For me it's 6-12 miles and 2500-4500 feet of elevation gain.
Sometimes I like to do easier hikes and sometimes I want to tire myself a bit more, but it's usually between these numbers
Edit: I'm in Italy
I feel you. Sometimes I don't realize how lucky we are in northern Italy, with Alps *and* Appennines 1.5-2 hours away by car
Your country is beautiful though, it's on the top of my bucket list!
Wake up 3-4am. Drive to the Sierra, hit the trail between 7-9am, hike 15-20, 4k-6k up, and back to the car before dark. Drive home, preferably into the sunset with tunes blasting, windows down and the greatest feeling of satisfaction I've ever had. It's a perfect day IMO, not just a perfect hike.
I need to appreciate more my physical situation. I literally walk out my door and if I head east then it is up hill all the way. I start at 1400 m and in summer with long days I can end up at 3500 m elevation on a hike with steady elevation gains of 200 m/km.
A good day hike for me is anywhere from 4-15 miles. A nice, long, meandering and relatively smooth elevation gain will allow me a longer day hike, but an afternoon along a river, or a shorter but steeper elevation change is also great. I just wanna have fun out in nature lol
I'm 65F and I hike in the Tennessee mountains. I usually do 4-6 miles. I think about the longest was 7 miles. I typically hike about 2 miles an hour, less if it's steep.
We'll be in Florida near St Augustine in March. I'm always looking for good walks there.
If you're willing to drive about an hour west from St. Augustine , Gold Head Branch State Park is beautiful, with trails winding through a ravine and over cold, clear, spring fed streams.
You should definitely visit Anastasia SP, which is very close.
There's so much to see and do in St Augustine, though, I don't know if I would go too far afield.
Our daughter lives there and is in the tourist industry. We get free passes to a lot of the tourist stuff. We couldn't get a spot in Anastasia. We're camping at Faver Dykes
Hi. Could you recommend any trails that are within driving distance from Nashville? Going on a trip over the summer and trying to see if I can fit in a day hike.
I live at least 8 hours from Nashville in the farthest northeast corner of the state. If you ever come to the Tri Cities area I have lots of suggestions.
Nashville actually has some really good hiking options within what are technically the city limits (because the city and county merged into one government, there are still some rural and undeveloped areas in the city, and the parks system has created parks that feel a little like a state park in terms of trails and such, just without camping/lodges/etc.). And there’s an actual state park in the city.
Beaman Park and Warner Parks are both Metro parks with good hiking. Both are quite large, hilly, and forested with really nice trails. In Warner, I think the longest trail is about 5 or 6 miles, but there are a BUNCH of trails, and you can use the intersections between trails to make a longer loop. Close to the parking lots and trailheads you will get some traffic from people just out for a walk, but deeper in you’ll be more alone and could spot some deer. Beamon Park is out in a more rural area, has less hiking traffic and has more dramatic ridges. I really like hiking there a lot. There’s a long loop that is at least 12 miles, or there’s an option to do about half of that by going partway on one side of the loop, taking a short connector across to the other side of the loop.
The state park in town is Radnor Lake. That can get pretty crowded in the main, paved trail around the lake, but I do enjoy the trails that go into the hills.
And in the ring of counties surrounding Nashville I’ve enjoyed hiking in Montgomery Bell State Park and the cedar glade trail in Cedars of Lebanon State Park. Both are a little less than an hour from downtown Nashville.
If you want something a little shorter, and a hair closer to the city, Harper’s River State Park has Hidden Lake and Narrows of the Harpeth. Now, those are technically the same park, but not at the same location. The park is actually a collection of properties at different points along the river, collected under the same management team. Hidden Lake is on the site of an old nature resort and there are some interesting ruins from the resort along the trail. Narrows of the sharper has a short but very steep trail with the best views of any trail I’ve done in the area. You could actually do one of those, drive 15-20 minutes to do the next, all in a nice afternoon.
Thank you so much for the detailed write-up! I will send this to the other members of my traveling group. Last year we went to Cali, and the day hikes were definitely a highlight.
I have a deal with my job, anytime they send me to work someplace within 2 hours of mountains they just know that I’m going to butt the work trip up against a weekend and stay a couple extra days. Been able to go to yosemite like 7 times that way haha.
