Choose a route

You can do this a multitude of ways:

Apps and websites

Apps and websites are great resources to help you select your trail. These resources may also provide information such as difficulty level, distance, elevation gain, direction, water sources, camping spots, trail features and ratings from other hikers.

Word of mouth

If you have people in your immediate circle who like to hike, leverage their knowledge and ask for recommendations. In addition, if you are in a new area be sure to ask locals or call the ranger station to ask for suggestions of hikes in the area that you plan to visit.

Social media

There are a ton of different platforms that will allow you to follow avid hikers or even join groups to meet up for hikes. These platforms include but are not limited to: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Know before you go

Plan ahead and do a few things before you begin your journey:

Check the weather

Be sure to check the weather and ensure that you’re not going to encounter incriminate weather. In some areas, extreme weather conditions can crop up quickly, so it is important to check the weather before you go anywhere. Flash flooding, thunder and lightning storms and avalanches are just a few examples of more extreme conditions that you might look out for.

Check the trail conditions

In mountainous terrain, it is common to have warmer weather at the base of the mountain with cooler weather conditions toward the peak. For example, although the weather is sunny and warm at the bottom, there could be snowy conditions at the top. In addition, in desert areas although the temperature can reach upwards of 100 degrees during the day, the nighttime can reach alarmingly low temperatures.

Research the trail map

Hiking trails range anywhere from beginner to expert and have different levels of elevation gain. It is always a good idea to plan your trip ahead of time to ensure the trail is a hike that is within your range of expertise. In addition, it is a good idea to check the average duration and trail reviews to ensure that you will have enough time to do the hike. Different times of year yield longer and shorter windows of daylight so it’s always important to keep this in mind before heading out on a hike.

Tell someone

It’s always a good idea to tell someone your planned route. This is especially important if you plan to hike alone. Regardless of whether you’re hiking in a group or you’re planning a solo trip it’s always a good idea to tell a family or friend where you plan to be and the time frame that you plan to hike on the trip.

Pack accordingly

Packing these items in preparation for your trip can help to eliminate stress and make for a more enjoyable trip:

Essentials

It is a good idea to pack a hard copy of a trail map in your hiking bag in case you lose service, or something happens to your mobile device while on a hike. Always be sure to check the trail map and download it beforehand. It is always a good idea to have the map locally on your device in case you lose service. Be sure to pack essentials such as a headlamp (even if you don’t plant to hike in the dark), trail map, water, good, a knife, sunscreen a compass, a fire starter and some sort of navigation system.

...Only the essentials...

While trying to be prepared, it’s really easy to overpack. One trick I like to do before going on a hike is visualizing what my day will look like so that I can plan for all the items I may need throughout the day. Essentials for each trip may vary depending on the trail but the key essentials of water, food and a map should be a necessity for every hike.

Last but NOT Least: Leave no trace

We have one planet so it's important to keep some things in mind while hiking:

Leaving no trace ensures that everyone has the chance to experience nature. It also conserves the beautiful nature that we all enjoy so much for future generations to come. It’s very easy to drop a wrapper and leave it or to use the restroom and not dispose of it properly but if we all take a few extra minutes to do our part, we’ll continue to preserve this beautiful planet we enjoy so much.