Hiking Near Me

Looking to get some fresh air? Trying to get away from the city life a little? Maybe you are just looking to get some good exercise. Well, whatever your reason, there are many places to go for a good hike in the area. Just check out the Hiking Near Me Map below. You will find all the nearby hiking trails.

Just click on a location and it will tell you the name of the hiking trail, the address of where it starts, and if the hiking trail has hours of operation it will be listed. You may also find a phone number and email address of the organization that maintains the trail and reviews from past hikers. Finally, with a few clicks, you are able to get directions to the trail.

Hiking Near Me – Find it on the Map

Hiking Near Me – Hiking Trivia

Open Hours

While many hiking trails are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This isn’t true for all hiking trails. If the trails are found within parks, they will have hours that the parks are closed. The regular open hours for trails within parks is 8am and 10pm, but some may be shorter depending upon who manages the park and daylight hours available.

Who Manages the Hiking Trails?

In the United States, Hiking Trails can be managed by a wide range of groups and organizations. At the national level the National Park Service, the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management are responsible for keeping track of trails such as those created as part of the National Trails System in 1968. Outside of those groups, each state has at least one organization responsible for keeping track of the State Park systems and likewise counties are responsible for county parks and cities have their own parks which they manage. Each level of government pretty much has some connection to maintaining hiking trails across the country.
In addition to the government run trails, there are non-profit organizations, businesses and private individuals who run and maintain trails on private land, such as land trusts, private college campuses and large estates.

Fun Hiking Facts

Ready to get inspired? Well, if you are interested in hiking, you are not alone. Hiking has become increasingly popular across the country and there are an increasing number of places to participate in it. Here are some fun facts to get you ready and excited.

1. There are more hiking trails now than ever before. When the first National Trails System was created back in the 1960s, there were only 88,000 miles of trail across the entire country, on Federal land. Today, there are only 200,000 miles of trail on Federal land and the amount on state land has almost tripled as well from 15,000 miles to 42,500 miles. So, no matter where you are, you are bound to find a lot of choices when you search Hiking Near Me.

2. Each year more and more people are hiking. Between 2006 and 2013 the number of those who went for a day hike increased by 5 million and those who went backpacking increased by 2 million. So it is becoming an ever increasingly popular recreational activity. Maybe you can make some new friends out there.

3. Volunteers help keep the trails clean and maintained. Each year more than 1 million hours of volunteer work go into the National Scenic and Historical Trails alone.

4. More than 2 million visits are made to the Appalachian Trail each year.

5. The outdoor recreation industry saw a 5% growth in activity between 2005 and 2011 despite the poor economic activity of the overall economy during this time.

Hiking Near Me – Hiking Facts

Tips and Suggestions for Hiking

Are you ready to go hiking? Well, there are a lot of important things to do to be ready, especially if you are new to it. So, here are some important things to do to get ready before you go.

1. Decide where you are going to go. There is a lot of important decisions to make when you select the right place for a hike. This includes distance and ease of access. The amount of time it takes to get there and the amount of time it takes to complete the hike. If you only have a limited amount of time, you don’t want to do a hike that will take too long to complete.
The difficulty of the hike is also important. If you are a beginner, than you are going to want to do a hike that is at the right skill level for you. Knowing your own limits is important for safety and for making sure that you can complete the hike or have a convenient turn around place so you can get home in time. So checking reviews when you search Hiking Near Me of the place you are looking at will help you decide, but so will finding information about the hike in hiking journals and guides and many other places that information gets published.

2. Study the maps. Before you go to a place, learn about it and make a plan. This will help you budget your time and be ready for what you are going to face. Have a copy of the map while you are traveling is also useful. If you can’t get a paper copy, have a digital device, which will be mentioned later as well.

3. Travel in a group. Hiking is a great social activity and there is safety in numbers. So, bring some friends along with you and make a shared memory out of the experience.

4. Check the weather forecast. Knowing the weather and bringing the appropriate gear will help you. If you know the weather is going to be fair, you wont need to pack your umbrella, but if it might rain, you might want to have a waterproof poncho around, just in case.

5. Make sure to pack enough water. Water is important to keep you hydrated and that is one of the most important things to bring with you on your trip. Packing some snacks, light easy to use and high in energy ones, will also be useful, but make sure you have a good supply of water.

6. Have a cellphone in your group and a backup battery for it is extremely useful. Not only can it act as a map if you get lost, but almost every hiking trail will have some kind of emergency cellphone reception for you to use in case there is a problem on your trip.

7. Wear the appropriate clothes for the hike. Hiking boots and shoes are useful and you want to make sure they fit properly. Too tight and your feet will be screaming before you get halfway and too loose and they are a risk of twisting your ankle.

8. Have an emergency kit. This should include a first aid kit, sunscreen and bug repellent and bite cream, flares and emergency signals and something to start a fire. Be sure to check it and replace anything that is old before you get going.

9. Have an emergency contact who isn’t on the hike. Let someone know where you are going and your route. Have them ready to contact the authorities if you don’t check in by a certain time. This will keep you safe in case you aren’t able to call for help. Just remember to tell them when you get back safely.

10. Respect the trail. If you see rocks in a pile, don’t play with them. If you see garbage on the ground, pick it up and don’t leave behind your own.