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El Caminito del Rey (The Kings Pathway), El Chorro, Spain

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Weve combined some of our favorite hikes from all around world into the untimate top 10 list. Youll find
everything from hiking an active volcano (or two), to walking across the top of the rainforest. Well take you from
walking on the top of the world to below it, and everywhere in between. So kick back, grab a cold one and dive in
as we walk and occasionally balance our way through some of the most extreme hikes in the world.
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 Devils Path
Catskill Forest Preserve, New York

10

Best for: Hikers looking for an East Coast

challenge that bags several peaks in one tough
day trip and requires strong nerves and legs
Distance: 23.6 miles

This hike is a true roller coaster, heading straight up and straight down seven
summits and racking up a ridiculous 18,000 feet of elevation gain (with lots
of loss in between). The Devils Path takes the straightest line possible, which
means instead of switchbacks hikers need to navigate loose rock, vertical
scrambles, and sheer drops. Often, roots serve as emergency handholds or
hikers need to wedge themselves up small chimneys. All that scrambling and
vertical adds up to give the trail a reputation as the toughest hike on the East
Coast. It very well may be, if you try to tackle it all in one day (there are
options to backpack or break it down into smaller east and west sections, or
just hike the peaks individually).
There is salvation here, too. Six of the paths seven summits count for the
Catskill 3500 Club (membership requires you to climb the 35 peaks over
3,500 feet in the range). The views once you do reach the summits will make
you forget you are just three hours from downtown Manhattan as dreamy
expanses of deciduous green roll off to the horizon. The native Lenape
named this place Onteora, or The Land in the Sky. Sure, these peaks may
not be the stark rock outcrops of the Rockies, but they dont give up their
summits easily.

Thrill Factor: You may hear a lot of hype about the dangers of Devils Path,
but it basically amounts to a very challenging hike that can be extremely
precarious if the rock is wet, or worse, icy. Be carefulyou wont need your
rock climbing shoes, but sticky approach shoes will help.

Dry Fork Coyote Gulch

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument,
Utah
Best for: Slot canyon exploration and play for
everyone from daring canyoneers to kids
Distance: About 3.5 miles round-trip

Welcome to natures amusement park. A short hike down into the sandstone
canyon walls of Dry Forklocated off the Hole-in-the-Rock road where
Mormon pioneers first found a route through this severe, distant corner of
the Colorado Plateauis all it takes to reach some of the most intriguing
and easiest to enjoy slot canyons in Utah. Dry Gulch is a wonder in itself. Its
rock walls formed from ancient sand dunes long buried and turned to stone
before tectonic uplift sent them back aboveground to be carved out by eons
of flash flood erosion and wind scouring. But its the side slots just a short
way upstream that make this place such a draw for visitors to the Grand
Staircase-Escalante, and they are where the real fun begins.
The first of these side slots is called Peek-a-Boo because it consists of a series
of big round windows and arches in the Navajo sandstone, with potholes,
often filled deep with water, lurking in the floor below. It requires a bit of a
scramble up carved stone steps to reach and some care to navigate, but its
basically a fun romp. The next slot up Dry Gulch, Spooky, is the real standout. Its a perfect, narrow crack thats consistently 30 feet deep and no wider
than 18 inches across for over a half a mile. Its so tight some adults may not
fit (and in many spots it pinches down to less than ten inches across, so they
will definitely have to suck in their bellies and turn sideways)but children
will find it easier to move up the wafer-thin slot faster than their parents. The
last and least visited slot, Brimstone, is dark and gloomy, even deeper than
Spooky, and narrowing so much at points that hikers need to make their way
far up above the sandy floor.

Thrill Factor: Its an ideal natural playground for anyone except extremely
claustrophobic and larger-than-average people. Brimstone is the only truly
dangerous one of the slotslocal legend has it that one hiker got wedged in
and stuck for days. But as long as you are careful and cognizant of the dangers of hiking in the desert.

