25 Most Dangerous Hikes, Treks, and Climbs On Earth

Hiking to Machu Picchu is one thing. But continuing past Machu Picchu and up to Huayna Picchu is another. Also known as the “Hike of Death”, the climb up this mountain takes several casualties every year. The bird’s eye view of Machu Picchu is supposedly worth it.

Found in a remote corner of Canyonlands National Park this red rock labyrinth is insanely hard to get to, but if you do make it watch out for rockfalls and flash floods.

Just looking at the picture should be enough.

So many people die here that the park service has a division dedicated to rescuing hikers along the trail. Of all things it’s usually the heat that gets people because they don’t anticipate how hot it will be at the bottom of the canyon. Without enough water they usually don’t make it back.

The scene of intense fighting during World War II, this trail hasn’t stopped taking lives. Between malaria, extreme heat, cold nights, and unstable terrain, only the brave should attempt to complete this 11 day hike.

As one of Colorado’s most popular peaks it is also one of the deadliest. The first half of the hike is deceptively easy, while the second half is deathly hard.

Things are serious from the get-go when two rickety chain ladders take hikers to the top of a ridge. The views are worth it but don’t be fooled…lives are lost every year.

Although numerous people make the ascent just fine, in poor weather conditions lives are almost always lost.

Made famous by The Lord of the Rings movies, this place really is beautiful. The danger, however, should not be underestimated and a local coroner even demanded that officials close the area down recently due to a high number of casualties.

With extremely narrow paths only wide enough for one person, people fall every year.

It’s probably not the first place that you would look for dangerous trails, but this mountain path offers no way down except through if the weather turns bad (which it often does). As you might expect, accidents are common.

Sure, this 22 mile trek through paradise seems amazing, and it usually is…but rock falls, slippery ledges, and hoodlums (yes, drug dealers have been known to mug hikers) abound.

Once again, the picture will probably explain everything.

Also known as the “Deadly Bells” a National Park Service sign sums it up: “The beautiful Maroon Bells … have claimed many lives in the past few years. They are not extreme technical climbs, but they are unbelievably deceptive. Expert climbers who did not know the proper routes have died on these peaks.”

Although this active volcano has been closed recently due to numerous casualties on its slopes, stubborn hikers still access the peak from nearby local farms.

With the Mount Washington Observatory laying claim to “the world’s worst weather”, numerous naive hikers have started up in shorts and a t-shirt only to get hypothermia half way.

Built by Italian troops during World War II to provide a path through the Dolomites, these suspension bridges, and sheer cliffs present readily obvious dangers.

When it comes to geography this hike is relatively tame compared to the rest of the list. It’s the bear mauling’s that ruin things though. Local officials have even considered closing the area off.

With narrow and often slippery paths that can be hard to distinguish from their surroundings, one wrong move here is likely the last wrong move you’ll ever make.

Here’s another path that hikers typically underestimate. With no apparent dangers, the winding and slippery path leads to at least 1 death annually.

With numerous dangers ranging from unexploded mines all the way to hungry wildlife, Laos, Borneo, and Sumatra have still managed to attract a good bit of thrill seekers.

Between wild animals, narrow ravines, and rickety wooden ladders this is the perfect place to tempt fate.

With everything from hikers being kidnapped and decapitated to treacherous weather conditions and terrain, the State Department recently advised against hiking off the beaten path around Everest Base camp.

Although crossing the Sahara encompasses about a thousand different routes, there is no desert on Earth that people try to cross more often than this one. Unfortunately a good bit of those crossings are unsuccessful.

The Pan-American highway goes from the southern tip of Chile all the way to Alaska with once exception – the 90 km Darien gap that connects North and South America. Filled with impassible swamps, drug cartels, and some of the most disagreeable conditions on the face of the planet, only the suicidal should attempt this one.