How to find hiking trails in your area doesn't need to be hard with these 5 resources. Whether you moved to a new area or visiting one for the first time, it can be pretty easy to find new hikes if you know where to look.
How to Find Hiking Trails
My Top 5 Resources for Hiking Trails
1. Facebook
This is a great place to join the local hiking group in addition to meeting new people and joining events (great for solo hikers). This is one of my top choices mainly because of the real-time updates and it tends to be more interactive and all questions are answered in a timely manner (either by the author who posted it or by others in the group). It is also a great place to ask any questions about trails, conditions, or anything else you need to know.
2. AllTrails
Need a quick way to see all the trails around you? Download the AllTrails app and a simple click will show you all the trails near you as well as a map, distance, difficulty, review, and pictures. This is a good starting point to find trail names and googling to find out more information about them. If you pay for the Pro version, you can download the maps and use them offline.
Note: Reviews are not always up-to-date and may have been months between each one.
3. Blogs
Blogs allow you to narrow down the specific type of hike you want. By typing in specific keywords such as 'Short Hikes', 'Hikes with the Best Views', or 'Kid-friendly Hikes', blogs will provide you with the best results. And since most blogs are personal, they might provide handy tips that you might not have known about and will give real reviews on how they liked that hike.
4. Social Media (Instagram/TikTok)
If you're like me, some of my hikes are picked solely based on videos and photos. Social media such as Instagram and TikTok allow you to take a real look at each hike before completing it yourself. Simply type what you're looking for in the search section and go from there.
5. Books
Books, yes actual books. If you don't want to splurge on books, join your local library and rent out books from there. The best thing about libraries, books are shared between locations so if your library doesn't have what you're looking for, search for it on their website, select request and it will be sent to your library. Books provide detailed information (distance, directions) and tend to have a few you can pick from.
Try these 5 resources when searching for your next hiking trail whether you're visiting or just moved to the area.
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