A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The term is also applied in North America to accompanying routes along rivers, and sometimes to highways. In the US, the term was historically used for a route into or through wild territory used by explorers and migrants. In the United States, "trace" is a synonym for trail, as in Natchez Trace.
A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hiking" is the preferred term in Canada and the United States; the term "walking" is used in these regions for shorter, particularly urban walks. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the word "walking" describes all forms of walking, whether it is a walk in the park or backpacking in the Alps. The word hiking is also often used in the UK, along with rambling, hillwalking, and fell walking. The term bushwalking is endemic to Australia, having been adopted by the Sydney Bush Walkers Club in 1927. In New Zealand a long, vigorous walk or hike is called tramping. It is a popular activity with numerous hiking organizations worldwide, and studies suggest that all forms of walking have health benefits.
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico–United States border, just south of Campo, California, and its northern terminus is on the Canada–US border, upon which it continues unofficially to the Windy Joe Trail within Manning Park in British Columbia; it passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The GR footpaths are a network of long-distance walking trails in Europe, mostly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. They go by the following names: French: sentier de grande randonnée, West Flemish: Groteroutepad, Dutch: Langeafstandwandelpad, Spanish: sendero de gran recorrido, Portuguese: percurso pedestre de grande rota – generally meaning "long trail" or more literally "great route". The trails in France alone cover approximately 60,000 kilometres (37,000 mi). Trails are blazed with characteristic marks consisting of a white stripe above a red stripe. These appear regularly along the route, especially at places such as forks or crossroads.
The Via Francigena is an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. It was known in Italy as the "Via Francigena" or the "Via Romea Francigena". In medieval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route for those wishing to visit the Holy See and the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul.
The Brenta Group or Brenta Dolomites is a mountain range, and a subrange of the Rhaetian Alps in the Southern Limestone Alps mountain group. They are located in the Province of Trentino, in northeastern Italy. It is the only dolomitic group west of the Adige River. Therefore, geographically, they have not always been considered a part of the Dolomites mountain ranges. Geologically, however, they definitely are - and therefore sometimes called the "Western Dolomites". As part of the Dolomites, the Brenta Group has been officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site under the World Heritage Convention.
Alta Via 1 is a 125-kilometre-long high-level public footpath which runs through the eastern Dolomites in Italy. It is also known as the Dolomite High Route 1. It passes through some of the finest scenery in the Dolomites. The path runs south from Pragser Wildsee, near Toblach, to Belluno. Prags can be accessed by bus, and Belluno has both train and bus services.
GR 10 is a French GR footpath, or hiking trail, that runs the length of the Pyrenees Mountains. It roughly parallels the French–Spanish border on the French side. Those attempting the entire trail often choose to walk it from west to east, from Hendaye on the Bay of Biscay to Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean Sea, but it can also be traversed east to west.
The Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail is a 420 km (260 mi) long historical overland route between Quesnel and Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada Of the many grease trails connecting the Coast with the Interior, it is the most notable and often is referred to as the Grease Trail.
The E1 European long-distance path, or just E1 path, is one of the European long-distance paths designated by the European Ramblers' Association. It has a total length of some 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi). It begins in Norway at the North Cape in Nordkapp Municipality, it progresses to the south and crosses the Kattegat between Sweden and Denmark by ferry. It passes through Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland to finish at Capo Passero, Italy. This path was extended southwards to Sicily, in Italy, in 2018.
The Allgäu Alps are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located on the Austria–Germany border, which covers parts of the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and the Austrian states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. The range lies directly east of Lake Constance.
The E4 European long distance path or E4 path is one of the European long-distance paths. Starting at Tarifa Andalusia, located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, across the Strait of Gibraltar facing Morocco, it continues through Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece to end in Cyprus. It also visits the Greek island of Crete.
The Tōkai Nature Trail is a long-distance walkway that traverses 11 prefectures and covers 1,697 kilometres (1,054 mi), running from Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park in Tokyo to Meiji no Mori Minō Quasi-National Park in Osaka Prefecture. Hiking the entire trail usually takes 40 to 50 days.
The Kantō Fureai Trail, alternately called the Capital Region Nature Trail, is a collection of hiking trails starting and ending at “Umenoki Daira” located along National Route 20 at the foothills of Mount Takao in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. It circumnavigates the entire Kantō Region through Mount Takao, Okutama, Chichibu, Mount Myōgi, Mount Taihei, Mount Tsukuba, Kasumigaura, Kujūkuri Beach, Bōsō, Miura Peninsula, and Tanzawa, stretching about 1,800 km. The 160 routes are laid out to cover natural scenery and pastoral landscapes, as well as cultural and historical sites. Each course, lasting roughly 10 km, links two points accessible by public transportation but does not necessarily connect to the next route.
A long-distance trail is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents except Antarctica.
The Great Himalaya Trail is a route across the Himalayas from east to west. The original concept was to establish a single long distance trekking trail from the east end to the west end of Nepal that includes a total of roughly 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi) of path. There is a proposed trail of more than 4,500 kilometres (2,800 mi) stretching the length of the Greater Himalaya range from Nanga Parbat in Pakistan to Namche Barwa in Tibet thus passing through, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Although an actual continuous route is currently only a concept, if completed it would be the longest and highest alpine hiking track in the world.
The Annapurna Circuit is a trek within the mountain ranges of central Nepal. The total length of the route varies between 160–230 km, depending on where motor transportation is used and where the trek is ended. This trek crosses two different river valleys and encircles the Annapurna Massif. The path reaches its highest point at Thorung La pass, reaching the edge of the Tibetan plateau. Most trekkers hike the route anticlockwise, as this way the daily altitude gain is slower, and crossing the high Thorong La pass is easier and safer.
Kausar Nag or Kausarnag, is a high-altitude oligotrophic lake located at an elevation of 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) above sea level. Kausar Nag is located in the Pir Panjal mountain range in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The lake is roughly 3 km (2 mi) long and .75 km (0 mi) at the widest point. The lake is the primary source of the Veshaw River, a tributary of Jhelum. This lake is considered sacred in Kashmir Shaivism and Hinduism.
Alta via 2 is a high route located in the Italian Dolomites between Brixen (Bressanone) in the north and Croce d'Aune near Feltre in the south.
The Bove Path is a 36 kilometres (22 mi) loop trail located in the Val Grande National Park in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. The trail is known as the oldest Via ferrata and first Alta Via. i.e., high-altitude trail, in the Alps. The trail was created and named in 1892 as a memorial to the Italian navigator and explorer Giacomo Bove.