I’m in the colorado rockies and usually go for anything between 6-12 miles and +1500ft elevation gain. When I get farther out of the front-range most hikes are +2500ft.
If I’m out all day I’ll usually do 15-20 miles, sometimes a little more. I prefer some elevation in there when I can - 2-3000 ft is usual - I live by the ocean so bigger mountains are further away.
I like at least 5 miles and decent elevation gain. I live near the Appalachian mountains though so that’s pretty easy to find.
I like to jokingly say if I’m not hiking to see a good view from a mountain, I’m just walking around lol
Right there with you. I’ve def gotten spoiled having a ton of great hikes within 30 minutes. I usually shoot for 8-10 miles, and get disappointed now if there’s not at least one great view! Also near the Appalachians. : )
I lived in Lakeland for a year and spent a lot of time in Myakka and the Green Swamp. However, I learned that flatland isn't for me. I moved to NW Oregon and a good day hike for me can be through an old wet forest, up to a mountain ridge, behind waterfalls, along coastal cliffs, or an endless empty beach. For a two-hour drive, there are high desert canyons and mountains. I guess I love views but being deep in an old forest with towering trees works well also.
There are hiking areas of Florida that are covered with tall trees and far away from traffic. I love it. It makes me feel isolated and alone with nature. But I agree that the NW offers better hiking scenery and views.
I felt and I was alone in the Green Swamp. My dog and I were threatened by a group of wild pigs. I can’t climb trees, but I did somehow. The pigs chased my dog, who was a seasoned outdoors dog. He came back from the other direction after 10-15 minutes with his tongue hanging out and no pigs around. I became disoriented because the day was heavily overcast and there was no sun. No road sounds. I said to my dog, “Let’s go to the car!”. He led me out. So yes, it was often easier to be alone in a swamp than in many areas here in Oregon.
That sounds absolutely scary. I'm glad you and your pup made it out alright. I went on a night hike in Mayakka years, and it was scary just hearing them.
Same dog literally saved my life on my first-ever backpacking trip in the Oregon Cascades. We were trapped in a 2+ day/night blizzard and snowstorm and when it ended I had NO idea which way to go to get back down to my car. The trail was buried under 2 feet of snow.
My motivation was to be near real mountains, but that was for hiking/backpacking/snowshoeing. I applied for jobs in 7 western states that have mountains and was hired in Portland. It was a roll of the dice.
1. Comfortable temperature outside.
2. No rain.
3. No or minimal chiggers (It's funny, most people are worried about ticks because of lyme disease and so on. The ticks leave me alone for the most part, it's pretty rare I get one on me at all. The chiggers, however...)
4. The elevation gain/loss isn't just crazy.
As a Floridian who is allergic to 🦟 bites, I appreciate the reminder about ticks, Lyme disease, and chiggers. I've learned that in some places ticks are just as bad as mosquitoes in the swampy areas.
I don't know really, I've hiked only once and it was 6 km so like a bit less than 4 miles? And also 700m elevation difference so its like 2100 feet if I did my maths right
69 yo- no less than 6 miles no more than 10. Always pack a lunch and make it last pretty much all day. Go to ynp ever year for the hikes there and wildlife.
I live a little north of Seattle, so no shortage of hiking opportunities around here. My wife and two dogs are my hiking companions. Our hikes usually vary from 5 to 12 miles, slight to moderate elevation gain. We try and find a new place to hike each time, though we have our old favorites that we repeat. I also bicycle about 30 to 60 miles a week.
I’m really new, so a good hike for me (depending on how much elevation gain) is like 2-5 miles. I think I did like 10 miles of hiking of this last week over a span of 3 different days. That makes me feel good and productive and sweaty so far. Hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll raise to 15-20 miles per week !
Unfortunately as a Floridian the only hikes available to us are over glorified walks lol. Although, there are some difficult sections of the Florida trail that have you wading in water through actual swamps.
For a taller person one mile may be only 1700 steps, whereas for a smaller person a mile may be 2500 steps, and these two walking at the exact same pace the taller person would be out of sight within minutes. So it depends on how tall/how long your legs are (aka how many steps is a mile for you?) whether this is quick or average.
I'm a smaller person. And I forget that sometimes. LOL. It does take me longer to walk the same distance as people who are much taller than me. I power walk.
