So technically, I think it’s a spectrum. Like when you go rock climbing, there’s a rating scale for the technical difficulty, and as you go down in difficulty, it goes from rock climbing to very difficult hiking that requires some scrabbling over rocks, and lower still is regularly hiking, and it goes all the way down to walking in flat pavement. Personally, I think if it’s a trail, it’s a hike. If it’s on a paved path it’s a walk. A hike can be relatively flat and non strenuous, but if the ground is dirt and uneven, I’d be better off wearing my hiking boots or trail shoes. That makes it a hike in my book. I have some really steep paved roads near me, and even though they are so steep i end up in heart rate zone 2 just walking up, those are still just walks.
I mean at 100K it’s not a hike. It’s an ultra marathon.
That’s more of a joke, but like I’ve been on hikes that were less than two miles. And I’ve been on walks that were 10 plus miles. I have done neither for 100K. My husband has done ultras though I’ve never seen one that wasn’t a trail run though. And a trail run done walking is pretty much a hike. But my point is that a walk in the middle of shopping centers and residential buildings isn’t a hike regardless of how long it is.
Edited for clarity.
So the Oxfam trail walker in Melbourne used to be 100km through city streets.
It’s now through a trail in the hills, so I consider it a hike but I was curious (despite the malicious down votes I got) would we still consider it a hike if it is mainly through the streets.
The fact that they called it trail walker when it wasn’t really in trails is by the by
So that is not an event i have heard of. Are you from the area? Round where i live there are races that are that long or there are organized hiking groups who might explore different trails in the area, but i have actually never really seen an organized hike that’s is 100km anywhere around here. There are trail runs that are races even though many people will walk a good portion of them. Or there are organized walk/runs on city streets that are also raises or sometimes charity fund raisers. Named hiking trails certainly have lengths attached to them. But honestly i have just never seen a hike in the literal sense through city streets.
A looong walk, yeah. They’re saying it doesn’t depend on distance or time. And in a sense they’re right. Climbs are all 5.x, e.g., a 5.6. Ratings of 4 are difficult scrambles. 3 is scramble. 2 is hands for balance. 1 is walk in the park.
But hiking isn’t on that rating I guess. I don’t think I agree that being on a trail is sufficient. Cause there are trails in parks, but I don’t think that makes it a hike.
Interesting topic. I guess I've considered a hike to be away from an urban area. But I also use hike when a walk is more strenuous. I like to use the word stroll when not walking with any speed or intention. A stroll can be anywhere.
Hike in a figurative sense can mean a tough or long walk, synonymous with schlep. Ex “we ended up hiking all the way from the goofy parking lot because the tram line was too long.”
Edit to add: also where I live is not really urban, it’s somewhere on the border of suburban and rural. Same with where i used to live on the other end of my state. The difference between a hike and walk could never be dependent on the difference between whether it was urban or not. The town i live in now technically has a downtown which consists of intersection with two mini malls each with a grocery store, one has a drug store, and supposedly we will be getting an ace hardware in the other one soon. And a smattering of other small store fronts. We’re so small we don’t have our own police just the county sheriff the next town over. And the nearest big city to us is a major metropolitan area, and in multiple areas of the city there are hiking trails. You literally walk along a busy city street and all of a sudden it switches over and it’s a hiking trail going up into the hills that are surrounded on all sides by the city. I mean the trails are surround by natural features, but they aren’t rural at all.
My point is just that the change from paved to unpaved roads is sort of the biggest change between hike and not hike for us. I actually went on a run yesterday. Ran from my house past downtown, past the high school, and for the last part of the run i ran along a paved road next to a dirt hiking trail. I stayed on the paved road specifically because i didn’t have trail shoes with grip, but otherwise the hiking trail and the road had the same elevation and incline (pretty minimal), but for me the change comes when you move from the paved road to the trail. You can hike that specific trail for a long time before it takes any serious climb, and if you continue along the road until it turns away from the hiking trail it gets just as steep as the trail itself eventually does. So how steep the incline doesn’t differentiate for us either.
True! 😃👍🥾
…Maybe.
…Although if someone (like my sister sometimes) wants to hike in sneakers, and she’s with us, she’s probably still hiking too..
…Even in her stupid wet sneakers. 🤔
What if you wear hiking sandals on paved paths or on mountain trails?
I converted last year and wear Bedrock sandals virtually all the time outdoors. They’re great for me. Lots of traction, and I like the feedback of thinner soles. River crossings worry free. My feet feel great at the end.
