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Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world
- RobertoG 6y agoI wanted to suggest an entry, there is a form for it. They ask six question for describing the new hike, and the last one is your email. You can only see it when you have filled all the other information. I think that is a 'dark pattern'. If you are going to ask for my email, ask for it at the beginning, not at the end.
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoThanks for the feedback. The email address was actually just so that I could email a "thank you" note to the submitter. I thought it was optional but doesn't seem to be, so I'll fix that
- RobertoG 6y agoThen, can I suggest to put the email question at the beginning and make it optional? That would give the privacy conscious people the right vibe about your site without need of you explaining anything. Great site, by the way!
- dexterdog 6y agoSo you are emailing and then deleting the email address from your system?
- hirako2000 6y agoLol. The dark pattern could already be smelled from the post title, a growing list of paths, turns out the set is so small, calling it growing is just a click bait. Just wait long enough and you will be thrown some infomercials. Yea great site nonetheless.
- anadem 6y agoNice site! How about adding "country" (or region) to "Sort by"?
- GreeniFi 6y agoThanks for doing this. I’ve a few to add and have already messaged this around a few people.
- Scarblac 6y agoIt lists the "GR20", which is a numbering from an existing list of long distance hikes in Europe (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_footpath https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_footpath). It'd make more sense to include all of them, imo.
- soVeryTired 6y agoGR20 is definitely one of the more famous ones though
- r0mdau 6y agoGR20 and GR10 are the most famous for french, spanish and italian people
- the-dude 6y agoPieterpad, NL
- TwistedWave 6y agoI have suggested the trans Canada trail. 24000 km. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Canada_Trail https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Canada_Trail
- valleyjo 6y agoThis is cool. There’s a few National Scenic Trails missing from the US. You may also consider the Great Western Loop as a thru-hike although it’s technically a loop. There are some popular trails not included in the national scenic trail list such as Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail and Pinhoti Trail to name a few. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Loop https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Loop https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-scenic-trails.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-s...
- sleavey 6y agoLooks nice, but why the separate database? This seems like the sort of thing that should be using OpenStreetMap's database as a backend. Most long distance walks will be in there already, so the site could just pipe that data and add some more photos. This could be another "special interest" map backed by OSM, like OpenInfraMap [1], OpenRailwayMap [2], OpenTopoMap [3], etc. (Edit to add, because otherwise this comment might come across as unintentionally negative: this is still cool and could become really useful with some more categories and sorting tools. Good work!) [1] https://openinframap.org/ https://openinframap.org/ [2] https://www.openrailwaymap.org/ https://www.openrailwaymap.org/ [3] https://opentopomap.org/ https://opentopomap.org/
- dschep 6y agoYou are correct about OSM. You can see them easily on https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/ https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/
- mouldysammich 6y agoooh cool, I hadn't seen this before, but its enlightened me of several hikes near me! Exciting!
- tomcooks 6y agohow else would the author make money out of freely available data, once this gains traction?
- RhodesianHunter 6y agoAre you against people profiting from their work to provide a useful service to others?
- GavinMcG 6y agoSince they're crowdsourcing, yes, at least without disclosing what commitments they'll make about freedom. It's also just unfortunate to splinter things away from established open technologies.
- aivisol 6y agoWikiloc [1] has pretty large database of user submitted hikes: [1] https://www.wikiloc.com/ https://www.wikiloc.com/
- RivieraKid 6y ago[comment deleted]
- cghendrix 6y agoI also enjoy hiking and walking. So much that I’m planning on living in a different city every month (air bnb monthly is great) this upcoming year. One of my top three favorite activities is walking around and exploring so I figured why not?
- clon 6y agoExcellent hiking routes in Estonia: https://www.loodusegakoos.ee/where-to-go/hiking-route https://www.loodusegakoos.ee/where-to-go/hiking-route
- tossitout4172 6y agoNeat little resource! My personal favorite is https://myhikes.org https://myhikes.org which is an independent hiking site similar to this, but focuses mostly on northeast public lands in the US.
- dschep 6y agoI've also found small local resources to be the best ones, in my case that's https://www.hikingupward.com/ https://www.hikingupward.com/
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoThank you! I often refer to our national trails website in the UK for local hikes https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/ https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/
- kinnth 6y agoYou definitely need to link to the map file or the open street map walk details on your site, the rest is great but as a user I want to be able to see an overview map of the trails. It would also be easy for other users to contribute by uploading the map files and thus help every future user.