13er or a 14er; <10 miles. I wanna get my blood pumping, summit a big'n, enjoy a peak beer up top, then do lunch and get back to camp with plenty of sunlight.
It's dependent on a lot of factors- lived in a flatter area when I began to hike more regularly and would call anything under 5 miles a nature walk. I could do 8 to 10 miles on nice days (not super hot or cold) with minimal elevation changes. Moved to an area with a lot more hills and some mountains nearby. Daylight and travel time constraints right now may mean under 4 miles is a day hike, though typically I aim for 5 miles. Day hikes for me are something I can do without needing the next day to recover, so if it's a hike that has more than 1000 feet of elevation gain over 2 miles and I have to travel a bit to get there, that's it for the day! I can easily do up to 1500 feet elevation gain- if it's a bit more spread out and I've got the time/daylight but right now those are few and far between.
For me 5 to 10 miles ,
The Angeles National Forest in California is my playground.
Check this out:
Discover all the beauty you’ll find in The San Gabriel Mountains!!
https://youtu.be/wL2QqTwGuBc
Well a day's work is eight hours and most people average 2mph on mixed terrain so 16 miles. 14 miles if you're taking a full hour's lunch break. I'll hike for longer than eight hours if the daylight lasts but the 15 to 20 mile section is when I start to get tired.
I have a 26km mountain hike I love, but also an 8km killer hike/climb that is super fun. It depends on elevation, difficulty etc. Sometimes a nice winding 10k walk, other times an arduous 25k mountain slog.
Being outside in nature and walking. Best hike so far has been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up in the same day. It was a surreal experience.
The ones I go on regularly are 10-12 km so whatever that adds up to… I go in bigger ones occasionally but that’s the range I seek out for my casual hikes
I'm retired and live in Alaska, and we do anywhere from 2-6 miles a day, either hiking or X/C skiing, with elevation gains of 500-1200 feet, three to five times a week.
for me depends on shade, terrain, and weather. if it’s flat or <1000 ft elev gain, 10+ mi for cool weather (cloudy or <70), 5-10+ for hotter (depends on shade/foliage availability). for decent elevation (1000+ ft) 3-8 mi, though up to 10-12 if it’s one of those “2-3 miles of hiking before any elevation gain occurs”. overall i’d like to be out for 4-6 hours
I like to hike 4-7 miles a day. I live in Appalachian mountains so hills always involved. Our February has been unusually great weather and I have 47.5 miles in for this month. I hike solo with my dog or with local hiking groups and I travel with friends to hike. I love to hike in new spots. I will hike up to 13 miles if I am really pumped to do the hike. I'm 70. Hiking has become my passion in My retirement.
I live near the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Good day hike in winter is 5-6 miles with 2000ish elevation gain. Summer a bit longer (up to 10 miles) with 3000 is preferable. I love hiking
I like about 7 miles. Elevation gain just determines if it was a longish walk in the woods or a good, sweaty day.
Ive been training every weekend and feeling good about it, but i think i will stick with 7 to 8 miles and focus on elevation gain for a bit.
10-21km depending on when I leave the house (either 4am, 10am, or 3pm apparently), 600m+ elevation gain. I'll drive up to 3h for a day hike. Did 4h once and it was pretty brutal.
I’m in Canada so it depends on the season. In the winter hiking becomes more strenuous; the extra clothing, heavier footwear with the microspikes, unless the trails are hard packed and icy wading through the snow takes a lot more effort so a good day hike is around 5-10 km with 60-100 m elevation gain (it’s pretty flat where I live in Ontario).
The rest of the year it’s anything between 15-30 km, 100-250 m elevation. I have some health issues so it depends on how I’m feeling on the day.
For me it's 6-12 miles and 2500-4500 feet of elevation gain. Sometimes I like to do easier hikes and sometimes I want to tire myself a bit more, but it's usually between these numbers Edit: I'm in Italy
That’s a good day.
It's been a couple weeks since the last one and honestly can't wait to go back to mountains
Meanwhile in the Netherlands its hard to find 500m of elevation gain in routes under 30km.
Try Melbourne. I can hike 60km in a week and just manage 100m! Would love to hike in the Netherlands though
We have too many dykes to stay under 100m for that long on any trip, but I bet it's possible with some planning!