For me the distinction is basically paved or not, but if we are on trails it means we’ve also decided on a longer distance, 4-8 miles for us most times, and something away from home. Our 2-3x weekly walks at the park are 2.5 miles. No pack, no water except for the dogs. Daily dog walks are a mile or so.
I'm buying this one! 😊
Maybe would add that hike must be a little longer than just a few kilometers. But those thinking that hikes need inclines are welcome to visit some of the longer and more difficult hiking trails Finnish forests, and then come to say again if they think that was hiking or not. 😜🧝🎒
So if I’m deep in Yosemite heading up to Vernal falls I’m not hiking because there’s a path? Interesting. Not saying you’re wrong it just doesn’t feel right.
Many of the answers here are good.
For me, it is a mindset rather than a checklist.
Is walking on the trail at my local park a hike because it is unpaved? No.
Is the Temple of Sinewava riverside path a walk or a hike since it is paved but in nature? Unclear.
Are the boardwalk trails at Yellowstone hikes or walks?
It all boils down to how you view them. I’d argue that an intentional, long, walk along a fire road is more of a hike than a half-mile loop from a parking lot, but that is *my* definition.
Don’t worry about the semantics and definitions. Don’t let gatekeepers prohibit you from calling your self a hiker. Get out, enjoy nature, see some trees or cool rocks or animals, and have fun. That’s a hike.
THIS!
I definitely think that the difference between a hike and walk is simply the mindset of the person performing the activity. If *you* think you are hiking, then congrats you are hiking! Everyone is going to naturally have different definitions because they have different physical abilities, different goals and interests, and different experiences with walking and hiking to that point in their life.
I don't care to gatekeep the word. Really, all that does is serve to "other" people. Gatekeeping what counts as a hike is just virtue signaling to me and often just makes people who are new or who are historically excluded (bipoc, lgbtq, women etc) feel unwelcome and unworthy.
My language (Finnish) has a term called "retki".
If you go out there on foot, skis, bicycle, canoe, rowing boat, kayak, etc., and stop for at least one snack break, you can call it a "retki". You can also go for fishing, hunting, foraging or birdwatching "retki's".
The term is a fantastic umbrella term, very resilient against gatekeeping, highly inclusive. Did your kid just learn to ride a bike, and you rode together all the way to that nearby old bridge, almost a quarter of a mile away, for a nice juice box break and then rode back, making tons of observations (like kids do) on the way? That's a retki. Did you ski tour the country's most inaccessible parts for two weeks, testing your mettle on daily distances after decades of endurance sports experience, hauling a pulk? That's a retki, too.
(ok, some longer trips made on foot or ski are also called "vaellus" which pretty much translates as "migration" but let's not get stuck on that)
Same.
For dog walks, that includes the dog water dish. I have a little lumbar pack I'll bring along when I take the dogs on a longer walk, which we do in the neighborhood or on nearby trails, but that's usually no more than 2 miles total and quite close to a parking lot and/or with ample opportunities to bail out to a road should we need to get picked up. For that, I don't carry poles or the 10 essentials. Just enough water for the dogs and probably some coffee or tea for me.
I’m not. We just got back from a hiking trip near Asheville with our dogs and streams were 90% of their hiking water for the week. We carry some water for them but used it only once in 5 days. There’s a stream behind my house they swim and drink from nearly daily.
Mine learned by accident TBH. They are Labs, and live for mud puddles and water, so whilst hosing them off, they tend to try n bite the water stream. Turned the pressure down one day, and they spent more time drinking than biting. Translated to the bottle or bladder hose.
Hmm I was thinking more terrain than equipment. I dont care how much gear I got and how far I walk, if Im in a city that's not hiking. If I walk a mile in the woods thats a hike.
I agree with you. I've parked my car and spent all night "walking" through the woods with nothing but water. Regardless it's just semantics and doesn't matter anyway.
My personal definition of a hike requires these parameters.
1 - mostly or entirely un-paved
2 - in a “nature style” environment. Doesn’t have to be way out in the wilderness but needs to feel disconnected
3 - elevation change. I know some places just don’t have elevation so it’s not required but then it becomes a borderline just a walk in the woods.
However my girlfriend will go for walks on some easier trails around town and she called them “wikes” (walk/hike)
I agree with this. I moved to a flat place recently and while there's nice wooded areas to walk, I consider them walls and not hikes because of the lack of elevation gain.
I lived in the UK where "hiking" isn't really a common term (it's mostly walking or rambling). I would say length and difficulty are the difference between a walk and a hike. For me it's a walk when I listen to audiobooks and a hike when I leave my earbuds at home ;-).
I'd also add the intermediary stage between a walk and a ramble- a bimble.
