What's The Best Country You've Hiked In?

[darren]

What's The Best Country You've Hiked In?

Well, the best country I have hiked in is an easy question, the United States. If the question is what country have I been to that had the best hiking, then that is a tougher question. Mountains are different everywhere so the experience is different. I am a huge fan of the Canadian Rockies but after my recent trip to Italy, I am a huge fan of the Dolomites. The trail network in the Dolomites kicks major butt and the views are incredible, but the Canadian Rockies gets major points for all the glaciers. The Canadian Rockies puts the American Rockies to shame, hands down. The good ol' US of A does get major points for diversity though. It is tough to beat the combo of Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, California, Montana, Idaho, and our "little" peaks here in the east. Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, and Colorado alone come close to covering the diversity of most of the planet with the exception of the 8000m peaks.

Next on the list for me? Austria and New Zealand. Oh yah, and back to the Canadian Rockies of course.

- darren

 

[Rugger]

Scotland.
You might be surprised.

Good to here that. My wife & I leave a week from today for a week of hiking in the highlands.

 

[Gris]

Patagonia Chile hands down. Not that the mountains are any bigger or better (in fact they are smaller than many), but more the fact that the few people you do see are just so nice and helpful. There still aren't "enough" people down there, so it's not a consumer rat race like the USA and some other "developed" places. The people live off the land and have to rely on each other. So, they're generally really helpful. It's also really cool that just about every place/mountain you go to has never been named or hiked before and IF you see ANYONE it's likely to be a lone hauso or sheepherder and his border collie. Makes you feel like a true explorer. The only downsides I see are that the rock in the northern parts can be very unstable and lately the country has seen the beginnings of a strong anti-American sentiment in the more "developed" areas.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic).

A small island in the Windwards (15 x 30 miles), it's nevertheless got several 4,000 footers (the highest is 4,747 feet) in one of the most pristine montaine rain forests in the world. My hike a few years ago to the Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake (they look exactly like they sound) was the single toughest hike I've ever done anywhere. The scenery is phenomenal. Google it and see what I mean.

The best part is finishing a climb and spending the rest of the day under palm trees swizzling rum.

 

[Gris]

Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic).

Ahh yes, the last bastion of the Caribe cannibals!

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Exactly. But today they don't eat people, just something called a mountain chicken - which is actually a giant frog.

 

[djavaman]

I've hiked in Ireland, Switzerland, & Austria, but nothing so far has topped Alaska!!!

I lived in Alaska for two years--gotta say the hiking there is hard to beat.

 

[JohnL]

I thought the combination of mountainscapes, biodiversity and cultural experiences of the Swiss and French Alps (Chamonix, Zermatt, Grindelwald) could not be beat until I went to the Himalayas the following year. In Pakistan, we trekked into the American K2 Base Camp on the heels of the expedition that put 4 men on top. We hiked in desert conditions that, on some days, were over 100 degrees at altitudes over 8000 feet. The mammoth scale of the scenes would literally dwarf Yosemite Valley. It was off my scale of reference. We climbed up onto the Baltoro Glacier which was our home for about 12 days. While at Base Camp, we had two 8000 meter peaks on either side of us (K2 and Broad Peak) while just down the valley overlooking our previous campsite stood Hidden Peak (Gasherbrum I), the only 8000 meter peak which Americans have the first ascent. Their expedition doctor, Gil Roberts, was our trek leader.

From Pakistan we went into Nepal to wait for our next trek, the circuit of the Annapurna massif. While exploring Kathmandu, we made our way to Mike Cheney’s office at the Sherpa Cooperative (who outfitted all of Chris Bonington's Nepal expeditions) where we hired a Sherpa guide and five Gurung porters for a two week trip into the Annapurna Sanctuary. Imagine walking into the Great Gulf but all the mountains are 10,000 feet (and more) over your head.

Right now I’m not so sure I would visit either Pakistan or Nepal. Though Pakistan was not particularly a friendly nation at the time, (we left there just before the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, a neighbor of Pakistan, and several months before the Russians invaded Afghanistan, another neighbor) we had no problems other than trying to get a drink in a Moslem country. Nepal is now ridden with Maoist rebels who have terrorized and even murdered some trekkers.

The best country is the US, no problem there, but the landscapes around the world along with the cultural experiences are as diverse as your wildest imaginations.

JohnL

 

[dave p.]

Tanzania, Just got back last week, summited Kilimanjaro on July 22nd.
We did a 3 day safari after the climb. Beautiful country and beautiful people.

 

[Mike P.]

Best would have to US but I don't have enough reference points, we only did a couple of day hikes in Italian Alps & Bavaria (Zugspitze) scenery was stunning, many of the locals do short walks to small alpine pubs & talk in the views above the trees, I think it's mostly the tourist who have to summit.

While I've been back to NH ???????? times and other places near where I live, I've already figured out hikes back in Italy I want to do with teh kids when we go back in 11 or 12 years....

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

I've hiked/backpacked in New Zealand, Costa Rica, Norway, and the Alps (Tour Mont Blanc-- saw that somebody did the Haute Route -- would love to do that one too). Hard to say what my favorite was because all were awesome and had their cool points.

We're hitting up Jasper in September. I would love to go to Nepal and South America.

 

[prino]

I'd have to second Darren on this one and go with the Canadian Rockies. Just Spectacular!
There are many other countries I would love to visit and hike, New Zealand being at the top of the list.
Also enjoyed the pastoral walking in England. It has a lot of variety and lots of route finding skills needed....a spiders web of public footpaths.

 

[wolftone]

Norge!

If you're looking for a subtechnical alpine experience, Norway is hard to beat. The mountains are about as pretty as anywhere else, but the DNT hut system is amazing. The huts are varied in size and level of accomodation, but they're generally cheap (for local definitions thereof) and positioned in the most beautiful places. And they're everywhere - it's hard to pick a hike that doesn't have extensive hut support.

Also, Norwegians are dedicated hikers so you actually get to meet locals when you stay there instead of a bunch of other tourists.

More at http://www.turistforeningen.no/

 

[cbcbd]

I've only hiked in the US, Brazil and Switzerland. Out of those I'd pick Switzerland to hike and live in.

Next on my list would be New Zealand, but now remembering Norway it would be a tough decision.

 

[post'r boy]

planet earth, i'll leave out the political boundries on this one.
4 of the 7 continents so far!! all wonderful experiences!

 

[Artex]

USA! Then again... I've only been to Canada once. I am one untraveled bastard.

 

[blacknblue]

I was going to say the USA, but that sounds boring. The only other country that I've really hiked in is Kazakstan, in the Tien Shen Range, and that was spectacular! I have friends in Austria and I'd love to visit them to see the countryside, as well as New Zealand, Patagonia, and Kyrgyzstan.
Then again, Vermont's not so bad!
Hey, unadogger, where in the Indian Peaks (CO) have you hiked?