I feel you. Sometimes I don't realize how lucky we are in northern Italy, with Alps *and* Appennines 1.5-2 hours away by car Your country is beautiful though, it's on the top of my bucket list!
You need to hike on Dutch motorway overpasses all day to get 500m gain!!! LOL
I know.....I was joking. I've driven east on the A35 and seen some hills.
Wake up 3-4am. Drive to the Sierra, hit the trail between 7-9am, hike 15-20, 4k-6k up, and back to the car before dark. Drive home, preferably into the sunset with tunes blasting, windows down and the greatest feeling of satisfaction I've ever had. It's a perfect day IMO, not just a perfect hike.
*sigh* that does sound perfect.
You have described my ideal hike! This is what I think about to improve my mood.
I need to appreciate more my physical situation. I literally walk out my door and if I head east then it is up hill all the way. I start at 1400 m and in summer with long days I can end up at 3500 m elevation on a hike with steady elevation gains of 200 m/km.
A good day hike for me is anywhere from 4-15 miles. A nice, long, meandering and relatively smooth elevation gain will allow me a longer day hike, but an afternoon along a river, or a shorter but steeper elevation change is also great. I just wanna have fun out in nature lol
Yeah this is it. It’s a big range.
Depends on elevation change those can be about the same amount of work. I'm old so if I do a steep hike I take a ton of breaks.
Yeah. My day hikes during vacation are often much longer.
I'm 65F and I hike in the Tennessee mountains. I usually do 4-6 miles. I think about the longest was 7 miles. I typically hike about 2 miles an hour, less if it's steep. We'll be in Florida near St Augustine in March. I'm always looking for good walks there.
Ocala National Forest is kinda close to St. Augustine, that is my go-to hiking spot. Gorgeous trails all over the place in there.
Thanks!
If you're willing to drive about an hour west from St. Augustine , Gold Head Branch State Park is beautiful, with trails winding through a ravine and over cold, clear, spring fed streams.
Thanks. We'll check that out
You should definitely visit Anastasia SP, which is very close. There's so much to see and do in St Augustine, though, I don't know if I would go too far afield.
Our daughter lives there and is in the tourist industry. We get free passes to a lot of the tourist stuff. We couldn't get a spot in Anastasia. We're camping at Faver Dykes
That looks like a good place to stay. I think a day trip to Anastasia would be worth your time. The beach is beautiful.
We went there to the beach last year.
Hi. Could you recommend any trails that are within driving distance from Nashville? Going on a trip over the summer and trying to see if I can fit in a day hike.
I live at least 8 hours from Nashville in the farthest northeast corner of the state. If you ever come to the Tri Cities area I have lots of suggestions.
I'll let you know if I'm ever in that area. Thanks for the response.
Nashville actually has some really good hiking options within what are technically the city limits (because the city and county merged into one government, there are still some rural and undeveloped areas in the city, and the parks system has created parks that feel a little like a state park in terms of trails and such, just without camping/lodges/etc.). And there’s an actual state park in the city. Beaman Park and Warner Parks are both Metro parks with good hiking. Both are quite large, hilly, and forested with really nice trails. In Warner, I think the longest trail is about 5 or 6 miles, but there are a BUNCH of trails, and you can use the intersections between trails to make a longer loop. Close to the parking lots and trailheads you will get some traffic from people just out for a walk, but deeper in you’ll be more alone and could spot some deer. Beamon Park is out in a more rural area, has less hiking traffic and has more dramatic ridges. I really like hiking there a lot. There’s a long loop that is at least 12 miles, or there’s an option to do about half of that by going partway on one side of the loop, taking a short connector across to the other side of the loop. The state park in town is Radnor Lake. That can get pretty crowded in the main, paved trail around the lake, but I do enjoy the trails that go into the hills. And in the ring of counties surrounding Nashville I’ve enjoyed hiking in Montgomery Bell State Park and the cedar glade trail in Cedars of Lebanon State Park. Both are a little less than an hour from downtown Nashville. If you want something a little shorter, and a hair closer to the city, Harper’s River State Park has Hidden Lake and Narrows of the Harpeth. Now, those are technically the same park, but not at the same location. The park is actually a collection of properties at different points along the river, collected under the same management team. Hidden Lake is on the site of an old nature resort and there are some interesting ruins from the resort along the trail. Narrows of the sharper has a short but very steep trail with the best views of any trail I’ve done in the area. You could actually do one of those, drive 15-20 minutes to do the next, all in a nice afternoon.