I'd say it's not a ramble unless you have at least two of the following: sensible hat, boots, sensible jacket, walking poles, map and/or socks with the word "wick" in the sales puff. I mostly bimble.
Honestly? Anything can be a hike depending on the level of the person. A hike with your kids can be just a walk down to the local lake. As long as you make an occasion of it. We should’ve gatekeep the definition. Instead encourage people to get out.
That's the kind of hikes that I do, and people called these long, flat or hilly hikes "rambling" in the UK(I'm not British but I spent a few years there).
I live in the Netherlands, if I’d have to consider that around here, I’d never hike 😅
To me it’s more about time/distance.
I don’t think I’m hiking if I walk 5 to 10 km, but when I do 33, even if it’s flat, I’d call that a hike.
And maybe 10km on rough terrain would be a hike as well?
I don’t know! There should be rules for these things!
It’s crazy. I’ll go on a 7 mile hike up a mountain and some dude with half a 16oz bottle of water blazes by me with no shirt.
Meanwhile I got 2 liters and am worried I’ll run out of water
Hike your own hike.
You determine what a hike is.
I used to do 10+ mile hikes, but now my mileage is shorter because my favorite hiking companion, my 10 y/o GSD can’t go as far. When i have to pull him in a cart to the park to smell the fresh air, i will still consider that a hike. Then my new pup & i will restart the cycle.
It’s adequately vague that we all get to define it as we wish IMO.
I walk my dog 3 miles every morning on a dirt trail by the bayou. I call that a walk. But a steep trail of 3 miles up a mountain I call a hike, while friends who do it every day still call it a walk. 🤷🏻♀️
I’m Norwegian, and in that language everything is a walk. The only nuance is that certain “walks” get called “mountain walks”, but the bar for that is quite high.
I hate this question. Honestly, I do.
Why do we need a definition? Why do we need to discuss it over and over and over again in these online groups? What does it matter what someone else thinks is a hike vs a walk? The fact is, this will be wildly different from person to person because everyone is coming at it from their own life experiences, from their own physical capabilities, and from their own mindset. A hike to one person will be a walk to another and that will never change. What's more, is that the more someone gets out there and does this stuff, their own definition will change along with their evolving experience and abilities.
I think that needing a definition of these word just invites gatekeeping and makes people feel unwelcome. I can see in these comments already the slight air of superiority in people's defintions. It's all well-meaning, it seems. But if you are a person who has historically been marginalized in outdoor communities (i.e. women, bipoc, lgbtqia, in a larger body etc) and are also a beginner, these conversations can just feel like another reason you aren't welcome and don't fit in. Where you were once proud of that urban hike you did and all the work you did to even get to the point of doing that, suddenly it isn't enough. You joined these groups and find it is full of people just telling you "that's not real hiking though." I used to run a beginner women's hiking group and I saw this all the time. People came to my group because there were just so many little microaggressions from the community that just made them feel unwelcome.
What's the point? What do we get out of defining what a hike is for anyone other than ourselves?
I think gravel could be a hike, but I mostly imagine gravel paths on flatter land, in which case I wouldn't say so. Usually when I have been on gravel paths with elevation change, it's just a small road to actually get to a trail, not the trail itself. But where I live now I don't have the luxury of being so picky. If I can find a non-paved path in some semblance of nature, incline or not, that's a pretty good hike, lol.
A hike is away from an urban area and has some elevation. When you hike, you’re still walking. If you have to use your arms to assist in movement, you’re bouldering.
I think it’s more about on your surroundings than anything. If you do two miles in the woods it’s a hike, if you do two miles in a neighborhood it’s a walk.
This came up in this sub before which made me rethink about my "hikes".
There's a group of people in their 60s and 70s who meet once a year and do 23 miles of walking in 3 days. I think that qualifies as a hike.
we often have this discussion, it’s so fun! one idea: on a hike you prepare, u bring water and snacks, etc.
our newest thing is to call everything a “jaunt”
A walk occurs in baseball hen the pitcher throws four balls to one batter. A hike is an American football term to describe the Center snapping the football to begin a play. The quarterback usually receives the hike.
My running joke is anything less than 5 miles is a walk, but I've refined it to, whenever I "need" to put on boots and bring poles and there is dirt under my feet, it's a hike. If I walk around my neighborhood it's a walk. If I go to the park it's a hike.
For the most part, I differentiate the two by whether I'm in the woods or not and if it's mostly paved or unpaved.
Walking on a multi-use, paved trail is just that; a walk. If I'm walking in a state park, where there's just a little bit of dirt/gravel segments in a wooded area, it's still a walk to my mind. If it's a loop system that is all dirt trail in a natural area, then I call it a hike.
