Hiking community on a hiking trail

Meet the team

Our story

We’re happy to meet you here! Our team is a bunch of enthusiastic hikers with only one mission: helping to find your next trail. With a small team of editors and a big team of hikers, we strive to keep you updated about the best hiking in the world, hidden gems, preparation, inspiration, and the newest hiking gear to make your time on the trails even better!

Find out more about the people who are building this database into the largest high-quality resource for hikers all over the world. We’re still in the beginning stages of working toward this massive goal, but we hope to make a small difference for hikers who’re visiting this website, bringing the trails one step closer. ❤️

You can help build the community and make this the best resource for hikers worldwide by contributing a trail that you have already hiked to make a huge difference for other hikers. 🙏

 

Contribute a trail

Editorial team

With a small team of editors, we keep this resource up and running. Meet our team here and reach us at info@hiking-trails.com or on our social media channels.

 

We’re always looking for talent and passionate hikers. If you want to help us build out this resource, just send us an email.

Editor

Elmar Teegelbeckers

Passionate hiker Elmar spends months of his time on the trail. He’s usually on the lookout for hidden gems in one of his favourite countries such as Slovenia, Switzerland and Japan. He founded hiking-trails.com in need for a community and detailed information about the trails. Before this, he worked for the Alpine asscociation in the Netherlands[ (NKBV) but lost his heart to the trails.

Not long ago, Elmar published the book (in Dutch) Hiking Trails – best long-distance trails in Europe. With this book, website and socials, he hopes to inspire and shape an inclusive community for hikers all over world. No matter your speed, experience or level, you can get out there to enjoy the trails and connect with the heartwarming hiking community. Life is so much better outside and he hopes to inspire hikers to take their first, or next, step on the trail.

You can reach Elmar at info@hiking-trails.com.

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Editor

Jochem de Jong

Jochem de Jong is a Dutch photographer and the technical guy behind this website. With his passion for photography and design he makes sure that every page on this website looks perfect. The last years Jochem hiked 20+ long-distance trails, mainly in Europe from the Coast to Coast in England to mountain hut trekkings in the Dolomites. Most of the photos on this website Jochem shot on the trails.

Besides hiking, Jochem loves Italy and most of all the dreamy countryside of Tuscany which at one day, he hopes to run a small B&B besides his work as a photographer.

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Editor

Katie Mitchell

After a whirlwind of 8 years on the road (and trail!), Katie has hiked the Camino Frances, the Peaks of the Balkans, the Fisherman’s Trail, and extensively in the United States. She is an avid trail runner and now lives in Colorado where she plays in the mountains in her free time. You can follow her adventures on Instagram.

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Contributors

We’re grateful for every single contributor. Without all these talented writers, we wouldn’t be able to create this high-quality database. You’re welcome to join our team.

 

The contributors are passionate hikers from all over the world, providing articles, reviews, and most of all, trail descriptions from their hikes. We couldn’t be more appreciative!

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Andreas Scholz

Andreas Scholz was born in a small Swabian village in Germany. It wasn’t until the age of 35 that he began to discover the big wide world, and since then he has been traveling the most diverse long-distance hiking trails in Germany.

You can follow Andi on Instagram @startthetrail.wanderblog

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Ard Leeksma

Ard Leeksma was born in the Netherlands. He is a self-taught freelance photographer who travels anywhere and has been thru-hiking about 4 years from now. His love for long-distance hiking all started in the best hiking country: New Zealand. Eventually, he discovered his way to the mountains in Europe, especially in the Alps, Pyrenees, and the Balkans. Ard writes detailed itineraries of his trips and shoots personal portraits and business outdoor branding.

You can check his website or follow him on Instagram: @ardleeksma

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Bjorn Dziambor

Hi, I’m Björn, from Kiel, Northern Germany. I’m a 35-year-old Civil Engineer succesfully hiked the Pacific Crest Trail NoBo in 2023. As an alien, there’s lots of stuff to do, before you lock your house in Germany and move to the U.S. for half a year.I love being outside, hiking, climbing, running, and swimming. Cooking, Baking, and dehydrating food is also a passion of mine.

Together with his partner Anika, Björn invented the Laeppie for European thru-hikers.

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Brian Walsh

Brian grew up in New England hiking the White Mountains of NH. He thru-hiked the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail with his now-fiance in 2021 and they have been avid long-distance backpackers ever since, completing the Trans Catalina Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, and John Muir Trail. In 2024 they will be thru-hiking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail.

