Arctic Circle Trail (ACT)

The Arctic Circle Trail (ACT) is a legendary 165km wilderness trek that carves through the heart of West Greenland. Connecting the inland hub of Kangerlussuaq with the coastal bustle of Sisimiut, the trail traverses the Aasivissuit–Nipisat UNESCO World Heritage site—a cultural hunting landscape that has sustained Inuit cultures for over 4,000 years. The journey takes you through a vast, treeless tundra where the only company you'll have are the occasional muskox or reindeer. It's a land of rolling hills, sapphire-blue lake systems, and profound silence, offering one of the most immersive long-distance wilderness experiences in the Arctic.

The Wonderland Trail is exactly what its name implies: a grueling, spectacular, 93-mile (150km) circumnavigation of Mount Rainier, the most glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. This premier backpacking route is notoriously difficult, rarely offering a flat section of trail. Hikers are either painfully ascending a massive, forested ridge or steeply descending into a deep, glacier-carved river valley, only to repeat the process the very next day. The trail passes through towering old-growth rainforests, crosses roaring and milky glacial rivers via demanding suspension bridges or log jams, and traverses stunning, high-alpine wildflower meadows like Summerland and Panhandle Gap where the mountain's massive ice fields feel close enough to touch.