Overview

Take a hike! Travel off the beaten path as you join acclaimed outdoorsman and documentary filmmaker Mick Davie along six of America’s most beloved and beautiful trails.

Course No. 80630

What inspires some people to leave everything behind and walk thousands of miles on rough terrain? Hiking is not just a physical journey but, perhaps more importantly, an internal one. Millions each year partake in this outdoor sport, whether for a day, a weekend, or months, immersing themselves in a unique culture and forging unforgettable bonds along the way.

Now’s your chance to sample life on six of the most spectacular wilderness trails in North America, from your couch. Guiding you through the rugged heart of America in six stunning episodes of America’s Great Trails is journalist, Emmy® award-winning documentary filmmaker, and avid outdoorsman Mick Davie.

Beginning west and moving to the east, Mick gives us insightful narration on “the twins”—the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail. On one, you will brave every extreme of landscape and climate from desert to glacier, while the other is close to civilization, making it an accessible social journey.

You will also explore the most hazardous trail of all—Hayduke—as well as the Pacific Northwest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Great Allegheny Passage. Each holds rich secrets of American history and riveting stories of the people who traveled them. You will also learn about different terrains, climates, and the host of incredible wildlife.

If you’re curious to experience America’s beauty, America’s Great Trails will be a feast for your senses as Mick guides you to rediscover your connection to the natural world and the joy and wonder found in exploring it. Then, perhaps, like many others, you will embark on your own journey and find that you have slowly started to understand the wilderness. And in doing so, you will begin to understand yourself.

Course Structure

01: Pacific Crest Trail

Explore the Pacific Crest Trail—an extraordinary route that stretches 2,650 miles from the deserts of Southern California on the Mexico border all the way to the Canadian border in Washington state. Mick provides a plethora of practical tips about common risks and dangers, what essentials to pack, when to hike, and where to start. You’ll also hear the history of the trail and discover scenic points and destinations that can’t be missed.

Duration: 30 min

02: Hayduke Trail

Journey with Mick along the hazardous 800-mile backcountry route of the Hayduke Trail. The red rock canyons and high desert of the Colorado Plateau in southern Utah and northern Arizona produce some of the most arid, inhospitable—yet strangely beautiful—scenery on Earth. While Mick provides tips for everything you need to make this a safe, fun, and manageable trip, he also clues you in about cinematic spots along the route, where scenes from the movies Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Thelma & Louise were filmed.

Duration: 25 min

03: Pacific Northwest Trail

Travel one of the most scenic and rugged long-distance trails in the world—the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest Trail. It runs from Montana’s Glacier National Park on the Canadian border, west through Idaho and Washington state, ending along the shore of the Pacific Ocean at Cape Alava—the westernmost point in the United States. Hikers will climb more than 205,000 feet, which is more than seven Mount Everests. And as Mick points out, no other trail on Earth can take you from wolves and bears to seals and whales.

Duration: 25 min

04: Continental Divide Trail

At 3,100 miles, the Continental Divide Trail is the second-longest National Scenic Trail in the United States, and arguably the most rugged, remote, and hazardous of them all. Running from the Apache country of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico and ending in Glacier National Park on Canada’s border, it’s a journey that takes five to six months and only about 60% of thru-hikers make it all the way. Mick shares the wild stories and history of this arduous yet uniquely scenic trail and gives you practical tips to stay safe and comfortable as you hike.

Duration: 26 min

05: Great Allegheny Passage

Join Mick for a change of pace as you explore the Great Allegheny Passage—a mostly flat hiking trail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cumberland, Maryland, commonly known as “The GAP.” At just 150 miles, it’s a journey along rivers and streams, through tunnels and over bridges, moving from an urban industrial landscape to a small town rural one. Travel along as Mick shares stories of the founding of America and the rise of the coal- and steel-driven industrial age to the passing of that era to the region’s rebirth and regeneration as an outdoor destination for hikers and other enthusiasts.

Duration: 28 min

06: Appalachian Trail

Mick takes you on the Kentucky Derby of triple crown hikes, the most famous and popular long-distance hiking trail in North America—and quite possibly the entire world—the Appalachian Trail (AT). Passing through 14 states, following the ridges and contours of the Appalachian Mountains, this epic trail stretches roughly 2,190 miles, from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine. As you travel along with Mick, marveling at the gorgeous scenery and landscapes, you’ll hear the story of how the AT came into being and was built in under seven years using volunteer labor and you’ll get to hike the 13-mile stretch of intense ups and downs known as “The Roller Coaster.”

Duration: 29 min