The world's five most anticipated hiking trails of 2026

From a new path opening up a previously inaccessible part of the Canadian Rockies to the world's longest managed coastal trail, these new routes are sure to inspire.

In a time when travellers are increasingly seeking out off-the-beaten-path destinations and more meaningful experiences, hiking's popularity is on the rise. Hundreds of millions of trekkers took to trails in 2025, and, according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, hiking is now one of the most popular adventure travel activities across the globe.

"Hiking's attraction is no secret," says Uta Ibrahimi, a Kosovar mountaineer who recently became the first person from the Balkans to summit all 14 of the planet's 8,000m peaks. Last year, she also helped launch an overhauled version of Kosovo's stretch of the Via Dinarica hiking trail that connects the countries of the Western Balkans. "An unplugged walk into nature brings physical, mental and emotional wellness – and you don't need much more than a pair of boots, an idea of where to go and desire. Hikers are naked to the elements, but they are also exposed to living culture in real time."

Alex Crevar has been reporting on travel and sustainable tourism for 30 years. In 2015, he helped create the Via Dinarica hiking trail, which spans the Dinaric Alps, links the countries of the Western Balkans and connects hikers to hundreds of previously overlooked communities.

Hiking's popularity has been bolstered by a wave of adventure navigation apps providing hikers with a continuous supply of self-guided itineraries. AllTrails, for instance, has around 500,000 routes digitally mapped. Trailforks, a crowd-sourced database, shares nearly 1.5 million kilometres of trails. And Komoot boasts more than 45 million users.

From South Korea's first cross-country trail to the longest managed coastal path in the world in the UK, the trails on this diverse list promote a respect for nature and help adventure-seekers experience those most elusive of states: calm and wonder.

1. Pohorje-Kozjak Trail, Slovenia

Length: 174km • Duration: 15 days • Start: Maribor • Finish: Kamnica

While many hikers in Slovenia beeline to the Julian Alps in the country's north-west, the Pohorje-Kozjak Trail, scheduled to open in June, encourages adventurers to discover the country's less-crowded eastern corner. What's more, it's easily accessible: it's a circular route with the city of Maribor acting as its main access point. Hikers are rewarded with two mountain ranges, the Pohorje and the Kozjak, which form a natural amphitheatre around the Drava River, one of the region's most important waterways. 

From Maribor, the 20-stage trail heads south and west across the Pohorje Mountains. Near the range's western edge, the route crosses the Drava, climbing north and east into the Kozjak Mountains, along the Austrian border, then back towards Maribor. The moderate-difficulty route passes through a primeval forest, crosses ski slopes, skirts waterfalls and summits the path's highest peak, the 1,543m-tall Črni vrh (Black Peak). Mountain huts welcome trekkers along the way. 

"There's so much of Slovenia to discover beyond the normal tourism circuit," says Jan Klavora of Good Trail, a route development company that worked with local communities to create the trail. "This hike makes that easier and reminds us about the beautiful surprises around every corner in this country."

2. Rocky to Nordegg Rail Trail, Canada

Length: 109km • Duration: 6 days • Start: Nordegg • Finish: Rocky Mountain House 

Just east of Banff and Jasper national parks in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, the new Rocky to Nordegg Rail Trail takes hikers past lakes, through dense forests and across the historic, restored Taunton Trestle bridge in the province of Alberta. The route utilises a repurposed section of the Canadian Northern Western Railway, allowing adventurers to explore a formerly inaccessible swath of wilderness.

Learn more about the this 109km trail in an under-explored corner of the Canadian Rockies here.

As of autumn 2025, roughly half of the new trail – around 50km, from Nordegg at the trail's western end to the Jackfish Creek – is now open to hikers, cyclists and horseback riders. The moderate-to-challenging route is also being built with year-round recreation in mind, namely winter activities such as cross-country skiing, dogsledding and snowshoeing. New sections will open as development continues in 2026.  

3. King Charles III England Coast Path, England

Length: 2,700+ miles • Duration: About 5 months • Start: Scottish border, north-east coast • Finish: Scottish border, north-west coast

The King Charles III England Coast Path is staring down history. Established in 2023 for the coronation of King Charles III, the trail circumnavigates the entire English shore. When it's finally completed this summer, it will become the longest managed coastal path in the world.

The route has been slowly creating and adding sections since its original incarnation as the England Coast Path in 2009. Today, more than 2,000 miles of the path's eight sections, managed by Natural England, already welcome hikers. The result is one of the most varied and diverse itineraries anywhere. 

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The trail rolls across beaches and passes farms, estuaries and fishing villages. It takes hikers to bays, castles and cliffs in the north-east. Hikers walk through cities like Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton in the south. In the north-west, there are Roman ruins and it's possible to link up with Hadrian's Wall Path.

4. East Mallorca GR-226, Mallorca

Length: 100km • Duration: 4 days • Start: Cales de Mallorca • Finish: Cala Rajada 

Completed in January 2026, the East Mallorca GR-226 is perfect for those who want to divide their time between hiking, recovering on beaches, absorbing panoramic sea views and exploring historic towns rich with culture. The route traverses the island's north-eastern lobe, snaking its way between the Iberian Sea and inland villages in four rolling stages; each about 25km of easy trekking. The largest elevation gain on any day is 248m.

Starting in the seaside town of Cales de Mallorca, the GR-226 heads to the island's interior along farms and vineyards to the town of Manacor. The trail swings back to the shore before again taking hikers inland, past the 13th-Century Bellpuig Monastery and Ses Païsses, a 3,000-year-old, Bronze Age archaeological site. The trek ends with a tough decision: lounge on the white sandy beaches of Cala Agulla on the outskirts of the fishing village Cala Rajada, or relax at Cala Mesquida on Mallorca's north-eastern tip?

5. Dongseo Trail, South Korea

Length: 849km • Duration: 55 days • Start: Anmyeondo Island • Finish: Uljin

Stretching 849km and inspired by Spain's famous Camino de Santiago, the Dongseo Trail will be South Korea's first coast-to-coast, cross-country trail when it fully opens in 2027. But six sections of the 55-stage route are already open to the public and more than 70% of the trail – roughly 600km – is complete, with completion of the remaining portions expected by year's end.

The ambitious trail was designed and managed by the Korea Forest Service and will take hikers across South Korea from the East Sea in the east ("dong" in Korean) to the Yellow Sea in the west ("seo") – hence, its name. 

Travellers itching to set off now can tackle the Dongseo Trail's western portions, starting from Anmyeondo Island, where they can expect treks of about 15km per day. Along the way, the route follows the rugged and majestic Baekdu-Daegan Mountain Range, known as the backbone of the Korean Peninsula. The new path will take travellers to sandy beaches, dense forests, Unesco World Heritage sites, rice fields, farms, 225 villages, thousand-year-old Buddhist temples and accommodations in mountain communities.

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