FAQ: How do you find hikes to hike?

Before I started hiking, one of the reasons I didn't hike was because I couldn't figure out how to find the hikes themselves. I always wondered how people knew about these hikes and how they knew where the trailheads were.

Here's the 'secret': we use hiking books (and now we use the web).

My favorite trail series by far is the Top Trails series; I have the Top Trails for Sacramento:

and the Top Trails for Tahoe.

Both the books offer specific accurate info on mileage, difficulty, trailhead location, elevation, and trail conditions, and both books offer a wide variety of hikes to suit all hiking experiences. I really enjoy reading them and planning my next hikes. When I do go hiking, I copy off the relevant pages (so I don't have to bring the entire book), and then use it (along with maps) to confirm any questions I have on the trail.

Now, how do you find people with whom to hike? If you're like me, you know plenty of people who love hiking but whose schedules hardly ever jibe with your own. The problem, therefore, is not necessarily a lack of hiking companions but rather schedule coordination with those folks. One easy answer to finding company on the trails is, assuming that you enjoy hiking with others, to join a hiking group.

I've found Meetup groups to be a great source of friendly hikers who accommodate a wide variety of fitnesses and experiences. Yahoo groups and Sierra Club groups also work, along with other hiking groups that are specific to a region. Most groups are very active, with hikes at least weekly, and they're mostly flexible. Joining a group doesn't require that you attend any specific number of hikes or lead any hikes. It just means that you can choose to have company on the hikes.

If you're traveling, and you'd like to hike there, you can join up with a hiking group for that area, and tag along with those friendly folks while exploring the local area. The groups tend to go to the classic hikes in the area (because they want to find wonderful scenery t00), and it's well worth planning to join them on the trail. To find groups, just type in 'hiking group" and your region; Google will offer you some options for groups to join. I highly recommend that route.

Even if you don't join the group, it's worth reviewing their hiking calendars to see where they go (and when). Hiking in the 'correct' season can make the difference between enjoying a pleasant hike and slogging through the mud or snow.

So, just FYI. That's how I do it anyway. :)