Bri Cave
Thorlkshfn, Iceland

Best for: Hikers who like a tight squeeze and

experiencing the underworld
Distance: 1.3 miles round-trip, plus hike to cave

Welcome to our Tunnel of Love hike. While there are hundreds of thrilling,
frightening, and wondrous lava caves in the lava fields of this active volcanic
island, Bri is one of the most eerily beautiful, as well as one of the latest
to be discovered. It was only first explored in 2005 and was soon heralded
as one of Icelands most remarkable lava caves. But its not for everyone. To
reach it requires a short hike across the Leitahraun lava fields, the remnants
of lava that flowed and cooled from the Leiti volcano all the way to the sea in
some spots. Lava tubes formed here about 5,000 years ago when parts of that
magma cooled faster than others, forming the cave walls, while the hot lava
flowed through, forming the long, smooth caves themselves. Leitahraun is a
Swiss cheese of these tubes, including the 4,462-foot-long Raufarholshellir
tube and cathedral-like Arnarker cave.
Named after the first of the Aesir gods who is said to have been born when a
primordial giants cow licked the salty ice that existed before the Earth, Bri
is covered in ice for its first section, making it feel like the mythical cows salt
lick, and filled with odd, dripping sculptures that shimmer
phantasmagorically in the light of headlamps. After the ice, it runs through a
long, 30-foot-high, 30-foot-wide tube of lava rock that feels like an
abandoned subway tunnel, before ending a 55-foot-high lava pit at the end.
Emerging again into the sunlight feels like being reborn.

Thrill Factor: Dont go if you are afraid of the dark or claustrophobic. The
tunnel is not necessarily dangerous but anyone exploring it should have
caving experience, a light (and a backup light), and a helmet. Its best to go
on a guided trip, many of which pick up clients directly at their hotels in
Reykjavik.

 Black Hole of White Canyon

Hanksville, Utah

Best for: Swimmers

Distance: 5 miles

The Black Hole is the flume of our thrill-ride hikesa slot canyon that must
be swum. Its deep and dark and filled with cold water year-round, requiring a wetsuit even when temperatures are broiling far above. After a short
hike, you plunge into the muddy stream and swim down (many spots are
wadeable depending on the season) for two miles, peering up at the sheer
sandstone walls towering hundreds of feet above. You can also check out the
markers of the raw power of the Colorado Plateaus flash floods in the
canyon: Look up and you will see dead trees wedged in the slot as far as 50
feet above you, where torrential water once carried them. At times that
debris has blocked the canyon, sometimes requiring ropes and a lot of
forethought to navigate precariously piled logjams.
Those floods are an ever present danger in this peaceful spotin the 1990s
a teenage girl was swept to her death down here. But keep an eye on the
weather, and you can simply bob downstream, relax, and enjoy the
craftsmanship of the rushing water that carved out this enchanted canyon.
Some canyoneers even bring a little inflatable ducky childrens pool toy along
to use as a kickboard heading downstream.

Thrill Factor: You must be able and willing to swim and wear a wetsuit

even in the summer (a short-sleeve one will work when its full summer).
There are no real technical obstacles to navigate in the canyon, but its not
a bad idea to have at least a small rope in case you dont feel comfortable
downclimbing. Also, floods can change thingsin 2003, they created new
technical obstacles that have since shifted away. Once you are in, you are
fully committedtheres no escape routeso analyze weather reports before
you attempt it and be aware that storms far upstream cause flash floods.

Pacaya

Pacaya Volcano National Park, Antigua,
Guatemala

Best for: Hikers who want to feel the heat of an

active volcano

Distance: 3.2 miles round-trip
Looming in the skyline just 20 miles from the metropolis of Guatemala City,
8,373-foot Pacaya is one consistently moody volcano (its technically a c
omplex volcano, a caldera with multiple vents within its summit crater
circumference). It has been active for at least the last 23,000 years,
consistently brooding with steam, spitting out lava in pyrotechnic s
trombolian eruptions (see Stromboli), and occasionally bursting out in more
major events. The most recent of these big blasts have sent lava rivers rolling
down the sides of the mountain in 2006 and covered the capital city in ash in
2010. And in early 2014 Pacaya started to get ornery againexploding in ash
and gas plumes and belching lava bombs and rocks while new craters flowed
with lava.
So how about hiking up to get up close and personal with this beast? Its not
as dangerous as you might think, though of course your safety is not
guaranteed when tempting the moods of a volcano. Several tour operators
run trips up into the caldera, and some even let you camp out overnight,
where you can perhaps watch fiery strombolian eruptions from your tent
window and roast marshmallows over fumaroles or hot lava. Its a quick and
easy hike, but steep and at elevation so you may breathe heavy on the way up.
Youll certainly exhale once you get there and see rivers of molten magma at
your feet.

Thrill Factor: The trail up is not necessarily scary, but you are playing

around on an active volcano that last had a major eruption in 2013 and had a
small paroxysm, or sudden eruption, in January 2014, so be aware of current
volcanic monitoring (you can check on updates here) and be very careful
inside the crater, especially around the hot spots and fumaroles. The payoff is
you get to look at the workings inside an active crater, and it is one
impressive show.