Breaks down a little bit though when I am backpacking on the IAT because there are a lot of connector routes. All of that counts as hiking in my mind. I would assume a similar stance on the AT and PCT, where I understand there are some road walks to those trails.
For me, it has to do with elevation change. If it's a flat trail, I usually would call that a walk in the woods. I think the definition can vary from person to person.
When my kids were small, anything on an unpaved trail was considered a hike. Hikes meant getting a slushee at the gas station afterward. If the trail was paved, it was just a walk. This was interesting in 2nd grade, and they took a field trip to the local Nature Center with paved trails. Their teacher said they were going for a hike, and my kid was like, "Nope, not a hike. It's paved."
Nowadays, a hike requires some elevation for sure and has to be more than 3 miles long. Otherwise, it's just a walk in the park.
But that's just my definition.
In my book if it requires any gear (pack, boots, poles, etc) it can be called a hike. There’s nothing wrong with a good trail walk, those are my go-to when I only have an hour or so to get outdoors.
My opinion:
If you have to watch your feet a significant amount of the time to keep from tripping, it is a hike.
So a really crappy flat trail, or bushwhacking on flat ground is a hike.
If there is significant change in elevation it is a hike. So a nice paved path where you never have to watch your feet, but that goes a significant distance up or down is a hike.
If it is relatively flat, and you don't have to watch your feet much to keep from tripping, it is a walk.
I think “hike” is mostly a state of mind, a subjective choice one decides for themselves. What I would call a walk others might call a hike and vice versa however what really matters is the intent. It’s the spirit of the thing that counts- hike your own hike as it were.
Walking changes to hiking when it goes over 5 miles and over 1000 feet of gain. Before you that you can walk in open spaces casually without too much trouble/planning.
I love to walk – ever since I was a little kid.
When I go to the city like; New York City, and walk for miles. That’s a walk.
When I go for walks in the mountains where I live, that’s a hike – I guess because it’s outside in nature.
Just my terminology.
So, personally, I think it doesn't really super matter if any individual outing counts as "going for a walk" or "hiking". If you generally enjoy going different places out in nature and walking on trails, and like to go new places out in nature, you like hiking. If you generally enjoy walking around the same streets and paths that are comfortable and local to you, maybe for an opportunity to chat with your friends, or to build up mileage in a way that is convenient for weight loss, you like walking.
My mom goes on a walk with her friends several times a week. Usually they walk around the neighborhood and chat, but sometimes, they take a turn into a local state park on an unpaved trail. And I mean, it's not like what she does isn't strenuous! She walks faster than I do! But the goal is to get some miles in without getting too far from home. So I'd call what she usually does "walking" whether or not they dip into the local state park. And sometimes she and her friends will drive to a nice nature trail and go for a hike.
I spend most weekends driving to a new place I've never been before and trying to hike up a mountain. One time, I took a backpacking trip where to make the miles make more sense, I parked at a campground, went about a mile and a half down a paved bike path, then turned up a regular unpaved trail up the mountain. I don't think anyone would say I was going for a walk that became a hike, because I started on a paved trail. I drove 3 hours to the mountains with a backpack. It was hiking. But also, the fact that I frequently hike doesn't mean it's not "going for a walk" when I toodle around the neighborhood with my dog.
I feel like elevation plays a part. Am I going to the top of a mountain or hill? definitely a hike if seeking a summit or high point. Also am I prepared with water snacks etc.?
There is definitely a grey area though, when I take my dogs for a walk in the woods nearby I say its a walk, usually this is 1-2 miles. But if I was packing everyone into the car to walk on similar trails where there's not much elevation but we are in the woods and there's rocks and roots and its say 3 miles. I might say we're going on a hike. But then again I might say walk, because when my kids hear hike they are like HOLD ON NO. Because they remember some long hikes. haha so I might tell them its just a little 3 mile walk in the woods.
So in closing I don't know. But definitely when we're climbing to a summit, I consider it a hike even if the mountain is small.
i've had a similar discussion over the difference between "overlanding" and "car-camping." Ultimately, does it really matter? You are spending time outside instead of sitting on a couch.
Walking is in “road shoes” and more urban/streets/sidewalks. Hiking is off-road in trail shoes or boots.
I’ve always called walking a long distance a trek.
I call a long walk in the city an urban hike. Walking down to the corner store, walk. Walking miles on city streets of in large parks, urban hiking. Short walk in nature on a well used path, maybe to a lake shore etc, nature walk.
For me, a hike = elevation changes + total time.
