Once you are ready to get outside, an important step is to find a nearby trail to go explore. Using the internet has made it much easier to find a local trail and gain an understanding of the terrain you will face as well as the overall challenge level of the trails.
The easy accessibility to information make this process much easier than in the past. I can remember aimlessly driving around Southern Arizona in an attempt to find various trailheads in the days before the internet was available. Chancing it sometimes results in a good trail find, but more often than not, I just ran into dead ends, private property, and the occasional coyote. Use the tools you have at your disposal for a far less frustrating experience.
Advantages of Using a Website
The main advantage of using the internet to research correlates to the amount of information available to help you make the best decision about where to go. This information is especially as it relates to your experience level.
Always consider your overall fitness, the distance and time it will take you to arrive at the trailhead, and the time you have available to complete your journey. I also take stock of how I am feeling before I embark on an excursion. Sometimes, the 10-mile hike with the 2,300-foot elevation gain seemed like a great idea sitting by the campfire with some whiskey the night before, but that may not align with your energy level the next day. After years of experience, I’ve learning to trust my body to tell me what I’m capable of, and you should too.
It is important to be flexible when choosing where to go. You are more likely to have a more enjoyable outing by choosing the right trail for you at that moment in time. Do it for yourself, not for the gram.
Top Websites to Find a Trail
1. AllTrails
AllTrails.com is a good site to use to help you find a nearby trail quickly. The site also provides a lot of helpful information that will help you choose the right trail for you. The main page shows you a selection of nearby trails without entering any search query information.
AllTrails display makes it easy to find information about the trail. There is typically a picture, a ranking of the difficulty level of the trail, the trail rating out of 5 stars, trail length, and the approximate time it takes to complete the trails. I find this layout to be easy to read and it allows me to select trails quickly. This is useful when I don’t have the time to read through a lot of different trail descriptions because the dogs are already sitting in the back of the truck, patiently waiting to go. AllTrails also shares which trails allow dogs, something we always pay attention to when setting out. If it says no dogs, there’s a reason for it, so please abide by the rules of the trail.
AllTrails conveniently offers an app for IOS and Android. This is great when you are traveling and want to check out the local scenery. If you frequently find yourself in areas without service or you do a lot of backpacking, you can also upgrade to AllTrails Pro. For 29.99 a year, you gain access to downloadable maps so you never have to worry about not having a signal. There are other features such as notifications if you get off-route and start going the wrong way, and a weather map overlay so you know what to pack for your trip.
AllTrails is also a responsible steward of the outdoors. 1% of all their Pro account proceeds goes towards preserving wild spaces. AllTrails also partners with Leave No Trace and OneTreePlanted organizations to help plant trees and encourage those who adventure in the outdoors to leave no trace that humans were ever there. It’s efforts like these that keep our environment safe and create more opportunities to access the outdoors. Be respectful of the space when you’re out adventuring.
AllTrails is an industry leader in helping you find trails and they’re the first site that comes up when you Google hiking trails. The mix of curated hikes and hiking information added by their users ensures you are going to get the most up-to-date information about your local hiking trails.
2. Hiking Project
Hiking Project is another website and app combo that helps you find local trails. The Hiking Project boasts over 77K trails comprising over 281K miles of trails accessible to their users. The site is crowd-sourced meaning they rely on local contributors to add trail information and locations to their site. Every submission is reviewed by the Hiking Project to ensure the information provided is accurate and legal. Verifying trails are in publicly accessible spaces helps to prevent land conflict issues and prevents accidental trespassing. Even if you encroach on private property accidentally, not all landowners are forgiving.
When searching Hiking Project, you can select to view trails by state or use the search feature to search by trail name or nearby cities to help you find local trails. I find the ability to sort by state very helpful when we are planning longer summer adventures where we explore outside of Colorado. It allows me to find popular and highly rated trails so I can plan our campsites nearby these destinations. Hiking Project also uses a color-coding system to help you find the right trails for your ability level: green = easy, blue = moderate, and black = difficult.
Hiking Project partnered with On X to offer a subscription service that pairs the best features of both sites. Adding an On X membership for $29.99 per year gives users access to maps, even when you are offline. Other useful map overlays can be viewed, such as the weather and active wildfires. The active wildfire feature is incredibly helpful as climate change in the Western US is leading to longer and more active fire seasons. It can be frustrating and dangerous when you set out for your destination only to find the trail access is closed due to fire and you aren’t sure where there is a good alternative destination.
Hiking Project also offers an app for IOS and Android giving you the flexibility to find trails while adventuring. One feature I like about this app is that I have access to the topo map even when I don’t have service. I can see the trails that are adjacent to our campsites even if I haven’t done any research ahead of time (which is rare). However, the app does require you to download each state map individually. While this makes sense because of the offline map access, it can be annoying if you realized you forgot to download the correct map pack before you lost service.
The features of the Hiking Project app and online database have made this my personal go-to app when trying to find a new hiking location. I also use other Adventure Project apps such as MTB Project to help me find biking trails. The familiar format between their apps makes it easier to use. If you hike, bike, climb, run, or even visit our National Parks, there is an Adventure Project site and app to meet your needs.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are just starting out or you are a seasoned outdoor pro, AllTrails and Hiking Project will help you find the right trail system, whether you are exploring locally or adventuring far from home.
Which app is your go-to? Do you have another suggestion for us? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Happy exploring!
