Walking is simple, but it can also be profound. In an increasingly complex and frantic world, walking can help simplify and focus our lives, is an elegantly sustainable form of recreation, deepens our understanding and appreciation of the world’s great cultural landscapes, stimulates our thinking, and makes us healthier and happier in the process. In Walks of a Lifetime from Around the World, Bob and Martha Manning invite readers to join the walking community. The heart of the book is a series of first-hand descriptions of forty of the world’s great multi-day walks — walking vacations of a few days to a few weeks — spanning six continents, most U.S. states and Washington, DC, and ranging from inn-to-inn walks to backpacking treks. Many of these walks are among the world’s most iconic. Trail descriptions are richly illustrated with color photographs and maps.

Robert Manning is Professor Emeritus at the University of Vermont where he taught the history, philosophy, and management of national parks and related areas and conducted a long-term program of research for the US National Park Service.

Martha Manning is an artist who uses hiking and the out-of-doors as an inspiration for her work; her work is represented in national shows and publications. Bob and Martha are accomplished hikers, having walked dozens of long-distance trails throughout the world. They are Hiking Ambassadors of the American Hiking Society and currently reside in Prescott, AZ.

Their website is: www.extraordinaryhikes.com.

Introduction

Map of Trails

Table of Trails

Alta Via 1 (Italy)

Arizona National Scenic Trail (Arizona)

Bermuda Railway Trail (Bermuda)

Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) (France and Spain)

Cape Winelands Walk (South Africa)

Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath (Maryland and Washington, DC)

Chilkoot Trail (Alaska and Canada)

Cinque Terre (Italy)

Coast to Coast Walk (England)

Colorado Trail (Colorado)

Cotswold Way (England)

Czech Greenways (Austria and Czech Republic)

Great Ocean Walk (Australia)

Inca Trail (Peru)

John Muir Trail (California)

Kaibab Trail (Arizona)

Kalalau Trail (Hawaii)

King Ludwig’s Way (Germany)

Kungsleden (Sweden)

Long Trail (Vermont)

Lost Coast Trail (California)

Lycian Way (Turkey)

Maritime Alps (France)

Milford Track (New Zealand)

Mount LeConte (North Carolina and Tennessee)

National Scenic Trails Samplers (USA)

Ocala Trail (Florida)

Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail (Ohio)

Overland Track (Australia)

Paria River Canyon (Utah and Arizona)

South Downs Way (England)

Superior Hiking Trail (Wisconsin)

Tahoe Rim Trail (California and Nevada)

The World’s Great Cities (e.g., Washington, DC)

Tour du Mont Blanc (France, Italy, and Switzerland)

Trans-Catalina Trail (California)

Via Francigena (England, France, Switzerland, and Italy)

Walker’s Haute Route (France and Switzerland)

West Coast Trail (Canada)

West Highland Way (Scotland)