Most Iconic Hikes Around the World
The USA's Pacific Coast Trail is not for the faint of heart.Hiking is the ultimate adventure — an exploration of the Earth’s most breathtaking features, through lost histories and pristine beauty. But which hiking trails are the most magnificent of all?
According to adventurers, the 15 following hikes, ranked by length, are the most iconic and spectacular on earth. Whether you are a professional thrill-seeker, a city-dweller looking to escape metropolitan life or a first-time hiker, there is a trail on this list that can cater to your wanderlust — starting with a trek that even the least experienced hiker can enjoy, and ending with one that only the bravest of souls need attempt.
15. Quiraing Walk on the Isle of Skye
Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland
Length: 4.2 miles
Time: 2-3 hours
When to hike: May to September
Difficulty level: Easy
Venture to the Scottish Highlands to explore the UK’s crown jewel, the Isle of Skye. This magical island in Scotland offers hikes in varying difficulties, through cloud-enshrined valleys and quiet lochs — a setting so dramatic, there are plans to use it as a primary filming location for the upcoming “Game of Thrones” prequel.
The Quiraing Walk compresses all of the Skye’s spectacular sites into one 4.2-mile hike, easily accomplished in an afternoon at a leisurely pace, unlike many of the other iconic hikes on this list.
Readily accessible from the Skye villages of Uig and Staffin, the Quiraing Walk sits in the northern section of the island known as Trotternish, a land of towering cliffs and misty vistas. Along the road, hikers will pass through “The Prison,” a natural rock structure reminiscent of fortress walls; sheer bluffs with breathtaking views of Skye that stretch for miles; and ruined castles. At low tide, it’s even possible to see dinosaur footprints left 165 million years ago.
Visit in May through September for maximum daylight and warmer temperatures — but be aware that even in the summer, the Scottish weather is stereotypically unpredictable.
14. Cinque Terre
Location: Italian Riviera
Length: 7 miles
Time: 1 day
When to hike: April to October
Difficulty level: Easy
Cinque Terre is a collection of seaside villages filled with vertiginous, varicolored buildings dotting the Italian Riviera coastline. Hikes here promise stunning views and a chance to burn off some of the calories accumulated from excessive pasta and wine consumption.
There are a variety of easy-to-moderate trails that connect the five towns of Cinque Terre. The most popular is the sentiero (trail) number 2, also called the Blue Trail, which connects each village. The path from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Street of Love, aptly named for its romantic views best shared with a partner — and most impressive at sunset.
The time you choose to hike Cinque Terre will reveal different sides of Italian life — summer is heavily touristed, September is the wine harvest and November is the olive harvest. Hiking will bring you alongside locals carrying baskets of fruits.
All stops along the way are picturesque, but Vernazza, the penultimate village, is the true prize, with cheerful houses and an idyllic little harbor.
13. Torres del Paine National Park, Grey Glacier
Location: Patagonia, Chile
Length: 7.5 miles
Time: 5.5 hours
When to hike: October through April
Difficulty level: Medium
Patagonia is heaven for hikers — pristine glaciers, clear blue skies, vivid green forests and miles of untapped wild beckon. The landscape is so fantastical that it can feel like you have stumbled into Westeros.
Torres del Paine is a Chilean national park in Patagonia and one of the most popular hiking destinations in the region, drawing over 150,000 visitors per year. The closest town, Puerto Natales, is four hours away by bus and offers lodging options; for a more rugged experience, there are also camping sites in the park.
Myriad hikes wind through Torres del Paine’s staggering landscape, with Grey Glacier as one of the most popular. This seven-mile journey carries travelers alongside a sapphire-blue lake up to the eponymous glacier, colored by hues of blue and white. Hikers should visit this sooner rather than later — the glacier is melting at an unprecedented rate due to climate change.
Hikers can stand atop the glaciers in the park, making for an incredible trekking experience.
12. Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Hike
Location: Arizona, USA
Length: 21 miles
Time: 1-2 days
When to hike: April to June, September and October
Difficulty level: Hard
Currently celebrating its centennial year, the Grand Canyon should top every American hiking list in 2019. And among the hundreds of trails that criss-cross through this natural wonder, the hands-down best is the rim-to-rim hike.
