Exploration
From towering fjords to snaking glaciers, these 10 jaw-dropping routes are worth planning an entire holiday around.
The world has some stunning natural places, but many of them take days or weeks of hard exertion to get to. Not these. Here are 10 of the most visually stunning hikes and unique trails you can do in just one day – from immense fjords and narrow canyons to active volcanoes and expansive ice fields.
All 10 are so spectacular they're worth planning an entire trip around, even if some may be half a world away. So what are you waiting for? Add ALL of these to your trekking bucket list.
1. Aletsch Panoramaweg
- Where: Moosfluh to Fiescheralp, Switzerland
- Why: Get up close to the biggest glacier in the Alps
- Length: 14.6km / 570m of ascent / 4.5 hours (plus return transport time)
- When to go: July - October
This hike along the picture-perfect Aletsch glacier, which can be reached with a variety of cable cars, is surrounded by 32 peaks rising above 4,000m, including the famous trio of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.
It starts with expansive glacier and mountain views from Bettmerhorn then crosses the Grosses Gufer rock glacier and runs along the face of the Aletsch glacier to Märjelensee, where small icebergs float in the lake. Wide grass meadows then lead to the Fiescher Glacier before the trail cuts back into the next valley south to end with distant views of the Matterhorn.
The trail can be shortened by an hour by cutting through a long mountain tunnel, or there are other shorter routes and high viewpoints in the area.
2. Ruta del Cares – Spain
- Where: Poncebos to Cain or vice versa, Picos NP, Asturias, Spain
- Why: Immense canyon scenery with knife-edge drops (and amazing food)
- Length: 12km / 400m ascent / 4 hours one-way or 6-8 hours return
- When to go: Year round (but summer is busy)
This is one of Europe’s most breathtaking trails – partly due to its incredible canyon scenery and partly due to the unprotected trail edges and stomach-churning drops to the Cares River hundreds of metres below.
Most hikers start from Poncebos with a 300m ascent to Los Collaos, after which it’s mostly flat. The trail, carved into the steep canyon sides, crosses bridges and hand-carved rock tunnels through the increasingly narrow valley to Cain, where hikers can tuck into revered local food before heading back.
It is possible to arrange 4x4 transport back to Poncebos (less easy in the opposite direction) or, to avoid the steep climb and hit the highlights sooner, start from Cain and turn back before the trail begins to rise.
3. Kjeragbolten
- Where: Øygardstøl, Norway
- Why: Amazing fjord views and the ultimate nerve-racking photo opp
- Length: 9.8km / 460m ascent / 5 hours return
- When to go: June – September (access roads closed outside these months)
Here’s the clincher: the target of this round-trip hike is to stand on top of a giant round boulder wedged between two sides of a 1,000m deep crevasse.
But it’s not just the ‘wow’ photo opportunity that makes this challenging trek worthwhile, it’s also the undulating paths through green valleys, the scrambling sections and the top of the plateau with its extensive views down into Lysefjord.
It’s not easy to get to – a 2.5hr drive from Stavanger or 7.5hrs from Oslo – but it’s worth it. Pulpit Rock is another popular option in the area.
4. Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit
- Where: Cortina D’Ampezzo, Dolomites, Italy
- Why: Jagged Patagonia-style mountain peaks in the heart of Europe
- Length: 9.8km / 380m ascent / 3-4.5 hours loop
- When to go: May – October (October best to avoid crowds)
This trail circles one of Europe’s best known and most spectacular mountain groups, but it’s the sawtooth mountains that surround Tre Cime di Lavaredo that make this hike stand out from the crowd.
The first section looks straight down on a scene reminiscent of Mordor in Lord of the Rings, with a swathe of black, jagged peaks rising from the valley.
The route then turns to face the main attraction and follows a saddle from where the 500m-high walls of Tre Cime look their most imposing. Their shape continues to change as the path travels around from mountain hut to mountain hut, past some pretty reflective lakes before returning to the starting point.
5. Kalalau Trail
- Where: Kaua’i, Hawaii, USA
- Why: Perilous cliff paths leading to Hawaii’s most remote beach
- Length: 17km each way
- When to go: Year round (best weather May-June). Permit is required at all times. NOTE: The trail is currently closed due to floods and landslides. Permits are not available for dates before April 2019.
This hike, which was the focus of the 2009 thriller A Perfect Getaway, is arguably the most famous and popular hike in the Hawaiian Islands - and justifiably so.
The end point at Kalalau Beach is a tropical paradise of turquoise water and white sand and the route to reach it, which starts at Kee Beach and cuts its way precariously along the towering Na Pali cliffs, is a wild hike through five valleys of pristine wilderness and lush rainforest, with off-shoots up to waterfalls and stream crossings along the way.