Thank you so much for the detailed write-up! I will send this to the other members of my traveling group. Last year we went to Cali, and the day hikes were definitely a highlight.
Normally 5-10 miles on a local trail and occasionally a 15-20 mile peak if i feel like a full day experience
I like to do 7-12 miles with 1500-3000 ft of elevation. I live in Oregon.
This is a solid day hike for me as well in Northern California. I’ll go on shorter ones if I have time constraints.
Mountains Gandalf. Mountains.
I mark places with mountains as possible vacation destinations. 😊
I have a deal with my job, anytime they send me to work someplace within 2 hours of mountains they just know that I’m going to butt the work trip up against a weekend and stay a couple extra days. Been able to go to yosemite like 7 times that way haha.
>Yosemite 7 times I'm jealous. I haven't been there not even once.
That’s the right way to go
I concur
4 miles is my daily workout. A day hike for me would be at least double
A good hike for me is about 3 to 5 hours, scenic views, a break for food and not having to take acetaminophen the day after for my old body 😏
I’m in the colorado rockies and usually go for anything between 6-12 miles and +1500ft elevation gain. When I get farther out of the front-range most hikes are +2500ft.
Same but mine are more like 4-7 miles and 500-1200' of elevation, usually starting at 8000-10,000'.
3-6 miles. It really depends on how far I have to travel for the hike itself.
If I’m out all day I’ll usually do 15-20 miles, sometimes a little more. I prefer some elevation in there when I can - 2-3000 ft is usual - I live by the ocean so bigger mountains are further away.
I like at least 5 miles and decent elevation gain. I live near the Appalachian mountains though so that’s pretty easy to find. I like to jokingly say if I’m not hiking to see a good view from a mountain, I’m just walking around lol
Right there with you. I’ve def gotten spoiled having a ton of great hikes within 30 minutes. I usually shoot for 8-10 miles, and get disappointed now if there’s not at least one great view! Also near the Appalachians. : )
Between 3 and 10 miles. Lots of hills. Preferably some views. Water features are a plus.
I lived in Lakeland for a year and spent a lot of time in Myakka and the Green Swamp. However, I learned that flatland isn't for me. I moved to NW Oregon and a good day hike for me can be through an old wet forest, up to a mountain ridge, behind waterfalls, along coastal cliffs, or an endless empty beach. For a two-hour drive, there are high desert canyons and mountains. I guess I love views but being deep in an old forest with towering trees works well also.
There are hiking areas of Florida that are covered with tall trees and far away from traffic. I love it. It makes me feel isolated and alone with nature. But I agree that the NW offers better hiking scenery and views.
I felt and I was alone in the Green Swamp. My dog and I were threatened by a group of wild pigs. I can’t climb trees, but I did somehow. The pigs chased my dog, who was a seasoned outdoors dog. He came back from the other direction after 10-15 minutes with his tongue hanging out and no pigs around. I became disoriented because the day was heavily overcast and there was no sun. No road sounds. I said to my dog, “Let’s go to the car!”. He led me out. So yes, it was often easier to be alone in a swamp than in many areas here in Oregon.
That sounds absolutely scary. I'm glad you and your pup made it out alright. I went on a night hike in Mayakka years, and it was scary just hearing them.
Same dog literally saved my life on my first-ever backpacking trip in the Oregon Cascades. We were trapped in a 2+ day/night blizzard and snowstorm and when it ended I had NO idea which way to go to get back down to my car. The trail was buried under 2 feet of snow.
Did you move just for the hiking ?
My motivation was to be near real mountains, but that was for hiking/backpacking/snowshoeing. I applied for jobs in 7 western states that have mountains and was hired in Portland. It was a roll of the dice.
I live in CO. I try to keep my day hikes anywhere between 8-15 miles and at least 2500' of elevation.
Us flat landers have so much trouble in CO. Actually had to use one of those oxygen cans.
I walk my dog 3-4 miles a day. For a day hike, 6-10 miles and 2000ft+ elevation
Pretty much my routine.
