hikespeak

Not far from Arthur's Pass National Park in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand, you'll come across an alluring playground of limestone boulders in Kura Tawhiti / Castle Hill Conservation Area. Mountain climbers have fun scaling its many misshapen boulders and hikers will enjoy venturing through the area as well. A level 600-meter long track leads to the foot of a grassy hill covered with a crown of misshapen rocks. ...Read more.

Hooker Valley Track is among the most popular walking tracks in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and the reasons why are obvious. This 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) round trip hike has non-stop mountain views and the destination is incredible. The track ends at the edge of Hooker Lake, where you can watch icebergs that were set adrift from Hooker Glacier, glide across the water below Aoraki/Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in the Southern Alps. ...Read more.

It is not every day that you can hike to the top of a 563-foot tall granite carving honoring an American legend. Actually, you can only do this hike a few days a year when the active construction on Crazy Horse Memorial is suspended so that the public can get a close look. The hike passes through forests and fields below the work-in-progress memorial and follows the same road used by construction vehicles up to the arm of the monument where you can walk out and stand below the 8-story tall face of Crazy Horse! ...Read more.

Mount Baden-Powell is a special summit in the San Gabriel Mountains. It is one of the range's tallest peaks at 9,399 feet and holds particular importance to the Boy Scouts of America because it memorializes the lofty accomplishments of Lord Baden-Powell who founded the Scout Movement. The views are lofty too, lording over an expanse of rugged mountains framed the San Gabriel Valley to the south and the Mojave Desert to the north. ...Read more.

For a stroll through an old growth grove of coast redwoods, head to the heart of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park - Stout Memorial Grove. At just over half a mile in length with 75 feet of elevation change, Stout Memorial Grove Loop Trail offers an easy and enthralling hike through an ancient forest. Century old trees rise hundreds of feet above a lush carpet of ferns to create a enchanting hiking experience. ...Read more.