From the North Kaibab Trailhead, hikers can follow numerous switchbacks into the heart of the Grand Canyon, a trail that totals 21 miles. Along the way you’ll pass myriad red-rock mesas, cross narrow bridges over canyons and enjoy sensational views.
The immensity of the Grand Canyon is staggering, and it takes hiking from rim to rim to fully comprehend. You’ll truly feel small when standing on the chasm floor, in between two prehistoric, gargantuan strata walls.
To finish this trek, climb back up the canyon walls to the South Rim and Bright Angel Trailhead. Remember, the ascent is always harder than the descent in the Grand Canyon, so make sure to pack plenty of water and rest when needed.
11. Inca Trail
Location: Cusco, Peru
Length: 26 miles
Time: 4 days
When to hike: May to November
Difficulty level: Medium
Arguably the most famous hike in the world, the Inca Trail is the hallowed trek to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Not for the faint of heart, this Herculean hike entails four days of cold, exhaustion and thin air — Cusco sits at a breathtaking 11,000 feet.
But adventurous disciples are rewarded with the most spectacular reward imaginable: the mystical ancient city where the Incan Empire constructed archeological marvels centuries ago.
Here you will see intricate stone structures in a verdant valley, flanked by towering cliff and low-hanging tendrils of wispy clouds, and understand why this was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To kick off your Andean adventure, you’ll need to spend a day or two in Cusco, adjusting to the altitude before beginning the ascent (and many descents) to Machu Picchu. As the second-most popular Peruvian destination, hotel and lodging options are numerous in Cusco, so there are plenty of possibilities for rest before and after the expedition.
Make sure to visit during the dry season (May to October) and avoid the rainy season, December to April. November can be hit or miss, but is still considered a safe time to visit.
10. La Ciudad Perdida Trek
Location: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region, Colombia
Length: 27 miles
Time: 4-6 days
When to hike: December - March
Difficulty level: Hard
Journey to the ruins of the lost city — the literal translation of ciudad perdida — in the tropical jungles of Colombia on this iconic hike. Teyuna, the city’s indigenous name, was last seen during the age of the conquistadors before its rediscovery by treasure hunters in the 1970s.
Teyuna is believed to have been built around the year 800, roughly 650 years before Machu Picchu’s construction. This archaeological wonder in the Sierra Nevada region of northern Colombia is adorned with hundreds of dilapidated terraces and plazas, stacked in ascending order like a staircase for giants.
The lush jungles that hide la ciudad perdida are rich in color and biodiversity, with clay paths flanked by moss-covered palm trees and occasional waterfalls along the way. To seek out the lost city, you’ll need to go with a tour group — Colombia does not allow hikers to go unsupervised here, for their own safety. Make sure to find a tour guide that speaks English if you are a non-Spanish speaker, or employ a translator.
This trek will be humid to an extreme — hikers reported to the travel site Goats on the Road that once their clothes were wet, they wouldn’t dry for days. Make the trek to the lost city during Colombia’s dry season, December to March, to avoid added humidity and torrential downpours.
9. Milford Track
Location: Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Length: 33 miles
Time: 4 days
When to hike: Late October to late April
Difficulty level: Medium
New Zealand is a place unlike any other, with dynamic landscapes that range from breathtaking fjords in Milford to golden vineyards in Central Otago.
For such a large country — 103,000 square miles, roughly the same surface area as Colorado — it is rather sparsely inhabited, with a population of just over 4.5 million. Because of this, there are many wide open expanses of empty lands ripe for exploring.
Milfrod Track is arguably the most famous trek in Kiwi country — poet Blanche Baughan lauded it as the “finest walk in the world.” Beginning at the head of Lake Tanau, Milford Track snakes across suspension bridges, beech forests, cascading waterfalls and glacier-card fjords, guaranteeing stunning views of wide valleys and granite spires that graze the clouds.
Along the Milford Track are a number of huts for hikers to sojourn in, but make sure to book these in advance — they fill up fast!
8. Mountains of the Moon
Location: Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda
Length: 42 miles
Time: 3-9 days, depending on the summit
When to hike: December to February, June to August
Difficulty level: Hard
Lunar landscapes and mystical, misty summits greet travelers in the Mountains of the Moon, Uganda’s isolated mountain range and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region boasts the third tallest reach in Africa, Margherita Peak, at an altitude of 16,763 feet.
