If you dismiss death as a frivolous fear or have a passion for the adrenaline boosts that only near-death experiences can bring, then maybe hiking some of the world’s dangerous trails might turn you on in just the right ways.
These are the kind of places that only the bravest of the world can handle - and make no mistake, people have died on these trails.
They’re steep, cliff-hanging, terrifying, miles high, and treacherous. Check them out:
The Mt. Huashan plank walk is notorious for being labeled as one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. Just look at that - it isn’t hard to see why.
After climbing several hundred steep stairs up the mountain, the start of the trail can be found at the top of the South Peak of Mt. Huashan, and the path is several hundred feet long with quite a few other paths leading off of it.
This is only the nice part of the hike, too. Once you reach the end of this path, should you choose to continue, the path continues on without any planks in the wall - instead, you’ve got to navigate the cliffside with only small footholds for support.
It’s wild. There aren’t any official numbers, but Discovery has it estimated that the hike claims the lives of around 100 people each year.
Huayna Picchu, also called Wayna Picchu, is a massive mountain peak that sits about 1,180 feet over the famed ancient city of Machu Picchu, in Peru.
To get to the top, you’ve got to climb an ancient staircase known as the “Hike of Death,” which climbs about 1,000 feet in less than a mile. There are only 2 confirmed deaths on the trail, but with the sheer height, small steps, and amount of traffic the place sees, it easily makes it on the list of the world’s most dangerous hiking trails.
This two mile trail is built on a steel path created more than 100 years ago in Spain. It was originally built to help construction workers navigate the cliffside to perform maintenance on a hydroelectric plant, but now it’s open to the public.
Labeled as Spain’s “most dangerous hike,” it’s comprised of nothing but thin steel beams holding you up over a treacherous river hundreds of feet below.
We wrote about the Bells already in our post about the Top 5 Places to Visit in The Summer, but these two beautiful mountain peaks have also earned their way into this list. \
The North Maroon Peak sits at a staggering 14,014 feet high, and is known as one of the most photographed spots in Colorado.
They’ve also got a stark reputation among the U.S. Rangers in the area, who nicknamed these peaks “The Deadly Bells,” in reference to the downsloping, rotten rock that “kills without warning,” making this 11 hour hike one of the most dangerous hikes in the world.
There’s one thing that all of these places have in common: the beauty attained from the peaks of these trails more than justifies the danger. We don’t recommend everyone go out and hike some of these trails, but if you have the experience and drive, it’s sure to be an experience you’ll never forget.