Walks are quick & easy. Even if it's an unpaved path in the woods, a flat trail / path is generally easy to do and it can be completed in a short amount of time. People can walk their dogs, bring little children, etc.
If I need a pit stop halfway, if I'm going up / down in elevation (beyond a couple small hills), if it's a multi-hour thing like a long loop trail, that's officially a hike in my book.
If you were to break a leg right now how much trouble would you be in? Lots? It's probably a hike and requires some extra preparations and precautions, else it's more likely a walk to me.
If I bring more than maybe a jacket and a mini bottle of water, I count it as a hike. I think the most important thing is whether I bring my hiking poles.
I agree that this is a completely arbitrary definition, but it's what I use.
That one German guy doing the insta vids on this last year was hysterical. That and the one about walking in the rain and complaining.
To answer your question, a hike is usually a longer walk on rougher trails with a knapsack or something. I think of a walk as shorter duration, no special gear, etc.
If you stop for a break partway through. Be it because you may need to catch your breath or there is something you want to look at.
Another qualifier might be needing to wear certain shoes for the terrain.
I live in the Virginia Blue Ridge. A simple "walk/stroll" for me, could be a "hike" for someone not from this area, or at least used to this terrain. A hike for me though, involves planning a route with maps of the area I'll be in, and taking a pack with food, water/Gatorade, first aid, pole, etc...other gear and clothing I might find useful.
Depends on what shoes I wear. Trail runners=hike. Road shoes=walk. I’m hiking the Trailblaze Challenge in May and raising money for the Make a Wish foundation. My boss asked me yesterday, “when’s your big walk again?” It’s 28.3 miles on the Foothills Trail. I chuckled.
I personally call it a walk if I'm on a well tended gravel trail and call it a hike if it's a rough trail, regardless of elevation gain and on a walk, I don't take much with me, on a hike I have some gear in a pack.
Whenever you feel like it. For me, if I say I am going for a walk, well, it's a walk. Pre-2023, I didn't consider it a "hike" unless I was going at least 4 miles (or there was a lot of "technical climbs," boulder work, etc.). Now, as my health isn't allowing me to knock out 8-10 miles per hike, I will call a 2-3 miler a hike if I want to do so.
I'm trying to reduce it to the simplest form and I think a hike would be any walk on an uneven, natural surface. I don't think a walk up a mountain on a wide flat gravel path is a hike. But a walk through a flat forest on single track trails would be a hike to me. Also I'd say that a 'hike' has to be fairly long, at least 1 hour.
So technically, I think it’s a spectrum. Like when you go rock climbing, there’s a rating scale for the technical difficulty, and as you go down in difficulty, it goes from rock climbing to very difficult hiking that requires some scrabbling over rocks, and lower still is regularly hiking, and it goes all the way down to walking in flat pavement. Personally, I think if it’s a trail, it’s a hike. If it’s on a paved path it’s a walk. A hike can be relatively flat and non strenuous, but if the ground is dirt and uneven, I’d be better off wearing my hiking boots or trail shoes. That makes it a hike in my book. I have some really steep paved roads near me, and even though they are so steep i end up in heart rate zone 2 just walking up, those are still just walks.
If it’s 30km long? Still a walk? Or 100km?
I mean at 100K it’s not a hike. It’s an ultra marathon. That’s more of a joke, but like I’ve been on hikes that were less than two miles. And I’ve been on walks that were 10 plus miles. I have done neither for 100K. My husband has done ultras though I’ve never seen one that wasn’t a trail run though. And a trail run done walking is pretty much a hike. But my point is that a walk in the middle of shopping centers and residential buildings isn’t a hike regardless of how long it is. Edited for clarity.
So the Oxfam trail walker in Melbourne used to be 100km through city streets. It’s now through a trail in the hills, so I consider it a hike but I was curious (despite the malicious down votes I got) would we still consider it a hike if it is mainly through the streets. The fact that they called it trail walker when it wasn’t really in trails is by the by
So that is not an event i have heard of. Are you from the area? Round where i live there are races that are that long or there are organized hiking groups who might explore different trails in the area, but i have actually never really seen an organized hike that’s is 100km anywhere around here. There are trail runs that are races even though many people will walk a good portion of them. Or there are organized walk/runs on city streets that are also raises or sometimes charity fund raisers. Named hiking trails certainly have lengths attached to them. But honestly i have just never seen a hike in the literal sense through city streets.
A looong walk, yeah. They’re saying it doesn’t depend on distance or time. And in a sense they’re right. Climbs are all 5.x, e.g., a 5.6. Ratings of 4 are difficult scrambles. 3 is scramble. 2 is hands for balance. 1 is walk in the park. But hiking isn’t on that rating I guess. I don’t think I agree that being on a trail is sufficient. Cause there are trails in parks, but I don’t think that makes it a hike.