The geography is otherworldly, shifting from tropical rainforests to glacial field and African moorlands, with flora so fantastical it feels like they were imported from another planet. The trek ends at a snow-covered peak, but along the way you will see an extreme level of biodiversity that is only found in the equatorial regions.
Perhaps stemming from its isolation and under-the-radar status, fewer than 700 hikers visited Rwenzori National Park from January to October 2017, according to the “The Guardian”; compare that to the 35,000-50,000 people who hike Kilimanjaro each year. Despite not having the same celebrity status as its African peer, the Mountains of the Moon deserves a spot on every adventurous trekker’s list.
World Expeditions offers an excellent, 13-day guided trip through the mountains, including three days in the surrounding towns for preparation.
7. Marangu Route at Mount Kilimanjaro
Location: Tanzania
Length: 50 miles
Time: 5-7 days
When to hike: June to October, January to March
Difficulty level: Hard
As the tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the Seven Summits and soars to a staggering 19,340 feet. The mountain is flanked by African steppe and protected lands, and is home to many iconic animals of Africa: elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras and more. To see a lanky giraffe dwarfed by the silhouette of Kilimanjaro is a breathtaking juxtaposition.
The equatorial bearings of Kilimanjaro lends to warm climes year-round, so the mighty mountain can be conquered in any month or season. However, it is best to climb only in the dry months of June to October, or January to March.
The summit may be temperate, but the mountainside can undergo serious temperature drops — many hikers have reported being surprised at how chilly the mountainside is, including this recent hiker with Acanela Expeditions, who wrote, “My double pair of socks, extra layer of thermals, fleece top, and warm hat helped – but I wished I had even more layers to keep me warm.” Acanela offers a local-guided trip up the Marangu route to Uhuru Peak, with porters and a chef to make the hike a bit less strenuous.
Kilimanjaro trekkers should prepare for the altitude changes and take Diamox (and drink lots of water) to avoid altitude sickness, a common plague affecting first-timer and veteran hikers alike.
6. Everest Base Camp Trek
Location: Nepal
Length: 80 miles
Time: 19 days
When to hike: February - May, September - December
Difficulty level: Hard
Of course, the tallest mountain on Earth — Mount Everest soars to a dizzying 29,029 feet — touts one of the world’s most iconic hikes.
Straddling the border between China and Nepal, this mountain became a worldwide fascination when word of its leviathan size spread to the West in the late 1800s. Now, hikers from around the world who come to Mount Everest can leave exclaiming, “I climbed the largest mountain in the world.” A bucket list feat if there ever was one!
The Everest Base Camp Trek is the most commonly accomplished hike here, a 19-day journey. REI offers an expert-guided package to the base camp, but warns that this expedition is not for the faint of heart, stating that travelers should be “strong, experienced hikers in good physical condition, comfortable hiking 5-6 hours daily over uneven, rocky and frequently steep terrain.”
To mountaineer Everest, you’ll need to travel with sherpas, the local Nepalese guides from the surrounding Khumbu Valley. The sherpa people have evolved over hundreds of years to be acclimated to the altitude (a physical ability you’ll envy) and will help to carry your oxygen and gear on the trek upward.
5. Snowman Trek
Location: Bhutan
Length: 217 miles
Time: 3-4 weeks
When to hike: October
Difficulty level: Hard
Lauded as the most difficult trek in the world due to its duration, distance and altitude, hiking Snowman Trek in Bhutan is a task for the masters.
The Himalayan hike crosses through nine passes, all over 15,850 feet — one of the highest-altitude treks in the world. It takes 3 to 4 weeks to fully accomplish this hike that runs over 200 miles.
Bhutan imposes a strict $250 USD tax per day per visitor, as part of its value-not-volume tourism policy; luckily this number covers essentials like transport and guides.
Those brave enough to take on Snowman Trek know that the views make it all worthwhile — you’ll see mountainside Tibetan temples, meet Buddhist monks, encounter the famous Himalayan blue sheep, explore juniper forests and take in the views of serene, snow-capped peaks.
The length, difficulty and location of this trip creates an unmatched level of isolation and is an opportunity for hikers to detach from the outside world for a month. Hikers will stop in small, remote villages and learn more about the Buddhist culture of the country as they go.
