America's Best Long Trails

[Another Kevin]

How long is 'long?'

In my home state of NY:

NY Long Path is a mixed bag. Official distance for a thru is just under 350 miles, NYC to Altamont. The start of it is "urban greenbelt", and Orange County is a problem (even the sponsoring organization recommends that thru-hikers detour on the AT and Shawangunk Ridge Trail), but the Shawangunk Ridge and Catskill sections are awesome trail. Riggsville to Conesville is about 120 miles and highly recommended. Some of the best hiking that the Catskills have to offer, and Phoenicia is a great little trail town. Onward from there to Thacher Park is good if you don't mind it being about half roadwalk. Enough is in the woods that there's no problem finding a place to camp every night. (I haven't done nearly the whole thing, but I've done almost all of the Catskill and Shawangunk segments in dribs and drabs.) Beyond Altamont, it's a blazed roadwalk with a handful of short off-road jaunts as far as Northville, and the rest (to Heart Lake, Lake Placid, Whiteface or Jay, depending on which description you read) is definitely a route, not a trail. In retirement, I want to do the whole thing, Manhattan to the Adirondacks, just because I think hiking from Manhattan to the Adirondacks is a cool idea - a real ritual of 'leave the city behind.' It's too big a project to do while I'm still a working stiff.

Northville-Placid is now 137 miles. It used to be 125 - the way the article said - because the Northville roadwalk was optional, but another big section got moved off-road. It's low-elevation so the views aren't great, and it is wet most of the year, but it's really pretty, and very remote. There are two towns that are perfectly positioned for resupply (although Piseco is a maildrop now, the general store there closed). Recommended that anyone who does this one be comfortable with at least short bushwhacks, because there will be unblazed detours around closed sections. The beavers don't announce their construction projects in time for the trail maintainers to construct reroutes to accommodate them. I had fun thru-hiking it; it should be on everyone's "Thru Hikes You Don't Have To Quit Your Job For" list - a real thru-hike in miniature.

There are some nice sections on the Finger Lakes Trail, and some crappy ones - like any long trail other than the Big Names, it's never quite finished.

The trails in the Adirondacks all connect, so you can construct various routes. One that's starting to catch on a tiny bit is the 240-mile Trans Adirondack Route - definitely a route rather than a trail, travel on logging roads and bushwhacking required. Only thirteen hikers have managed to thru-hike it so far. The web site for the trail documents nine parties' failed attempts as well. My opinion, just from the route description, is that the designer had to include some 'substandard miles' in order to make the route run from Blue Line to Blue Line. If I were to do a hike of that length in the 'Daks, I'd try to explore Vince Schaefer's route from Northville to Heart Lake, then loop back on the Northville-Placid to the starting point. Route-finding would likely be challenging northbound, since all the descriptions are from the 1930's. It's at least possible to do it lawfully again, now that the state bought out Finch Pruyn and you can hike Boreas Ponds legally.

The North Country Trail in the Adirondacks doesn't really exist yet. The route is sort of chosen, but there are sections where it's not yet even been flagged. (That said, it's been hiked. The ADK's have some crazy bushwhackos.)

[Last Call]

Mountains to Sea Trail, South Carolina, Foothills Trail, Colorado Trail, Florida Trail, Arizona Trail.

[somers515]

Anyone else surprised the map doesn't include and I haven't heard anyone mention yet the PA mid-state trail? I haven't hiked it but I've heard good things.

Keep those answers coming in!

[Just Bill]

https://www.amazon.com/Wanderlust-Hi...anderlust+book

Makes for it's own nice little list.
Or a very pretty and agonizing reminder that you are clearly not hiking.

[Odd Man Out]

...The hundred mile wilderness for example is a very popular 'trail' you'd find on a bucket list from Backpacker Magazine... so don't neglect the 100-300 mile trails as some of them are very popular and pretty well cared for by those who can't head out for month plus trips. In some cases... a place like backpacker magazine is a great source for shorter trips. Even something like the Porcupine Wilderness in Northern Michigan is 'missed out on' because it's 'too small' for many long distance hikers to consider... but would be on a bucket list for any traditional backpacker. Stringing a few of those together might be a nice way to keep busy and spend a full summer backpacking with car support to go from trail head to trail head. Dogwood does some things like that; strings together short but very worthy trails to make a few months out of it.

