Over recent years, hiking has slowly grown in popularity. It seems that more people have come to appreciate the nature trails, exercise and beautiful natural environments that come with it.
While it is nice that more people have come to appreciate hiking, it comes with a catch as well: More people on the trails, meaning bigger crowds to run into.
If you are someone who does not mind having company or seeing people as you enjoy nature, this might not bother you too much, but the same can’t be said for the many other hikers who use this chance as a getaway from society for a moment. After all, hiking presents them an opportunity to be alone with their own thoughts in solitude.
Even more so now, with lockdowns in place all around the world and outside exposure being limited, solo hiking trails are much desired as it allows people to get out while being able to practice social distancing. What then can you do?
It’s all about the “right” time
And by “right” time, I mean wrong time.
The best time to get out and about is when everyone is either asleep or unwinding after a long day.
Yes, that means very early morning and late afternoon hikes are less likely to have a lot of people on the trails, as most people are asleep (for early morning hikes) or exhausted and ready to head home (for late afternoon hikes). In other words, think of the hours or days that you believe that no person with a proper schedule would want to hike in… And start hiking during those times.
And for times that you should definitely avoid? Weekends and holidays. Most people have free time and hiking is something that they can definitely consider to unwind. Expect a lot of people going about during these days.
You can even extend this to weather; If the weather calls for rain, most people are dissuaded due to the inconvenience that it causes. It also means that this is the perfect time for you to prepare your waterproof equipment and head out to the trails. It’s unlikely that you will meet many people out and about (if any).
The lesson here? If it’s the wrong time for everyone, it’s the right time for you.
Avoid Popular Hiking Trails
They certainly are popular for a good reason, gorgeous views, relaxing trails, and worthy for pictures!
Though, that also means that a lot of people know about it and are likely going to put those trails on their checklists.
If you want more peaceful trails, avoid the more popular ones.
Use Guidebooks
The internet is a great tool in giving you a lot of options for scenic and beautiful hiking trails. However, you are not the only person with access to this kind of information.
Thousands of hikers surfing the web are probably looking at the same hiking guides you just found. It’s good if you want a scenic trip, but not so if you do not want a lot of people to be around. You can thank the internet’s accessibility for that.
You can instead try to look up less-traversed trails (Though they still have the chance to be popular due to online accessibility), but a far better solution is to go vintage: By using guidebooks.
Yes, books still exist, and many guidebooks give a detailed explanation of many different hiking trails, not just the current popular ones. Some of them might even have hidden gems that most people don’t know about, but even without finding any, you are likely to find a good number of trails that most people don’t even know about in general.
Don’t hike short or easy trails
One of the biggest considerations that people have for hiking trails is their accessibility. After all, they only have a limited amount of time to spare before they need to head home and prepare for the next day.
This means that trails that are short are likely to be popular, especially if people only need to spend an hour or two in the trail, as it means most people are able to spare time after work to walk and relax in hiking trails.
If you are able, go for longer trails, as it dissuades most people from going on them, especially if they have important matters to attend to (like preparing for work the next day). Though remember that the people who enjoy hiking and don’t mind the time they have might still prefer places like this.
This also applies to the difficulty of the hike. Higher elevation, rocky and uneven ground, exposure to the elements, these types of experiences are likely to dissuade people who want to play it safe while hiking, which means less people that want to explore them.
They are good choices, but that also means that you might have to go through the risky parts yourself. Do not try out trails that are too risky for you just for the sake of avoiding people, it’s not worth the risk.
Note: This advice only applies to more experienced hikers. Novice or first-time hikers should take easy but lesser known routes, especially since you likely don’t have the experience to handle longer and more adventurous hikes yet.
Finishing Up
Hiking is a fun activity, and a good number of people understandably want to spend it in peace and without other people, since they usually have to deal with them almost every other moment.
The best ways to go about it then is to go for more unconventional ways that people don’t usually do, such as hiking while everyone is asleep or unwinding for the day, to ensure that you get your well-deserved peace as you go about and take in the sights.