What kind of things make some place a favorite place to walk or hike?

I live in Japan and do hiking and guiding along the World Heritage pilgrimage routes.  The route extends from the middle of Osaka to the end of the Ki Peninsula.  There is also a section running from Koyasan, the mountain-top area where the Shingon sect of Buddhism was established in the 700s.  The whole prefecture, Wakayama, that I live in is beautiful mountainous areas plunging down the the Pacific Ocean on three sides.  There are so many great hikes passing through nearly pristine wilderness to passing through small villages that it's pretty difficult to choose one as my favorite. 

That got me to thinking about what makes any of us decide what our favorite hike or walk would be.  What are your criteria for favorite walks or hikes?

My answer:

• Good scenery with no pollution or garbage around.
• It helps if there is some historical background that is interesting.  For example, I was born near the Oregon Trail in Oregon.  I would love to walk some of that area some day.
• Places with interesting architecture.  For example, there are shrines, statues, temples and traditional houses along the Kumano Kodo
• A variety of terrain.  For example, some flat areas, some rocky areas, some steep slopes, meadows, mountains, along rivers, etc.
• Accessability.  For example, one of my favorite walks is not so accessable, the terrain is rough, but the air is the purest I have ever breathed. 
  

It's called Ogumotori-goe and passes over steep two mountains with a length of about 15 kilometers.  Due to the difficulty of the walk, few people walk it, and as a result it remains pristine.  It is interesting to realize that court nobles a thousand years ago walked the same paths and left records of their pilgrimage to the holy areas of Kumano.

Reasons why I love to hike/climb/camp where I hike/climb/camp:

• a challenge
• memories...my boyfriend and I had our first kiss on a trail, so no matter how popular or boring it gets, we'll always love it
• bodies of water--a nice lake or a stream rocks when you're hot or need to get water
• traffic and popularity--the less traffic, the better.  I hate it when you're passing a family of tourists every 50 feet who ask you, gasping for air "How much longer do we got?" when you're 1/4 into the hike

The greatest hike ever done by me was in the Alps, Bavaria. Why was it so great?

• Amazing views for my eyes and my brain, the sunset and the sunrise were faboulous
• We walked on dangerous paths, one person after another
• We've seen a famous castle from Bavaria, it was like living in a fairytale
  
• We've worked a lot to get to the peeks
• The happy feeling that you get when you all arrive where you said you will at the beginning of the day, and when you get into your sleeping bag...

I miss the Alps.

Wow.  The Bavarian Alps.  I would like to walk there some day.  I walked(?) too ski lifts and so forth to the top of a mountain in Switzerland.  The view was awesome, but we didn't really walk much, so I guess I can't call it a walk.

I love that happy feeling of arriving at the destination all in one piece, too.  Yesterday, I walked my favorite walk.  It was 15 very rugged kilometers.  It was so good to reach the goal. 

We only saw a group of three people coming along behind us from time to time.  And, we met one couple walking from the opposite direction in the eight and a half hour hike. 

Luckily we made it out of the woods before it got dark, and then we went to a hot spring for a good soak.  It was a wonderful walk!

I have never had the opportunity to hike outside my home country, and really not much outside my home state, which have been Florida and West Virginia. My favorite areas are in the mountains, few people and no vehicular traffic. I love to see wild life, mountain streams, views of the mountains, and some challenge.

I'm going to WV for a visit next month and I am planning on some hikes. I want to see the changing leaves. I have missed that every year since moving to Florida.

I have been to Florida once a long time ago.  They don't have much in the way of mountains there, do they?

I would love to see West Virginia.  Most of my images of it are from novels and movies.  It seems like a beautiful place. 

My favorite season to hike in is the fall.  Fall comes late here in the southern region of the main island of Japan.  The fall colors will be at their heighth around the last week of November.  It's cool and crisp in the mountains and a welcome change from hiking when it is hotter.

I hope you have a chance to get some good hikes in when you are in WV.  It's so nice enjoy something you miss so much.

What I really love, besides the solitude and interesting plants/rocks to look at, is knowing that it is home for wildlife. My favorite places to hike are where I know there are bears, lions, wolverines, etc. and where I think I could run into one during any turn!

I love mountains when the clouds rest in the valleys and everything is so surreal. It makes me feel a million miles away from the stresses of home.

I just returned from my vacation in WV. I had a chance to do a few great walks. I spent one afternoon with my German Shepherds walking the gravel roads I remember from my childhood when I visited my grandparents. It was a cool, bright day with lots of color in the trees. Deer everywhere. It's not in the mountains, but it's a very rugged and hilly area. I always feel like I'm in Brigadoon.

A second hike was in the Pipestem State Park along the river trail. It's located in a mountain valley. If you couldn't see the river, you could hear it. The trees were at there peak color and it was cold (for a Floridian). It was absolutely beautiful and relaxing. I could have spent a whole week there.

I think these 2 are the best hikes I've had all year.

It's nice when you don't have to drive for hours before you're able to get out and hike.  I enjoy a hike with regional interest.  Pines, aspen, wildflowers, birdsong, wind in the trees in the mountains . . . . stillness, arid, pristine, fragile, clear skies in the desert . . . . I enjoy closing my eyes and just feeling and listening.  I prefer to look for adventure in the less traveled trails.  I'm not loving heading to the mountains for a hike and hearing people's music overwhelming nature's sounds.   Has anyone hiked up in the Lamoille Canyon area of the Ruby Mountains in Northeast Nevada.  Holy cow, what a surprisingly beautiful area!

My favourite hike is along the Peace River valley in Northern Alberta, Canada.  The only trails are those made by elk and deer.  It would be highly unusual to meet another person walking the same game trail as I happen to be on.  What I like about hiking there:

1. No man-made noise,
2. The stress of home is far away,
3. Incredible beauty,
4. Fresh, crisp air,
5. Solitude,
6. Close to home,
7. And the need for physical endurance to climb up and down those hills!

I live in Japan and this summer I went to Enoshima. It is a famous island on Sagami Bay. It has caves where ancient people once sought shelter from the sea and a popular tourist site for centuries. As a volcanic isle, it is steep and there are two long escalators that you can pay for that take you part way to the top (for those who are frail). Once you get to the top there are shrines and a small temple maintained there. Then you have to walk down the other side of the island to get to the caves. It is steep and winding! Once down at the back side of the island, if the boat is not running, you have to walk back up and down again to other side. There's no other way back and it almost killed me (I have asthma and it was a hot, humid July day) to retrace our steps! I have always loved visiting Enoshima--possibly for the investment it takes to see it. But it makes me feel one with the ancient ones who must have found it a great refuge from storms and a beautiful place to live. There are many residents living there still--I don't know how they do it! There is a tiny post office and little shops halfway up served by a mopeds and by foot.  People in Japan don't seem to mind the effort when the result is worth it. A lot like weight loss, ne!

I used to live near the Peace River when I was a little girl.  I'm sure it has changed since then.  I lived in Fort Smith.  I would like to go walking some place like that some day.

All too true.  It might also be the secret to there being so many slim people.  My mother and father-in-law have never owned a car, and they usually go everywhere on foot or by bicycle.

I agree with a variety of terrain and some history.  I also love lots of trees and rivers.  Lots of shade.  The only thing I don't like, is hiking under the sun.