Are you interested in planning a hiking trip? Whether that hiking adventure is planned to last for a few hours or over a whole weekend, you will need to choose a hiking trail.
When it comes to planning a hiking trip, you need to remember that you have a number of different options. No matter where in the world you are located, you are certain to have a number of hiking trails located a close distance from your home.
What are my Trail Selection Options?
Since you should have a number of different choices, when planning a hiking trip, you may be wondering what is the best way to go about finding that “perfect hiking trail” to hike.
To help you choose the best hiking trail, there are a number of important factors that you may want to take into consideration. I’ve outlined the main factors below to help you in your planning and selection.
Trail Difficulty
In conjunction with the difficulty of a trail, your safety is also something that should be take into consideration. You will want to make sure that you are on a hiking trail that is well maintained and well cared for. While it can be difficult to assess a hiking trail without visiting it, it is possible to do.
One of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration when planning a hiking trip is the difficulty of the hiking trail in question.
You will find that hiking trails come in a number of different types, particularly with regard to their level of difficulty.
In fact, you may find that most parks have numerous hiking trails of varying difficulty to choose from. Instead of choosing a hiking trail based solely on the beauty of the surroundings, you will also want to examine it’s level of difficulty. If this is your first time planning a hiking trip, it may be best if you choose a trial that is designed for beginners or at least those at an intermediate level.
Trail Safety
If you know of anyone who has been hiking recently, you may want to ask them which hiking trail they took and for their views on the experience, namely the condition of the hiking trail in question. You may also be able to use an App like Wikiloc on the internet, or simply a standard internet search with the mighty Google in order to unearth popular hiking trails that are being discussed online.
Personal Security
Another factor that you may want to take into consideration when planning a hiking trip is your personal security.
Is the hiking trail or hiking park in question closely monitored by any staff, such as Security Guards or Park Rangers? In today’s society, you can never be too careful, especially when in surroundings that are unfamiliar to you.
Park Security
Hiking trails or parks that have Security Guards are ideal places to hike in case you are unfortunate enough to run into a problem, such as problems with a stranger who may be pestering you or worse, but they are also helpful in the event of a hiking accident. Hiking trails or hiking parks with experienced staff members are proven to be less likely to experience extreme or even fatal hiking accidents.
Overnight Trails and Campsite Camping
Your hiking adventure could last for just a few hours or be as long as a whole weekend. If you are also interested in turning your hiking adventure into a camping one, you will need to find a hiking trail or at least a hiking park that has overnight accommodation.
Here in Spain where I now live, Wild Camping is illegal, or very close to it as it is so heavily sanctioned and requiring so much red tape it becomes pointless trying to plan a wild camp at all. This is because of the risk of wildfires which ravage rural areas due to the dry heat and strong winds. For this reason Camping can only be done on official Campsites.
Wild Camping
In most other places elsewhere in the world, you will find that areas have been designated for wild camping and some, however basic they are, amenities will be provided.
If you are only interested in hiking for the day, the availability of overnight accommodation of a hiking trail or hiking park in question may not be a big concern of yours, so you can ignore this search criteria.
Is there a Cost Involved?
Cost is another factor that you may want to take into consideration, when choosing a hiking trail to hike. In countries such as the United States of America, you will find that most hiking trails or parks are not free to visit.
In all honesty, the fees that you are charged will totally depend on the trail or park in question. Most of the time, you will find that the cost of hiking is easily affordable, but the small cost is still something that you may want to take into consideration, especially if you are hiking on a tight budget.
Planning a Hiking Trip to Remember
The above mentioned factors are just a few of the many factors that you should take into consideration, when choosing a hiking route or a hiking park to visit. By keeping these factors in mind when planning a hiking trip, you will probably be able to unearth some real Gems of Trails in your Local Area or further afield to ensure that your next hiking adventure and the following ones will be truly memorable.
Further Reading:
TripSavvy.com – Planning a Hiking Trip: The Complete Guide
BestHiking.net – How to plan a hiking trip
