Readers' Choice Awards 2009

The "Pacific Crest Trail" in this article is actually the John Muir Trail.....the PCT runs from Mexico to Canada, along the way it covers some of the same ground as the JMT. Wanted to clear that up. It is an amazing hike, it is in my top 3 backpack trips of all time!

The "Pacific Crest Trail" in this article is actually the John Muir Trail.....the PCT runs from Mexico to Canada, along the way it covers some of the same ground as the JMT. Wanted to clear that up. It is an amazing hike, it is in my top 3 backpack trips of all time!

thank you Jaafar for actually naming a best hiking trail (not canoeing) for Florida.

Well, I would say that the Wind River range is the best hiking in WY, however, for those that just want a weekend hike try the hike up to Big Sandy then the next day head to the Cirque. If you want a flavor of the remoteness of WY without the big miles, then the Cirque is the place to go.

Well, I would say that the Wind River range is the best hiking in WY, however, for those that just want a weekend hike try the hike up to Big Sandy then the next day head to the Cirque. If you want a flavor of the remoteness of WY without the big miles, then the Cirque is the place to go.

Best adventure book by Bill Bryson? Good lord. Has nobody ever read Edmund Hillary, Eric Newby, Shackleton, Roosevelt, Capstick, or any of the dozens of other classics? Bryson is funny, but best adventure? No way.

"Best" hiking trail is highly subjective. My favorite is actually pictured on this page: Big Creek waterfall in the Smokies. Memorable--recognized the waterfall immediately.

Sorry, but why on earth is the "best hike in Florida" actually a canoe trip in the Gulf of Mexico?

It's not like there isn't plenty of trail in Florida: there's the Florida Trail snaking North-South through the state, plus a bunch of smaller side trails maintained by the Florida Trail Association running East West, in addition to the trails in Everglades National Park and various state parks, national forests and wildlife management areas.

To pick a canoe trip as Florida's best "hike" is to feed into the mistaken belief, so common among northerners who associate hiking with mountains, that because Florida is flat, it has no hiking trails worth mention.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I'd consider the Florida Trail segment from Loop Road to the Oasis Ranger Station on the Tamiami Trail/US-41 (about 8 miles each way) as a good contender for the "best trail," for instance.

A walk/slog (depending on the season) traveling through prairies of sawgrass and stunted bald cypress, and tropical hardwood hammocks that make you feel like you've stepped into the Amazon, it's idyllic, remote, and not at all comparable to hiking elsewhere in the 'States. I've come across alligators ON the trail, and hiked for miles in shin-deep water swimming with small fish and crayfish. Where else in the country can you do that?

There's also the Coastal Prairie Trail in Everglades National Park. The southernmost trail in the continental United States, it's about 7.5 miles each way, through shady buttonwoods and open mudflats and prairies of saltwort along the coast, ending at a backcountry campsite on an empty white-sand beach. Beautiful hiking, and unlike anything up north.

Isle Royale, Minnesota??? Sorry Bonni, Backpacker's got it right. It may be closer to Minnesota, but it's still in Michigan.

Isle Royale, Minnesota??? Sorry Bonni, Backpacker's got it right. It may be closer to Minnesota, but it's still in Michigan.

Ummm, sorry backpacker, Isle Royale is actually part of Minnesota, not Michigan. You've gotten it right elsewhere on your site, I don't know what happened here...

The Best Hike in NH....in my opinion.....is the Crawford Path to Mount Washington in the Southern Presidential. It is absolutely breathtaking!!!!

How about Michigan?

OK haters let me clue you in on a little secret...the word "BEST hike in..." is a better title stater than "a very good hike, maybe the best, but probably not, hike in..." So, when you see the word "BEST" keep in mind that it was one person's opinion. That person might have a very different idea of what constitutes a "best" hike. If you read the description, the author usually gives their argument for including the hike. Also, if they didn't print your favorite hike, count yourself as lucky, you will be able to enjoy that spot without all the Backpacker readers in the state racing up and down the trail complaining that your trail in not nearly as good as some other trail.

As for your New Hampshire choice, while Tuckerman
Ravine is interesting to see, there are trails up Washington with much better overall views and with far fewer people.

However, if you really like hiking in Times Square type crowds, then The Tucks trail is definitely what you want.

Am I the only one who gets a "no longer exists" when I click on your site to enter the contest for gear you are giving away?

Oklahoma-Wichita Mountains
New Mexico-3 Rivers
Texas-Davy Crocket Nat'l Forest

Panther Creek in Georgia is nice, but try Jacks River Trail, Conasauga River Trail, the 80 or so miles of the AT in Georgia. I'll think you'll like them more.

You guys need to chill out. Please. How are you going to diss Backpacker? I mean, how many other magazines are there that tend to the desires and needs of a hiker/climbing/packer? The writers are human, they will make mistakes.

The "best trail in Nevada" points at a link titled Great Basin National Park? Nope, but instead takes you to a description of a little known side trail outside of Las Vegas at Cathedral Rock. Read a map sometime. What hooey.
Great Basin National Park does have an outstanding trail. Bag Wheeler Peak at a tad over 13,000 feet for a great view of the Great Basin.