- tasuki 6y agoI find it absolutely aggravating there are no maps!
- mauvehaus 6y agoSome US additions that don't appear to have been suggested elsewhere: AT, PCT, CDT, which collectively make up the triple crown of North American long-distance hiking. All easily googleable by acronym. Less famous: the North Country Trail, Florida Trail, Hayduke Trail, Buckeye Trail, Benton McKaye Trail, Mountains to Sea Trail. And of course the Long Trail.
- mauvehaus 6y agoReplying to self with some long distance non hiking trails: Northern Forest Canoe Trail (I hope it is self explanatory how one is expected to travel this trail) Catamount Trail (cross country ski) Kokopelli Trail (mountain bike)
- dugmartin 6y agoThanks for letting me know about the Catamount Trail! I've lived 15 miles from the start of the southern end of it for 17 years and this is the first I've heard of it.
- timwaagh 6y agoThese are mostly so long they cant be done in just one hike. Maybe the one in Iceland is doable if you are not afraid of the dark.
- softwaredoug 6y agoA thru hike implies long distance and camping. Like the Appalachian trail takes about 6 months.
- timwaagh 6y agoOkay, I wasn't familiar with the term. English is not my first language.
- softwaredoug 6y agoNo worries. I apologize for our needlessly confusing language :)
- mam2 6y agoWild camping: No and accomodation: moderate for GR20 ?? AFAIK you can rent tents at every checkpoint for like 5 euros and sleep close to the small "mountain house" there. What more do you want ? A swimming-pool ?
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoupdated :)
- dejv 6y agoNot the best known, but still beautiful and very varied is Amber Road that goes from Russia through Baltics, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and down to the Venice or even Rome. 2000km in total. Bonus point you will cross my vineyard on the way.
- xorcist 6y agoThis sounds like a nice area of Europe to see. If it is possible to bike this path it could be reasonably done as a vacation. Have you got any good resources which paths are recommmended, and points of interest along the way? Google doesn't seem to report much apart from a few shorter passages along the way.
- dejv 6y agoWell, it is actually bike path. I can't talk about whole road, but at the leg through the Czech republic is actually well marked on each intersection. Here is a map I found: https://en.eurovelo.com/ev9 https://en.eurovelo.com/ev9 This route actually didn't end at Venice as it suppose to end (and didn't pass through the Baltic states), but it is nice overview.
- xorcist 6y agoThank you! That turned out to be a great resource. I have previously looked at something called the Trans Dinarica, a 2000km mountain bike trail through beautiful terrain in the Dinarica alps. Maybe this is a bit easier alternative, while no less epic.
- jean-malo 6y agoInteresting list and a nice surprise to see hikes like these on HN. I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019 [1] and it was amazing. If you have the time and the financial means to be able to drop everything for 6 months, go for it! You will make some life changing encounters. [1] https://jean-malo.com https://jean-malo.com
- stef25 6y agoLooks like Via Alpina is missing, 5000Km from Monaco to Slovenia all across the Alps. http://www.via-alpina.org/en/ http://www.via-alpina.org/en/
- haripcexpert 6y agoDomain WHOIS Lookup https://whois.haribook.com/ https://whois.haribook.com/
- thomasswift 6y agoSuper cool! Quick comment. Check your site on mobile, the suggest bar did some weird text wrapping to make it seems to say "this list is growing Dont email me" and I think with a line break or two in there it would be clearer that you want them! I can email a screenshot if you like
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoThank you! I spotted this comment late but I think the issue should be sorted now
- gkfasdfasdf 6y agoIs there a good resource or tutorial on how one would prepare and execute one of these hikes? I would love to try a multi-day hike, but I have zero experience camping / backpacking. Where to get started? Are there hikes for complete novices that e.g. go from town to town with places to stay overnight?
- wikibob 6y agoCheck OutdoorGearLab.com And various subreddits
- Beefin 6y agoHere's my backpacking list: https://www.notion.so/backpacking-aaf9b1959c57448ca86b9b481a247ca1 https://www.notion.so/backpacking-aaf9b1959c57448ca86b9b481a... Note: backpacking is ALL about preparation. Make a good list and you'll be good.
- TedDoesntTalk 6y ago> cup coozie What? Why? > matches ... lighter Why both? I just bring two lighters > Selfie stick ... hiking poles I find the more stuff I bring, the more frustrated I get unpacking and packing each night and day. Of course there’s the weight thing, too, but anyway try to pack your things in cloth or plastic baggies for separation. I use the zippered pouches that are sold for this purpose in luggage when traveling. Also don’t forget a trash bag! > bells This is great if you are hiking where bears are active. We call them bear bells for this reason.