It’s a stretch to reach Kalalau beach and return in the same day – most hikers overnight there and return the next day – but even hiking part of this trail offers a uniquely different experience of Hawaii.
6. Half Dome
- Where: Yosemite NP, USA
- Why: A truly wild ascent to one of America’s most amazing panoramas
- Length: 25km / 1,600m ascent / 10–14 hours round trip
- When to go: Late May – Early October. Permit is required (either via annual lottery every March or daily returns lottery)
This truly serious and spectacular day hike is a non-stop ascent past giant waterfalls, through a hot desert forest and up the steps of the sub dome to a 60º cable–supported summit climb. Then back down.
There are three different routes, all of which converge, but starting on the Mist Trail is the shortest and most scenic. All routes are twice as tough as most of the other tough hikes in Yosemite and it requires preparation, ideally at least two long hikes with 600+m gain.
Just 300 people per day are allowed up, but there are other amazing routes in the park – such as the Panorama Trail – for those who miss out.
7. The Narrows
- Where: Zion NP, USA
- Why: Wade in and out of a river as it cuts through towering canyon walls
- Length: Up to 14km return / 5-10 hours depending on water levels
- When to go: Year round (avoid spring, when high water can close the trail)
This famous trail may not provide the most jaw-dropping scenery in Zion – for that head to Angels Landing or Canyon Overlook – but it does offer one of the world’s most unique day hike experiences.
It starts with a gentle stroll along a river trail, where the mountains close in at every turn until the gaping Temple of Sinawava marks the entrance to the Narrows. At that point, it’s time to enter the river.
Heading into the slot canyon, the gap between the 600m-high walls narrows to around 10m wide at points as the trail leads through chilling water from knee-deep to full immersion. Hikers can turn round at any time but often target Orderville Canyon, 4km upstream, or Big Spring, 7km on.
8. Harding Icefield
- Where: Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA
- Why: Feel truly remote as you overlook a giant expanse of ice and snow
- Length: 13km / 1,000m ascent / 6-8 hours return
- When to go: June-October
This trail is all about the endpoint, an extraordinary and otherworldly place where a giant expanse of solid ice, pierced by small mountain peaks, stretches as far as the eye can see.
Just 15 minutes drive from Seward, the hike begins on the valley floor and climbs through forests and meadows to reach the toe of Exit Glacier. From there it continues up alongside the icy tongue to the stunning viewpoint over the 1,800 sq km Harding Icefield.
Shorter trails lead down to Exit Glacier or to viewpoints of Marmot Meadows and Top of the Cliffs, but nothing compares to reaching the end.
9. Laguna de los Tres
- Where: El Chaltén, Los Glaciares NP, Argentina
- Why: A Patagonian epic to reach the bases of Fitzroy and Cerro Torre
- Length: 13km / 700m ascent / 8-10 hours return
- When to go: October to May (dependent on snow conditions)
The 360º views of Patagonia’s most awe-inspiring mountains are the draw of this hike, which ends at a mirror-lake beneath the towering granite peak of Mount Fitzroy.
The trail begins on the edge of buzzing El Chaltén town and climbs steeply into native forest, with views of the Río de las Vueltas, then on to Laguna Capri. It crosses several rivers before climbing up loose scree slopes to reach the iceberg-filled Laguna de Los Tres, backed by the famed spires.
Two days allows time to explore the area, including a 500m route to the left of the lake with panoramas over Laguna Sucia, but if doing the route in one day allow plenty of time to get back before dark.
10. Tongariro Crossing
- Where: North Island, New Zealand
- Why: A rare opportunity to hike among and across active volcanoes
- Length: 19.4km / 1,196m ascent / 7-8 hours one-way (plus return transport)
- When to go: October – April (shuttle access only at this time)
This unique hike across volcanic alpine terrain circles three giant volcanoes and passes steaming vents, old lava flows and bright blue crater lakes.
The trail rises gently up the valley between the perfect cone summits of Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe then climbs the ‘Devil’s Staircase’ up to South Crater. From there, a tough climb on an exposed ridge leads up to and around the dramatic ‘earth-torn-apart’ landscape of Red Crater.
A slope of volcanic scree descends past Emerald Lakes, where the air is tinged with a sulphurous smell from steaming vents, to the sacred Blue Lake and up to North crater, which offers long-distance views all the way to Lake Taupo before a zigzag track heads down to the end of the road.
If that’s not challenging enough for one day, side trails on the route offer access to the summits of Tongariro or Ngauruhoe.
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