4. Jordan Trail to Petra
Location: Jordan
Length: 400 miles
Time: 40 days
When to hike: Winter and spring
Difficulty level: Hard
The Jordan Trail is a 400-mile stretch across one of the Middle East’s most peaceful countries, starting in the northern village of Um Qais, leading to Petra (a World Wonder) and heading onward to the idyllic coastal city of Aqaba. Established just a few years ago, in 2015, it's a new addition to many adventurers' bucket lists.
While the Middle East is not the most friendly to hike across — a mix of hot climate, hostile soldiers and war zones can put a damper on things — this trip across Jordan is as good as it gets in the region. The early days of the trail brings trekkers through green valleys and placid lakes, to desert oases and remnants of lost cities, and past cattle and camels and cyprus trees.
Following the footsteps of shepherds and prophets long ago, the trail winds down through desert climes before arriving to Petra many miles later. This ancient city was once a bustling Nabataean trading center, and features spectacular tombs and temples carved into red rock gorges.
Not satisfied with just one UNESCO World Heritage Site? The trail also crosses through the protected desert landscapes of Wadi Rum, inscribed as both a cultural and natural wonder.
If 400 miles through the desert seems daunting to you (as it would to any sane person!), the Jordan Trail is broken into eight smaller sections for easier trekking.
3. El Camino de Santiago
Location: Spain
Length: 500 miles
Time: 30 days
When to hike: April to October
Difficulty level: Medium
El Camino de Santiago, the Catholic pilgrimage that winds through Spain to the port city of Santiago de Compostela, was popularized in the movie “The Way” in 2010 but has been a religious rite for centuries. This consecrated cross-country path to the tomb of Saint James illustrates the diverse landscapes of Spain, from idyllic pastoral lands to the craggy north Atlantic coast.
The Camino takes trekkers through the northern regions of Spain, jumping off from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port near the Pyrenees. There are multiple roads that make up the Camino de Santiago, with the Camino Francés (the French Way) the most commonly hiked. Albergues, or inns for Way-walkers, frequently pop up along the way.
The French Way flows through multifold Spanish towns, including Pamplona, haven of Hemingway and the San Fermin festival, as well as Burgos, León and Cebreiro.
The Camino nurtures the tribalistic nature of humans — hikers become part of something greater than themselves when they embark on this journey that’s at once intensely physical and deeply spiritual. Everyone comes to the Camino for different reasons, but all become part of the same transcendent pilgrimage.
On the Camino, everyone is a peregrino.
2. Appalachian Trail
Location: United States East Coast
Length: 2,190 miles
Time: 6 months
When to hike: March to October
Difficulty level: Very hard
Remote wilderness, misty mountains and rolling forests greet hikers along the legendary Appalachian Trail, with the occasional highway thrown in to tease at civilization nearby. Trekking the entire trail — which stretches through 14 states, from Georgia to Maine, across 2,190 miles — is the task of a lifetime. Of the thousands of hikers who set out every year to complete the hike, it’s estimated only 1 in 4 make it the entire way.
Hikers wary of such a grandiose feat can tackle the trail in smaller doses, with thousands of shorter trails winding through the mountains. The Smoky Mountains National Park portion of the Appalachian Trail offers 72 miles of excellent hiking, filled with the sights that make East Coast exploration worthwhile: viridescent flora, wildflower pastures and cool, dewy weather.
The park offers various camping sites, but make sure to keep all food inside — bears, here as along the rest of the trail, are common visitors.
1. Pacific Crest Trail
Location: West Coast USA
Length: 2,650 miles
Time: 4-6 months
When to hike: April to October
Difficulty level: Hard
The West’s sublime nature takes center stage on the epic Pacific Crest Trail. Follow in the footsteps of “Wild” author Cheryl Strayed on America’s second-longest trail after the Appalachian, through California, Oregon and Washington.
Thru-hikers — those who hike the trail in its epic entirety in one season — are the bravest among us. According to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, there are only 6,659 people in the world who have earned this elite status (91 people have done it more than once).
Hikers with milder appetites for adventure can enjoy one of the 30 different sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, varying in length and difficulty but averaging approximately 90 miles each.
The general consensus is that the PCT is easier trekked by heading in the northward direction, with desert terrain in California providing an easier start than the mountainous trails in Washington. The trail’s landscape is as dramatic as its length; it wildly fluctuates in altitude and scenery, from scorching deserts to snowy mountains and seemingly every terrain in between.