I often get asked, “What’s your favorite trip?” And I can’t answer that one. To pick just one from all the amazing adventures I’ve had the good fortune to take feels impossible to me. But I tried really hard and pared the list down to 10 all-time favorites (so far).
So as you’re thinking about what great adventures to take in 2013, consider the following admittedly subjective personal picks, chosen from scores of backpacking, dayhiking, paddling, trekking, and other trips I’ve taken, domestically and internationally, over the past couple of decades as an outdoor writer. See also my Top 10 family adventures post from a couple of weeks ago; some of these trips could have made either list.
Make it a very happy new year.
Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail over Death Canyon Shelf in Grand Teton National Park.
American Classic: Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail
Sea kayakers in Johns Hopkins Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park.
Sea Kayaking Alaska’s Glacier Bay
Hiking past Wanda Lake on the John Muir Trail in Evolution Basin, Kings Canyon National Park.
Thru-Hiking the John Muir Trail
A hiker on the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon.
Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim
A hiker below the towers of Torres del Paine National Park, in Chilean Patagonia.
Trekking Patagonia: Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park
A backpacker on the Ptarmigan Tunnel Trail in Glacier National Park.
Backpacking the Northern Loop in Glacier National Park
Hikers on Blahnukur Peak, on a trek of Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail.
Adventuring in Iceland
Trail runners on the Bolinas Ridge Fire Road in Marin County, California.
Trail Running or Dayhiking Inn to Inn Across California’s Marin County
A hiker above the Dart River on the Cascade Saddle Route, during a trek of the Rees-Dart Track, New Zealand.
Trekking New Zealand’s Rees-Dart Track
A kayaker on the Owyhee River in remote southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon.
Kayaking Idaho’s Remote Owyhee River
