Hiking Trails

Our nation is criss-crossed with hiking trails
due the exponential growth of hiking and backpacking
over the past 20 years. These range from diminutive
nature paths only a quarter mile long, to so-called
“long-trails,” stretching hundreds (sometimes
thousands) of miles. And yet, finding a place to hike
seems to confound many trekkers. But there’s plenty
of help for them.

I ran into a guy on a local hiking trail a couple of weeks back, and, as is usual with such chance meetings, we paused to chat a bit about our mutual interest in backpacking.

With some excitement he informed me he was getting ready to hike the Appalachian Trail. “Not end to end,” he said. “I haven’t got time for that. But I figure I can cover a serious portion of it in the 30 days I have available.”

Why the AT, I wondered? Don’t get me wrong. As the oldest long trail in the country, I think all hikers owe themselves a visit to it, even for a short hike. But I don’t view the AT with the awe that many backpackers seem to.

With fame comes crowding. Most of the time, nowadays, if you hike the AT you do not get a wilderness experience. It’s become a hiking superhighway. Almost always you are walking with strangers, and camping with strangers, and overtaking or being overtaken by strangers. Not my idea of a good time in the woods.

Turns out he just had a desire to hike a long trail, and had plenty of time to do it. The Appalachian Trail was the only one he knew about.

The irony is that right here in Kentucky we have a relatively untraveled long trail. The Sheltowee Trace, as it traverses the Daniel Boone National Forest, is 259 miles long. And, with the exception of three small, widely spaced locales, you’re unlikely to see another hiker on it.

When I told my friend about it his eyes lit up. “Now that’s what I’m really looking for,” he exclaimed. “How come I didn’t know about it?”

Obviously I couldn’t answer that question. More to the point, I couldn’t understand it. Hiking trails are not kept secret. Indeed, their existence and maintenance depends on their being used. Yet, this guy was not alone. Hikers and backpackers in untold numbers return to the same hiking trails again and again because they don’t know how to track down others.

The first step doing so is a trip to the library or bookstore. There are thousands of guidebooks written by folks who have done feet-on research. For instance, when Friend Wife and I wrote our book, Hiking Kentucky, we found there are 2,300 miles of recognized hiking trails in the Bluegrass State. And we walked more than 400 of those miles, identifying some of the best walks in the state. It wasn’t hard finding that info.

Perhaps the best way of learning the hiking trails is to join a hiking club, and getting involved with the various trails conferences and organizations that exist on the national and regional level.

There are lots of good reasons for joining a local hiking club. Through them, you can learn the existence of hiking trails in your area; pick up hiking tips and techniques; and meet people with a common interest. These clubs are especially ideal for beginners, because when you join one of their outings you have, in effect, a group of mentors showing you the ropes.

Most colleges have outings clubs, and you don’t always have to be a student or faculty member to join. Many churches have similar groups. And the nearest backcountry shop can supply contact info for independent hiking and backpacking groups.

The local chapters of some national organizations are a good place to look, too. For instance, local Sierra Club chapters often sponsor hikes and backpacking trips, and provide experienced leaders for them.

State and regional trails conferences exist to promote hiking, construct and maintain hiking trails, and provide members and non-members with information ranging from guidebooks to equipment. Often they are a central organization for affiliated local clubs. For instance, the New York-New Jersey Trails Conference is an association of about 95 hiking clubs in the greater Metropolitan area.

These groups are sources for information that often is unavailable any other way. I well remember, when I lived and worked in the Big Apple, using a NY-NJ Trails conference publication, “New York Walk Book,” to find trails to hike.

Regional organizations, such as the Appalachian Mountain Club, Adirondack Mountain Club, and Continental Divide Trail Alliance do the same sort of thing on a broader level. They not only provide information, several of them actually have retail outlets for equipment, and can even set you up with guides to lead a backpacking trip.

For an even broader view, there are national organizations, such as the American Hiking Society dedicated to the building of trails, lobbying for trails support, and promoting the use of hiking tails. Perhaps the most well known of these is the Rails To Trails Conservancy, which is dedicated to converting abandoned railroad rights of way to hiking and biking trails.

The long and the short of it is simple. If you’re looking for a place to hike there are more than enough sources of great information.

Selected Sources