Coolest Place You've Ever Hiked

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Mishy
Mishy Posts: 1,551 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
As I was mowing the lawn this morning I thought going hiking would be a really fun vacation or even day trip. (okay, I was day-dreaming a Himalayas adventure but thought I should probably start out a little closer to home) Anyway, where is the coolest place you've ever hiked?

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  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
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    Mt. Tronador in Argentina (Patagonia). The most beautiful hike I've ever taken, complete with breathtaking scenery, the sound of glaciers crashing into the river and giant condors circling overhead.
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I'm not much of a hiker, but Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky was the most AMUSING place I've ever hiked. It was really nice too.
  • RissaDean
    RissaDean Posts: 189 Member
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    #1 - my family's land in central Texas. I grew up running amok on 200+ acres, so to me that's the best place.

    #2 - and a close second - Bushkill Falls in the Poconos Mountains, PA. I think there were 13 waterfalls, plus we went in October so the leaves were gorgeous! Being from TX, I'm not really used to actual seasons, and doing the New England autumn thing was pretty neat :)
  • HarlCarl
    HarlCarl Posts: 266 Member
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    This isn't the coolest, and I've never done it, I thought I'd share.

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMM8T5npXWA
  • lisapickering
    lisapickering Posts: 374
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    Fiji!! It was hot, hot, hot though!! And I walked into a branch and put a big hole in my leg which probably required stitches but I was 5 hours from a hospital so that didn't happen. Now I just have a big scar in the middle of my shin... memories of Fiji!
  • alienblonde1
    alienblonde1 Posts: 749 Member
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    Hmmm that is hard to pick just one. I think these tie.


    Alaska in Denali National Park ...breath taking

    Washington in Olympia National Park .... so green and plush

    California Muir Woods Park .... Trees so big you have to lay down to see the tops
  • bbush18
    bbush18 Posts: 207 Member
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    Alaska!! It's so beautiful--it's breath taking!! Literally! However, I thoroughly enjoy hiking anywhere...we go to the Smokies every chance we get! It's amazing! :D
  • missbecm
    missbecm Posts: 4 Member
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    bump
  • barwwd
    barwwd Posts: 63 Member
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    bump!
  • Panda_Jack
    Panda_Jack Posts: 829 Member
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    Havasupai Indian Reservation. Its at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, 13 mile hike down switchbacks and THE MOST AMAZING views you will ever have. After you reach the bottom and make the first turn you hit a crystal blue lake with a 30 foot waterfall.

    They have 3 waterfalls there, one of them is 80 feet (I actually jumped off this). Underwater caves, old mining caves in the side of the canyon. And everything there is seemingly untouched by the outside. Its awesome!

    I believe there is a waiting list though, and you must make sure everything you have is bio-degradable. They also offer mule service if you're bringing a bunch of stuff.

    http://www.havasupaitribe.com/index.html
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    1. Bako National Park in Sarawak, Borneo. It was amazing and I saw proboscis monkeys, silver leaf monkeys and was bullied by a troop of long-tailed macaques.

    2. Monteverde Cloud Forest in Santa Elena, Costa Rica. So green and lovely. The life there is so prolific that you can look at a tree and not know what kind it is because of the numerous epiphytes growing on said tree. I stood on a bridge on the continental divide and looked at both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea simply by turning my head.

    3. Madeira, Portugal. Hiked the lavada system. It was pretty dangerous in places - walking on a foot-wide concrete wall with a 100 foot drop on one side.

    I love hiking!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    Not terribly exotic, but cool because it's so close to home. Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park in the Poconos.

    boulderfield.jpg
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,311 Member
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    Through the Amazon about 100 miles from Iquitos. We were staying in a village on the banks of the Amazon river, hiked out for a day into the jungle, set up hammocks and slept out between the trees (with mosquito nets and a ton of deet), then walked back to the village the next day.

    I lost about half a stone in that 3 week holiday!
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    Not terribly exotic, but cool because it's so close to home. Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park in the Poconos.

    boulderfield.jpg

    I wonder why they call it "Boulder Field". Hmm...
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Made it to the top of Mt Fuji (very slowly). The cloud formations at the top were stunning.

    Hiking to Biglenalp, Switzerland as a child really stuck in my mind. We did the Bronze Boot hiking award which was a great way to see the area. I nearly slid down a mountain, but was rescued by a local walker, which inspired me to learn German years later.

    Closer to home, in England, the walk around Ingleton is very pretty and we definitely want to do it again.
  • elinsofie
    elinsofie Posts: 69 Member
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    There are so many places in the world where I would like to go hiking if I had the opportunity! I don't know if this is the coolest one, but we had a very nice hike in Ringebufjellet, close to Rondane in Norway in 2009:

    1254594035.jpg

    http://elinbilder.netthund.no/#1.21

    http://elinbilder.netthund.no/#1.20

    http://elinbilder.netthund.no/#1.1
  • mikethom
    mikethom Posts: 183 Member
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    I've never been any really exotic places hiking but Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia Canada was definity cool (see some photos I took here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.139770282282.120136.657832282&l=27c9369448 enjoy!)
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    I haven't had a chance to go to any fantastic places...definitely on my bucket list is to hike some national parks.

    I do enjoy the ones near me in Texas...Huntsville State Park is my favorite.
  • fitsherry
    fitsherry Posts: 86
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    My most memorable hike was to Crypt Lake in Waterton National Park Canada (just north of Glacier NP). You start by taking a boat to the trail head. It is almost 11miles round trip and 2300 ft elevation gain. Near the top you have to climb a 8' ladder, crawl through a 100' long tunnel and then you go around a corner where the ledge is only a couple of inches and you must hang on to a cable bolted into the rock to get up. It's not so bad going up but my legs were trembling coming down. At the top is a beautiful lake.
    http://www.watertonpark.com/activities/h_crypt.htm

    Also, I live in Colorado and we have alot of great hiking trails here.

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