You can follow them on Instagram @trekking_thru

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Chris Gaida

Hey everybody, My name is Chris, 32, I was born and raised in eastern Austria, lived in Vienna for more then 10 years, and since 2020 I am travelling the world with a bunch of stops for work, as hiking and travelling doesn’t pay the bills 😉

I did my first Trail in 2016, which was the at this time not soooo famous Fishermans Trail in Portugal. I hiked it in January and enjoyed the solitude I had during those impressive hikes. Since then I did around 10 Trails all over Europe, but mainly in the south as I really prefer the Mediterranean climate.
I have a quite big knowledge about flora and fauna, and really enjoy to share it while exploring new places and learning new things.

I also document my journey and hikes on my Youtube Channel. Have a look if you like.

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Deen & Alette | Hikaholics

Deen and Alette, from Hikaholics, originally started hiking for their mental health and haven’t stopped since. They are outdoor filmmakers on YouTube where they share the beauty of long-distance trails, give information about backpacking trips, and talk about outdoor gear. After multiple well-known European long-distance trails, it is time for their next big adventure which soon will be released!

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Elisa Cortelazzo

Born in the city, I was always annoyed by the streets crowded with cars, the buildings that hid the sky, and the rush of people. I soon realized that my place was no longer in Padova but in the white rocks of the Dolomites. So I used to spend the week at the University of Forest Sciences, and the weekend exploring the trails of the Wight Mountains because I wanted to get to know them in all their nuances.

It was my parents who took me to the mountains from an early age. They took me to Val di Zoldo, in the winter with skis on my feet and in the summer to walk, but… I hated it! I was annoyed, all I did was ask, “How much longer?” But then I grew up, and I discovered that walking is essential for me. Scouting then taught me about the outdoors and the satisfaction of long treks in tents. The Italian Alpine Club made me discover mountaineering and the world outside Val di Zoldo. But walking was never enough for me, I was hungry for trails, views, and adventures. So I accumulated experience and kilometers, and in 2021 I realized a dream I had cradled for years: in 3 months I crossed the Alps on foot, from Finale Ligure to Trieste, alone and sleeping in a tent!

On this trip, I searched for my way in these mountains, until I realized that there is nothing that gives me greater joy than bringing people up here and watching their astonished expressions in front of so much beauty. So at the end of the trip, I took the course to become an Environmental Hiking Guide, and now I bring people up here, where falling in love is easy.

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Ellie Berry

Ellie Berry is a long-distance walker and Irish mountain climber. Since 2017, she has walked over 4,000km of trails around Ireland with partner Carl Lange. In 2023, she set a new Irish record for the fastest known time for climbing all 275 mountains on the island of Ireland in a little over 50 days. You can find her adventures documented on toughsoles.ie, and follow her on Instagram @tough_soles.

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Emma Willaert

Emma Willaert discovered her passion for hiking during the COVID pandemic and hasn’t stopped walking ever since. She likes to prepare her trips by means of a PowerPoint slide deck to inform and inspire her friends.

You can follow Emma and find her presentations on Instagram @slidesandhikes.

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Hadrien & Lisa

Hadrien and Lisa weren’t born in the mountains, as they respectively come from Brittany (France) and Belgium, and live in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, they gradually gained experience and knowledge each year, ultimately leading them to Thru-hike the French Alps and the Pyrenees, as well as doing the Camino twice! You can follow Hadrien and Lisa on Instagram @the.wild.dukes

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Hanna van Aalten

Hanna was born in a small village in the back corner of the Netherlands: one of the flattest places in the world. Even though she can’t find the mountains in her surroundings, she likes to go hiking, wild camping, and trail running. She is always looking for new challenges and enjoying the little things. What is the best way to do that in a country without mountains? By going on micro-adventures, like exploring new tracks in the area or making coffee in the woods.

As a physical therapist and health psychologist (i.o.) she wants to help people with physical and mental health problems. She encourages and inspires people to go outside, to be in motion, and to get out of their comfort zone. Being in nature is, in her opinion, one of the best ways to recover from health problems and to get the feeling of freedom and happiness.

You can follow Hanna on Instagram @hannavaalten

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Hanne Govaerts

Hanne Govaerts is a Belgian outdoors enthusiast. During the week she works a full-time office job but every moment of spare time she tends to spend outdoors, on trail. Her passion for hiking started at the early age of 16, when she impulsively went on a summer camp hiking the Wicklow Way in Ireland. Ever since, her holidays have been filled with hiking trips such as the Matterhorn Trek in Switzerland and the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Route in Japan. Hanne’s main goal is to hike all the Belgian long-distance trails. With its +/- 10.000 kilometers of trails throughout the country, it’s a challenge that should not be taken lightly. You can follow her hiking adventures on her Instagram account @hannehikes.

