Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Some people like to hike easy alpine trails laced with wildflowers and gurgling creeks. Others like to hike trails that are a bit more... extreme.

If you're looking for an extreme (-ly dangerous) hike, you've come to the right place. Last October, Backpacker Magazine listed America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes. I've paraphrased it for you below...

America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes


The Maze, UT: Thanks to extreme heat, difficult navigating and scores of identical dead-end canyons, The Maze ranks as the most dangerous hike on the list. Only 2,000 hikers brave The Maze each year - there are virtually no trails, there's no water and there's definitely no mercy.

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, AZ: The Bright Angel Trail, from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River, is on many hikers' lifetime to-do lists. But it's not for everyone. Temperatures soar along the trail and the extreme elevation gain - 4,380 feet over 9.5 miles - makes for nearly 200 heat-related rescues each year.

Barr Trail, Pikes Peak, CO: Barr Trail may climb 7,400 vertical feet over 13 miles but that's not what makes it so dangerous. It's the lightning. The most lightning-prone spot in Colorado, Pikes Peak can become ablaze with electricity at a moments notice, which is hardly time for most hikers to seek shelter.

Mt. Washington, NH: What's so dangerous about a 6,380 foot mountain in New Hampshire? The weather. Mt. Washington has the record for the highest wind speed ever measured at any surface weather station (231 mph) and has seen 137 fatalities since 1849 due to nasty weather.

Muir Snowfield, Mt. Rainier, WA: You don't even have to make a summit attempt to be in danger on Muir (although 90 mountaineers have died doing that.) Thanks to atrocious weather patterns from the Pacific, hiking from the Paradise Trailhead to Camp Muir (a dayhike) has been the scene of many weather-related deaths.

Huckleberry Mtn., Apgar Range, MT: If you're hiking Huckleberry Mountain in the spring, you're risking running into one of the many resident grizzlies. There's one grizzly within a one-square mile radius of every backcountry campsite, the most grizzlies in the lower 48. They don't take kindly to strangers - 10 people have been killed by bears in Glacier National Park since 1967 and there's a new attack (or two) every year.

Kalalau Trail, Kauai, HI: What's arguably the most beautiful hike in the country is also one of its most dangerous. The 11-mile Kalalau Trail features a narrow, rocky trail that forces hikers to plan each step carefully to avoid tumbling down the steep cliffs to the crashing surf below.

Buckskin Gulch, UT: Quite possibly the longest, deepest and narrowest slot canyon in the world, Buckskin Gulch is 12 miles long, 400 feet deep and no wider than 10 feet across at any given point. The danger with hiking this gulch is the flash flood threat - if you're stuck in Buckskin Gulch during a major rainstorm, you're a goner. There's no way out save for the beginning, the end and a single escape route about 8 miles in.

Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mtns., TN: The 2.5 mile hike to Abrams Falls isn't the dangerous part about this hike - it's Abrams Falls itself. Deceptively strong undercurrents and massive annual rainfall combine to make drowning a substantial risk - 29 capable hikers and swimmers have been swept away to their deaths here since 1971.

Mist Trail, Half Dome, CA: The Mist Trail is the busiest trail in Yosemite - and also the most dangerous. Everyone wants to hike Half Dome, but lightning is a real danger here as is slippery rock created by rainfall. The cables that help you up the last 400 feet have also seen their fair share of accidents. There are 300 rescue calls a year made from Half Dome.

For more information, including how to hike these trails and live to tell about it, visit Backpacker Magazine.

What do you think of this list? Have you hiked any of these dangerous hikes? Do you have a favorite (or least favorite) dangerous hiking trail to add?