Kakum Canopy Walk

Kakum National Park, Ghana

Best for: Observing one of the most biodiverse

rain forests on the planet from the heights of the
canopy
Distance: 1,150 feet
Created by locals concerned about preserving the virgin beauty of Ghanas
dense biodiverse rain forest, Kakum National Park has been drawing more
and more tourists from abroad ever since it was created in 1992. And those
visitors come to catch a glimpse of some of the places rare wildlife. African
forest elephants tramp through the underbrush. Civets and leopards hunt in
the dark of night. Bongos and little duikers browse between the trees. The
treetops of Kakum are home to colobus and endangered Roloway monkeys.
And 200 species of birds and 550 species of butterflies flit through the high
branches. The best way to check out this paradise? Take a hike in the sky.
Built in 1995 and the only hanging bridge of its type in Africa, the parks
canopy walk links seven giant trees through a series of floating nets and
walkways dangling a hundred feet off the forest floor. The suspended path
is just wide enough to walk with two feet. In the middle, you may feel like a
denizen of the high canopy, lightly shaking side to side in the midst of the
branches with the predators on the ground far below. You are not guaranteed
to see wildlife on the walk (though if you are lucky and quiet you will), so if
you want to get a guaranteed glimpse of the native fauna up close, head to
the Monkey Forest Resort, a nearby private sanctuary. For the protection of
the forest, canopy walkers need to be accompanied by a park guidea good
thing since these locals can teach much about the flora and fauna in their
backyard, as well as what it takes to save them.

Thrill Factor: Unless you are afraid of heights, this is a fun way to immerse
yourself in the rain forest.

Mount Huashan
Huashan National Park, China

Best for: Pilgrims and daredevils

Distance: 7.5 miles from the gate to the top of
South Peak

Stromboli
Aeolian Islands, Italy
Best for: Watching lava burst out of a volcano
Distance: 1,312 vertical feet

The path along rickety planks hanging out over the void on Chinas Mount
Huashan have become a viral video sensation, showing up on Craziest
Hikes lists everywhere. But that moniker is a bit of a misconception. The
perilous, die-if-you-fall hike that looks like it was built by Spanky and the
Little Rascals is just one small path on the massive Huashan, which is the
westernmost of Chinas Five Great Mountains (each of which is named for
the cardinal directions and a center peak), ancient imperial pilgrimage sites
sacred to Taoists and still drawing spiritual travelers and tourists to the
temples perched on them. Huashan is not a single summit but a complex
of five major peaks, the highest of which is the 7,087-foot South Peak. The
Chang Kong Zhan Dao (or Sky Plank Road) is the boldest way access to the
South Peak (which itself consists of three subpeaks). Its a loony, fun ride of
ladders, foot-wide wooden boards, cables, and steps hacked into the cliffall
hanging in the sky. You can rent via ferrata-type gear to protect yourself as
you navigate it.

Thrust up from the ocean bottom to rise above the Tyrrhenian Sea, the seven
volcanic Aeolian Islands have been compared to the Pleiades in the sky and
were the mythological home of Aeolus, god of the winds. This reputation is
well earned, since rough winds and waves can often ground the hydrofoils
that jet between the islands and back to the Sicilian mainland.

Ascending Huashan is a walk into the spiritual history of the mountain and
China itself. For millennia the way up Huashan was supposed to be difficult,
testing the pilgrim who wished to find the way (or the Tao). Each of the
granitic peaks can be accessed by a different hike (and two of them by cable
car) or by a new loop trail at the top.

Hiking to the craters at night is a life-list achievement. Depending on the

state of the volcano you can stand within about 500 feet of the crater and
enjoy natures best fireworks display. There is of course a very small chance
that a major eruption could occur (although the volcano has been so
consistent for millennia that the term strombolian eruption defines this
type of activity) but you must hike the peak with a local guide, who tracks
the status of the volcano. The hike itself, which heads quickly up through
fragrant wild herbs and scrub oak, was rerouted and improved in 2004 with
benches along the way and handrails near cliffs.

Thrill Factor: The Chang Kong Zhan Dao is truly dangerous, even with

safety gear. The rest of the mountain is accessed by thousands of tourists (a

record 47,000 visited the site in one day in 2013) in varying states of fitness,
so you should be able to reach the top even if you dont want to scare
yourself. As of 2014, the Chinese government has also opened a new trail on
the top of the peak to make it easier to visit all the peaks and just
implemented an $8.3 million-command center so it can monitor the trails
through video cameras.

