What are the most photographed hikes and trails in the world? See the top 10 destinations.

Camille Fine, USA TODAY

Experts from an adventure travel company have analyzed data to find the most picturesque trail destinations around the world which have “captivated the imagination of photographers worldwide.”

Explore Worldwide — which has led “adventure trips” since 1981, according to the company — searched photos tagged with "walking trail" or "hiking trail" on shutterstock.com and unsplash.com to find the most photographed (and therefore the most picturesque) hiking trails in the world, according to how many photos of each were uploaded in the area. The data was also analyzed to reveal which regions and mountain ranges around the world have the highest number of walking trail photos linked to them.

As of July 2023, over 1.7 million stock images in total were counted from over 414 countries, regions, cities, states, 63 mountain ranges.

If you’re an enthusiast who’s looking for inspiration on where to go next, see the most photographed destinations in the world, according to Explore Worldwide.

Where are the best fall colors? Map out best dates and locations for 2023 leaf-peeping

Top 10 most photographed walking and hiking trails

  1. GR20 - Corsico, France (45,187 photos)

  2. Everest Base Camp Trek - Himalayas, Nepal (13,711 photos)

  3. The Westweg - Black Forest, Germany (13,105 photos)

  4. Camino de Santiago - Northern Spain, Spain (10,738 photos)

  5. Inca Trail - Andes, Peru (10,170 photos)

  6. Appalachian Trail - Eastern United States (9,754 photos)

  7. The Jordan Trail - Jordan (9,343 photos)

  8. West Coast Trail - Vancouver Island, Canada (8,700 photos)

  9. Laugavegur Trail - Iceland (5,992 photos)

  10. The Lycian Way - Turkey (5,945 photos)

A view of the French Alps, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions.
A view of the French Alps, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions.
A view of the GR20 trail in Corsico, France.
A view of the GR20 trail in Corsico, France.
A photo of the Black Forest Trail, a 42-mile hiking trail utilizing old railroad grades, logging trails, and foot trails in Pennsylvania.
A photo of the Black Forest Trail, a 42-mile hiking trail utilizing old railroad grades, logging trails, and foot trails in Pennsylvania.
The Inca trail in Peru.
The Inca trail in Peru.
A view of Everest base camp in the Himalayas, Nepal.
A view of Everest base camp in the Himalayas, Nepal.
A view of the West Coast Trail in in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
A view of the West Coast Trail in in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Bird flocks will fly over the US soon. Explore BirdCast's new fall migration tool to help you prepare.

Top 10 most picturesque trail destinations

  1. California - U.S. (123,036 photos)

  2. Utah - U.S. (118,769 photos)

  3. Colorado - U.S. (89,966 photos)

  4. Arizona - U.S. (85,127 photos)

  5. England - United Kingdom (63,407 photos)

  6. Georgia - U.S. (54,339 photos)

  7. Canary Islands - Spain (51,126 photos)

  8. Scotland U.K. (48,048 photos)

  9. Patagonia - Chile (4,364 photos)

  10. Nevada - U.S. (39,158 photos)

A view of the Muir Woods, north of San Francisco, California.
A view of the Muir Woods, north of San Francisco, California.
A view of a trail in Kanab, Utah.
A view of a trail in Kanab, Utah.
A trail in Colorado.
A trail in Colorado.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Survey ranks best hikes, destinations for photos in the world and US

Advertisement