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  • Tim Mathis

84 of the world’s best long distance pilgrimage and adventure routes.

Updated: May 9

File under: GAP Month inspiration.


We’re serving 1997 Angelfire realness around here, so I made this unwieldy in-no-particular-order list, for proud display here on my personal page on the World Wide Web.


This list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a good start to get you thinking about GAP Month possibilities: places where you might put together a trip that’s a month long (or more), which primarily involves human powered travel.


If you want to do one of these trips, and make it a life-changing experience, check out the rest of the articles on how to organize a GAP month.


Scene from the Pacific Crest Trail: One of the world's best distance walks

The world's best long distance hiking and walking routes

  1. El Camino de Santiago and associated routes, Europe, Spain

  2. West Highland Way and The Cape Wrath Trail, Scotland

  3. Colorado Trail, USA

  4. Shikoku pilgrimage, Japan

  5. Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, Taiwan

  6. Classic Himalayas circuits, Nepal

  7. John Muir Trail, USA

  8. Coast to Coast/E8, Ireland

  9. Beara-Breifne Way, Ireland

  10. Long Trail (Vermont), USA

  11. Superior Hiking Trail, USA

  12. Pilgrim's Way, UK

  13. Lycian Way, Turkey

  14. DIY Local urban thru hike, Anywhere

  15. The Way of St. Francis, Italy

  16. Kumano Kodo, Japan

  17. Via Francigena, Italy

  18. St. Olav's Way, Norway

  19. Patagonia Treks, Chile/Argentina

  20. Hadrian's Wall Path, UK

  21. South West Coast Path, UK

  22. The Pennine Way, UK

  23. The Inca Trail and treks near Cusco, Peru

  24. The Larapinta Trail, Australia

  25. The Bibbulmun Track, Australia

  26. The Grand Enchantment Trail, USA

  27. The Pacific Crest Trail, USA

  28. The Appalachian Trail, USA

  29. The Continental Divide Trail, USA

  30. The GR20, Corsica

  31. The Pacific Northwest Trail, USA

  32. Oregon Desert Trail, USA

  33. The Haute Route, France/Switzerland


The world's best bike touring and bike packing routes

  1. The Silk Road, Asia

  2. The Pacific Coast Highway, USA

  3. The EuroVelo 6, Europe

  4. The Munda Biddi Trail, Australia

  5. The Carretera Austral, Chile/Argentina

  6. The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Canada/USA

  7. The North Sea Cycle Route, Europe

  8. Baja Divide, Mexico

  9. The East Coast Greenway, USA

  10. The Camino de Santiago, Spain

  11. The TransAmerica Trail, USA

  12. Trans Canada Trail, Canada

  13. Tour de Aotearoa, New Zealand

  14. Trans Mexico Sur, Mexico

  15. Trans Mexico Norte, Mexico

  16. Taiwan Cycle Route 1, Taiwan

  17. Land’s End to John O’Groats, UK

  18. Cycle Touring (infinite options), Europe

  19. The Ring Road, Iceland


The world's best long distance paddling and rafting routes

  1. The Grand Canyon, USA

  2. The Boundary Waters, USA

  3. The Sea of Cortez, Mexico

  4. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, USA

  5. The Race to Alaska/The Inside Passage, USA/Canada

  6. Lake Erie to NYC via the Erie Canal and Hudson River, USA

  7. Mississippi River Paddle, USA

  8. Missouri River Paddle, USA

  9. Floating The Yukon, Canada and USA

  10. The Danube, Germany

  11. The Murray, Australia


Miscellaneous Pilgrimage Destination and Circuit Ideas

  1. Stonehenge, UK

  2. Glastonbury Tor, UK

  3. Lalibela, Ethiopia

  4. Petra, Jordan

  5. Sedona, USA

  6. Taos Pueblo, USA

  7. The Jesus Trail, Israel

  8. The Source of the Ganges, India

  9. The Serpent Mound, USA

  10. The Oracle at Delphi, Greece

  11. Mt. Olympus, Greece

  12. The Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

  13. Bodh Gaya, India

  14. The Hajj, Saudi Arabia

  15. The Banana Pancake Trail, SE Asia

  16. The Pilgrimage to Mt. Hiei, Japan

  17. Golden Temple, Amritsar, India

  18. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico

  19. Vaishno Devi Temple, India

  20. Lourdes, France

  21. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City


That's it, but also...


More, more, more! Give me more! What other ideas do you have? Go to the About page and send me a message with your ideas!


Back to GAP Month home


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