Hiking can be intimidating when you first start out but it doesn’t have to be. There are SO many benefits of hiking including better physical health and mental health. This guide will go over some essential tips for beginner hikers so you can feel confident on the trail and maybe form a little bit of an obsession with the outdoors like I did.
Leave No Trace
If there’s one thing I hope you can take away from this blog, it’s this. Leave the trail better than you found it not just for the sake for nature but also for others to enjoy the trail for years to come. Some of the basic leave no trace principles include:
- Stay on the designated trail to protect vegetation
- Do not litter (this includes fruit peels)
- Keep your distance and do not feed wildlife
- If you don’t see trash bins, pack your trash out.
Another one I’d like to add that’s not commonly talked about is staying on the path instead of going around when trails are muddy. I know this is super tough of avoid but I’ve seen so many trails widened because of this. Just wear the right waterproof shoes that can easily be rinsed off.
How To Find Hikes (+navigation)
Finding hikes is so much easier in the internet era so take advantage of your resources. The easiest place to look for hikes is AllTrails. You can filter trails by difficulty, accessibility (is it dog friendly? wheelchair friendly?etc.), traffic, and you can see recent reviews from other hikers so you know what to expect.
Alltrails is also great for navigating your hike and if you’re going to be in an area without signal, you will be able to download your map ahead of time. Another app I love for navigating is GAIA
What To Pack For A Hike
What to pack for a hike largely depends on duration, terrain, and climate. Will it be cold when you reach higher elevation? Is the hike exposed to the sun the whole time? These are good questions to ask yourself when you’re packing for a hike.
In general I like to bring the following items for the best experience:
- A snack
- Durable hiking shoes with good grip
- Water or water filter if there’s freshwater
- Day pack
- Sunblock
- Garmin Mini InReach In case you need to send an SOS alert or contact someone when you don’t have cell signal (hopefully not but good to have if you need it!)
How To Prepare For A Hike
There are a few things worth looking into before hitting such as:
- Weather
- Permits
- Closures
- Are dogs allowed?
If you are visiting a National Park you can safely assume that the trails won’t be dog friendly. Some hikes or parks are now allowing a limited number of visitors depending on the season so it’s a good idea to check if you need permits ahead of time.
Hiking Etiquette
It look some time to learn the proper hiking etiquette but it’s very important to learn them early so you (and other hikers) can have the best possible experience on the trail.
- Yield to hikers heading up
- Keep your music to yourself by using headphones. The sound of birds chirping is the best music anyway.
- Leash your dog. Not every dog you encounter is friendly and some people are fearful of dogs.
- Yield to bikers and horses
- Say hello to hikers you encounter 🙂 My introverted self is still working on this one.