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Ilse & Ryan Brown

Ilse was born in Belgium but lost her heart – literally – to North America. She has hiked the Great Divide Trail and part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Somewhere on the PCT, she met her husband Ryan. Together, they have hiked trails in Sweden and Portugal. After a year on the road, they are back in Belgium, saving up money for future adventures. You can follow Ilse on Instagram.

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Iskren Koev

Iskren Koev

Iskren is a passionate hiker from Bulgaria. He has set up the Facebook group for the Kom-Emine, Bulgaria’s hidden gem and thru-hike to help hikers find each other and exchange experiences of this long-distance trail to promote the trail to the international community, provide detailed up-to-date info in English, help hikers find each other and exchange experiences of this long-distance trail.

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Jannik Jauer

I’m Jannik and I like hiking. Trekking even more. And I also like to document my adventures. That’s why I founded @Trekkinglife together with my good friend Thomas. Check out our Blog trekkinglife.de for serious content or our YouTube and Instagram for fun content!

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Jérôme Servais

Jerome left everything he had behind in Belgium ten years ago and after a long trip reached Southeast Asia where he lived there for a couple of years. From Vietnamese rice terraces to Borneo’s deep jungles, from Mount Fuji to the Everest base camp, he hasn’t stopped moving since, always looking for new challenges and seeing as many wonders as he can. You can discover his photographer’s work and follow Jerome on Instagram here: @jerome_srv

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Jess Fellows

Having always been ‘sporty’ but never one to excel in any particular pursuit, Jess loves the simplicity of long distance: you don’t need to be particularly talented or fast at walking, you need only put one foot in front of the other. 

And it’s going the distance that truly tests one’s character. Slowing right down to see the natural world and its magnificence, and truly seeing it. To continuously be navigating new waters, and learning along the way. It’s the sense of freedom and resilience that Jess is consistently hungry for, to witness herself in all manner of experiences and extremes. To trust each tiny step, and to remember the bigger picture will take care of itself.

After a few long distance cycle tours, Jess was supposed to cycle around the world. Having planned and saved for many years, only a global pandemic could be the reason she didn’t go. So in the summer of 2020, craving some transformation and adventure, she decided to shave her head and start walking from her house in Bristol. She would go for 3-4 days at a time and enjoyed a few trips exploring the landscapes around the city and beyond. It was on these hikes that she and her partner started dreaming of bigger hikes for even more nature immersion. The thru hiking obsession had begun so by the summer of 2021 they were ready to take on the UK’s longest footpath along the South West Coast Path. The following summer they decided to return to Turkey to trek the Lycian Way, followed by hiking the GR5 route across the French Alps. After some shorter thru hikes in the UK, Europe and walking in the Himalayas, they are currently preparing for the PCT in 2024.

Jess has type one diabetes, eats a plant based diet and wears barefoot shoes. For work she is a wedding celebrant and yoga teacher on retreats. Check out her website to read more about her offerings and insights on her blog, and follow her PCT journey @uprootlife.

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Jill Poulsen

Jill Poulsen and her husband have raised six boys in the San Joaquin Valley, a gateway to the mighty Sierra Mountains. She wanders trails all over the world as often as she can. Trained as a historian, she studies women explorers of the nineteenth century and enjoys walking in their footsteps.

You can follow her @nevertoolatetoroam on Instagram.

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Joe Brammer

Joe Brammer is the Partnerships Manager for Bilaterals at BRAC, a leading international nonprofit with a mission to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. Joe’s professional interests include poverty alleviation, global value chains, social enterprise development, climate resilience and adaptation, and migration. He holds an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS and possesses extensive experience in policy analysis and research. Outside of work, he is an avid writer of short stories and non-fiction, a keen hiker, and a passionate foodie.

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Joy Hadders

Joy Hadders is a Dutchie who takes full advantage of her free days off of work to experience as much as possible in other countries. Like many others, she found her way in hiking during the lockdown and now she’s also hooked! She enjoys discovering hidden gems with her boyfriend and dreams of a fully pinned world map. You can follow Joy on Instagram @joyhadders.

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Lenny Bassleer

Lenny Bassleer is born in the Flemish Ardennes, in Belgium. He is known as the youngest person who ever walked the highest distance in a lifetime under the age category of -30 years old. With 2 world records and one European record, he is a crazy hiker. He hiked all over the world, finishing the Pacific Crest Trail, the GR5, the Via Francigena, and way more.