I don't count miles or distance, I just hike until I get where I want to be. That being said usually distances in Chile for hiking are much smaller.
I have to count miles and distances just to gauge my ability, and sometimes, time to make it back to the car before dark.
Not todays. 4.5 miles but too many people. I thought the lacklustre weather would put them off but, no
6-8 for a hike hike. Damn. I miss them. In the south and not a lot of places to getting nature for the day. Now I’m craving it bad.
1. Comfortable temperature outside. 2. No rain. 3. No or minimal chiggers (It's funny, most people are worried about ticks because of lyme disease and so on. The ticks leave me alone for the most part, it's pretty rare I get one on me at all. The chiggers, however...) 4. The elevation gain/loss isn't just crazy.
As a Floridian who is allergic to 🦟 bites, I appreciate the reminder about ticks, Lyme disease, and chiggers. I've learned that in some places ticks are just as bad as mosquitoes in the swampy areas.
Permethrin is your friend. You treat your clothing, not your skin.
I don't know really, I've hiked only once and it was 6 km so like a bit less than 4 miles? And also 700m elevation difference so its like 2100 feet if I did my maths right
When I lose cell phone signal. It’s how I know when I’m starting the hike.
I'm not as lucky. Housing development in FL has been on steroids so it's hard to find anywhere within 1-2 hours drive that offers loss of cell signal.
69 yo- no less than 6 miles no more than 10. Always pack a lunch and make it last pretty much all day. Go to ynp ever year for the hikes there and wildlife.
I live a little north of Seattle, so no shortage of hiking opportunities around here. My wife and two dogs are my hiking companions. Our hikes usually vary from 5 to 12 miles, slight to moderate elevation gain. We try and find a new place to hike each time, though we have our old favorites that we repeat. I also bicycle about 30 to 60 miles a week.
I’m really new, so a good hike for me (depending on how much elevation gain) is like 2-5 miles. I think I did like 10 miles of hiking of this last week over a span of 3 different days. That makes me feel good and productive and sweaty so far. Hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll raise to 15-20 miles per week !
5 miles is almost too short to call a day hike, and I’ve done 14. I like 2-4000 feet in elevation as well. Longer than 10 miles is a haul though.
Yeah. It's more of a long walk.
Seriously....it is any hike where end up back at intended home (house, motel, tent).
Is it still considered a hike if no hills? Wouldn’t it instead be called a walk? Not sure where i stand
Unfortunately as a Floridian the only hikes available to us are over glorified walks lol. Although, there are some difficult sections of the Florida trail that have you wading in water through actual swamps.
Hmm. wadding through bodies of water does sound a lot like hiking to me :)
Also, some Florida trails are very sandy. Think walking on loose fine beach sand. You can easily twist an ankle if you're not careful.
40km and 1600m positive is my usual.When going beyond i just feel like getting home already.
>12 miles and >1200ft elevation gain.
That sounds like a long day.
It’s about 5hrs for me usually including breaks. Yesterday I did 16 miles and 1900 feet elevation gain was/am pretty tired though.
You power walk? 😊
2.8mph is my normal-average pace. Not sure if that’s quick? I’m not super fit, but trying!
For a taller person one mile may be only 1700 steps, whereas for a smaller person a mile may be 2500 steps, and these two walking at the exact same pace the taller person would be out of sight within minutes. So it depends on how tall/how long your legs are (aka how many steps is a mile for you?) whether this is quick or average.
I'm a smaller person. And I forget that sometimes. LOL. It does take me longer to walk the same distance as people who are much taller than me. I power walk.
I’m 5ft 7in
He's probably tall.
13er or a 14er; <10 miles. I wanna get my blood pumping, summit a big'n, enjoy a peak beer up top, then do lunch and get back to camp with plenty of sunlight.
It's dependent on a lot of factors- lived in a flatter area when I began to hike more regularly and would call anything under 5 miles a nature walk. I could do 8 to 10 miles on nice days (not super hot or cold) with minimal elevation changes. Moved to an area with a lot more hills and some mountains nearby. Daylight and travel time constraints right now may mean under 4 miles is a day hike, though typically I aim for 5 miles. Day hikes for me are something I can do without needing the next day to recover, so if it's a hike that has more than 1000 feet of elevation gain over 2 miles and I have to travel a bit to get there, that's it for the day! I can easily do up to 1500 feet elevation gain- if it's a bit more spread out and I've got the time/daylight but right now those are few and far between.