- ghaff 6y ago>Why both? I just bring two lighters I dunno. A handful of strike anywhere matches in a small plastic bag is very lightweight insurance as part of a small repair kit. I do bring a (one) hiking pole because I find it really useful under certain conditions. But a selfie stick seems pretty unnecessary (as does the cup cozie so long as you have a plastic coffee cup--but who knows maybe metal plus cozie is lighter).
- 6y ago
- rident 6y agoNice list! Noticed a few decent US hiking trails that aren't on it though. There are tons more of course, especially if you include BDR stuff. Ice age trail - https://www.iceagetrail.org https://www.iceagetrail.org Superior hiking trail - https://superiorhiking.org/ https://superiorhiking.org/ John Muir trail - https://www.johnmuirtrail.org/ https://www.johnmuirtrail.org/ Long trail - https://www.greenmountainclub.org/the-long-trail/ https://www.greenmountainclub.org/the-long-trail/ Pacific Crest trail - https://www.pcta.org/ https://www.pcta.org/ Hayduke trail - http://www.hayduketrail.org/ http://www.hayduketrail.org/ Arizona trail - https://aztrail.org/ https://aztrail.org/
- JKCalhoun 6y agoPCT is on the site (now anyway, in case it was recently edited).
- ghaff 6y agoAmong those, the Ice Age trail is only about half-complete. The whole thing can be walked but you'll be doing about 500 miles on roads.
- paul7986 6y agoAdding my two favorite adventure hikes (hike into caves, up ladders, to waterfalls, rock scramble, etc..not just a trail through the woods)... Old Rag Mountain (Shenadoah, VA) https://home.nps.gov/places/old-rag.htm https://home.nps.gov/places/old-rag.htm and The Mohonk Labrynth Trail (Catskills, NY.. so much fun hiking in caves, up ladders, etc) https://www.mohonk.com/a-day-at-mohonk/hiking/ https://www.mohonk.com/a-day-at-mohonk/hiking/
- LorenPechtel 6y agoThis site is about long distance trails--things that take weeks or months to complete, not stuff like your Old Rag for which every listed hike is in day-hike range. I don't see trail distances on your second link but once again it appears to be day-hiking. Considering the US ones on that list--there are people that have managed to do all three in one year, albeit with some flip-flopping. There are more of them than there are moonwalkers.....still living.
- JoeDaDude 6y agoFantastic! Thanks for posting. I was collecting a list of long distance walks in the hopes of hiking one someday. A couple from my list you should consider including: - Camino de Santiago, Spain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago - Via Francigena, follows a Roman road in France and Italy http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20181203-a-1000-year-old-road-lost-to-time http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20181203-a-1000-year-old-roa... - Hadrian's Wall, follows the ruins of said wall built in Roman times in Scotland https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_US/trails/hadrians-wall-path/ https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_US/trails/hadrians-wall-p...
- wolfgarbe 6y agoList of long-distance footpaths https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-distance_footpaths https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-distance_footpath... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_cross-country_trails https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_cross-country_... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-distance_hiking_tracks_in_Australia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-distance_hiking_t... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_Un... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_footpath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_footpath First, you think you have a neat idea, but minutes later you have a Herculean task at hand ;)
- ghaff 6y agoOT, but "Long-distance trails in the United States" is a great example of how Wikipedia lists tend to spiral out of control. It includes "long distance" trails that go down to a 26 mile loop trail around a lake.
- paulownia 6y agoAnd again some from Wikipedia in Europe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_long-distance_paths https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_long-distance_paths
- woeirua 6y agoNo mention of the Colorado Trail? It’s a world class thru hike. Easily doable in about a month. Starts just 20 miles outside of Denver city limits!
- kyoung18 6y agoCool list. Just one point of feedback. Having hiked a good portion of the AT, I would re-classify the Difficulty (if this is referring to physical difficulty) as hard, and Accommodation Access to easy.
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoThat's good to know, thank you!
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- rajbiswas125 6y agoI wanna meet the person who thought 54km is a short distance hike
- RandallBrown 6y agoIf you dive deep into the hiking/running community you'll find people that say 54km is just an easy day hike. A few years ago I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and was able to comfortably do that much mileage in about 10 or 11 hours by the time I finished.
