Seven beginner thru-hikes

GearJunkie on April 17 published a list of seven thru-hikes it says are manageable first long trails, led by routes far shorter than the Appalachian or Pacific Crest trails. (gearjunkie.com) Writer Mary Andino said the cutoff for the list was established trails of at least 50 miles, with good signage, reliable water and resupply, moderate to low elevation change, and ample camping. GearJunkie picked six U.S. routes and one international trail. (gearjunkie.com) A thru-hike usually means walking a trail continuously from one end to the other, rather than piecing it together over separate trips. GearJunkie noted there is no governing body that sets an official distance rule, which is why its list starts at 50 miles instead of the 2,000-mile scale many people associate with the category. (gearjunkie.com) The shortest trail on the roundup is New Jersey’s Batona Trail, which GearJunkie lists at 53 miles and describes as nearly flat. New Jersey’s environmental agency puts the Batona at 50 miles through the Pinelands, with overnight permits required for camping. (gearjunkie.com) (dep.nj.gov) The only overseas pick is Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail, a 55-kilometer, or 34-mile, hut-and-campsite route that the Iceland Touring Association markets with bookable 3-, 4-, and 5-night packages. That makes it the outlier on GearJunkie’s own 50-mile rule, which the article acknowledges by calling it a bonus international option. (fi.is) (gearjunkie.com) At the longer end, the list includes the Tahoe Rim Trail around Lake Tahoe, which the Tahoe Rim Trail Association describes as more than 170 miles, and Vermont’s Long Trail, which the Green Mountain Club says runs the length of the state and is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States. (tahoerimtrail.org) (greenmountainclub.org) The roundup also pulls in regional trails that sit between those poles: the Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas, where one built segment runs about 165 miles from Lake Fort Smith, and Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail, which its stewards describe as 300-plus miles along Lake Superior’s North Shore. (ozarkhighlandstrail.com) (superiorhiking.org) One route on the list cuts against the “beginner” label. Parks Canada says the 75-kilometer West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island covers extremely difficult terrain and should only be attempted by seasoned backcountry hikers, even as GearJunkie included it among starter thru-hikes. (parks.canada.ca) (gearjunkie.com) The timing is practical: Parks Canada says West Coast Trail overnight access runs from May 1 to September 30 in 2026, and Vermont’s Green Mountain Club on March 31 urged hikers to stay off muddy spring trails during mud season. For first-timers, the easier sell in GearJunkie’s list is not that every trail is easy, but that each offers a smaller commitment than a full summer on a marquee trail. (parks.canada.ca) (greenmountainclub.org)