Speaking of the Porkies, the NCT is mostly complete across the UP of MI. You could string together the completed sections for a great long distance hike. Starting at Copper Peak and going east the trail is complete for 150 miles. The NCT only goes around the edge of the Porkies, but you can add a loop through the heart of it with no trouble. I have been to the Porkies, but not backpacked it yet. My friend from Baraga said the Trapp Hill, which are on the NCT just east of the Porkeis are also amazing but less known. Going further East you can string together the sections through the McCormick Wilderness. East of Marquette there are some nice waterfalls, but the Lakeshore Trail through Pictured Rocks between Munising and Grand Maris (MI) is most noteworthy. The first third you hike along cliffs that drop into the lake, the next third you hike a 12 mile long wilderness beach, and the last third takes you past the largest perched freshwater dunes in the world. Throw in some waterfalls, inland lakes, and a lighthouse and you got a great section. Beyond that you hike along the Two Hearted River (made famous by Hemingway and America's best IPA) to the largest waterfall in middle America (Tahquamenon). From there, the NCT is complete all the way to the Mackinac Bridge. The bridge is hardly wilderness but very cool. It is the only section of the National Scenic Trails system that is only open for hiking one morning each year (Labor Day). To the west of the UP, the NCT is mostly complete through WI and MN until it hooks up with the SHT and the Boundry Waters (also on my to-do list). Together this would be my vote for best long distance trail (which is mostly complete) between the AT and the CDT.

[somers515]

Looks like the backpacker best long trails is also missing the Uinta trail.

[Venchka]

Pick a National Park. Any National Park. Hike all of the trails.
Like this gentleman did.
https://hike734.com
Wayne

[MuddyWaters]

Of the 17 hike days it took me to complete the Ouachita I didn't see a single person on 14 of them. I didn't complete the Ozark Highlands Trail as the little creeks were swollen with tremendous rain received over 3-4 days. I did however have a good experience in a little town called Oark.

Ive done OHT twice now

Its a totally different trail between spring and fall. (Summer too for that matter =impassable)

Fall/thru dec can be bone dry
Spring can be sopping wet, raging creeks , waterfalls everywhere.

Much is mundane, just walking hill flanks on a laid out point to point traverse, but theres a few sweet spots. Water crossings are great , waterfalls are great, lack of people and cell service are great, pioneer remnants are great.

And very few people, the way it should be. Can go a couple days midweek without seeing anyone.

Although local sevice providers have told me
Numbers are really taking off, like everywhere.

[Dogwood]

Sheltowee, JMT, Superior, Ozark Highlands, AZT, CT, Vermont Tr,...

IDCT, Hayduke, Grand Enchantment, PNWT, ADT,... thrus are IMHO somewhat beyond the scope of the forum.

[bamboo bob]

I just this week completed the Cohos Trail in northern NH. Remote North Woods trip. Lot's of peaks. Not for novices. Wet. Moose.

[jmitchell]

PA's Mid State Trail is one of the best long distance trails no one talks about. 330 miles up the middle of the state. There are rocky ridgelines with superb views, old growth trees, historical remnants, canyons, waterfalls, incredible swimming holes and great isolation. The trail goes through some quaint towns and several state parks. A challenging trail. Check it out.

[Alligator]

Putting aside any debate of the triple crown trails (AT, PCT, CDT) what are America's best long trails besides those? Looking for your opinions based on total awesomeness, percent of trail that is actually complete, availability of legal camping near the trail a day's hike distance apart.

This map got me thinking about this but I don't really trust this map as there appear to be a ton of mistakes on it. Pointing out all the mistakes could be its own separate thread perhaps but if anyone has a link to a good version of this kind of map I'd be interested in that too.

https://www.backpacker.com/trips/map...as-long-trails

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationa...p-02-09-18.pdf