Hiking for Beginners: How to Choose Your First Trail

The trail you pick decides most of how your first hike goes. Choose well and you finish tired, happy and planning the next one. Choose badly and you spend the afternoon wondering why anyone does this. The good news: picking a beginner trail comes down to a few numbers and a few questions.

1. Start with distance: 2 to 5 miles

For a first hike, aim for 2 to 5 miles round trip. That's long enough to feel like a real outing and short enough that a slow pace, long breaks or a wrong turn won't turn it into an ordeal. Remember that most trail distances are round trip, but check: some listings quote one way only.

2. Then check elevation gain: under 1,000 feet

Distance tells you how far; elevation gain tells you how hard. A flat 5-mile trail is easier than a 3-mile trail that climbs 1,500 feet. For a first hike, look for under 500 feet if you're not very active, and under 1,000 feet if you walk or exercise regularly.

A useful rule for estimating time: allow about 30 minutes per mile, plus an hour for every 1,000 feet of climbing. So a 4-mile trail with 800 feet of gain takes around 2 hours 50 minutes of walking, before breaks.

3. Read difficulty ratings with care

"Easy", "moderate" and "strenuous" aren't standardized. A park service "moderate" can be tougher than an app's. Treat the rating as a hint and trust the numbers: distance, elevation gain, and the steepest section. Recent reviews are the best guide to what the trail is actually like right now — mud, snow, washouts or overgrown sections.

4. Pick a trail with a clear payoff

Beginner hikes are more fun with a destination: a waterfall, a lake, a viewpoint or an arch. It gives you a natural turnaround point and a reason to keep going. Out-and-back trails are also easier than loops for a first hike, because you can turn around at any point and you already know the way back.

5. Choose a popular, well-marked trail

For your first few hikes, busy is a feature. Popular trails are well signed, well maintained, and there's always someone around if you need help or directions. Look for trails with a staffed trailhead or visitor center, restrooms and good parking. Save the quiet, remote trails for later.

6. Check the season and the weather

• Heat: in summer, hike early and avoid exposed desert trails in the afternoon.
• Elevation: higher trails are colder and windier, and can hold snow into early summer.
• Storms: in the mountains, afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. Start early.
• Daylight: in fall and winter, plan to be back well before sunset.

7. Set a turnaround time

Decide before you start when you'll turn back, whether or not you've reached the destination. Turning around at the halfway time rather than the halfway distance is the single habit that prevents most beginner problems. The trail will still be there next time.

10 great first hikes in US national parks

If you want a sure thing, these national park trails are short, well marked and have a big payoff:

• Laurel Falls Trail — Great Smoky Mountains, TN: a paved walk to a two-tier waterfall.
• Emerald Lake Trail — Rocky Mountain, CO: three alpine lakes in a short climb.
• Lower Yosemite Fall Trail — Yosemite, CA: a flat loop to the base of North America's tallest waterfall.
• Riverside Walk — Zion, UT: a paved path along the Virgin River to the start of The Narrows.
• Jenny Lake Loop — Grand Teton, WY: lake views with the Tetons rising straight above.
• Ocean Path — Acadia, ME: pink granite cliffs and crashing waves.
• Devils Garden Trail to Landscape Arch — Arches, UT: one of the longest natural arches in the world.
• Rim Trail at Mather Point — Grand Canyon, AZ: the canyon view, on a paved rim path.
• Hurricane Hill Trail — Olympic, WA: mountain and ocean views from one summit.
• Anhinga Trail — Everglades, FL: a boardwalk with alligators and wading birds.

All ten are in our Beginner-Friendly Trails USA GPX collection, with a GPS route for each, a route guide, maps and elevation profiles, so you know exactly what the climb feels like before you go.

Your first-hike checklist

• Water: about 0.5 liters per hour of hiking, more in heat
• Snacks, even for a short hike
• Comfortable shoes with grip and non-cotton socks
• A warm layer and a rain or wind shell
• Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
• A charged phone with the route downloaded for offline use
• A small first-aid kit
• Someone at home who knows your route and your "back by" time

The full list is in our free printable hiking checklist, and our guide to what to pack for a day hike explains each item.

Learn the rest before you go

Our Beginner's Hiking Guide covers everything in this article in more depth, in twelve short chapters: choosing a trail, reading difficulty and weather, what to wear and pack, water, navigation, trail etiquette and what to do when something goes wrong. The Beginner Hiker Bundle adds the packing checklist and a trip planner.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a first hike be?

Two to five miles round trip is a good first hike. It's long enough to feel like a real outing and short enough that a slow pace, long breaks or a wrong turn won't turn it into an ordeal.

How long does it take to hike 3 miles?

About 1.5 hours of walking on a mostly flat trail, plus an hour for every 1,000 feet of climbing, plus breaks. Beginners should plan for extra time rather than less.

What does elevation gain mean on a hiking trail?

Elevation gain is the total amount of climbing on the route. It matters more than distance: 3 miles with 1,500 feet of gain is harder than 5 flat miles.

What do easy, moderate and strenuous mean for hikes?

The ratings aren't standardized, and a park's moderate can be harder than an app's. Use the numbers instead: distance, elevation gain and the steepest section, plus recent trail reviews.

Is it safe to hike alone as a beginner?

It can be on popular, well-marked trails. Tell someone your route and return time, carry water, a layer and a charged phone with offline maps, and set a turnaround time before you start.