Hiking is a favorite hobby of many outdoor enthusiasts. It is an activity that can be enjoyed with minimal equipment. However, there are some hikes that could turn deadly in a moment. These are the scariest hikes of the world. Here are 10 such hiking trails that qualify as deadly and scariest.
1. Half Dome Hike, Yosemite, California
The Half Dome Trail is famed as the deadliest trail in America. It is only 8 miles long, but the final 400-feet stretch is an ascent to the top on slick granite. The stretch has cables to hold on to and walk through the precipitous path.
2. West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island, Canada
One of the most difficult and dangerous hikes in Canada, the west coast trail is 48-miles long and located in the dense woods of the Pacific Rim National Reserve. It is a week long trail and challenges the hikers with wildlife, treacherous paths and numerous cliffs and bridges.
3. Mount Huashan Trail, China
The deadliest hike on earth, this one is more than just a tricky climb atop the Mountain. One mistake and you go spiraling down the hill. Huashan is an old mountain near Huayin with a monastery on the top. The path leading to the top is a treacherous staircase cut into the rock. Ledges, cables and ladders define this seemingly impossible route. There is a particular spot where you have space only for your feet and have to pass through by holding onto a cable and traverse the stretch moving sideways, very slowly.
4. Rover’s Run, Anchorage, Alaska
This popular biking trail is located outside Anchorage and well known for its bears. The base of the mountains has a stream with plenty of Salmon. Hence bears come down here to hunt for the Salmon and frequent the trails too, making this a dangerous one for the hikers and bikers alike. It is the risk of attack from these animals that makes the trail so dangerous.
5. Devil’s path, Catskill, NY
The Catskill trail is just 2 hours away from Manhattan. The Catskill Mountains are led by a wild route, treacherous terrain, waterfalls, and slippery slabs that cover the 25 miles of the 6 Catskill peaks. Bear harassment is another danger that lurks in the minds of the hikers here. All these make the hike only for the brave hearts.
6. Peek-a-boo Gulch, Utah
This is a relatively short trail, but is the ultimate claustrophobic experience that one can have. Located near Escalante, the Gulch is a slot cut out of the canyon in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The whole trail is nothing but a narrow slit cut out of red sandstone that forms a part of the Monument. The entire route is packed with tunnels, drops and potholes. When viewed from the top, the peek-a-boo is nothing but a crack which runs down into small cliffs and potholes. One has to swim across a putrid pool to reach the end of the narrow mouth of the canyon.
7. Kalalau Trail, Kauai, Hawaii
The Kalalau Trail is a remote wild path that has 11 miles of winding trails. The trail passes through a lush jungle with waterfalls, hairpin switchbacks, slippery descents and scary sheer drop as high as 300 feet that lead directly to the ocean below.
8. Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala
Tourists hike up this trail to see the great Pacaya Volcano of Guatemala. It belongs to the Pacaya National Park and is now closed for hikers after a reporter was killed by an unexpected shower of molten lava on him.
9. Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea
The trail runs through 60 miles of remote overland in the Owen Stanley Mountain Range of Papua New Guinea. The climb to the top is about 7000 feet and takes anywhere between 4 to 10 days to reach. Tropical diseases, extremes of weather and wildlife encounters make this the most dangerous long-distance hikes in the world.
10. El Caminito del Rey, Spain
The cliffy route translated roughly as “the King’s Little Pathway†is located near Malaga. This path was originally meant for the hydroelectric plant workers, but later turned into a hikers’ trail. The path consists of 3-feet wide walkways that lie hundreds of feet above the ground. The facility is now in a dilapidated condition and hence blocked for visitors.
