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TOP 10 day hikes โž™ ย Zion Narrows, Utah USA

top-10-day-hikes-โž™-ย zion-narrows,-utah-usa

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

Best slot canyon hike in the world.

  • in Utahโ€™s Zion National Park
  • 16 miles (25 km) from Chamberlainโ€™s Ranch to Temple of Sinawava in the Park
  • June through October best months
  • usually closed from mid-March to mid-May due to spring snowmelt and runoff
  • in places chasm up to 1,968 ft deep and 20 ft wide
  • about a 1500 ft descent
  • walk in water up to half the time
  • 9 โ€“ 13 hours. Confirm the time of the last shuttle out of the park!
  • a long, tiring dayย or you can camp overnight. Be aware that there are only 12 campsites available and they book quickly. Start as early as possible if you are doing it in a day.
  • Permit is required

World โ†’ North America โ†’ S.W. USA ย โ†’ Utah โ†’ Zion Narrows

Water walking shoes recommended.

For details click over to our Zion Narrows information page.

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My Therm-a-Rest NeoAirยฎ XLiteโ„ข NXT MAX

my-therm-a-rest-neoair-xlite-nxt-max

The most popular sleeping pad on the Pacific Crest Trail these days is NOT the lightest.

Itโ€™s the Therm-a-Rest NeoAirยฎ XLiteโ„ข NXT.

I opted for the slightly heavier, rectangular Therm-a-Rest NeoAirยฎ XLiteโ„ข NXT MAX Sleeping Pad. Not inexpensive at CAD $340.

That shape completely covers the bottom of my 1-person-tent, keeping everything cleaner. And dryer.

I hike and cycle in rainy, muddy destinations. Iceland in 2024, for example.

Iโ€™ll be carrying it a lot for BikePacking where weight matters less.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Great pad. But VERY SLOW TO FILL using the supplied inflation bag.

I decided to purchase the tiny USB powered FLEXTAILGEAR Portable Tiny Pump 2X. (CAD $46)

  • 96 grams
  • inflate sleeping pad
  • deflate sleeping pad
  • stoke outdoor fires
  • flashlight

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Cycling / Hiking the Faroe Islands

cycling-/-hiking-the-faroe-islands

Challenging Logistics

Expensive.

The best way to travel the 500km of roads over 17 islands is by personal vehicle. This gives you the flexibility to go when the weather forecast looks โ€ฆ better. ๐Ÿ˜€

Otherwise you are limited by the infrequent public buses and ferries. AND ferries often donโ€™t run when itโ€™s too windy.

On the other hand, with a motor vehicle, you pay a fee for every undersea tunnel you drive through, and any ferry you need to take. It adds up quickly.

I went with gravel bike โ€”ย but was too cowardly to cycle through most of the many narrow tunnels. It is allowed, however. Locals told me they donโ€™t mind bikes in tunnels.

I did cycle 2 of them.

Itโ€™s easy to put your bike under the bus โ€”ย and I did it every day.

BUT the buses run infrequently, especially on weekends and holidays. There are very few locals on them, only a few cheapskate tourists.

Note: A number of the most famous hikes on the Faroe Islands cross privately owned land and have expensive fees. Similar attractions in Norway and Iceland are free.

There are campgrounds, but Iโ€™d recommend booking a roof over your head. I had an inexpensive room in a Vestmanna guesthouse, happy to be warm and dry my clothing every night.

Vestmanna

The Faroe Islands are great. But logistics are challenging. Book as many days as possible.

The easiest way to hike is with your own motor vehicle. Either rent โ€”ย or take the only ferry to the Faroe Islands.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related โ€“ 15 things to know before visiting the Faroe Islands

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Top 10 Hiking Destinations โž™ Indian Himalaya

top-10-hiking-destinations-โž™-indian-himalaya

Itโ€™s easy to hike Nepal. Not so in India.

The hiking infrastructure for foreign tourists is not nearly so well developed. There are far fewer hiking guidebooks.

