Hut-to-Hut Hiking: an Immersion Travel Experience that Combines Challenge and Comfort.

Picture a vacation where you immerse yourself in a landscape and culture step by step. Whether you want jagged mountains and alpine forests, quaint villages and ancient ruins, or remote waterfalls and rainforests, a long distance trail can take you to places you’ve only imagined. And a long distance trail with lodging along the way can make it all the more possible.

What is a hut-to-hut hike?

A Hut-to-hut hike is where you spend multiple days on a trail walking from one accommodation to another rather than returning to a starting point each day. Any long-distance trail with lodging spaced out so you have a roof over your head each night might be called a hut-to-hut. To me, there’s no better way to experience the world.

Why spend precious holiday time on a hut-to-hut trail?

Once you explore some of the trails I mention in this article, you’ll get it. But first, let’s review the benefits of walking.

Study after study praises walking. The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that walking a measly two miles a day reduces the risk of dying from any cause. Regular walking elevates your memory, mood, and creativity. Futhermore, any experience of awe — as you would have, for example, walking through slot canyons on the Jordan Trail or wildflowers on the Wells Gray Traverse — is also good for the brain. A hut-to-hut hiking holiday all but guarantees you’ll be in better shape physically and mentally when you return home.

Even more compelling is how hut-to-hut hiking enriches your engagement with your travel destination. If you’re like most travelers, you want a lot more out of a trip than a bus ride through town. You want to get to know the place in a meaningful and memorable way. Hut-to-hut hiking is the opposite of a drive-by! For a sampling of what it offers, consider how you can:

• Meander through the English countryside, walking from one historic village to another on the soft trails of the Cotswolds Way.
• Immerse yourself in the invigorating Italian Alps on the Alta Via 1.
• Go deep into Scotland’s high country, trusting the Westhighland Way to lead you through forests, over mountains, and to a snug place to rest for the night.

What are the huts like?

A hut could be a three-sided shelter that doesn’t entirely protect you from the wind, rain and wildlife, like some on the Sunshine Coast Trail in Canada. At the other extreme, a hut might be a luxury lodge complete with private rooms and a restaurant, such as accommodations on the Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand.

In between are huts that aren’t fancy but offer protection from the elements and cover basic needs like running water. The well-constructed huts on the Laugavegur Trail fall in this category. They’re warm and cozy, but feature side-by-side bunk beds with shared bathrooms. Hut hikers learn quickly how to respectfully navigate spaces like this and often welcome the community it creates.

Is inn-to-inn hiking the same as hut-to-hut?

Sure, especially when the only overnight option is to stay in an inn, in contrast to a trail that also offers camping.

Huts are known by other names, too. On trails in the Alps, for example, huts are called rifugi (plural of rifugio). The Camino de Santiago is dotted with hostels called albergues. Unique to the Kumano Kodo in Japan are Minshuku guesthouses. “Huts” also include B&Bs, Airbnb’s, homestays, cabins, chalets, and hotels.

Is there an environmental advantage to trail huts?

Yes! When you stay in huts on long-distance trails, you leave less of a footprint than when you spread out on campsites. Huts concentrate use in a relatively small area and usually have bathrooms or privies, which helps protect the environment from indiscriminate pooping in the woods.

Moreover, you don’t have to be an accomplished backpacker and camper to participate in hut-to-hut hiking. The option to stay overnight in a hut makes multiday trails more accessible — and when people experience the magnificence of the great outdoors, their interest in the environment levels up.

What else makes hut-to-hut hiking special?

If there’s an option for me, a 60-year-old, to enjoy hiking through a remarkable landscape without having to sleep on the hard earth, I’m all in! What’s more, for most established hut-to-hut trails, outfitters are available to transport your bag from one accommodation to another. That means you only have to carry water and whatever else you need during the day.

Hut-to-hut hiking is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to experience the world on foot without having to camp and carry a full backpack. Perhaps you’re a career-oriented young adult who doesn’t have time to research camping gear and would rather book B&Bs. Or maybe you’re from another country and feel uncomfortable with a desitination’s wildlife. I know a man from Iceland who is incredibly rugged but doesn’t want to camp in the U.S. because of snakes, bears and poisonous spiders — all nonexistent in his country.

More than anything, hut-to-hut hiking takes you to and through places you wouldn’t get to otherwise. Consider the Milford Track in New Zealand. Unless you’re an extreme athlete, you can’t get to McKinnon Pass in one day, and camping is forbidden — you must stay in a hut. Besides, the entire track offers fantastic surprises every step of the way; Even if you could drive to the iconic mountain pass, it would be such a shame to miss everything you see while hiking.

Are there hut-to-hut trails in the U.S.?

Kinda. The U.S. is famous for its long-distance backpacking trails: the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Long Trail, Colorado Trail, and so on. But hut-to-hut hikes are not plentiful in the States. Online searches will lead you to possibilities, but as you look closer, you may be discouraged by limited availability and unmarked routes. In some cases, a hut may be no more than a lean-to, so you’d still need to carry camping equipment. Here are pointers for exploring your U.S. options.

• Visit Rails-to-Trails Conservancy for a fantastic network of trails based on old railroad lines. Many of these trails pass through “trail towns,” so you can hike from town to town and stay in bed and breakfasts along the way. However, the towns are sometimes too far apart for hiking and the trails too flat to be interesting on foot. That’s why the most popular U.S. hut-to-hut trails are more commonly done on a bike. With cycling, you can cover more distance and enjoy these non-technical, relatively flat routes. Check out the Great Allegheny Passage for starters.
• Make your own hut-to-hut route and use Uber or Lyft as needed. Some long-distance trails in the U.S., such as the Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas, don’t presently have huts, but they do have trailheads at roads, so you can plan to be picked up and driven to a nearby inn for the night. In the morning, get a ride back to the trailhead and continue your hike. If that’s what it takes to turn a one-day hike into a multiday adventure, it’s all good!
• Plan ahead to reserve the San Juan Huts of the Sneffles Traverse, a prized hut-to-hut trek through Colorado’s stunning San Juan Mountains. Call the number on the website to learn how and when to book the set of four huts. Colorado also has the 10th Mountain Division Huts, but only experienced backcountry navigators should attempt hiking between these huts.
• Visit the U.S. Hut Alliance for a map of other possibilities and stay tuned as hut-to-hut interest grows. As I write this, I’m eagerly waiting for Adirondack Hamlets to Huts to post dates for their pilot six-day hike from Westport to Willsboro, Connecticut, with lodging that includes farm stays.

Worldwide, there are numerous, well-maintained hut-to-hut trails to discover. Each one offers a unique mix of challenge, comfort, nature and culture for an unforgettable, immersive travel experience. For videos of some of the treks mentioned in this article, visit destinationtreks.com.

Gail Perry Johnston is the author of Walks of the World: Discover 25 Epic Treks & Multiday Hut-to-Hut Hikes by Workman Publishing. To hire her as a speaker, watch her new video on YouTube or email gailperrytreks@gmail.com. Follow on Instagram: @gailperrytreks.