Larapinta Trail

The Larapinta Trail is a 223km point-to-point long-distance track in the Northern Territory, Australia. Spanning from the Alice Springs Telegraph Station to the summit of Mount Sonder, the route traverses the spine of the West MacDonnell Ranges (Tjoritja). The landscape is defined by Proterozoic-era quartzite ridges, narrow gorge systems, and ephemeral river beds. The trail possesses deep cultural significance to the Arrernte people and offers exposure to one of the world's oldest geological landscapes.

Mount Skåla holds a strenuous and proud distinction: it features the longest continuously steep uphill hike in all of Norway. Starting practically at sea level next to the Nordfjord, hikers face a grueling, unrelenting ascent of 1,848 vertical meters (6,066 feet) to reach the summit. The 5-mile (8km) one-way trail begins on a tractor road, transitions into dense alpine forest, and finishes on an endless, steep, zigzagging stone staircase built by Nepalese Sherpas. The sustained physical effort is rewarded with what is arguably the most spectacular panorama in the country—a 360-degree view dominating the massive Jostedalsbreen glacier (mainland Europe's largest ice cap), deep blue fjords, and jagged alpine peaks. At the summit sits Skålatårnet, a bizarre, historic circular stone tower built in 1891.