You need to do much more research when planning a hiking trip to India. The easiest jumping off point is Leh, Ladakh โ€” a region administered by India as aย union territory, and constituting a part of the larger region ofย Kashmir.

Stok Kangri seen from Leh

AT A GLANCE

IH
  • Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal in the west
  • Darjeeling and Sikkim in the east
  • many peaks over 7000m (23000ft)
  • every serious hiker wants to travel to Nepal. The savvy trekkers to the Indian Himalaya, as well.
  • though challenging, India is a wonderful tourist destination
  • English is widely spoken
  • public transportation is slow at best, downright terrifying at worst
  • getting to the trailhead may be much more dangerous than anything you do on the trek. Take the train rather than a vehicle whenever you can.
  • best for experienced, confident, self-sufficient high altitude hikers
  • hiking season somewhere May-Nov (though micro-climates vary greatly). Many treks are not recommended Jul-Aug โ€” though you can hike most places in Ladakh most of the year.

Our list ofย BEST HIKES in INDIA is on our Asia information page.

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177-Mile โ€˜Denver Orbital Trailโ€™ย 

177-mile-โ€˜denver-orbital-trailโ€™ย 

Michael Tormey mapped out a route that circumnavigates Denver using existing trails โ€” heโ€™s calling it the โ€˜Denver Orbital Trailโ€™ โ€ฆ

Tormey divided it into 28 sections, each designed to be approachable and accessible sections that almost anyone could complete as a day hike.ย โ€ฆ

Tormey has the route and all the sections mapped with AllTrails on the Denver Orbital Trailย website.ย โ€ฆ

GearJunkie

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Scrambling Fossurin รญ Fossรก, Faroe Islands

scrambling-fossurin-i-fossa,-faroe-islands

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Fossurin รญ Fossรกย is one of the highest waterfallsย in theย Faroe Islands. Super popular with tourists.

140ย metres to the sea in two stages.

You can drive to the base easily.

I did the surprisingly difficult scramble up in-between the two falls. It was a rush.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Mulafossur Waterfall, Gรกsadalur, Faroe Islands

mulafossur-waterfall,-gasadalur,-faroe-islands

One of the best โ€”ย and free โ€”ย highlights of the Faroe Islands is the tiny village of Gรกsadalur (13 inhabitants).

Tourists go to see the Mรบlafossur Waterfall โ€” but the village itself is also charming.

If you look long enough, youโ€™ll probably see some puffins near here.

Before 2004, people needed to hike over a mountain shoulder to get there โ€” but after the Gรกsadalstunnilinย tunnel (1.4 km) was blasted โ€” itโ€™s became possible to drive, cycle, or arrive by public bus.

I cycled. And it was a bit scary in that long tunnel.

On the way out I put my bike on a bus.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related โ€“ hiking around Gรกsadalur, including the old Postmanโ€™s Trail


On the way to the waterfall, before the tunnel, you get great views of 2 sea stacks called Drangarnir โ€”ย Stรณri Drangur and Lรญtli Drangur.

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Hiking to Leynar, Faroe Islands

hiking-to-leynar,-faroe-islands

Leynarย (Danish:ย Lejnum) is just another scenic coast village in theย Faroe Islands. Population 116.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of the hike on YouTube.

This was amongst the prettiest houses I saw on the islands.

Iโ€™d heard about a popular route for locals, crossing a mountain pass and finishing in Leynar. Itโ€™s not on any tourist guidebook Iโ€™ve seen, including AllTrails.

Itโ€™s not signed. Finding the trailhead on highway 50 was tricky. Look for a large stone cairn. It is somewhat marked on the Maps.me app.

I had great weather and totally enjoyed a few hours on this wet trail.

I saw only 3 other hikes on a beautiful day, all Faroese. Theyโ€™d come to see the basalt columns.

Itโ€™s marshy. Waterproof socks recommended.

Hereโ€™s the view of the town you see from the highway.