- bergie 6y agoWould really benefit from a map of each trail
- carabiner 6y agoOP, terminology nit: a thru-hike is a way of completing a long-distance hike, not a type of hike in itself. It just means completing the entire trail in one continuous go. You can section hike (do pieces over the years) any of these long-distance trails, and that would not be a thru.
- elif 6y agoYea, but once you've done a thru-hike, they all look like thru-hikes.
- ahepp 6y agoNice! The Long Trail, in Vermont, is one you could add to the list.
- bufordtwain 6y agoThanks for posting, this is a nice idea.
- ketamine__ 6y agoIs there a way to switch it to using miles instead of kilometers?
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoNot right now, but I'll add this to my list of things to do :) thank you for the suggestion
- adam 6y agoAwesome start to what could be a useful resource. In v1.1, would love to see some more granularity in your accommodation category, i.e. on-trail huts, primitive camping, nearby town inns, etc.
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoThanks Adam. This is info that's also very useful to me, so I'll definitely be adding accommodation information next. Just want to flesh out the list a bit more first :)
- TinkersW 6y agoI've thru hiked some of the longer trails on your list, here are few others you could consider adding Colorado Trail: very well marked & established trail, good for beginners who don't mind some altitude Hayduke Trail: through Utah, not marked at all, and not a beginner trail, but has some good scenery & challenges. Resupply is difficult. Wouldn't do this unless you have completed either PCT or CDT prior.
- etimberg 6y agoI hiked https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundy_Footpath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundy_Footpath in highschool. Was definitely a fun experience and not too challenging.
- sakopov 6y agoI have done full El Camino de Santiago twice. If you want to do a thru hike but don't know which one - do this one. It's fairly easy with lots of stops along the way. It's easy to navigate. There are many many people on the trail. But, most importantly, it'll get you mentally ready for uncertainty of being on the trail and just winging things every day. It doesn't come nearly as close to more serious thru hikes such as the Continental Divide, but it's a good way to get introduced to the world of thru hiking.
- flobosg 6y agoGlad to see Torres del Paine there. I did the W Trek a year ago and can’t recommend it enough. Absolutely breathtaking. Also recommended: Craig Mod’s Ridgeline newsletter about walking in Japan[1]. He recently completed the Tōkaidō road. [1]: https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/ https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/
- lanius 6y agoNoob question: how does food work on these multi-month hikes? Are there stops along the way where you can resupply? Do you forage?
- karaterobot 6y agoA lot of these trails pass through towns, or go close enough to them that you can stock up every few days. There are also "trail angels" who wait on the trail to supply food, water, and other essentials to hikers, usually just out of the (abundant) goodness in their hearts.
- Beefin 6y agomany have towns or outposts every 5-ish days of hiking (~50 miles) to re-up. you can purchase from store or strategically time all your packages on your route.
- Beefin 6y agoSurprised nobody mentioned alltrails.com, it is the gold standard of hiking route discovery. once you discover a hike, then go on caltopo to make a topographic map with waypoints, references, etc. print it out and you're good to go!
- krimpenrik 6y agoLove all trails thanks for the other tip.
- th3sly 6y agoThere's Via Transilvanica ~1200 km https://www.viatransilvanica.com/en/guide/ https://www.viatransilvanica.com/en/guide/ and the map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1J5_EDJTogDtItv0WdzuDTvqDTsvd5R6w&ll=47.07128060261444%2C25.2512449654022&z=8 https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1J5_EDJTogDtItv...
- oliv__ 6y agoGreat site! One (small) complaint: the site scrolls back up every time you close a popup.
- oguzcanhuner 6y agoThank you! I'll check this out
- vvm 6y agoThere are some nice hiking routes also in the Pyrenees. For example Carros de foc (https://www.carrosdefoc.com/en/ https://www.carrosdefoc.com/en/). I hiked there 2 years ago in September. Weather was great, no bears, cottages to stay over night and with good dinners. I think it was perfect for beginners: there were some demanding parts, but no special equipment needed.
- LorenPechtel 6y agoOne glaring flaw I note: The pages for the various trails should link to websites about the trail. I hadn't heard of the one in Israel and it really surprised me, I can't imagine how it fits--but I would have to resort to Google to learn more about it.
- astr0n0m3r 6y agoI've noticed that the term "thru-hike" is being stretched in its meaning. Not that this is especially egregious. A more global term would be to call these "treks". And some of these aren't exactly "long-distance" either. I've done the Paine Circuit (which includes the "W"), and would never call it a thru-hike or long-distance. It sounds weird to me to call any loop hike a thru-hike.