Triple Crown of Hiking

The Triple Crown of Hiking informally refers to the three major U.S. long distance hiking trails:

• Pacific Crest Trail - 2,650 miles (4,260 km) long,^[1] Washington, Oregon, and California between Mexico and Canada following the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range.
• Appalachian Trail - 2,179 miles (3,507 km), between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.^[2]
• Continental Divide Trail - 3,100 miles (5,000 km), between Mexico and Canada following the Continental Divide along the Rocky Mountains and traversing Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.^[3]

The total length of the three trails is about 7,400 miles (11,900 km); vertical gain is more than 1,000,000 feet (300,000 m) (190 miles). A total of 22 states are visited if the three trails are completed^[4] - which only a few dozen hikers have achieved.^[5]

See also

• National Millennium Trails, 16 long-distance trails selected to reflect defining aspects of U.S. history and culture
• European long-distance paths, 11 European long-distance paths

References