DK Eyewitness - Unforgettable Journeys: Slow Down and See the World

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Camping at the majestic Tre Cime di Lavaredo after a days hike

Hiking through the Himalayas on the Manaslu Circuit, Nepal

n Double-tap image to read the labels

Appalachian Trail

The Narrows

John Muir Trail

McKinley Bar

Colorado Trail

Pacific Crest Trail

Kalalau Trail

West Coast Trail

East Coast Trail

Coastal Hiking Trail

q Half Dome

w Jenny Lake Trail

e Bright Angel Trail

r The O Circuit

t Quilotoa Traverse

y La Ruta de Maya

u Kaieteur Falls Trek

i Chapada Diamantina Trek

o Salkantay Trek

p Lost City Trek

a The Shackleton Crossing

s Camino de Santiago

d Il Sentiero degli Dei

f Trans-Alpine Crossing

g Tre Cime di Lavaredo

h Appenzell Whisky Trek

j The Eiger Trail

k Rennsteig Trail

l Tatra Mountains

z Carpathian Mountains

x Lycian Way

c Via Dinarica

v High Coast Trail

b Kungsleden Trail

n Trollsteinen

m West Highland Way

, Julian Alps Peak Walk

. Pennine Way

/ Wales Coast Path

! Causeway Coast Way

@ Dingle Way

Two Moors Way

$ Laugavegur Trail

% Atlas Mountains

^ Simien Mountains

& The Rwenzoris Mountains

* Rwanda Gorilla Trekking

( Mount Kilimanjaro

) Tour des Cirques

Q The Jordan Trail

W Zambian Safari

E Manaslu Circuit

R Headhunters Trail

T Mae Hong Son

Y The MacLehose Trail

U Huanghuacheng

I Sa Pa

O Adams Peak

P Michinoku Coastal Trail

A Kumano Kodo

S Shikoku Henro

D Mount Fuji

F South Shore Panorama Trail

G Rigsum Gompa Trek

H Milford Track

J Murray Valley Trail

K Te Araroa - The Long Pathway

L Tasmanian Trail

: Grand Canyon Track, Blue Mountains

Z Heysen Trail

X Mount Sorrow Ridge Trail

C Kokoda Trail

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Appalachian Trail

LOCATION US START/FINISH Springer Mountain/Mount Katahdin DISTANCE 3,528 km (2,192 miles) TIME 57 months DIFFICULTY Challenging; mountainous terrain INFORMATION www.appalachiantrail.org

Linking the soaring peaks and misty valleys of the South with the vast forests and clapboard villages of New England, the Appalachian Trail the worlds longest hiking-only footpath is a mammoth challenge that only the hardy will complete.

Soaking in the view from Mount Abraham in Maines western mountains

Black bears and moose, the scent of smoky campfires and slopes blanketed in fiery maple await on the gargantuan Appalachian Trail, a multi-sensory and multi-seasonal experience. Conceived in 1921 by conservationist Benton MacKaye, this trail the king of American wilderness routes was completed in 1937. Today, over 2 million people take to the trail each year, but fewer than 25 per cent of hikers tackle the entire route at once.

Most thru-hikers start in Georgias rugged Blue Ridge Mountains in March or April, following the warm weather as it creeps north to reach Mount Katahdin in Maine before mid-October, when the leaves start to erupt in autumn colour. One of the most popular sections of the trail navigates the Great Smoky Mountains, the countrys most visited national park, on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Wispy fog explains their smoky epithet and veils herds of elk, fire lookout towers and the Appalachians highest peak Clingmans Dome. As spring matures, thru-hikers cross the mountains into Tennessee, where clumps of delicate bluets and other wildflowers shadow the trail. In Virginia, everything suddenly changes overlooks, such as McAfee Knob, reveal more pastoral scenes where forest blends with farmland.