You can follow Lenny on Instagram Lenny Bassleer (@ultrawalkerlenny) • Instagram photos and videos

 

 

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Linde van Emmerik

Originally, Linde grew up in The Netherlands, but after graduating she made the move Down Under and spent six years between Australia and New Zealand. This is where she truly found her love for nature. She’s a little silly, which resulted in embarking on a journey of a lifetime: Te Araroa. Without ever having done an overnight hike, she decided to hike the length of New Zealand and got swept off her feet by the beauty this country had to offer. In 2024 she moved back to her home country, a country without a single mountain. So instead of climbing summits and hiking in the backcountry, she does the next best thing: write about it!

You can follow Linde on Instagram @lindevanemmerik

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Lisa Butler

Lisa Butler has been obsessively hiking long-distance trails for more than ten years. She’s covered more than 7,000km all over the world. She prefers to hike solo to give her a deeper connection to nature and encourages as many women as possible to hike and wild camp solo too. You can follow Lisa on Instagram @thruhikes.

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Luke Martin

Luke Martin, from Long Island, New York, recently graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Business Administration. Embracing an adventurous lifestyle, he enjoys hiking, camping, and photography. Luke also advocates for food allergy awareness, a cause close to his heart due to his own severe allergies. His extensive travels have profoundly enriched his appreciation for global cultures, deepening his understanding of diverse human connections and traditions.

You can follow Luke on Instagram @luke_martinnn or his photography account @_lifeofluke

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Maja

Maja grew up in Bavaria. Her outdoorsy parents inspired her to start adventuring and backpacking as a teenager. After adventures in Scandinavia and Patagonia, she thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2023 and has her eyes set on the Triple Crown. If she doesn’t hike, she runs: you can follow Maja on Instagram @running.pdf

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Marco Koevoets

Marco Koevoets was born below sea level in the world’s flattest country: the Netherlands. Marco has a passion for traveling and nature, especially coastal or island hikes. You can follow Marco on Instagram @marcokoevoets

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Mathilde Fox

Meet Mathilde, a nature lover born and raised on Réunion Island. She knows the island’s mountains like the back of her hand and always has her white dog, Moka, by her side. When she’s not soaking in the views, she’s training for her next trail running competition. Splitting her time between Réunion and Brussels, Mathilde loves exploring Europe’s hiking trails, especially the Alps, her absolute favorite. You can find her on Instagram  @fox.mathilde

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Matt Waugh

Matt Waugh hails from Scotland but has traveled extensively since leaving high school, covering treks all around the world.

He first arrived to Peru and to the mountains in 2006, and from then was hooked on trekking in the Andean landscapes. Initially covering the more popular routes such as the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, but then on to other lesser-known routes and Inca trails.  He now runs his own sustainable tour and trek agency centered on trekking with stays in local villages along the way. Wishing travelers to gain cultural immersion and insight into the local traditions such as farming, textiles, and shamanic rituals associated with the culture.

For more information or to book with him, email info@southandestravel.com.

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Mick Wadley

Mick Wadley is the founder of Skorcha Organic Suncare and SEO Specialist at HarpoonB2B, who writes about everything related to suncare, organic goodness, and conservation. He launched Skorcha in 2023 after a decade of working outdoors and personal experience with skin cancer. His goal is to share what he has learned about skin health and safe ingredients, encouraging healthier lives and inspiring people to enjoy the outdoors. You can follow him on LinkedIn.

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Patrick Gregory

Pat is a self-proclaimed “covid hiker” and has never turned back. Having kicked off when it was the only available option, he’s since hiked all over the world with a specific love of the Alps and Himalayas. On his list are the cultural trails in Japan and the Jordan trail, but currently residing in Canada is giving him all his hiking needs for now. You can follow Pat on Instagram @pg_tips.

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Philipp Eilmer

Philipp Eilmer was born in Austria, a country known for the breathtaking landscapes of the Alps and unspoiled nature. He thrives in the outdoors and his curiosity leads him to explore the wonders of nature by foot. He loves the untamed trails of North America and finds solace under the beauty of star-covered skies, whether sleeping in his tent or embracing the rugged simplicity of cowboy camping. You can follow Philipp on Instagram @phips_snowcat

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Pradeep Venkatachalam

Pradeep is a passionate solo hiker residing in Eindhoven, a vibrant city in the Netherlands. He enjoys traveling and shooting pictures of big rocks. When he’s not gallivanting through the wilderness, he’s often found contemplating unemploying himself and bringing dishonor to his Asian ancestors. You can follow Pradeep on Instagram @the.tipsy.professor.

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Rob Dormans

Ever since he discovered long-distance hiking and thru-hiking a few years ago, Rob finds himself more and more attracted to life on trail. Intrigued by the simplicity and beauty of everyday life, the Dutchman has so far hiked Camino Finisterre, The Müllerthal Trail, The West Highland Way, and Grand Route 01 Santa Maria. You can follow Rob on Instagram @rob.dormans.

