57 Hiking Trails That Turn Travel Into An Adventure
The world’s most popular hiking trails for beginners and seasoned trekkers alike.
Some trips don’t feel like vacations, they feel like plot twists. One minute you’re staring at a map, the next you’re committing to a trail that’s measured in miles and bragged about in legends, like the Appalachian Trail’s 2,200-mile grind or the Great Wall’s 13,000-mile “are we there yet” energy.
Now picture the kind of people who actually show up for this stuff. They’re the ones who pack early, argue about footwear like it’s a team sport, and still insist on doing the “quick” version, whether that’s the Tongariro Alpine Crossing’s 12 miles in New Zealand or the Dragon’s Back scramble in Hong Kong that’s only 5 miles but somehow feels like 50.
And that’s where the real trouble starts: the moment you realize your “hike” is really a full-on adventure with a finish line that keeps moving.
Queen Charlotte Track, New Zealand - 45 Miles
Public DomainAppalachian Trail, U. S. - 2,200 Miles
PatorjkDolomites, Italy
kallerna
Scottish National Trail, Scotland - 537 Miles
hannahjholmes
Bay Of Fires, Australia - 16 Miles
Diego Delso
Otter Trail, South Africa - 26 Miles
Public Domain
Pacific Crest Trail, Mexico-U. S.-Canada - 2,650 Miles
stealth.walking
Laugavegurinn, Iceland - 34 Miles
nikster.d
Northern Drakensberg Traverse, South Africa - 62 Miles
Diriye Amey
Inca Trail, Peru - 26 Miles
D. Gordon E. Robertson
Everest Base Camp Trek, Nepal - 80 Miles
Gunther Hagleitner
West Coast Trail, Canada - 47 Miles
Paxson Woelber
Tour Du Mont Blanc, France-Italy-Switzerland - 110 Miles
Simo Räsänen
Tasmanian Overland Track, Australia - 40 Miles
echoj84
Tonquin Valley, Canada - 27 Miles
danielle_n_spooner
Dragon’s Back, Hong Kong - 5 Miles
Bjørn Christian Tørrissen
The Narrows, U. S. - 16 Miles
Jon Sullivan
Routeburn Track, New Zealand - 20 Miles
meerpats_adventures
Sierra High Route, U. S. - 195 Miles
cameron_mcnall
Hadrian’s Wall Path, England - 84 Miles
Robert Linsdell
The Great Wall Of China, China - 13,000 Miles
Hao Wei
Long Range Traverse, Canada - 23 Miles
anastasiaprescott
Bibbulmun Track, Australia - 623 Miles
bibbulmun
Walker’s Haute Route, France-Switzerland - 125 Miles
Wala
It also echoes the ultimatum drama, as one partner refuses to rehome their cat despite allergy demands, in Choosing Love: Navigating a Partners Cat Allergy Ultimatum.
Te Araroa Trail, New Zealand - 1,850 Miles
michele.cogoi
Arctic Circle Trail, Greenland - 99 Miles
xkorekx
Muliwai Trail, U. S. - 18 Miles
mauiseatosummit
Waitukubuli National Trail, Dominica - 115 Miles
joostdewall
Percorsi Occitani, Italy - 72 Miles
Archenzo
Torres Del Paine W Circuit, Chile - 37 Miles
Douglas Scortegagna
Fitz Roy Trek, Argentina - 36 Miles
paolaaltoe
Trek To Petra, Jordan - 47 Miles
Thales Botelho de Sousa
Kalalau Trail, U. S. - 22 Miles
Matt Wright
Santa Cruz Trek, Peru - 31 Miles
snowdenbear
Tongariro Alpine Crossing, New Zealand - 12 Miles
Luca Sartoni
Gr20, France - 112 Miles
jeroendekleijn
Mount Kailash Trek, Tibet - 32 Miles
Jean-Marie Hullot
Camino De Santiago, Spain-France-Portugal - 500 Miles
José Antonio Gil Martínez
La Ciudad Perdida (Lost City Trek), Colombia - 46 Miles
Dwayne Reilander
Mount Toubkal, Morocco
Erokhin
Great Ocean Walk, Australia - 65 Miles
Thomas ENGUEHARD
Southwest Coast Path, England - 630 Miles
Jolly Janner
Grand Canyon Rim-To-Rim Hike, U. S. - 48 Miles
Sharon Mollerus
Yosemite Grand Traverse, U. S. - 60 Miles
miche_mosh_shots
Croagh Patrick, Ireland - 8 Miles
darrenmichaelromeo
Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - 23 To 56 Miles
. Ray in Manila
Baltoro Glacier And K2, Pakistan
Zacharie Grossen
Kungsleden (The King’s Trail), Sweden - 270 Miles
Shyguy24x7
Chilkoot Trail, Canada - 33 Miles
yukon.nomad
Berliner Höhenweg, Austria - 43 Miles
böhringer friedrich
Snowman Trek, Bhutan - 217 Miles
gnamgays
The Lycian Way, Turkey - 316 Miles
rheins
Pays Dogon, Mali - About 125 Miles
lapieuvre83
Israel National Trail, Israel - 631 Miles
yoni_shtern
Gotemba Trail, Japan - 12 Miles
maxtuang
Mount Meru, Tanzania - 43 Miles
Yoni Lerner
Tahoe Rim Trail, U. S. - 165 Miles
waka_thisway
That’s when the Queen Charlotte Track’s 45 miles in New Zealand stops sounding romantic and starts sounding like a long game with weather, blisters, and bad timing.
Then someone mentions the West Coast Trail’s 47 miles in Canada or the Otter Trail’s 26 miles in South Africa, and suddenly the group can’t agree on what “manageable” even means.
By the time they get to the Inca Trail in Peru and the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal, the conversation turns into survival math: time, altitude, and who packed the extra layers.
At its heart, hiking is about taking a break from busy days and giving yourself room to breathe. Stepping onto a trail, feeling the fresh air, and taking in the views can quickly put things into perspective.
Whether the hike is short and easy or long and challenging, the experience brings calm, excitement, and memories you’ll carry with you well beyond the trail.
The only thing more intense than the trails is the moment you realize you’re already planning your next one.
Before you hit the trail, read the AITA fight over holistic dog care vs vet advice.
