the now if you have to cart the past around with you.

My travels and hikes are not diminished by not having pictures; I think they are enhanced because not having a camera frees me up for experiencing the moment instead of trying to preserve it. In addition, my life is enhanced by not having to store bunches of pictures of the past.

As The Crow Flies» Blog Archive » Pictures.

(She actually does have a camera now.)

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South Coast Track, Tasmania

Rick McCharles

Most serious hikers who travel to Tasmania hike the Overland Track as training for the far more rigorous South Coast Track.

That adventure on the southern most shore of Tasmania takes even fast hikers 7 days, 6 nights after flying into the Melaleuca airstrip trailhead. It’s 83km (51mi) to exit at Cockle Creek through the world’s largest temperate wilderness.

Me – I ran out of time.

Instead of doing the entire South Coast Track, I spent only 4 days, 3 nights enjoying the southern beaches out of Cockle Creek.

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South Cape Rivulet campsite

I’ve seen tea stained water before, but never as dark as the water of south coast Tasmania. (It’s quite safe to drink.)

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The only hassles on this section were biting flies and the odd very deep mud pool. (I almost lost my shoe knee deep at one point.)

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I enjoyed the beach sunsets best of all.

Though it looks lovely, be aware that “there are no huts or people living along the track so you will need a tent. There are no fires allowed along most of the coast. You will need to carry your own fuel stove. Lastly and most important – there are no food resupply points between the two ends of the track. You must carry all your own food for the entire trip and also carry out your rubbish. There are no hut wardens …”

John Chapman – guidebook author on the South Coast Track

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whale statue at Cockle Creek

More annotated photos of the South Coast Track out of Cockle Creek

Final word. One veteran hiker told me that the similar Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea was “more difficult by half” than the South Coast Track. On the other hand, in PNG you can have porters carry your pack.

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seen a Tasmanian tiger?

Of all sad extinction stories, one of the saddest is that of the Tasmanian tiger.

The Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) … is the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. …

The Thylacine became extinct on the Australian mainland thousands of years before European settlement of the continent, but survived on the island of Tasmania along with a number of other endemic species such as the Tasmanian Devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributory factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite being officially classified as extinct, sightings are still reported.

The last Thylacine … was captured in 1933 and sent to the Hobart Zoo where it lived for three years. It died on 7 September 1936

Official protection of the species by the Tasmanian government was introduced on 14 July 1936, 59 days before the last known specimen died in captivity.

Thylacine – Wikipedia

To see the last Tasmanian tiger (1933) click PLAY or watch the video clip from 1933 on YouTube.

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amazing photos – Marc Shandro

Looking for inspiration today?

I particularly like some of those featuring his son Aaron, here atop Mt. Eiffel in the Canadian Rockies.

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Aaron Climbs Mt. Eiffel, originally uploaded by Marc Shandro.

A wilderness expert already at his young age.

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larger original

“favourite” photos of Marc Shandro – flickr

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“Seeking lightweight food”

Tom Mangan’s Two-Heel Drive blog is the hub of the hiking blogisphere. I count on Tom to alert me what’s new and cool on the net.

I read Two-Heel Drive more often (88% of the time) than any other in my RSS reader. And I’m not the only one. Search for “hiking blog” on Google, Two-Heel Drive comes up #1.

When Tom said he was tempted to “to link to everything” posted by “Trailcraft Russ”, I got intrigued.

Russ is the editor of Wilderness Trailcraft. I’ve linked to it on the right hand navigation under BLOGS.

Please, just shoot me in the head. I’ve gone over the top this time. I have created an Excel spreadsheet with a whole bunch of different types of foods in the hope of finding the best lightweight food. Please don’t laugh; bear with me, this actually is interesting.

In the quest for lightening my load I finally made it to the food in my backpack. I have already created spreadsheets with the calorie intake for each meal so I know I’m not carrying too little or too much food. But one analysis remained, how can I lighten the per day weight of the food that I carry? I have read in multiple places that long-distance hikers use “1 1/2 lbs per day” as a rule of thumb. But when I weigh my food I am always over 2 lbs per day. What are they doing different than me?

