View Full Version : List of international hiking trail
Flash Hand
10-27-2004, 18:22
HI
I was planning on traveling around the globe after thru hike. I would like to know if there is any long popular hiking trail outside the United States. Where would it be? What is the trail name? Any list on any adventure would be greatly apprecriated so I can look in the website to dig out more information. That also include bicycling, canoeing, etc.
Flash Hand
If you are a member of ALDHA, you will receive the annual member directory. It lists several long distance trails, both the USA and out of country.
rocket04
10-27-2004, 22:01
A really known one is he Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage in Spain (several routes, most common starts near the French border). I think it's about 500 miles. There are web sites with more info.
TakeABreak
10-28-2004, 00:14
The TCT (Trans Canada Trail) when completed will be approximately 350 KM from end to end, you can find it at www.canadatrails.ca (http://www.canadatrails.ca) or simply doing a search for "hiking trails canada"
I remembered reading about this some time ago, If you have done the PCT or CDT, I am told by people I did the AT with, that I would really enjoy both of them, you may want consider doing first, while the rest of the world problems settle down a bit.
We americans are not so popular in some countries right now.
The TCT (Trans Canada Trail) when completed will be approximately 350 KM from end to end, you can find it at www.canadatrails.ca (http://www.canadatrails.ca) or simply doing a search for "hiking trails canada"
350 K is only about 200 plus miles. Did you leave off a "zero?"
according to the link above the whole TCT will be 10,000 miles when counting all of the branches of it. The straight East/West route will be 6200 miles. Sounds like a hike.:)
There are a few long trails in Europe, but nothing really the size of homegrown trails. America really is about the only country with an extensive trail system on public lands. However,
1) Nepal. The Khumbu (Everest region) is about a weeks walk from the closest road. So, the villagers (and all the tourists, like myself) have to hike to get around. The Annapurna region is, I suspect, more built up. If you have the cash and are not worried about the Maoists, there is a huge amount of land out west, but the Nepali government is fairly restrictive with this, except for wealthy people (AMC phenomenon).
2) Siberia. Some loons (whose friends I hiked with this summer) are doing a human powered trip to Moscow, starting somewhere in the new world. So, apparently it is possible to ski across Siberia in the winter time.
3) Bolivia. I suspect this is your best shot for long trekking in the New World. I've looked into a two month, mostly hiking and climbing trip with minimal busing. Some pretty tough stuff along with the last strong hold (okay, not really the last) of indigenous culture left.
4) Chile. Chile really isn't the third world, so going here really is like saying you're taking a trip to Portugal. However, there are extensive deserts in the north and in the south is Patagonia, which Chile shares with Argentina. I was supposed to do a three week trek, split between three areas, a couple of winters ago, but I got lazy and decided to laze around Nicaragua instead.
Yahoo (or Google):
"El Camino de Santiago", or just "Camino de Santiago" for many sites in many languages, but principaly in Spanish and English.
Arguably the oldest trail, following the migration route of the ancients from the north across the Pyrennes and turning gradually west across the mountainous areas of northern Spain, through the area now known as Santiago de Campostela, and beyond to the sea at finisterre, the end of the earth-as it was known then- thousands of years before the birth of Christ. The ancients were following the Milky Way in the western sky to the end of the earth. It was a trail made popular later as a pilgrimage after the 8th century by peoples from all over the Christian world, travelling to the Cathedral in Santiago (St. James the Apostle of Christ) where his remains are reported to be enterred.
I guess it is significant today that Santiago's symbol became the standard-bearer for the Reconquista during the seven hundred years the Spanish Christians fought to drive out the Moors (Islamic occupiers) from their divided country. He became to be known as "Santiago Matamoros" , loosly translated as " Santiago, killer of the moors" (Islamic soldiers) and it wasnt until 1492 that the last of them were kicked back across Gibralter to Africa. But, by then, the "Camino de Santiago" had already become a very established and popular trail which many thousands undertook yearly across Europe as a pilgrimidge to The city of Santiago de Campostela in Galicia in northern Spain. It is the same trail part of which was later paved with stones by Roman soldiers, a part of which Charlemagne followed three times.
The most popular part of the trail today is called the Via Frances, and is clearly marked with painted yellow arrows, like the white lines of the AT, and goes through St. Jean de Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrennes, through Roncesvalles on the Spanish side, and on to Santiago, about 800 plus km distant. Your "credentials" can be picked up in St. Jean de Pied de Port, and they will be stamped in Albergues along the way to prove that you made the trek. In fact, one needs them to be able to stay in the albergues for a nominal cost of from 3-5 euros which sometimes includes a spartan continental breakfast.
One can do the walk of 500 plus miles in 4-5 weeks. The pagan portion of the trek, not sanctioned by the Church, continues on from Santiago to the sea near Finisterre, where tradition demands one burns ones clothes worn on the trek in a bonfire on the beach. I hope to do them both this spring.
Thre are many similarities of this trail with the AT.
If you require more info, just let me know.
My library has a few books on Camino de Santiago. I don't remember their names, but nice to read on a cold winter day.
MadAussieInLondon
10-29-2004, 05:13
There are LOADS! But most are not like what you would think of as AT/PCT. Few countries have large tracts of uninhabited land left if your looking at europe.
