I am not an expert hiker by any means. You won’t see me hiking Mt. Everest or backpacking in the jungle. What I DO enjoy often are long day hikes, anywhere between 4-12 miles/day. Most of these “go to” resources will suit anyone’s level & interests of hiking, however, so delve in & let me know what you think.
FAVORITE GENERAL HIKING SITE:
Section Hiker: This site has EVERYTHING! Gear reviews, beginner tips, advanced backpacking advice, trail info, current deals at outdoor stores, & more. One of my favorite parts of this site is the “Trails” page, which lists all of the long distance US trails (at least 100 miles). The author of this site also reviews hiking books, which warms my happy little librarian heart.
GEAR REVIEWS:
Trail Space: Reviews gear related to hiking, camping, paddling, skiing, climbing, & running. Use this in addition to Section Hiker.
TRAIL ROUTES:
Planning your own routes or picking a trail can be the MOST time-consuming part of planning your trip. When I have limited days in an area, I want to make sure I hike the BEST trail.
But how do YOU define “best?” Ask yourself these questions before looking at trails & save yourself some time:
What are the minimum & maximum miles (or km) I want to hike that day?
How much time do I want to spend on the trails that day?
Do I want a loop trail that circles back to my starting point, or am I ok with an in & out trail where I walk back the way I came?
Do I only want day hikes? Do I want to backpack & spend the night on the trail?
Do I care whether the trail is pavement, dirt, rocky, sandy, etc?
Do I care whether the trail is flat or up a mountain?
Now it’s time to search for some trails & there are several ways to do this. It really depends on where you’re going and whose advice you value most. Keep reading to see what I mean…
Hiking Project: This is an REI site & app that offers an extensive guide to trails around the US, with more being added and reviewed every day by hikers like you & I. What I love most about this site is that it provides elevation profiles & interactive maps, which make it easy to visualize just how bad that switchback is going to be on my shins! This site is relatively new so it doesn’t have nearly the amount of trail listings as All Trails, but it’s growing fast & what it does cover, it covers well. Louisiana even made the list!
AllTrails: This site is massive & meant really to be used as an App on your phone. Like the Hiking Project, the content comes from anyone so the information is varied. I like to read the reviews so I can see what others thought about the trail route. Sometimes you’ll see things like “I don’t know what this cat was smoking, this trail was a mess! No signs, washed out bridges…” These are the things you want to know before committing to an 8-hr hike. All Trails was my favorite until they started charging for the Pro version — I refuse to pay for something I know I can get for free elsewhere. But use this app, there’s still a lot available for free.
Outdoor Active: This is the gold mine for European hiking maps! It provides topographical maps, detailed route info, & “turn-by-turn” instructions (just watch out for those tricky translations…Google isn’t always accurate). I used this site to pick several hikes for my trip to Germany & Austria.
Trail Journals: I love this site even though I’ve never used it to plan a hike. If you’re interested in long distance trails or you enjoy reading hiking diaries, this site is for YOU! This is first-hand experience on some of the most grueling trails this world has to offer. The big ones are all here (Appalachian, Pacific Crest, Camino de Santiago) but there are others I’ve never heard of & it is so much fun to read about them.
SEARCH LOCAL! I emphasize this a lot when talking about trip planning, & it’s just as true for planning hikes. Think about it…who are the experts on the area that you’ll be visiting? Who has time to hike all the lesser known trails that tourists don’t know about? THE LOCALS! And where might you find these sages of hiking? On a blog, of course 🙂 Go online, search “[destination] hiking blog” & see what you discover. I bet you’ll find a blog that has “favorite trails” with photos & personal notes about why they like those trails, & if you’re lucky they’ll recommend dining & lodging options.
ASK SOMEONE. Sounds like common sense, but if you’re a natural DIYer then your last inclination is usually to ask for help. But sometimes that’s really the best option. For example, if you’re hiking in a state or national park, all you have to do is ask for suggestions at the visitor’s center — they’re the best people to give advice AND can tell you up-to-date trail conditions. Another option is to find a hiking club in that area & contact them for suggestions.
THERE’S ALWAYS MORE…
This is the age of too much info, so of course there are more resources out there that might be useful for you. I haven’t even mentioned books, but that’s because they’re not free & most public libraries lack a decent collection of useful hiking books. But always check first…hiking books usually give the most detailed route info.
