Two Hardest Hikes in the Country are Found in Montana

Let's face it, as I get older and I say I am going to go for a hike, really what I mean is that I am going to go for a walk. My days of actually hiking anything may be in the past these days. If I was going to actually hike something, Montana some of the most amazing places for a hike. We also have some of the most challenging places for hiking.

That isn't just me saying it because I am getting old, Montana has a couple hikes that are among the most difficult in the country. Some of the difficult hikes are on the list because of terrain, some are listed because of distance and some are listed because of both.

According to Outdoors Spot, a website dedicated to the outdoors, Montana has two locations on their list of "Montana to Maine: The 42 Hard to Impossible Hikes in America, Ranked".

Coming in at number 39 on their list is the Huckleberry Mountain, Glacier National Park, Montana. The hike has a rating of 1, when it comes to degree of difficulty, but it is in "an area with one of the highest bear densities in the lower United States." Their recommendation is to be well prepared with bear spray and have awareness that bear encounters could be likely.

Another Montana trail that made the list at number 35 is also located in Glacier National Park, that would be the North Fork Flathead River. This is a long one considering it consists of paddling on the river. It is a 50 mile pack-raft trip. Their key takeaway is paddlers can expect both calm waters and rapids while on the river.

The most difficult hike, according to Outdoors Spot is the Sierra High Route that is in both California and Nevada. It is a 210- mile journey that take you over 33 peaks. They recommend that hikers only try this hike between July to September.

Seeing the difficulty of the actual hikes on this list reminds to stop saying I am going to go for a hike and just be honest with myself and everyone else. I am just going for a walk.