Men's Health Lists 9 Bucket List Trails

- The Tour du Mont Blanc trail circumnavigates the Mont Blanc massif, passing through France, Italy, and Switzerland. This roughly 110-mile (170 km) route involves a total elevation gain and loss of about 30,000 feet and typically takes hikers 8 to 12 days to complete. - The Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike is a strenuous 24-mile trek that descends 6,000 feet to the canyon floor and then ascends 4,500 feet to the opposite rim. Most people complete this iconic hike as a multi-day backpacking trip, though it can be done in a single day by extremely fit hikers, with a median time of 12 hours. - Located in New Hampshire's White Mountains, the Franconia Ridge Loop is an 8.9-mile trail that traverses the summits of Little Haystack Mountain, Mount Lincoln, and Mount Lafayette. This challenging day hike involves over 3,900 feet of elevation gain and is known for its stunning panoramic views along the rocky alpine ridge. - The W Trek in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park is a 46-mile route that takes hikers through three distinct valleys, forming a "W" shape. Key highlights of this 4-5 day trek include views of the iconic granite spires of the Torres del Paine, the French Valley, and the massive Grey Glacier. - The Grinnell Glacier Trail in Montana's Glacier National Park is a 10.6-mile roundtrip hike with an elevation gain of about 1,600 feet. Hikers can shorten the trek by 3.4 miles by taking a boat across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. The trail offers chances to see bighorn sheep and mountain goats. - New Zealand's Ben Lomond Track is a demanding full-day hike near Queenstown with a significant elevation gain of 1,438 meters (4,718 feet) to its 1,748-meter summit. Hikers can opt to take the Skyline Gondola to Bob's Peak, which saves about an hour of walking. - The Alum Cave Trail is the shortest of five routes to the 6,593-foot summit of Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains. This 11-mile roundtrip trail features notable geological formations like Arch Rock and the 80-foot tall Alum Cave Bluffs, which is a concave cliff rather than a true cave. - The Puez-Odle Altopiano trail in the Italian Dolomites is a high-alpine hike of about 10.6 miles (17 km). A cable car can be used to eliminate a significant portion of the initial ascent, turning the hike into a net downhill journey with about 580 meters of ascent and 1,200 meters of descent.