Hiking is a great way to get away from your busy work week, day-to-day responsibilities, and stress. It offers unplugged quiet time with fresh air, views, exercise, and a chance to reset our minds. After all, studies have shown that hiking not only improves your fitness, but also positively effects your mood, and overall well-being. It’s not a surprise that hiking has become more popular.

If you’re looking to beat the crowds, follow these tips to improve your chances of avoiding crowded trails.

If you’re new to hiking, remember to always pack the 10 essentials, let someone know where you’re going, and practice leaving no trace. If you’re new to hiking with your dog, check out our blog on Hiking with your dog: The essentials. Need new adventure gear? Shop now at REI.

Go early

Head out early. For some trails that might mean before 8am, others it might mean hitting the trail at sunrise. Generally speaking, if you go early, you’ll likely beat the mid-day crowd and can enjoy more of the trail to yourself.

Go late

Just like many do not like to get up and hit the trails early, most also don’t like being on the trail when it’s getting dark. If you feel comfortable doing so, then we say go for it. Plan a sunset hike. See the trail in a different light, literally. But remember this means you need to pack additional gear, like a headlamp.

Go during the week, avoid holidays

It makes sense that most people are heading out to the trails on the weekend and holidays. If able, going during the less popular times, like during the work week, is an easy way to avoid those weekend adventurers.

Hike year round

The average joe likely hits the trail only in the best conditions. Consider hiking in the off-season or in “bad” weather (keep yourself safe though, of course), and find excitement in checking out the trail in a different way. Some of the best memories are made overcoming different challenges, like hiking in colder temperatures, snow, or rain. The photo above is from a hike we did on one of the coldest days I’ve ever experienced (it was like 5*F?) but it’s one of my favorite memories now.

Avoid the most popular hikes

The internet and resources like popular hiking apps make finding trails a lot easier. This means a lot of people are searching for the best and highest rated trails. Take some time to look for gems that might be flying under the radar. Here are some ways to find awesome trails that might not be at the top of the search list:

Check for alternate routes

Coupling going early and finding an alternate route might be the ticket to visiting a popular hike while avoiding much of the crowd. You might still get some when you get to the destination, but at least you’re avoiding the popularity of the main trail.

Look for harder or farther hikes

Generally speaking, most people are open to hikes that are a few miles and have easy to moderate elevation gain (something that only takes about an hour or two). But the longer or harder the hike, the less likely it will be crowded. I guess a simple way to put this is: avoid shorter trails.

Find trails off of the main roads, drive further away

This is where the benefit of having a 4×4 or all-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance comes in. You can make your way to some neat trails that less people have access to.

If you don’t have a suitable vehicle for dirt roads, or don’t mind driving far, you might consider getting away from the big city. Hikes near a big city are often the most popular because they’re easy to access. If you drive more than an hour away, your odds to lesser trafficked trails increases.

Need help finding trails? Check out the AllTrails app to search your area and beyond.

Do you have additional tips to avoiding crowded trails? Leave them in the comments!