How to Choose Hiking Trails

Video Transcript

JOHN FLAHERTY: Hi, my name is John and today we are going to talk about how to choose a hiking trail. And when I think about where I am going to go hiking, I think of a couple of things to start out with. First is what is my level of fitness and what am I prepared to take on. I might want to climb a mountain one day, tackle 10-15 miles, another day I just might want to short two or three miles. So first think about what your level of physical fitness is and how much you want to tackle. If you are a beginning hiker, I would recommend some shorter easier hikes, maybe up to three or four miles in length that are relatively moderate or relatively level terrain. Any good outdoor sporting good store or a good local bookstore will usually have an excellent selection of trail guides. Almost anywhere in this country where there is good hiking to be had, someone will have documented all the hikes or at least most of the hikes available in that area. And I have got a selection of hiking guides here. What you want to look for in a good hiking guide is one that might have some maps of the area, some trail descriptions and then maybe a mileage counter there. So that would be an excellent resource for folks as well. Another that I would look at when choosing a trail to hike on is who am I hiking with, what might they enjoy. If I am with a larger group, I would probably want to go toward the lowest common denominator and pick a hike that is easier. It is a probably a lot better to pick a hike that is a little on the easy side rather than one that is a little on the hard side because people are going to enjoy it more if they do not have to over extend. Conversely if I am up for a challenge, I might hike up into an area like there is behind us. That is a mountain called Valencia Peak, about 1300 feet above sea level, a very tough hike but if I am up for a challenge, I might pick that. Some other things to think about, do you want to watch wildlife? Do you want spectacular ocean vistas? This particular park we are today does have some spectacular ocean vistas off in the other direction and if I wanted that I might hike here. If I wanted to get off into the mountains, I might go to the Sierra Nevada, a beautiful mountainous area and do some day hiking over there. So there are lots of different areas to hike in and just let your interest and your level of physical fitness determine where you end up going.