The World's Five Most Breathtaking Long Distance Hikes

Where can adventure seekers find the most breathtaking long distance hikes on the planet?

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Hiking the American or global wilderness is a pastime for those who have a passion for the outdoors, but long distance hiking is an entirely different ballgame and a major activity in itself.

Rather than making a picturesque hike a day long activity that is just a feature of a trip, adventure seekers who are looking for long distance hikes find trails that can take days, weeks, or even months to complete. Long distance hiking is certainly not for the faint of heart and some of these trails would push even the most experienced hikers to the brink.

Here are five of the most breathtaking long distance hikes on the planet:

1. The Continental Divide Trail

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The Continental Divide spans a jaw-dropping 3,100 miles, the longest and most challenging of the three classic American thru-hikes. Beginning right on the edge of Mexico and New Mexico, it spans all the way through the Rocky Mountains up to Canada as hikers go from desert to mountains. Hikers who want to to accomplish this beast will have to plan accordingly to avoid weather that is too hot to the South and too cold to the North.

2. Snowman Trek

Located in the Kingdom of Bhutan, a small country in the south of Asia, the Snowman Trek is a 216 mile masterpiece which was created by the yak herders and goes through villages and mountains, and some hikers have even reported seeing snow leopards on the trail. In 2022, the trail was run as an ultra marathon by 29 participants, which almost half of did not finish due to altitude sickness.

3. John Muir Trail

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The John Muir Trail is one of the prettiest in all of America, spanning 211 miles in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in California from the Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney. It's known for its elevation, with the lowest point on the trail still above 4,000 feet.

4. Wales Coast Path

Compared to the others, the Wales Coast Path is relatively new, launched just in 2012. Spanning 870 miles down the entire coast, it's the only dedicated coast path in the world that spans an entire length of a country. Hikers can try the whole thing or split it up into sections.

5. The Via Alpina

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The grandest trail in all of the European Alps, the Via Alpina stretches different trails throughout the continent that span over 3,000 miles. The 'Red Route' starts in Monaco and goes through all eight Alpine countries, finishing on Italy's Adriatic Coast. Doing the entire hike while the mountains are passable in one shot is impossible, but many take years to take in the whole thing in stages.