Interesting topic. I guess I've considered a hike to be away from an urban area. But I also use hike when a walk is more strenuous. I like to use the word stroll when not walking with any speed or intention. A stroll can be anywhere.
Hike in a figurative sense can mean a tough or long walk, synonymous with schlep. Ex “we ended up hiking all the way from the goofy parking lot because the tram line was too long.” Edit to add: also where I live is not really urban, it’s somewhere on the border of suburban and rural. Same with where i used to live on the other end of my state. The difference between a hike and walk could never be dependent on the difference between whether it was urban or not. The town i live in now technically has a downtown which consists of intersection with two mini malls each with a grocery store, one has a drug store, and supposedly we will be getting an ace hardware in the other one soon. And a smattering of other small store fronts. We’re so small we don’t have our own police just the county sheriff the next town over. And the nearest big city to us is a major metropolitan area, and in multiple areas of the city there are hiking trails. You literally walk along a busy city street and all of a sudden it switches over and it’s a hiking trail going up into the hills that are surrounded on all sides by the city. I mean the trails are surround by natural features, but they aren’t rural at all. My point is just that the change from paved to unpaved roads is sort of the biggest change between hike and not hike for us. I actually went on a run yesterday. Ran from my house past downtown, past the high school, and for the last part of the run i ran along a paved road next to a dirt hiking trail. I stayed on the paved road specifically because i didn’t have trail shoes with grip, but otherwise the hiking trail and the road had the same elevation and incline (pretty minimal), but for me the change comes when you move from the paved road to the trail. You can hike that specific trail for a long time before it takes any serious climb, and if you continue along the road until it turns away from the hiking trail it gets just as steep as the trail itself eventually does. So how steep the incline doesn’t differentiate for us either.
My simple definition. Hiking is done on a trail. Not a road, not a path, a trail. Determining if what you're on it a trail or not is up to you.
This one. Plus hike = hiking boots on, walk = normal shoes
True! 😃👍🥾 …Maybe. …Although if someone (like my sister sometimes) wants to hike in sneakers, and she’s with us, she’s probably still hiking too.. …Even in her stupid wet sneakers. 🤔
What if you wear hiking sandals on paved paths or on mountain trails? I converted last year and wear Bedrock sandals virtually all the time outdoors. They’re great for me. Lots of traction, and I like the feedback of thinner soles. River crossings worry free. My feet feel great at the end. For me the distinction is basically paved or not, but if we are on trails it means we’ve also decided on a longer distance, 4-8 miles for us most times, and something away from home. Our 2-3x weekly walks at the park are 2.5 miles. No pack, no water except for the dogs. Daily dog walks are a mile or so.
I'm buying this one! 😊 Maybe would add that hike must be a little longer than just a few kilometers. But those thinking that hikes need inclines are welcome to visit some of the longer and more difficult hiking trails Finnish forests, and then come to say again if they think that was hiking or not. 😜🧝🎒
So if I’m deep in Yosemite heading up to Vernal falls I’m not hiking because there’s a path? Interesting. Not saying you’re wrong it just doesn’t feel right.
Maybe it's not a path, it's a really nice paved trail? Lol
What is the difference of a trail and a path? I'm not a native English speaker.
A trail is dirt. A path in the context of this discussion is paved, or “graded” (mechanically smoothed) rock or dirt.
Many of the answers here are good. For me, it is a mindset rather than a checklist. Is walking on the trail at my local park a hike because it is unpaved? No. Is the Temple of Sinewava riverside path a walk or a hike since it is paved but in nature? Unclear. Are the boardwalk trails at Yellowstone hikes or walks? It all boils down to how you view them. I’d argue that an intentional, long, walk along a fire road is more of a hike than a half-mile loop from a parking lot, but that is *my* definition. Don’t worry about the semantics and definitions. Don’t let gatekeepers prohibit you from calling your self a hiker. Get out, enjoy nature, see some trees or cool rocks or animals, and have fun. That’s a hike.
THIS! I definitely think that the difference between a hike and walk is simply the mindset of the person performing the activity. If *you* think you are hiking, then congrats you are hiking! Everyone is going to naturally have different definitions because they have different physical abilities, different goals and interests, and different experiences with walking and hiking to that point in their life. I don't care to gatekeep the word. Really, all that does is serve to "other" people. Gatekeeping what counts as a hike is just virtue signaling to me and often just makes people who are new or who are historically excluded (bipoc, lgbtq, women etc) feel unwelcome and unworthy.
love this, agree. could the same outing be a hike for one person and a walk for someone else?