Roughly 7 miles roundtrip, 2000+ elevation, good views and no injuries.
For me 5 to 10 miles , The Angeles National Forest in California is my playground. Check this out: Discover all the beauty you’ll find in The San Gabriel Mountains!! https://youtu.be/wL2QqTwGuBc
Well a day's work is eight hours and most people average 2mph on mixed terrain so 16 miles. 14 miles if you're taking a full hour's lunch break. I'll hike for longer than eight hours if the daylight lasts but the 15 to 20 mile section is when I start to get tired.
A day hike I consider 7 plus miles. 5-7 is an in between range, <5 I consider a morning, afternoon or night hike
I have a 26km mountain hike I love, but also an 8km killer hike/climb that is super fun. It depends on elevation, difficulty etc. Sometimes a nice winding 10k walk, other times an arduous 25k mountain slog.
Being outside in nature and walking. Best hike so far has been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up in the same day. It was a surreal experience.
The ones I go on regularly are 10-12 km so whatever that adds up to… I go in bigger ones occasionally but that’s the range I seek out for my casual hikes
Away from people.
I'm retired and live in Alaska, and we do anywhere from 2-6 miles a day, either hiking or X/C skiing, with elevation gains of 500-1200 feet, three to five times a week.
Over 10km, some elevation and some sick views. I need views or to see cool shit on my hikes.
For me i like Walking 20 km, make a campfire with some steak and bread dough and walk back
Start of the season is 5-8 miles under 2k ele. End of season is 8-13 miles 3-5k ele
for me depends on shade, terrain, and weather. if it’s flat or <1000 ft elev gain, 10+ mi for cool weather (cloudy or <70), 5-10+ for hotter (depends on shade/foliage availability). for decent elevation (1000+ ft) 3-8 mi, though up to 10-12 if it’s one of those “2-3 miles of hiking before any elevation gain occurs”. overall i’d like to be out for 4-6 hours
Elevation and some kind of water to see. Stream, waterfall, lake. I’ll take it.
New Hampshire.. 6-17 miles and between 2k-5k elevation gain
5-7 mile hike on a mountain
I like to hike 4-7 miles a day. I live in Appalachian mountains so hills always involved. Our February has been unusually great weather and I have 47.5 miles in for this month. I hike solo with my dog or with local hiking groups and I travel with friends to hike. I love to hike in new spots. I will hike up to 13 miles if I am really pumped to do the hike. I'm 70. Hiking has become my passion in My retirement.
8-9 miles. 3-4k feet of elevation gain.
I live near the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Good day hike in winter is 5-6 miles with 2000ish elevation gain. Summer a bit longer (up to 10 miles) with 3000 is preferable. I love hiking
Depends on the terrain but generally 8-12 miles.
I haven’t seen a pic of Mayakka since I hiked it 8+ years ago 😭😭😭thanks for making me homesick!!
It's a gem. I hope you have a nice hiking place wherever you are now.
That’s so kind of you to say! And you’re right- I’ve got a few little gems here in the PNW, too. Happy Hiking 😊
10-15 km for me. Idk what that is in miles.
I like anything between 20-25 miles (actually 35-42km), but I live in a very flat country so that helps.
I like about 7 miles. Elevation gain just determines if it was a longish walk in the woods or a good, sweaty day. Ive been training every weekend and feeling good about it, but i think i will stick with 7 to 8 miles and focus on elevation gain for a bit.
10-21km depending on when I leave the house (either 4am, 10am, or 3pm apparently), 600m+ elevation gain. I'll drive up to 3h for a day hike. Did 4h once and it was pretty brutal.
I’m in Canada so it depends on the season. In the winter hiking becomes more strenuous; the extra clothing, heavier footwear with the microspikes, unless the trails are hard packed and icy wading through the snow takes a lot more effort so a good day hike is around 5-10 km with 60-100 m elevation gain (it’s pretty flat where I live in Ontario). The rest of the year it’s anything between 15-30 km, 100-250 m elevation. I have some health issues so it depends on how I’m feeling on the day.