All of these long distance hiking trails provide a challenging adventure. You want to do your research before tackling any of them. Some such as the Inca, Chilkoot and West Coast trails can only handle a limited number of hikers at one time requiring a level of experience. These three hikes must be hiked in their entirety each taking about a week. Others such as the Pacific Crest, Appalachian and Trans Canada are generally hiked in sections although there are thru hikers.
Appalachian Trail
This very famous long distance trail, first created in 1923, is about 2,165 miles (3,505 km) long from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine along the Appalachian Mountains. Over 96 percent of the route is on government owned land. There are also over 250 shelters along the trail for the convenience of thru hikers. An excellent resource is How to Hike the A.T.: The Nitty-Gritty Details of a Long-Distance Trek
Pacific Crest Trail
More rugged than the Appalachian and at higher attitudes this 2,655 miles (4,272 km) long distance trail runs from Canada to Mexico crossing the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. It avoids civilization preferring instead scenic and pristine mountainous terrain with few roads. There are sections of unbroken wilderness and other desert sections in the Mojave with no water sources.
West Coast Trail
First established in 1907 the trail follows the rugged coastline of Vancouver Island. Although the trail is only 46 miles (75 km) in length you will require 5 – 7 days to hike the distance. Along the way you will be hiking across sandy beaches, caves, tidal pools, waterfalls and a coastal rainforest.
Inca Trail
The The Inca Trail, Cusco & Machu Picchu Inca Trail follows a route in Peru in the Andres mountains to the lost city of Machu Picchu. On arrival in Cuzco you will require about two days to get acclimatized to the high elevation before embarking on your four day hike. Breathtaking, the ruins of this hillside city overlook the rainforest and a tributary of the Amazon. Some of the guides use a flute to play traditional songs at Machu Picchu adding to the scene.
Trans Canada Trail
With a variety of terrain and at a length of 13,359 miles (21,500 km), the Trans Canada Trail is the world’s longest recreational trail. This long distance hiking trail visits all ten Canadian provinces and all three territories running from the Atlantic to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. It is about 70% complete.
Continental Divide Trail
This long distance hiking trail follows the crest of the Continental divide for 3,100 miles (5,000 km) from Canada to Mexico. It is about 70% complete.
Chilkoot Trail
In the late 1890’s gold was discovered and the Klondike Gold Rush sent thousands of people north to the new found riches of the Yukon. The North West Mounted Policy required everyone carry one year’s provisions so they hiked heavily loaded up the trail from Skagway, Alaska to Lake Bennett, Yukon Territory. Today this historic route provides a challenging although not lengthy hiking experience. For fascinating information on this trail read Chilkoot Pass: The Most Famous Trail in the North
These seven hikes offer history and wilderness and can be considered the best long distance hikes in the Americas.
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Originally posted 2009-11-25 12:34:59.
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One of the most interesting hiking trails in the world, the historic Chilkoot Trail is a challenging 53 kilometer (33 mile) long hike up 3,500 feet. The Chilkoot high mountain pass is located in the Coast Mountain range between Dyea, Alaska and Lake Bennett, British Columbia.
Originally this trail was used by the Tlingit natives for trade. On August 16, 1896 a gold nugget was discovered in Bonanza Creek in the Klondike and the rush was on. To get to the gold over 100,000 prospectors sailed to Skagway, Alaska and hiked loaded up one of two routes. The White Pass trail (nicknamed dead horse trail) is today a railway line.
In hiking up the Chilkoot Trail, the prospectors were required to carry sufficient supplies to support themselves for a year, generally 900 kg of food and equipment. At the top of the Chilkoot Pass the North West Mounted Police (forerunners of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) checked to ensure they had the required amount. It could take the prospectors over three months to move the supplies from cache to cache.
The goods carried included 350 pounds of flour, 150 lbs. of bacon and 100 lbs. each of beans and sugar, sleds, stoves, medicine, picks, shovels, etc. It was said that if you stepped out of line along the trail, it could take as long as half a day before someone would let you back in line. Along the sides of the trail, even today, are littered rusting equipment the prospectors left out of exhaustion. Of the 4,000 who actually discovered gold, only a few hundred ultimately emerged rich.
However today it is a rewarding experience for many hikers. You can plan the hike yourself and obtain the required hiking permits. There are also tour companies you can get the permits and handle the logistics.
The trail can be hiked in either direction, but almost every one chooses the west to east option, and for a good reason. Leaving from Skagway puts the steepest part of the trail, the Golden Stairs, on the uphill side. This is the quarter mile section where you climb over 1000 vertical feet. The weather on the Chilkoot can be seriously bad, by starting at the coast and working inland, most of the wind and rain rolling in off the Pacific will be at your back.
The character of the Chilkoot Trail changes along the way, first it climbs steeply from sea level at Skagway to the pass, and then descends only slightly over to 2,000 feet at Bennett Lake.
On the return you may continue your visit of Whitehorse and the Yukon or take the restored White Pass & Yukon narrow gauge railway down to Skagway. This railway was completed in 1901 and today is used mainly by cruise passengers for day trips. In fact it is the busiest tourist railroad in the world today.
People hike the Chilkoot Trail for the history and the natural beauty. Are you up for this challenging hike?
Chilkoot Trail: Heritage Route to the Klondike
Price: $18.96
Pages: 182, Paperback, Lost Moose
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