Amon Bradshaw Mt Wills (1750m) Day Hike
Mt Wills is a lesser known peak that delivers incredible “bang for your buck”. At 1750m, it sits on par with the elevation of most of Falls Creek and Mt…
Mt Dunn (1535m) Day Hike
Known as the “Island in the Sky,” Mount Buffalo is an unexpected yet accessible granite plateau in Victoria’s north-east. With a starting elevation of around 1300m, the park features a…
South Rams Head (2052m) Day Hike
A steep but beautiful alpine hike with expansive high-country views, spectacular outlooks back toward Dead Horse Gap, and a summit perspective toward Mount Kosciuszko where the final patches of snow…
Broken Hills Water Race Day Hike
A short, easy loop on the Coromandel Peninsula that’s perfect for kids or when you’re short on time, with tunnels, river crossings, and just enough adventure to make it feel…
Best Hikes in Shikoku
Shikoku is often overlooked by hikers and travellers in Japan, but the island’s four prefectures offers some of the best moderate (non-mountaineering) foot-on-ground hiking trails in the country. From the…
Best Hikes in the Iya Valley
The Iya Valley in Tokushima is one of Japan’s “Three Hidden Regions,” famous for its tall limestone gorges, historic thatched-roof houses, and the iconic Kazurabashi (vine bridges) across the Iya…
Mt Tarumae (樽前山) & Mt Higashi (東岳) Volcano Hike
Ironically, hiking this active volcano was the safe choice for us. One of our biggest worries while living in Hokkaido and going into the outdoors was actually bears, so this…
Mt Akakuradake (赤倉岳) Day Hike with kids
This hike to Akakuradake (1545m) is a 5.5km return hike with 321m of elevation gain that starts and finishes at the Hakkōda Ropeway Sanchō-kōen Station (山頂公園駅). The Hakkōda Mountains (八甲田山)…
Mt Usu (有珠山) Day Hike with kids
This hike to the Mount Usu outer rim at 500m is a 6.5km return hike with 269m of elevation gain that starts and finishes at the Showashinzan Station Ropeway (昭和新山駅).…
The Crosscut Saw via Mt Howitt (1742m), Victoria, Australia
Finding hikes with exposed jagged peaks and ridge lines is not easy in Australia. In fact most of the things we call “mountains” here, including our tallest peak, feel like…
Mt. Hakkyou 八経ヶ岳 Overnight Hike in Nara
Much like Shikoku, Osaka and Nara aren’t the first places that come to mind when foreigners think about snow or tall mountains in Japan. Despite that we enjoyed a magical…
Best topographic maps and apps for hiking in Japan
You might have noticed that the topographic maps or app you use at home doesn’e have a lot of detail for Japan – where are all the mountains? Below I…
Shikoku’s 100 Famous Mountains (四国百名山)
For every mountain you hike, there will always be another hundred you’ll never get to. While you may have heard of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains, only two peaks from Shikoku…
Mt. Kajigamori (梶ヶ森) Day (or Overnight) Hike Kochi
A moderate but well located (accessible by train) hike in the heart of Shikoku. Kajigamori is not the biggest and most beautiful mountain around but it is accessible by train…
Matukituki Valley to Aspiring Hut Overnight Hike
The walk into Mt Aspiring Hut is one of those classic New Zealand valley hikes that feels far more remote than it actually is. While many use this as a…