I now understand the errors in my ways. Check out the table below. This table is sorted by Cal per Oz. The topmost items are the lightest foods for the number of calories they contain. If you carried only Mountain House Mac & Cheese then you would only have to carry 19oz to achieve 2500 calories (a typical daily intake). Here’s another way to look at it… If you want to carry 1 1/2 lbs per day and you need 2500 calories then you have to average 104 calories per ounce. So in the table below you need foods like Cheese Nips Crackers or Instant Oatmeal. Flour tortillas won’t get you there and neither will Tuna Creations (both are my personal favorites). You can eat these less efficient foods but you have to compensate with foods like Swiss Mix or Mac & Cheese to up your daily cal to weight average.

Seeking lightweight food

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Snowman Trek, Bhutan

Rogier Gruys is an expert on the West Coast Trail in Canada, the hike we rated #1 in the world. Rogier’s BluePeak Travel Photography pics of the WCT are still the best we’ve ever seen.

But Rogier likes the Snowman Trek even better.

Very few have ever done that long Himalayan trek (minimum 19 days) due to high cost (US$200 / day) and high risk.

The Snowman trek is the most difficult trek in Bhutan because one has to walk and camp at high altitude for nearly three weeks. As long as one has no problems with the high altitude and the weather is good, it is not a particularly difficult trek. But, if something were to happen along the way, someone would have to carry you down to the nearest house, or try to find a telephone to get a helicopter from Thimphu. Both are often several days’ walk. Initially, many people planned and wanted to go with us on the trek, but in the end they all bailed out and only two of us went.

Snowman trek description, Bhutan

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BluePeak photo – high resolution version – flickr

Rogier recommends the Cicerone guidebook. It’s essential advanced reading for anyone considering trekking in Bhutan.

A Trekker's Guide (Cicerone)

Bhutan: A Trekker’s Guide (Cicerone)

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books on ultralight Backpacking

The two most popular books on Amazon.com right now are:

  • 1) The Ultralight Backpacker : The Complete Guide to Simplicity and Comfort on the Trail, Ryel Kestenbaum, 2001
  • 2) Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking (Falcon Guide), Don Ladigin, 2005

    • Of the two, I prefer the Ladigin as it is more accessible to beginners, friendlier in format and … weighs only 8oz. (It’s published by Falcon, a company we often criticize on this site. Good job with this book.)

    A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking

    Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking (Falcon Guide)

    In Australia I was surprised to see the vast majority of hikers with heavy, traditional (out-of-date) gear. The lightweight movement clearly has not reached Down Under.

    Experienced ultralight hikers will find more of interest on-line. But the inexpensive Ladigin book would be an ideal gift for any hiker you know who could easily reduce the size of their base pack weight.

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    concerned – West Coast Trail

    Those who love the West Coast Trail are happy it MIGHT open May 1st on schedule for it’s 100 year anniversary.

    Bill Fox, manager of marine assets at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, told Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District directors Wednesday that contractors and First Nations are rebuilding and repairing 10 bridges, three cable cars and clearing thousands of fallen trees along the West Coast Trail.

    “We might open as of May 1,” said Fox. “The West Coast Trail experience will be different for a while, probably for much of our lifetimes.”

    West Coast Trail May Open May 1 – Westcoaster.ca

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    larger version – flickr – BluePeak

    Among those of us concerned is Bob Bannon, author of The West Coast Trail – One Step at a Time.

    If you’re looking for inspiration, this is the book for you. It’s a feature length trip report including a bear encounter and the antics of “hockey stick hikers”.

    The book reminds me of the best-seller Marley and Me — the life story of a dog named Marley which might have been written by any dog owner.

    Likewise, anyone could write a book about an intense week on the West Coast Trail. Bob and his buddy Gord were neophyte hikers, deeply uncertain about their ability to complete a physical challenge like the WCT. They had some tough times on the trail but ultimately conquered their fears … and the dozens of steep ladders.

    We heartily recommend The West Coast Trail – One Step at a Time.

    The author sells it directly on his website for C$20. Or you can pick it up in book and gear shops in Western Canada.

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