Book Review: 100 Hikes of a Lifetime – The World’s Ultimate Scenic Trails

100 Hikes of a Lifetime is a new book by National Geographic featuring some of the world’s most scenic trails. The book is organized into six well organized parts, with each part focusing on a continent (Antarctica is grouped with Australia). There is also a very useful table of contents in the back of the book that organizes all of the 100 hikes by country and lists the page number to find them. Each hike provides helpful information on distance, time requirements, optimal travel windows, difficulty, and color commentary, bringing each feature to life. Best of all, 100 Hikes of a Lifetime is packed full of amazing National Geographic photography from all around the world. I’ve been reading through this book for a few weeks now, and will share my thoughts in this review.

Book Review

One of the most common questions I receive from readers is “What’s next?”. Sometimes it is directed at me, but most of the time it is an advice seeking inquiry for themselves. It’s a question I ask myself a lot, and it becomes more difficult to answer the more I travel. Visiting beautiful mountains around the world and checking bucket list adventures off of my list can leave me chasing a bit of an adventure high, so I can understand why readers eagerly seek a ‘next trip’ after just completing one. With 100 Hikes of a Lifetime, Kate Siber and Andrew Skurka have put together a list of 100 answers for those of us in search of “What’s next?”.

Before getting into the adventures, 100 Hikes of a Lifetime begins with a foreword by respected outdoor expert, Andrew Skurka. Skurka is a highly respected hiker, backpacker, and trail runner that has been named “Adventurer of the Year” by National Geographic and “Person of the Year” by Backpacker magazine. He has been a trailblazer in the world of long distance backpacking and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to gear, advice, and techniques. Andrew covers his Core 13 gear list to help readers pick the right clothes, packs, footwear and more. Make sure to read my review of Skurka’s The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide, and give that book a close read if you’re interested in lightening your travel load the smart way.

After Skurka’s foreword, 100 Hikes of a Lifetime jumps into the adventures. Part 1 features North America, Part 2 features South America, Part 3 features Europe, Part 4 features Africa, Part 5 features Asia, and Part 6 features Oceana, Australia, and Antarctica.

Instead of reading this book straight through, I first jumped to the back to scan the destinations by location. When picking up a hiking trail reference book like this, I love seeing how many of the recommended hikes I’ve done.

Right off the bat, my eyes jumped to some of my favorites. Hikes like the epic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage on the Iberian Peninsula, Tour du Mont Blanc, the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Havasupai Falls, Angels Landing, and Cinque Terre are a few I’ve featured here on Trail to Peak.

After having a chance to relive some of the hikes I was familiar with, I started jumping in to the many I had never heard of. 100 Hikes of a Lifetime is a book I’m finding very hard to put down. I always pick it up with the intent to read about one or two new trails, and then realize I’ve read through five. The author, Kate Siber, does a fantastic job of drawing the reader into each adventure with vivid descriptions of the landscapes, and detailed information on each trail. She also provides quotes from local foundations, guides, and hikers for a first hand perspective.

Closing Thoughts

100 Hikes of a Lifetime is a fantastic book filled with one hundred scenic, exciting, and unique adventure travel ideas. I have yet to find a more comprehensive answer to my question of “what’s next?. This book would be a great acquisition for fellow travel enthusiasts and would also make a great gift for the adventure traveler in your life. With a list price of $35.00, I consider this hardcover to be an absolute bargain for all that it provides. 100 Hikes of a Lifetime is available now and can be purchased over at Amazon.

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Disclosure: 100 Hikes of a Lifetime was provided to Trail to Peak at no cost for this review as part of an online book tour. All thoughts and opinions of this book are my own.