Looking for some new trails to hike in 2026? A recent survey from TouchNote, a personalized postcard service, has just named Canada the country with the best hiking trails in the world.
In fact, Canada scored a perfect 10 out of 10 overall score in TouchNote’s report, which analyzed data from hiking site AllTrails for the 100 top-ranked routes in several countries widely known as hiking hotspots.
The study factored in metrics like trail length, number of reviews, average rating, and difficulty rating for each individual trail, along with user-reviewed images and specific review language (including phrases like “beautiful scenery,” “breathtaking views,” and “stunning landscape”) to arrive at the overall scores.
“Over the past twelve months, searches for ‘best places to visit in Canada’ have soared by more than 5,000 percent, highlighting the True North as one of the world’s most sought-after travel destinations all year long,” Craig Law, the head of marketing at TouchNote, shared. “Canada not only claims the top spot for the world’s best hikes, but also ranks among the most photographed and memorialized by travelers eager to make their friends jealous with their postcard-worthy holiday snaps.”
According to the study, hikers give Canadian trails an average rating of 4.73 out of 5, with each trail receiving an average of 4,416 reviews. “Canadian trails are the shortest in the top 10 at just under 3.7 miles on average, with a medium difficulty (3.8 out of 5), providing the world’s most standout hikes with accessibility at the heart of adventure,” the team explained.
This news should be of particular interest to Gen Z travelers—nearly 20 percent of whom say they are planning a hiking-focused holiday this year, according to YouGov. But hikers of any age and experience level will find plenty to inspire them in the TouchNote report.
Following closely behind Canada in the rankings is Switzerland, which earned an overall score of 9.79, thanks to its strong user ratings and visual appeal; its neighbor Italy takes third place with an identical hiker rating of 4.77 out of 5. “Both European countries offer longer hikes than Canada on average, with Switzerland especially pushing hikers to their limits with an average difficulty score of 4.4 out of 5,” the team wrote.
The U.S. also had a strong showing in TouchNote’s evaluation, coming in fourth with a score of 8.41, followed by Norway, France, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales.
If you’re looking for fantastic hikes that don’t require a passport to complete, check out Travel + Leisure‘s list of the best hikes in America—then lace up your boots and go.
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
