5 Best Easy Hikes with Great Rewards
1. Rifugio Bonatti, Courmayeur, Italy
Distance: 7 miles (11.3 kilometres) one-way from Courmayeur
Great reward: European comfort in the shadows of the wild Mont Blanc massif
Get stuck in: Tucked at the foot of the hulking white mass of 15,776-foot (4,809-metre) Mont Blanc, the village of Courmayeur is more laid-back than the extreme-sport-minded French town of Chamonix on the other side. It has a long history of mountaineering, including the second oldest mountain guide association in the world. In 1850 the Società delle Guide di Courmayeur was established - you may like to visit their extensive climbing museum in town.
The valley also boasts one of the best hut systems in the Alps, including the gem of Rifugio Bonatti. With a sweeping view of glaciers, and the peaks of the sharp ridge of the 13,806-foot (4,208-metre) Grandes Jorasses, the rifugio is more mountain hotel than hut, serving up Italian delicacies and aperitifs from a full bar. While the hike from town takes in about 2,800 feet (853 metres) of vertical gain, a sip of espresso or fernet, an Italian spirit, at the hut will certainly ease the pain (or you can get a shuttle ride up the valley and cut the hike down to about an hour and 900 vertical feet/274 metres).
2. Imja Tse (Island Peak), Nepal
Distance: 35 to 40 miles (56.3 to 64.4 kilometres)
Great reward: A Himalayan peak that non-climbers have a good shot at summiting
Get stuck in: This is no easy hike. It’s a mountaineering trip up a 20,305-foot (6,189-metre) peak in the Himalayas that requires the proper equipment and experience - but it is the most climbed peak in the Himalayas and a summit that strong hikers aided by guides have a good chance to stand atop, without all the dangers and commitment of famed 26,247-foot (8,000-metre) summits like Everest or Annapurna.
The trek begins on the Everest Base Camp route, before heading off to a string of high mountain villages and base camp. From the top, you can gaze out across the range, including an impressive view of Lhotse, with Everest hidden right behind it (after you have summited you can head to Everest Base Camp as well). Climbing the peak is also a boost to the people of Nepal, especially those in this region who were devastated by the earthquakes of 2015 and need tourists to return to continue rebuilding.
3. Gleninchaquin, County Kerry, Ireland
Distance: 2 - 4 miles (3.2 to 6.4 kilometres)
Great reward: An easy romp that puts you in the heart of the wild Irish countryside
Get stuck in: The magical valley of Gleninchaquin Park, which the end of the last ice age left exposed 70,000 years ago, makes you feel as if you have wandered back into Gaelic legend. No wonder, meadows here attracted nomadic people like the wandering Fianna who set up camp then left remains in cooking areas. This is a private park and there are working farms and sheep grazing within it, so the bucolic history here is as much a part of the hike as the green, open spaces, still lakes, waterfalls, and grassy hillsides. Several short hikes take in this area, from a short jaunt around the farm to an off-trail scamper on the high country.
4. Hooker Valley Track, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand
Distance: 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) round-trip
Great reward: Rain forest opens up into big views of New Zealand’s Southern Alps and stops at a glacial lake
Get stuck in: It’s tough to find another hike this short that takes in so much: In just three miles (4.8 kilometers) the Hooker Track serves up rain forest, suspension foot bridges over a rushing river, sweeping views of the island nation’s largest peaks, glaciers, and the milky blue waters of lake. With 12,218-foot (3,724-metre) Mount Cook lording over it, this national park typifies the stark contrasts of the South Pacific, where glaciers climb up steep, heavily forested peaks almost straight from the sea and unhinged storms can close things down at any time.
But all you need is an afternoon stroll on the Hooker Track, which begins at the visitor centre and ends up at a lake at the foot of the glacier that often holds calved chunks of ice floating on it. In between, it’s a tromp through the strewn boulders of the moraine and open country and stops at viewpoints that give a sense of the massive scope of the Southern Hemisphere’s most impressive set of peaks.
5. Les Dentelles de Montmirail, Gigondas, France
Distance: 4 miles (6.4 kilometres)
Great reward: A glass of one of the Rhone Valley’s best wines in the middle of a hike to soaring limestone fins
Get stuck in: While it may be a bit longer than other hikes on this list, there’s one big difference here - the incentive of wine en route. And not just any wine. Gigondas is one of the best wine regions in the Rhone Valley – the name roughly means “the happy place”, as ancient Roman soliders would relax with the wine from the vines here. The vineyards drape the forested, limestone hills of the Montmirail and the town of Gigondas offers up samples of the wine at caves right in the main square.
The real treat is up above the town where the limestone fins of Les Dentelles rise up above the surrounding hills. Les Dentelles draws climbers from around the world, and the trail runs right along the base of them. It’s a stiff hike to reach them, but it's tempered by easy strolling along some of the vineyards and the reward of a glass of wine and meal. The route starts just outside of town—you can shorten it and just hike up to admire Les Dentelles from Gigondas or lengthen it by hopping on the larger GR de Pays de Montmirail trail system and trekking to neighbouring towns.