The Kalalau Trail

The Kalalau Trail is repeatedly cited as one of the most beautiful, and most dangerous, coastal hikes in the world. Clinging to the sheer, fluted, emerald-green cliffs of Kauai's Nā Pali Coast, the trail is the only land access into this rugged, roadless paradise. Over 11 grueling miles (one way), hikers traverse deeply cut, incredibly steep valleys, crossing flash-flood prone streams and pushing through dense, humid jungle. The trail occasionally breaks out onto demanding, crumbling rock ledges known as 'Crawler's Ledge,' where a slip means falling directly into the crashing Pacific surf hundreds of feet below. The significant reward is arriving at pristine Kalalau Beach, a massive, isolated white sand crescent backed by soaring 4,000-foot green spires, complete with wild goat herds and hidden waterfalls.

A journey to the Ice Age. The Slim’s River West Trail is a rugged 45-60km round-trip trek in the heart of the Yukon’s Kluane National Park. It follows the massive, silt-laden Ä’äy Chù (Slim’s River) valley through vast gravel flats and thickets of willow and dwarf birch. The trail culminates at Canada Creek, but the true objective for most hikers is the grueling 1,200m climb up Observation Mountain. From the summit, you are rewarded with a soul-stirring view of the Kaskawulsh Glacier—a literal ocean of ice that flows from the Saint Elias Mountains, some of the highest peaks in North America. This is raw, unadulterated wilderness where silence is only broken by the wind and the roar of glacial melt.