2015 has been an exciting year for me: I’ve visited nine new countries, finally made it to Niagara Falls, and fell head-over-heels in love with San Francisco. Seriously, in my fantasy life, I moved to the Bay Area months ago and now write this blog at small cafe in Sausalito. I can dream, right? Luckily, I’ve balanced all of my French crepe and Bavarian pretzel intake with plenty of hiking. I’ve embarked on so many hikes this year – most of them memorable, while one was so difficult I actually started crying when an uber-fit Norweigan man ran past me – and I’ve decided to compile a list of my five favorite hikes of 2015.
Whether you’re an international jet-setter or are looking for great outdoorsy destinations in the United States, I hope this list brings you some inspiration as you start to plan next year’s travels.
1. Vaduz Castle, Liechtenstein
I’ve gushed elsewhere on my blog about how much I enjoyed my time in this tiny European principality, and while the “hike” to Vaduz Castle from downtown might more accurately be called a strenuous stroll, it was an hour of my life that I’ll truly never forget. As an American, it’s incredibly exciting to see a castle that a royal family actually lives in. While visitors cannot tour the castle, they are welcome to stand and admire the structure from a few feet away, which utterly lacks the pomposity of Buckingham Palace or even the White House. If you’re expecting knights on horseback, you’ll be a little disappointed – but otherwise, this is one authentic, medieval castle.
2. La Pena, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
We may have gotten caught in a downpour, forgotten our hiking shoes, and seen a couple of creepy crawlers I’d prefer to never think about again, but hiking La Pena was truly incredible. The climb itself was perfect: difficult enough to be a moderately strenuous hike, but we completed it within ninety minutes and the trail was impeccably maintained. We felt accomplished when we reached its peak, which offered one truly jaw-dropping view. Read more about my adventures in Valle de Bravo here. Or, you know, just drool a little bit over this photo and start planning your own trip to this gorgeous slice of central Mexico.
3. Great Falls National Park, McLean, Virginia
Luckily for me, one of my favorite places in the greater D.C. area is a quick 20 minute drive from my apartment. Unfortunately, Kevin and I don’t have a car, otherwise we’d be visiting twice a month. We’ve visited Great Falls three times this year, and even after a snowfall the park’s trails are well-maintained and fun to hike. The view is incredible in every season, and makes for a great day trip for those visiting our nation’s capital. The number of trails ripe for exploration seems endless and vary in degrees of difficultly, so there’s something here for everyone.
4. Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
Have you ever wanted to stand in between two continents? At Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, visitors have the opportunity to hike where the North American and Eurasian plates come together. There are trails for every ability and itinerary – and exhaustion level. By the time Kevin and I made it to Thingvellir, we’d been awake for over twenty-four hours straight and the time change was seriously wrecking havoc on our brains. After all, we had landed in Reykjavik a little after six a.m. local time, which meant that it was two a.m. back home in D.C. Adrenaline had brought us as far as Thingvellir, but we couldn’t bear more than an easy, relatively flat hike. Luckily, Thingvellir had us covered – including a waterfall at the end of the trail! Thingvellir also marked my first-ever international outside urination experience. *Shiver.* It’s incredibly hard to privately pee in a place with no vegetation, and the only other car we saw during our entire Thingvellir visit just happened to pass by while I was mid-squat. Oh, Iceland.
5. Mount Floyen, Bergen, Norway
Interestingly, hiking Bergen’s Mount Floyen was my favorite part of the time that I spent in Norway – even more than the fjords. Weird, right? Something about this quirky mountain and its colorful residents resonated with me, and I felt like I’d gotten an unparalleled chance to taste Norwegian culture. Who can say no to witches and trolls? Not me! (In case you’re wondering, that Norwegian hike that me in tears was a few hours north of Bergen. Mount Floyen is perfect for advanced hikers and families with adolescent children. And dogs. We saw so many dogs on Mount Floyen, which made me quite happy indeed.)
Overall, many of my travels this year tended towards the wild and outdoorsy. From central Mexico to Scandinavia to the Alps, I had no shortage of hikes to choose from when putting together this article. If you have any favorite hikes of your own that you’d like to recommend, please let me know in the comments! I’m excited to see what 2016 has in store.