The french trail system is extensive and noted as GR trails (Grand Randonne). El Camino de Santiago is part of it GR65 i think. it called the pilgrims trail in english.
in the uk you have several
coast 2 coast
west highland way
rob roy way
pennine way
south west coast path
lands end to jon o groats (walk the entire length of england).
The european hiking paths are E paths (E1, E6, E7 etc)
check out http://www.era-ewv-ferp.org/index.php?Epaths
that lists some paths. the longest being 10450kms (6,493 miles)
(From Tarifa via coastal mountains of E Spain, Montserrat, Pyrenees, Carcassonne, Grenoble, Swiss Jura, Lake Constance; from here choice of mountain route through Austria or lower-level route through Bavaria and Salzburger Land to Vienna and Neusiedler See; then through Hungary via Lake Balaton and Budapest to Ártánd on Hungarian/Romanian border; plus through W Bulgaria and Greece via Sofia, Florina, Olympos and Delphi to the Peloponnese and Crete to Kato Zakros).
in australia we have some really wild tracks. dessolate stuff.
alpine way (the best!)
bibblmun track
south coast trail
overland track (very beautiful)
heysen trail
etcetcetcetcetc
one could go on and on..
New Zealand is a hikers paradise. My wife and I honeymooned there and hiked parts of the South Island. Beach walks (the Coastal Track), Alpine walks (Rees Dart, et al), Rainforest hikes, etc. etc. I understood years ago that the Kiwis were working on a length of the islands trek (approx 1000 miles in length), but even if it's not completed, no matter. You could easily piece together existing trails to make a mind-blowing thru hike. One of my pipe dreams was to try doing it in part on foot and in part with one of those lightweight pack rafts (some of the rivers and lakes would nicely accomodate a small raft).
One hike that is on my own "TO DO" list is the Grande Escursione Appeninica, which in itself is part of the longer "E1" trail. Most of the GEA websites are in Italian, but essentially it is a trail that follows the lesser known Appenine mountains for about 300 miles. I hope to trek through the "top of the boot" to the toe of Italy one of these days mainly following the E1 with some variations of my own. The village where my great-grandfather came from is in the Appenines not far from a national park. HIS father and brother were rangers in the mountains that surround the village. My ancestry is southern Italian so it would be a great way to explore my roots. My grandfather also fought for the 45th division in the Appenine mountains. As a first generation American it must
have been an odd experience fighting not very far from where his father came from.
Overall, Europe has a network of trail systems that aren't even as remote as the AT for the most part. But, it is a great way to see the the small towns and villages well off the beaten tourist path. There are pockets of isolated areas. The Appenines, for example, are still relatively unexplored. The national park near the ancesteral village has deer, bears, mountain goats and even wolves!
http://www.heartofitaly.net/town/pna.html
http://www.initaly.com/regions/abruzzo/parco.htm
(Both of the above sites are in English)
Incidentally, the Abruzzo region of Italy was very isolated until post WW2. So pretty much any pockets of wilderness in Italy are in that region.
For more European trails and a brief description:
http://www.era-ewv-ferp.org/index.php?Epaths
And finally, a place where I am definitely visiting. See where it all started for the Magnanti side of the family, Guarcino. The page is in Italian, but just click in various parts of the map to see pics of a petty mountain village:
http://guarcino.8m.com/tour/start.html
OK..that's enough. Don't to turn this into a Magnanti genealogy thread. :)
titanium_hiker
11-06-2004, 10:33
Inca Trail.
nuff said.
just watch the altitude and your knees.
Tha Wookie
11-06-2004, 13:16
there is a guy hiking from the southern tip of South America to England. Yes, I said England. He was to walk across the Bering Straight as it froze in the winter (!) Anyone heard of this guy?
Wookie
Mazatlan. MX
Bloodroot
11-06-2004, 13:29
Yep. I heard a fews years back when this guy started. Last name is Bushby, he was a former British paratrooper. I think in the late 90's (when I heard about it) he had already reached the US. Got me curious though, haven't heard much about it since.
Bloodroot
11-06-2004, 13:31
Here we go....is this what your talking about Wook? http://mitchtobin.com/Archive/Brit%20walking%20the%20world.htm
titanium_hiker
01-16-2005, 20:57
re: we americans aren't very popular in some countries at the moment
ummm.... are you going to be draped in a flag and wear a statue of liberty costume? not all 'whites' are americans... and most 3rd world people know that. So, don't do anything stupid and you should be fine in most foreign countries.
OH: and Bolivia is the best place to camp in South America... though I'm biased, I'm told that it is nicely wilderness. Just don't try to live off the land... it could be somebodies field.
Have fun. And tell us if you find anymore.
titanium
titanium_hiker
01-16-2005, 21:02
OH: and wikipedia had a list of hikes around the world.
TakeABreak
01-16-2005, 22:59
Peaks,
Yeah I did actually leave off a zero, also I stand corrected, I do not know what I was thinking, the Trans Canada Trail will be more 10,000 km when completed (built) with over 3,000 already completed.
On the website I sited above you can find the info I mentioned under national trails.