The crown jewel of this magical archipelago is Stromboli, a small

(7.8-square-mile), cone-shaped, active volcano that spews fire and magma all
day long. And while the volcano is certainly dangerous, its also regular and
predictable enough that hikers can scramble to the 3,034-foot summit and
peer into the spewing, molten workings of Vulcan in three active craters. The
stunning lava bomb eruptions at the top are believed to have been going off
every 20 minutes or so continuously for the past 2,000 years, with occasional
lava flows and major eruptions (the last scoured the sides in 2007, and a big
blast in 2003 closed the peak for two years).

Thrill Factor: There arent many other places on the planet where you can
witness the workings of an erupting volcano this close in relative safety.

Besseggen Ridge
Jotunheimen National Park, Norway

Best for: Anyone who wants a thrill (and big

views of Norways most famous national park)
without a truly dangerous hike
Distance: 14 miles one-way

This may be the most popular hike in Norway, calling to everyone from
starry-eyed college-age backpackers to pudgy middle-age trekkers, but thats
not to say it doesnt dish out some true excitement. It also serves up one of
the most stunning views on the planet as it ascends and crosses the thin,
rocky ridge between Jotunheimen National Parks big, milky green
glacial-fed Gjende lake and high alpine Bessvatnet lake. Jotunheimen
means home of the giants in Norwegian, and its easy to imagine the great
fierce Jotun of Norse mythology wrestling with Thor in this wild,
glacial-scoured landscapethough the 30,000 people who hike it each year
may keep the giants in hiding.
If you walk in the most popular direction, beginning at the charming
Memurubu hut, the hike opens with a relaxing ferry boat cruise up Gjende
before it starts to head up 1,200 feet onto the rocky ridge with steep drop-offs
to either side, but the only true danger is stopping too often to snap photos.
It tops out at 5,719 feet, racking up an impressive 3,500 verts along the way.
The hike ends at the same place you caught the ferry, the Norwegian
Mountain Touring Associations Gjendesheim Turisthytte, a 170-guest
mountain lodge. There are ways to extend the trip, too: if you start at
Gjendesheim and hike over the ridge to Memurubu, you can stay at the hut
overnight and take the ferry back (or hike back over the ridge or along the
lake).

Thrill Factor: Its a demanding eight-hour hike, so though it doesnt

require technical skills, hikers do need to be in shape and be comfortable in

the wild.

Youve read the article and now youre ready to exprience the thrills. But which hike is best for
you? Weve got you covered- check out our handy hiking quiz to see which hill you should take on.

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El Caminito del Rey (The Kings Pathway)

El Chorro, Spain

Best for: True daredevils; GoPro addicts

Distance: 2 miles
No list of thrill-ride hikes would be complete without including Spains
Kings Pathway. The century-old, three-foot wide, decrepit stone walkway
thats barely attached to a sheer cliff 300 feet over the Guadalhorce River has
gained fame from a countless number of videos that have gone viralit is
the perfect gasp-and-groan video for helmet-cam footage. Its also truly risky:
Left in bad shape after decades of neglect, the walkway has big gaps that force
hikers to step over the void. Its nausea-inducing enough to travel where the
walkway is intact or the few spots where the original handrail still exists. In
the worst sections, the pathway is completely gone, requiring low-level rock
climbing moves to get back to (semi) solid ground. Better spots offer rails
of rebar jutting out from the cliff as footholds. There is a safety wire running
along the path that can be clipped into to prevent a fall, making it a via
ferrata, but the trip is still terrifying.
The catwalk was not always so horrifying. It was originally built in 1905 as a
means for hydroelectric workers to travel between Chorro Falls and
Gaitanejo Falls. It received its name in 1921, when Spains King Alfonso XIII
made the walk to open the new Conde del Guadalhorce dam. Ten years later
the king ended up fleeing the country and abdicating after the end of the
bloody Spanish Civil War. His walkway, likewise, fell out of favor until now.

Thrill Factor: This path is so dangerous that it has been officially closed

since 2000 after four people fell to their deaths on it. But since so many
adventure-seekers have been drawn to it anyway and guides even take
tourists along it, the Spanish government has sunk over $11 million into
rebuilding El Camino del Rey to be safer and constructing a visitor center. It
is scheduled to open in 2015. The upside of that work is that the renovated
path will be far safer; the downside, it will not be nearly as scary.

are you afraid

of being
underground?

no

Bri Cave

Yes

volcano
or
catwalk?

catwalk

Mt.
huashan

volcano

pacya

no

are you afraid

of small spaces?

Yes

no

Kakum
canopy
walk

Can you
swim?

Yes

black
hole of
white
canyon

no

dry fork
coyote
gulch