Take a Hike! 8 of Our Favorite Places to Explore on Foot
- Many of Road Scholar’s most rewarding learning journeys involve hiking, with programs in both domestic and international destinations including the Inca Trail, the Swiss Alps, the Appalachian Trail and Yosemite.
- Each journey blends physical activity with rich learning about natural science, local history and culture in the region.
- These programs provide unique, immersive experiences for memorable outdoor exploration. Many of them offer daily routes that can be adjusted based on participants’ physical abilities.
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”
Naturalist John Muir wrote that, and we couldn’t agree more. Hiking is a great way to experience the world, and it’s an essential part of many Road Scholar adventures. Here are a few of our favorite places for a memorable hike.
Machu Picchu
The Inca Trail
Among the more remarkable achievements of the Inca was the advanced road and trail system they created over which runners would deliver messages (in the form of knotted messages called quipu) and other items to the ruling class. You can hike those same trails today, through cloud forests, over alpine tundra and past centuries-old ruins. The most memorable of the trails leads to Machu Picchu, and it’s the final leg of our hike in the Road Scholar program Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
The Swiss Alps
Hiking in the Swiss Alps is a “win-win” proposition. When you’re trekking through the valleys, you look up in awe at peaks like the Matterhorn. When you’re up in the mountains, you look down in awe at the pastoral scenes and pristine lakes far below you. And when you’re not made goggle-eyed by the natural setting, you can savor the history and charm of Switzerland’s towns and villages. In our hiking programs, you can experience all of it.
The Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail runs 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine, through forests, past waterfalls, across valleys and over mountains. A few hundred hardy souls each year actually thru-hike the entire length in a single outing! Author Bill Bryson tried and failed, as he recounts — hilariously — in his book “A Walk in the Woods.” (He observes, for instance, that “a moose is a cow drawn by a three-year-old.”) Most people are content to experience the trail one section at a time, as our program Choose Your Pace: A Hiking Adventure on the Appalachian Trail does, in a particularly scenic stretch through the Poconos. In a moment of reflection, Bryson also said, “I discovered an America that millions of people scarcely know exists.”
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend is a geological wonderland, with mountain peaks, desert springs, river trails, canyons and spectacular rock formations carved by eons of wind and water. Southwest Texas is blessed with equally wonderful flora and fauna — road runners, javelinas, mule deer, prickly pear cacti and ocotillos that can grow as high as 25 feet. Remote and quiet, Big Bend National Park is a perfect place to lace up your hiking boots — which you can do on our learning adventure Hiking in the Unspoiled Beauty of Big Bend.
Yosemite National Park
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton offers some of the most memorable landscapes in the Canadian Maritimes. Low mountains, lush valleys and rocky coastlines provide stunning vistas — as well as the opportunity to learn about the region’s natural and human history. On Hiking Nova Scotia: Cape Breton Highlands National Park, your daily hikes — where you’re apt to encounter Bryson’s aforementioned “cow drawn by a three-year-old” — will be supplemented by lectures and field trips introducing you to local culture, handicrafts and wildlife.
Yosemite National Park
The sheer scale of things in Yosemite makes it a rewarding place for hikers. It’s hard to understate the enormity of El Capitan’s rock face, or the majesty of Yosemite Falls, or the shock of seeing a living thing as big as a redwood (the Grizzly Giant is 209 feet high, 34 feet around and 2,700 years old). Encountering these things on foot, the whole scene is simply transfixing. Take it all in on Hiking Yosemite Up Close and Personal.
Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre
Along the coast of the Ligurian Sea in northwest Italy, winding paths connect five villages that together occupy a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As you hike between them past lush vineyards and terraced landscapes, you’ll be rewarded at every turn with stunning views of the sea and the colorful houses clinging to the cliffs. The villages, some dating back to the 11th century, are a mile or two apart, and the paths range from relatively easy and flat to quite challenging, with steep inclines and uneven terrain. You can discover this magical place on the Road Scholar program Hiking the Cinque Terre.
Northwest Ireland
Rolling hills, country roads, timeless castles and a simply jaw-dropping coastline have made northwest Ireland a much-loved destination, and there’s no better way to experience it than with a ramble across the landscape. That might include an encounter with a flock of sheep, a stop in a cozy pub for lunch, a sunset over the sea, or a trip through the cobbled streets of Galway City. There’s an irresistible combination of natural beauty and human history in this part of the Emerald Isle — you can experience it on Hiking Ireland’s Coastal Northwest.
That’s the end of this list — but it’s not the end of the hiking adventures you can take with Road Scholar! Iceland. Japan. Québec. The Columbia River Gorge. The Northwoods of Wisconsin. Croatia. The Camino de Santiago. You can really wear out your boots with us! Find all these terrific learning adventures here.