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Roel Zerner

Blessed with the blissful curse of wanderlust, Roel has built his life around adventurous travel since 2018. He can either be found roaming remote wilderness or on the outskirts of mass tourism, hunting for unique experiences among worn-out tourist trails. Over the years, his ambition to become a full-time travel writer has led him to explore trails and adventurous destinations all over the world. You can follow his adventures on Instagram @beatthetrail or via his website.

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Sancia Gimbel

Sancia Gimbel, born and raised in Germany, has always searched for her next adventure. Having predominantly traveled solo, she is well acquainted with the advantages and disadvantages of being a solo hiking woman. Having hiked several trails all over Europe, her favorite place (and biggest adventure) is still Scotland.

Her current plan is to explore South America, mostly through backpacking and hiking in Patagonia, and North America through road trips and hiking over the next few years. You can follow her adventures on Instagram!

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Sarah Busby

Sarah Busby is a British freelance editor based in Cornwall. Happiest when on a long-distance trail, she aims to spend at least two to three months each year hiking. Highlights of the last ten years include the Pacific Crest Trail in America, the W Trek in Patagonia, the Annapurna Sanctuary and Poon Hill trails in Nepal, the GR10 across the Pyrenees, the GR5 from Geneva to Nice, the Via Alpina in Switzerland, the Lycian Way in Turkey, the Peaks of the Balkans Trail, the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Andalucian Coast to Coast Walk in Spain, the West Highland Way and Great Glen Way in Scotland, and the Pennine Way in England. You can follow Sarah on Instagram.

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Shanna Bussink (Rayu)

Rayu is a solo hiker at heart. She has hiked in the wilds of Canada, embarked on freestyling through Montenegro and Latvia, and has also hit the beaten track of Kungsleden, Rota Vicentina and the Jordan Trail, among others. She is a certified hike & survival instructor, and also runs the all-round preparation process for the Fjällräven Classic Sweden and gives workshops. Be sure to check out her website: hikenbeginthier.nl.

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Silvie Asler

Silvie Asler was born in Berlin with no mountains far and wide. However, as soon as she moved to Switzerland for a job, she immediately fell in love with the country and its mountains. She spends her free time  in the Alps or the Dolomites, whenever possible with her family. She particularly likes multi-day hut-to-hut hikes and her life goal is to visit every of the official SAC mountain huts in Switzerland. You can follow Silvie on her blog, on Facebook or on Instagram.

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Sofie Rosendo

Sofie Rosendo

Sofia Rosendo was born in Portugal, by the sea. It was not until a later date that she found the mountains and fell in love. From the Alps to the Andes and several stops in the Himalayas, she is still trying to find her favorite mountain. You can follow Sofia on Instagram @berrygirltravels.

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Stiina Kristal

Stiina Kristal

Stiina is an IML-qualified mountain leader and an experienced long-distance hiker. Together with her partner Kris, they love to explore trails all around the world, learning more about themselves with every adventure.

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Tiina Golub

Tiina has been running, hiking, and describing trails for over a decade. She grew up in the Baltics, which instilled her with love for forest trails, wild swimming, and foraging. Outside of her day job as a product designer, she regularly competes in endurance running races and enjoys exploring the UK and European trails on foot. You can follow Tiina on Instagram @tiinagolub.

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Yanyan Yan

Yanyan Yan

Yanyan Yan (3Y) was born in China. She lived in London for 10 years and Helsinki for one year before she moved to Australia 5 years ago. She is now a yoga teacher and a massage therapist in the beautiful yoga and surf town of Byron Bay, Australia. She fell in love with hiking, especially long distance, when she was studying in London.

Some of her favorite hikes include Nepal Everest Base Camp, Chile Patagonia Torres Del Paine W trek, Camino De Santiago trek, Tour De Mont Blanc, Peru Inca Trail Machu Picchu trek, Kilimanjaro trek, and more. You can follow Yanyan on Instagram @yoga_yanyanyan

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Join the team

We need your help! Together we can make a difference for both new and experienced hikers to get them the information they need. You can help us build the best resource for hikers by writing a description of a trail you’ve already hiked.

We have an easy format for you to fill in to describe the trails you’ve hiked so it won’t take too much time. Afterward, we’ll share the trail on our social media channels and you’ll get your own profile on this website as a contributor, complete with info about you and links to your social media channels (and websites/ YouTube). Reach us at info@hiking-trails.com for more information. We look forward to working with you!

Happy Trails,

Elmar, Katie, & Jochem

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