Also on Backpacker.com

EDITORS' CHOICE AWARDS 2009: THE BEST NEW GEAR

OVER 3,000 GPS-ENABLED TRIPS!

DAILY DIRT BLOG: THE LATEST OUTDOOR NEWS

GEAR CHICK: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

MEDICINE MAN: ESSENTIAL SKILLS REVEALED

BACKPACKING 101: GET STARTED NOW!

VIDEOS: FEND OFF A BEAR, PACK RIGHT, AND MORE.

PHOTOS: FEAST YOUR EYES WITH THESE SHOTS

Share your tales of travel & adventure with our step-by-step guide. Upload trail descriptions, photos, video, and more.

Backpacker Magazine – May 2005

America's Hardest Dayhikes

Push yourself on any of these challenging hikes

by: Mike Lanza, BACKPACKER Northwest Editor

7. Grand Canyon South Rim to North Rim
AZ
Score: 74 Miles: 21 Elevation Change: 10,500 feet X Factor: Dehydrating heat

For sheer majesty, this beauty takes the cake. But there's nothing pretty about the prospect of a 5,800-foot climb out in the afternoon sun, which can bring triple-digit temps as early as May. So strap on a headlamp and head for the depths of Bright Angel Canyon before dawn; you'll be perfectly positioned for one of the world's most colorful sunrises-and for a midmorning river crossing to start up the other side. Your best bet is to go in early spring or mid-autumn; there may be snow on the rims and temp swings of up to 40 degrees, but you'll avoid the scalding heat that makes dehydration a real risk here. The South Kaibab Trail drops 7 stunning miles and 4,700 feet from the South Rim to the Colorado River; the 14 miles up the North Kaibab Trail are less steep (and less crowded) but beyond epic in duration. Locals ID dayhikers who pull off this feat by their gimpy gait; they call it the "Grand Canyon Shuffle."Contact: Grand Canyon National Park, (928) 638-7888; www.nps.gov/grca

8. Enchantment Lakes Traverse
Cascade Range, WA
Score: 71 Miles: 18 Elevation Change: 11,000 feet X Factor: Sketchy footing up high

When you eyeball the route over 7,800-foot Aasgard Pass into the massive cliffs hemming in Colchuck Lake, you'll know why this hike made the list: The loose, primitive footpath climbs a ridiculously steep 2,200 feet in three-quarters of a mile. (Try not to contemplate just how far you'd tumble if you slipped.) And after the 4,600-foot climb from the Colchuck Lake-Stuart Lake trailhead beats you silly, the 6,500-foot drop to the Snow Creek trailhead delivers a knee-jarring coup de gráce. Focus instead on the Eden of wildflowers, gnarled trees, glaciers, and mountain goats. Contact: Wenatchee National Forest, (509) 548-6977; www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter

PRINT THIS PAGE EMAIL THIS PAGE RSS FEED

Your rating:

Reader Rating: -

1 2 3 4 5

Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine Facebook Twitter

READERS COMMENTS

What happened to the Devil's Path in New York?
It's 25.5 miles and has 18K feet of elev. change!
Posted: Nov 16, 2009 Yaakov Relkin

Why not Rim to rim to rim? Well why not Rim to rim to rim to rim? Isn't that harder? What can possibly beat that? I know. Rim to rim to rim to rim to rim. This article just shows some people have nothing to write. I got a real hard day hike for you. Go from Santa Monica pier to Mt Baldy. So this is suppose to be a day hike list. What happens once you reach the top of San Jacinto? Do you radio in the copter to airlift you out? How do you possibly make it back in the same day? You can't camp, because that would be a backpack trip, and wouldn't be in the same day. Hmmmmm.....
Posted: Nov 10, 2009 Chenendez

Mt. Whitney is tougher than suggested here. 6000 ft of elevation is nothing to sneeze at, and the fact that it happens, for the most part, above the tree line adds another dimension of difficulty. How many people have I seen balk at about 11,000 feet because of the effects of altitude sickness. And bring sunglasses because the sun is surreally bright at that elevation, as well.
Posted: Aug 11, 2009 Carlos

Recently did The Great Range in reverse as a backpacking trip that included Dix and Noonmark. Missing in the description of the GR above is Basin Mountain, which is between Saddleback and Lower Haystack. Also missing is the class 3-4 climb at the top of Saddleback. We did this in reverse, going from Marcy back to St. Huberts, abandoning ship after Gothics (which sports new cables up the southern ascent) because of some pretty raucous thunderstorms. The escape route featured the pretty cool Pyramid Peak, however.
Posted: Jul 20, 2009 Robert Burns

Granted, this is outdated, but I have seen the latest top hikes recently, somewhere. I have hiked several of these hikes and they are awesome.
Question..... why isn't the Rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon on the top list? I sure is up there in miles and elevation. It kick most of the hikes in a heart beat.
Posted: May 26, 2009 Cindy