Hi,
Does anyone have any suggestions on a great hike that would take around a month to complete. I’m pretty open to heading out anywhere within the U.S.
I’ve done the A.T. and did the John Muir trail last year. Any help would be highly appreciated.
Thanks,
Crock
Crockett
Minnesota’s Superior Trail. I’ve hiked part of it, and, if I remember correctly, the whole thing is about 260 miles long. Easily completed in a month or less, including travel time to and from the trail, and at a pretty leisurely pace for most hikers of average speed. Not a difficult trail, for the most part. Very well-maintained, easy to follow. Not a lot of big vistas, but a very nice walk, and resupply is fairly convenient (though you usually will have to walk from the trail into town or to a store). There are lots of great options. Just thought I’d offer that idea.
ramkitten
How about an End-to-End on the Long Trail? About 265 miles. Pretty testy and lovely at the northern end. The first 100 miles (going north) cojoin the AT, so you can revisit old memories.
Start your research here: http://www.longtrail.org/
Also multiple journals on this site.
Jan LiteShoe
In a month in Hawaii, you could do the Na Pali coast backpack, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Haleakala Sea to Summit, some kick-a** hiking on Oahu, and have time to kick back and drink mai tais too.
markv
What about the Colorado Trail. It’s 500 miles of nothing but gorgeous scenery. Based upon journal entries from former thru-hikers, it’s doable in 4 weeks. It’s my plan for the summer! See you out there.
BookBurner
Just wanted to take a moment and say “Thank-you” for everyones input.
I think I might just hit the Long Trail this summer but I’m also going to look into the Colorado Trail. I have not done much hiking in the Rockies so it might be a new experience.
Thanks again,
Crockett
Crockett
Hike the Washington section of the PCT. About 550 miles, or somewhere thereabouts, and mostly gorgeous. Hike northbound and end in Canada, as it is more beautiful the further north you go.
Or, hike the GDT. If you don’t know what the GDT is, it is a ~650 mile route through the Canadian Rockies following the Continental Divide. Take a look at http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/faculty/cwillett for more info on this.
Suge
Get out of the notion of hiking “a trail”, and hike where there are trails. Pick an ecosystem or a mountain range that interests you and traverse it. Lots of options out there for a month long journey.
A couple years ago with a similiar amount of time available I traversed the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from Big Sandy, WY to Red Lodge, MT. Hiked the length of the Winds, did a big curve through Yellowstone, and ended by crossing the Beartooths. I hiked some of the CDT but found it asthetically inferior to alternative routes in many cases (e.g. the Cirque of the towers in the Winds and the thorofare in Yellowstone). Look at the lay of the land and figure out the best way to traverse it. It makes planning much more fun and the hike more satisfying. Hike to see the land, not to complete a trail.
Of course, this strategy is especially appealing if you are a map freak like me.
Hans Berg