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Top 10 Backpacking Trips

Trail-scale hikes from long weekends to multi-month thru-hikes.

All top 10 lists

This list mixes bucket-list thru-hikes with strong week-long options. Permits, seasons, and resupply logistics vary widely; treat these as starting points for real planning, not itineraries.

  1. 1

    John Muir Trail

    — California, USA

    340 km through the High Sierra. Permit-heavy, unmatched alpine scenery.

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  2. 2

    Pacific Crest Trail (section or thru)

    — USA

    4,265 km from Mexico to Canada. Section hikes in Washington and the Sierra are the best introductions.

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  3. 3

    Appalachian Trail (thru or long section)

    — Eastern USA

    3,500 km of green tunnel and hut culture. The birthplace of American thru-hiking.

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  4. 4

    Kungsleden ('King's Trail')

    — Swedish Lapland

    440 km through Arctic Sweden, with STF huts. Extremely accessible wilderness for its remoteness.

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  5. 5

    Tour du Mont Blanc

    — France / Italy / Switzerland

    170 km hut-to-hut around the Mont Blanc massif. Alpine backpacking without a tent needed.

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  6. 6

    Torres del Paine 'O' Circuit

    — Chile

    9–10 days around the Paine massif. Big weather, big scenery, real logistics.

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  7. 7

    Wonderland Trail

    — Washington, USA

    150 km around Mount Rainier. Permit lottery, but a perfect week-plus trip.

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  8. 8

    Long Range Traverse

    — Newfoundland, Canada

    35 km unmarked route in Gros Morne. Real navigation on tundra plateaus above the fjords.

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  9. 9

    Great Himalaya Trail (sections)

    — Nepal

    The full route is expedition-scale; sections like Manaslu or Kanchenjunga are trip-of-a-lifetime treks.

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  10. 10

    Chilkoot Trail

    — Alaska / BC

    53 km following the Klondike gold-rush route from Skagway to Bennett Lake. History and coastal rainforest.

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