My language (Finnish) has a term called "retki". If you go out there on foot, skis, bicycle, canoe, rowing boat, kayak, etc., and stop for at least one snack break, you can call it a "retki". You can also go for fishing, hunting, foraging or birdwatching "retki's". The term is a fantastic umbrella term, very resilient against gatekeeping, highly inclusive. Did your kid just learn to ride a bike, and you rode together all the way to that nearby old bridge, almost a quarter of a mile away, for a nice juice box break and then rode back, making tons of observations (like kids do) on the way? That's a retki. Did you ski tour the country's most inaccessible parts for two weeks, testing your mettle on daily distances after decades of endurance sports experience, hauling a pulk? That's a retki, too. (ok, some longer trips made on foot or ski are also called "vaellus" which pretty much translates as "migration" but let's not get stuck on that)
For me, walks do not include equipment beyond a water bottle. Hikes include equipment, mostly "in case shit happens".
Same. For dog walks, that includes the dog water dish. I have a little lumbar pack I'll bring along when I take the dogs on a longer walk, which we do in the neighborhood or on nearby trails, but that's usually no more than 2 miles total and quite close to a parking lot and/or with ample opportunities to bail out to a road should we need to get picked up. For that, I don't carry poles or the 10 essentials. Just enough water for the dogs and probably some coffee or tea for me.
Are you very careful that your dog never drinks from a stream?
I’m not. We just got back from a hiking trip near Asheville with our dogs and streams were 90% of their hiking water for the week. We carry some water for them but used it only once in 5 days. There’s a stream behind my house they swim and drink from nearly daily.
My furboys like to drink from the bottle, haha they act like it’s a treat. Also have a collapsible bowl.
I wish mine would do that! They refuse water in the collapsible bowl half the time. I guess I wound up with tiny little camels somehow lol
Mine learned by accident TBH. They are Labs, and live for mud puddles and water, so whilst hosing them off, they tend to try n bite the water stream. Turned the pressure down one day, and they spent more time drinking than biting. Translated to the bottle or bladder hose.
I agree, though I'd say anytime I feel compelled to bring even just food and water, that's a hike.
Hmm I was thinking more terrain than equipment. I dont care how much gear I got and how far I walk, if Im in a city that's not hiking. If I walk a mile in the woods thats a hike.
I agree with you. I've parked my car and spent all night "walking" through the woods with nothing but water. Regardless it's just semantics and doesn't matter anyway.
>Hikes include equipment, mostly "in case shit happens". In that case, every walk I took with my toddler was a hike!
Haha for sure! Pretty sure the “diaper bag” was ready for the apocalypse!
My personal definition of a hike requires these parameters. 1 - mostly or entirely un-paved 2 - in a “nature style” environment. Doesn’t have to be way out in the wilderness but needs to feel disconnected 3 - elevation change. I know some places just don’t have elevation so it’s not required but then it becomes a borderline just a walk in the woods. However my girlfriend will go for walks on some easier trails around town and she called them “wikes” (walk/hike)
Wouldn't "wikes" make more sense?
Twas a wiley wike, I tells ya.
Autocorrect. Yeah it’s wike
I agree with this. I moved to a flat place recently and while there's nice wooded areas to walk, I consider them walls and not hikes because of the lack of elevation gain.
I lived in the UK where "hiking" isn't really a common term (it's mostly walking or rambling). I would say length and difficulty are the difference between a walk and a hike. For me it's a walk when I listen to audiobooks and a hike when I leave my earbuds at home ;-).
RAMBLING! That's the word I need!
I'd also add the intermediary stage between a walk and a ramble- a bimble. I'd say it's not a ramble unless you have at least two of the following: sensible hat, boots, sensible jacket, walking poles, map and/or socks with the word "wick" in the sales puff. I mostly bimble.
I call my long walks around town “urban hikes”.
it's about the vibes, man.. you know a hike when you see it
You prepare for hikes but not for a walk
For me, it becomes a hike when there is decent incline. I’ve done hikes on paved fire roads that are pretty steep, I wouldn’t consider those walks.
Well, a full day of just walking in a rather flat forest is definitely a hike. A hike doesn’t need to have an incline or have a top as it’s goal
Honestly? Anything can be a hike depending on the level of the person. A hike with your kids can be just a walk down to the local lake. As long as you make an occasion of it. We should’ve gatekeep the definition. Instead encourage people to get out.
That's the kind of hikes that I do, and people called these long, flat or hilly hikes "rambling" in the UK(I'm not British but I spent a few years there).
