Where in the world are the most breathtaking hikes?
Peter Potterfield answers that question in a new book, “Classic Hikes of the World” (W.W. Norton, $39.95). The author traveled to every continent and came up with a list of his 23 favorite treks. The book includes maps, photos, descriptions and practical information about routes, seasons, permits, supply points and transportation near each hike.
Two hikes in Washington are included: the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier and the route from Diablo Lake to Lake Chelan in the North Cascades.
Locations for other North America hikes listed in the book are the John Muir Trail in Southern California; the Grand Canyon in Arizona; Chesler Park and Buckskin Gulch in Utah; Maroon Bells Circuit in Colorado; the White Mountain Traverse in New Hampshire; McGonagall Pass in Alaska; the West Coast Trail in British Columbia; and the Rockwall Trail in Canada’s Yoho and Kootenay national parks. The Kalalau Trail in Kauai, Hawaii, is listed as a Pacific trek, along with the Routeburn Track on New Zealand’s South Island.
In South America, Potterfield picked out the Fitz Roy Grand Tour in the Argentine Patagonia and the Torres del Paine Circuit in the Chilean Patagonia. In Europe, he recommends the Kungsleden, in Lapland in Arctic Sweden; the Tour de la Vanoise Glaciers in the French Alps, and West Highland Way in Scotland. Antarctica is represented with the Shackleton Crossing on South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic, and in Africa, there is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Asia offers the Royal Trek in Nepal’s Annapurna Region; the Everest Base Camp Trek in the Himalayas; and the route between Pakistan’s Baltoro Glacier and the base camp for K2, the second-highest peak on earth.
Associated Press
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