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Long trails allow access to some of the most interesting terrain that the regions they pass through have to offer. But the reality is, so much more lies just beyond the trail corridor. Embracing “side quests,” or temporarily diverting from the trail to summit an extra-credit peak, visit a local attraction, or seek out a stellar meal can make your thru-hike experience even richer. Popular side quests, like spur trails in the White Mountains on the Appalachian Trail, climbing Mt. Whitney, or hiking to Oregon’s Tunnel Falls on the Pacific Crest Trail, can be considered quintessential thru-hiking opportunities. We asked our thru-hiking contributors and friends for their favorite lesser-known side quests that are well worth a detour.
Shenandoah River, Appalachian Trail
“My best AT side-quest was ‘aqua-blazing’ on the Shenandoah River,” said Nathan Pipenberg, Backpacker’s ultralight columnist and AT class of 2011. “We did a three-day river trip from Luray to Front Royal, VA, covering about 70 miles. We elected to backtrack and hike the miles we missed, but you don’t have to, since the AT basically follows the river on that stretch. It was an awesome change of pace in northern Virginia, where the trail can get pretty monotonous.”
Quail Run Ostrich Ranch, Lake Hughes, CA, Pacific Crest Trail
“The scariest animal I saw on the PCT was a 9-foot-tall feathered beast that can run over 40 miles per hour and kick through a garage door,” said David Gleisner, PCT ‘23. “No, it wasn’t some mythical sasquatch. It was an ostrich—one of many at Quail Run Ranch in Lake Hughes, CA. Owners Josh and Jessica drove me and two friends from the trail and let us stay the night, giving a full tour in the morning that made me significantly more afraid of ostriches than I was previously. But when else am I going to get to hand-feed the world’s largest bird and continue hiking an hour later?”
MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts, Appalachian Trail
“When you reach Route 2 at the border of Massachusetts and Vermont, don’t let state-line fever force you forward,” said serial thru-hiker Grayson Haver Currin, AT ‘19. “You are two miles—and an easy hitch, to boot—from the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, a sacred space of provocative works and one of the largest hubs of modern art in the country. Spend an afternoon strolling its massive galleries, giving yourself enough to ponder for the next several hundred miles.”
Mt. Killington Summit Spur, Long Trail
As a solo thru-hiker at just 15 years old, Artie Carpenter didn’t take too many side quests on his 2018 thru-hike. But he remembers one summit push that was well worth the extra effort: “It’s a super short but steep spur, so by the time I reached the top with my pack, I had properly sweat through my shirt,” Carpenter said. “But the summit was open with good weather and plenty breezy, so I was able to take my shirt off to dry it out. Not to mention the primo views. That’s actually one of my favorite memories of the thru-hike.”
Molas Lake Campground, San Juan County, Colorado Trail
Roughly a mile off the trail, this stop barely counts as a side quest, but senior gear editor and 2017 thru-hiker Benjamin Tepler wouldn’t miss it. Many CT hikers take the train from nearby Elk Park to Silverton to resupply, a fun side quest in itself, but Molas Lake offers an alternative option that feels closer to nature. “It’s a resupply that doesn’t require hitchhiking or road walking, so you can get a solid two-week stretch in without ever seeing modern civilization,” Tepler said.
“Molas Lake Campground is gorgeous, and such a fun place to meet Colorado-based friends while you’re hiking the trail…They have showers. in the middle of nowhere, which is a dream. The major downside is that you can’t swim in Molas Lake, and it’s VERY tempting.”
Cottonwood Peak, Montana, Continental Divide Trail
“On the CDT, the prime paper map guy, Johathan Ley, would make the occasional challenge in his notes,” said Triple Crowner Barney “Scout” Mann, CDT ‘15. Ley’s printable maps are free online, and include annotations with beta about water sources, alternates, and more. “In Montana he dared us to ‘Climb Cottonwood Peak. Sure it’s two miles out of your way. Sure it’s a 2,000-foot climb. But you are only here once.’ That morning I bit. The climb up was great, and the view stunning. On the way down it was Double Diamond steep and on my third fall I broke a rib.” Mann hiked a painful 60 miles to the nearest clinic, but the excursion still stands out as a memorable side quest.
Devils Postpile National Monument, California, Pacific Crest Trail/John Muir Trail
“You can actually see Devils Postpile—massive columns of hardened lava subsequently scoured by glaciers and bent as if by the imagination of Salvador Dalí—from the PCT,” said Currin, PCT ‘21. “But temporarily bail on the bigger trail to hop on the John Muir Trail, so that you can get right beneath these basalt behemoths. They have always suggested, at least to me, the mangled steel innards of a demolished skyscraper or a wondrous Richard Serra fever dream, reminders of how incredible geography can be.”
From 2025