Off The Beaten Path - Extreme Hiking, North America

Hiking is a sport many travelers can get behind. Hikers often can get to sights that can't otherwise be seen by other means of travel and it is great exercise as well. Start this new year off with a great adventure with some of these extreme hikes... but, a word of caution, these hikes are not for beginners or the faint of heart.

Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park TN

Although Abrams Falls is only 20 feet high, the large volume of water thundering over falls definitely makes up for its lack of height. There is a long, deep pool at its base is very picturesque. The trail to the falls traverses pine and oak forest on the ridges and hemlock and rhododendron forest along the creek. The roundtrip distance to the waterfall is 5 miles and the hike is generally considered moderate in difficulty. Due to the length and terrain however, some visitors may rate it as difficult. It takes about 3-4 hours to hike to the waterfall and back. Portions of this trail are rocky-sturdy hiking shoes are recommended. Do not attempt to hike the trail in sandals or flip flops. Hikers must cross three narrow log bridges to reach the waterfall. 

This hike though considered moderate is in our extreme list due to powerful and unpredictable currents at the bottom of Abrams Falls. The currents have sucked even strong swimmers into traps. Slick rocks have also led hikers to their deaths in the cold waters. Swimming in the pool at the base of the falls is extremely dangerous. 

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park CA

This Hike is dangerous for more than one reason and includes the need for some mountaineering skills. Thousands take this trail every day in the summer, and some suffer altitude sickness, exhaustion, dehydration and even death. This trail takes you from the valley forests to the open granite slopes and then the sheer cliff that is the signature feature of Yosemite Valley.

People with little mountaineering experience can be sucked in by Half Dome’s 8,836-foot crown. Steel cables assist hikers up the last 400 vertical feet. It’s a pretty straightforward climb, unless a thunderstorm starts up. Between the slick wet granite trail and the lightning, survival odds drop quickly. 

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon AZ

Experience is needed for this hike and many people train for it before an attempt. The National Park Service puts a lot of effort into heading off trouble along this trail, which drops 4,380 feet from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River, where hikers then have to turn around and hike back up.

This second half of the very long hike is naturally where things tend to go wrong, but not just because it’s a steep ascent. The extreme summer heat in the depths of the canyon make it a recipe for disaster and result in around 200 rescues each year. Rangers put together the Preventative Search and Rescue team to patrol it and watch out for and assist hikers who look like they are heading for trouble. 

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