65
votes
Accepted
I am lost, I found a trail, which way do I go?
Settlements tend to be near water like rivers, lakes or oceans and the larger the body of water, the more likely there are people. A small stream is likely to join another at some point. This is why ...
- 2,270
60
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to hike over 30km per day?
Your planned hike sounds like it's within your physical capabilities. It will really come down to mental, rather than physical constraints. Do you enjoy challenging yourself, pushing through an ...
- 4,384
45
votes
Accepted
Is it offensive to "just hike" on a pilgrim's path?
No, it would not be offensive.
A survey of 200 pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago found that motivations were as follows, in order of importance:
Exercise
Adventure
Peace, solitude, relaxation
...
- 11.7k
41
votes
I am lost, I found a trail, which way do I go?
In many parts of life, you have to play the percentages. The likelihood is higher that going downstream will lead you to a trailhead or some other sign of civilization than it is for going upstream.
...
- 23.4k
30
votes
I am lost, I found a trail, which way do I go?
Trails show less use the farther from the trailhead one goes because fewer people walk the trail all of the way to the end and most turn around far more quickly.
The odds are that going downhill will ...
- 69.2k
29
votes
What does "out and back" mean in terms of understanding the length of a trail?
Out and back is the same as total. The 10 mile trail might be 5 miles out and 5 miles back, for example.
If you take a different route back, the numbers might not be the same. For example you might ...
- 12.1k
20
votes
Trail marking material that will last a few years
Before marking any trails, please speak to the forest service or whatever local authority is in charge of the land.
They likely have established methods for trail marking that should be followed, and ...
- 1,466
19
votes
Is it possible to hike over 30km per day?
To add to @csk's answer. It looks from the elevation profile that the Cleveland Way trail is fairly flat at one end. If possible I would aim to do the flatter end as the longer walking days rather ...
- 9,664
18
votes
Accepted
Is there a difference between a hiking trail and a backpacking trail, including if it's the same piece of land?
While there's a lot of overlap, a trail that can't possibly lead to anywhere to stay the night is unlikely to be called a backpacking trail, as backpacking implies multi-day trips carrying sleep gear ...
- 26.1k
18
votes
Is there a difference between a hiking trail and a backpacking trail, including if it's the same piece of land?
Hiking is a superset of backpacking. A backpacking trail can be used for hiking, since that's how you move along the trail while backpacking too.
Any trail specifically stated to support backpacking ...
- 21.4k
15
votes
Accepted
Trail marking material that will last a few years
If you want the quickest way to mark a trail, you could go for forestry marking paint. Some brands will advertize around 5 years of permanence. It requires careful placement of your marks so they are ...
- 5,045
14
votes
Accepted
When is it appropriate to make a cairn?
On designated trails that are infrequently traveled and maintained, using them to mark a faint or overgrown section of trail, the point a trail passes under a large downed tree, a switchback, a trail ...
- 1,509
11
votes
Are there reasons for not putting the mileage on trail signs or is it just a matter of style?
Knowing why distance was included or omitted in any particular instance requires asking the people that decided on that particular sign. In other words, in the general case, you don't know why.
I've ...
- 21.4k
11
votes
How is elevation gain and change measured for hiking trails?
There are three different ways of describing elevation gain/change for hikes.
The least useful – and sadly a very common – method is simply to subtract the starting elevation from the ...
- 4,088
11
votes
Trail marking material that will last a few years
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Probably the easiest and most durable version is the use of cairns. Provided there is enough rocks around, they are easy to build, unaffected by bleaching of the sun and ...
- 7,020
11
votes
Is it possible to hike over 30km per day?
On short (5-6 day) walks I can do about 26 miles a day as an average. For longer walks (months) I divide this by two, as a shorter daily distance is easier to sustain over a long period, mentally and ...
- 111
10
votes
Accepted
Yosemite in late March a good idea?
Check out the website http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildcond.htm
As of March 3, 2016, the website said this about General Conditions under the heading Wilderness Conditions
Be prepared ...
- 23.4k
9
votes
Wood versus plastic trail signs?
I appreciate everyone's help and opinions here, and want to report what we ended up doing.
We (the Town of Groton Massachusetts Trails Committee) looked at a variety of options. At first the plan ...
- 21.4k
8
votes
Accepted
How many miles of hiking trails are there in the United States?
This is impossible to answer unless you are willing to do an enormous amount of research. There is no single, or even just a few, databases of trails in the US.
The national trail lists generally ...
- 21.4k
8
votes
I am lost, I found a trail, which way do I go?
There are some good answers about trails that I am not going to expand on.
For roads that are not heavily used like logging roads These may extend many miles into the forest, with multiple branches,...
- 30.3k
8
votes
Do animal trails have switchbacks?
Update: I have found some photos of sheep tracks which clearly show that they do not travel directly up a hill. The first first one of switchbacks comes from this website by Chris Collison, where it ...
- 3,898
8
votes
Trail marking material that will last a few years
Permanent trails in NZ were marked with cut up bits of Venetian blinds - the aluminium ones and preferably white, nailed to trees with stainless steel (IIRC) nails. You can (could) often get these ...
- 9,664
8
votes
Is it possible to hike over 30km per day?
You may be overthinking this. You are not going to carry much luggage (I suppose). You are hiking in England, so the next village is not going to be far away. You will have cell phone coverage along ...
- 281
8
votes
What are these painted markings on trees for? (not trail markers)
These markings are for logging operations. The marks indicate that the trees should be removed. Note that there are also marks at the base, this is to help verify that the proper trees are removed.
...
- 648
8
votes
Accepted
What are the effects of biking on hiking trails?
Answer from a background of part-time trail maintenance, focusing solely on physical damage to trails, rather than interpersonal interactions. All trail users, including hikers, bikers, equestrian ...
- 4,179
7
votes
Are pets allowed to thru-hike US National Scenic Trails?
NSTs do not have a uniform set of rules. That said for the major trails, there are good websites that can answer many of your questions.
The ATC website says that dogs are NOT allowed in 3 areas: ...
- 10.7k
7
votes
Is it offensive to "just hike" on a pilgrim's path?
There is a fair argument that the general experience of hiking is part of the religious experience of a pilgrimage , for example, solitude, relaxtion , physical exercise and exploring the natural ...
- 6,202
7
votes
Accepted
Good two-day tour for the "Trekkinghütten" in the saxon switzerland
While I've never been to these cabins, I've been climbing and hiking in this area. In the map below I've outlined two route suggestions in purple, which you can vary as you please (and as you go). ...
- 1,451
7
votes
Accepted
Do military style obstacle course trails exist in a genuinely forested setting and open to the general public?
Yes and No.
Non-military obstacle courses do exist, but most are not "open" to the public. They are privately owned courses that require you to pay to use them. Most of these are what I would ...
- 430
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible