The list’s author, Doug Schnitzspahn, calls the selected paths “the holy grails of trails across the world” and specifically describes the Israel Trail as one that “delves into the grand scale of biblical landscapes as well as the everyday lives of modern Israelis.”
He recommends walking the trail between of February and May, taking advantage of “trail angels,” people who offer places to stay free of charge to those roaming the country-long trail.
The Israel Trail was established by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel in 1995 and is more than 1,000 kilometers long, from Kibbutz Dan in the north to the SPNI’s Eilat Field School in the south.
The other Epic Trails on the list are the International Appalachian Trail; Benton MacKaye Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, Hayduke Trail and Shipwreck Coast in the US; Bibbulmun Track in Australia; Cinque Terre in Italy; Copper Canyon in Mexico; GR 20 in Corsica, France; the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal; Laugavegurinn Pass in Iceland; Mount Kallash Pilgrimage in Tibet; North Drakensberg Traverse in South Africa and Lesotho; Santa Cruz Trek in Peru; Snowman Trek in Bhutan; Way of St. James in Spain; West Highland Way in Scotland; Shackelton’s Route in Antarctica and Yoshida Trail at Mount Fuji, Japan.
