12 of the World’s Most Dangerous Hikes

Some of the most spectacular hikes in the world are also the most dangerous. It seems that no matter how many people plunge off the edge of a cliff or die from hypothermia in sub-zero temperatures, there are always people willing to brave the elements in their quest to earn a moment in the wild beauty of the world’s most inaccessible places.

What makes a hike dangerous?

The routes on this list are prone to sudden inclement weather, poor infrastructure, dangerous wildlife, volcanic activity, rockslides, mudslides and more.

Apart from the elements, hikers have died on these routes because of heart attacks, or even from an unlucky fall. While some routes, like the via-ferratas, require hikers to be strapped in, there’s always the risk of equipment failure or human error. If you do dare to tackle these terrifying hikes, always try come prepared and follow the safety warnings of the local authorities!

Mt. Washington, USA

The Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire calls itself the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather” and that’s probably not too far from the truth.

The trail to the summit is exposed and regularly disappears under a blanket of ice and snow, and the weather station warns that it’s not uncommon for temperatures to drop to -45? F with wind speeds over 100 mph. Wind speed here reached 231 mph in 1934, the highest wind speed ever recorded barring winds inside tropical cyclones.

Despite these statistics, many people set out to conquer the peak wearing nothing but a t-shirt and flip-flops.

The weather is deceptive and what starts out as a sunny day with blue skies can quickly turn sour – Mount Washington lies at the confluence of several storm paths. Since conditions can change drastically in no time at all, the New Hampshire Fire Marshall’s Office is serious about one requirement: that anybody visiting Mount Washington must be able to self-evacuate without help, no matter the conditions.

But people don’t listen and more than 150 people have died at Mount Washington due to falls, hypothermia and avalanches.

Chadar Trek, India

The Chadar Trek along the frozen Zanskar River on the edge of the Himalayas is possibly one of the most breathtaking treks you’ll ever undertake, with frozen waterfalls and sheer cliffs rising up to the heavens.

As the only route linking the Indian cities of Ladakh and Zanskar, it’s a vital area for the local community, which has survived for centuries in this remote, icy region.

Trekkers started flocking here a few decades ago when the challenging Chadar Trek gained notoriety as a bucket-list must-do. The week-long trek requires hikers to surmount altitude sickness and subzero temperatures as low as -30? F, walking gingerly over a slippery frozen river and camping in caves hollowed out by the water over the years. Occasionally, it requires stumbling over rocks in places where the ice has melted.

Sadly, a combination of climate change and the trek’s own fame means that every year the river freezes less solidly, victim to warmer temperatures and too many people.

On days when the river crossing is not possible, hikers face the option of scaling the sheer gorge walls instead – perhaps even more perilous than the frozen river.

The Indian government is planning to build a road through the region, which will facilitate access and bring even more people to the region – so time is running out if you want to see it in all its glory. If you do attempt this trek, please remember to practice responsible tourism.

The Darien Gap, Columbia/Panama

The Darien Gap is a 55-mile missing stretch of road between Panama and Colombia. Building a road here is unfeasible, or at the very least expensive, given the swampy and mountainous terrain, and the only way to traverse it by land is on foot.

The Darien Gap has been called the world’s most dangerous journey, and although only the most die-hard adventurers come here, it’s an increasingly popular route for migrants hoping to reach the US.

The trail is often unmarked and passes through rainforest, swamps, jungles, mountains and rivers prone to flash floods.

You’ll have to keep an eye out for snakes, crocodiles and poisonous plants and bugs – even the mosquitoes can carry malaria and dengue fever. But the challenging terrain is just the tip of the iceberg.

This is prime guerrilla territory and you risk running into guerrillas, bandits, drug traffickers and police checkpoints. Still interested? Don’t do it alone – get the appropriate permissions, hire a guide. Withoud a doubt, be prepared to pay through the nose as the journey is frowned upon.

The Maze, USA

Red rock curves sinuously in every direction, ruggedly beautiful and almost impossible to navigate. This is in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park, a labyrinth littered with dead ends and gullies.

Thanks in part to its remote location, The Maze receives a scant 2000 visitors a year – so don’t expect anybody to find you if you get lost in here! As if that weren’t enough, the temperatures can be scorching and you’re liable to run across a flash flood or a rockfall while you’re here.

There’s no relying on your emergency GPS device either, as it’s been known to lead people astray. The National Park Service is careful to warn people about the dangers of the location and so far they have prevented accidental deaths.

However, there have been a few people trapped in this area for days before they were rescued – as depicted in the movie 127 Hours, which was based on a true story.

Shackleton’s Route, South Georgia Island, Antarctica

In August 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew set out to cross Antarctica and promptly got stuck in the icy waters. After months of awkwardly drifting in the frozen ocean, the hull of their ship finally cracked and left them stranded on an ice floe.

Their only hope was to reach the island of South Georgia, 1200 miles south of South America, where they could beg for help from whaling crews.

Several of the crew set off in a small lifeboat to try to reach the island, which they did – but they landed on the wrong side. They were then forced to walk a further 32 miles before finally reaching the whaling station in a very bedraggled state.

Today, adrenaline junkies have the opportunity to retrace the steps of this woebegone crew.

You’ll have to overcome steep trails, arctic passes and glaciers pockmarked with dangerous crevasses, but the effort is worth it: how many times have you ever hiked next to a waddle of penguins?

Via ferrata, Dolomites

Via ferrata means “iron way” in Latin and refers to a path over a cliff that’s made a little safer because it’s been installed with an iron cable. You strap into a harness, clip it to the cable and sidle along.

It’s said that via ferratas were first used as by Europeans as early as the 15th century, and they saw heavy traffic during World War I when the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies used them to travel across the Dolomites.

Nowadays they are hugely popular in the Alps and the Dolomites. The highest via ferrata in the world is at Mt Kinabalu, (Malasian Borneo), reaching a dizzying altitude of 12 388 ft above sea level.

Via ferratas are a fantastic way to access terrain that’s just a little bit too treacherous for a normal hike. Thanks to an assortment of cables, suspension bridges, handholds, etc., you can scramble up cliff edges without worrying about slipping and falling off the edge.

But although you’re clipped in, you need to unclip the carabiner every time you hit a new bolt and reclip it after the bolt. The via ferrata gear will only break your fall as soon as your carabiner hits the bolt, so if you’re unlucky, you could fall several dozen feet before you stop.

Despite the apparent safety precautions, vias ferratas have taken their fair share of lives over the years. A British woman fell off a 600 ft cliff in 2009 in front of her horrified husband, and an Austrian man fell off a via ferrata in Switzerland in 2017.

Hua Shan, China

The highest of China’s Five Great Mountains, Hua Shan is located 75 miles from the city of Xi’an. It’s famous for its hazardous cliffs and drop-dead gorgeous scenery (no pun intended).

Appropriately named sections like “Thousand-Foot Precipice” and “Hundred-Foot Crevice” give a hint of what lies in store at the five peaks of this mountain – hikers here must use steep stairs carved into the stone and rickety ladders set into vertigo-inducing cliffs.

The most infamous section is the plank walk on the South Peak, where hikers must clip into a harness to undertake a very precise journey across tiny planks bolted into the cliff edge.

Despite the danger, Hua Shan attracts hordes of visitors each year who come to see the sunrise from the East Peak, marvel at the unique rock formations and relive the legends that permeate this holy Taoist land.

Rumor has it that Hua Shan claims the lives of around 100 people per year, partly due to overcrowding on the narrow footpaths. Put away the selfie stick and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other!