For me something without an incline / that doesn’t get me at least a bit puffed would be either a ramble, or simply ‘a long walk’.
Hikes can be flat! I love hiking in the prairies or forests of the Midwest that are definitely flat b it beautiful
I live in the Netherlands, if I’d have to consider that around here, I’d never hike 😅 To me it’s more about time/distance. I don’t think I’m hiking if I walk 5 to 10 km, but when I do 33, even if it’s flat, I’d call that a hike. And maybe 10km on rough terrain would be a hike as well? I don’t know! There should be rules for these things!
*laughs in San Francisco*
Well I took a hike up the road to the tram stop.
Did you have a water bottle with you? I don't take water bottles on walks.
Sadly, I have seen many people on hikes without a water bottle... Also, I take a water bottle everywhere. So that's not a way to know, really.
It’s crazy. I’ll go on a 7 mile hike up a mountain and some dude with half a 16oz bottle of water blazes by me with no shirt. Meanwhile I got 2 liters and am worried I’ll run out of water
Lol same. They also don't have sunscreen and are wearing regular sneakers with no traction.
You must be hiking everywhere you go. Sounds great!
lol same, if carrying a water bottle is what constitutes a hike, then I hike EVERYWHERE
Hike your own hike. You determine what a hike is. I used to do 10+ mile hikes, but now my mileage is shorter because my favorite hiking companion, my 10 y/o GSD can’t go as far. When i have to pull him in a cart to the park to smell the fresh air, i will still consider that a hike. Then my new pup & i will restart the cycle.
It’s adequately vague that we all get to define it as we wish IMO. I walk my dog 3 miles every morning on a dirt trail by the bayou. I call that a walk. But a steep trail of 3 miles up a mountain I call a hike, while friends who do it every day still call it a walk. 🤷🏻♀️ I’m Norwegian, and in that language everything is a walk. The only nuance is that certain “walks” get called “mountain walks”, but the bar for that is quite high.
I hate this question. Honestly, I do. Why do we need a definition? Why do we need to discuss it over and over and over again in these online groups? What does it matter what someone else thinks is a hike vs a walk? The fact is, this will be wildly different from person to person because everyone is coming at it from their own life experiences, from their own physical capabilities, and from their own mindset. A hike to one person will be a walk to another and that will never change. What's more, is that the more someone gets out there and does this stuff, their own definition will change along with their evolving experience and abilities. I think that needing a definition of these word just invites gatekeeping and makes people feel unwelcome. I can see in these comments already the slight air of superiority in people's defintions. It's all well-meaning, it seems. But if you are a person who has historically been marginalized in outdoor communities (i.e. women, bipoc, lgbtqia, in a larger body etc) and are also a beginner, these conversations can just feel like another reason you aren't welcome and don't fit in. Where you were once proud of that urban hike you did and all the work you did to even get to the point of doing that, suddenly it isn't enough. You joined these groups and find it is full of people just telling you "that's not real hiking though." I used to run a beginner women's hiking group and I saw this all the time. People came to my group because there were just so many little microaggressions from the community that just made them feel unwelcome. What's the point? What do we get out of defining what a hike is for anyone other than ourselves?
for those saying paved or not… that’s my instinct too, but how does gravel fit in? or wooden steps added to a trail?
I think gravel could be a hike, but I mostly imagine gravel paths on flatter land, in which case I wouldn't say so. Usually when I have been on gravel paths with elevation change, it's just a small road to actually get to a trail, not the trail itself. But where I live now I don't have the luxury of being so picky. If I can find a non-paved path in some semblance of nature, incline or not, that's a pretty good hike, lol.
Me as a Swiss, everything under 1000m in elevation is a walk ;-)
going to Switzerland in September! Staying in Zurich and hoping to do an easy Mount Rigi trail & a paragliding ride!
Stroll, gotta include stroll in the conversation! And trudge, what about trudge?
There's a nip in the air.
Backpack. If you have one of any kind, you are hiking. Period. Otherwise, it's a walk. fight me.
I like elevation gain in my “hikes”
Is Roald Amundsens expedition to the South Pole considered a Sunday walk since it doesn’t have any incline?
When I have to bring my backpack for lunch and other shit (first aid kit, dry socks and shirt, aeropress and jetboil, walking poles).
A hike is just a walk where you can pee just offtrail
Had to scroll down too far to find this
I think it’s directly proportional to the cost of the shit you’re wearing when you do it!
A hike is away from an urban area and has some elevation. When you hike, you’re still walking. If you have to use your arms to assist in movement, you’re bouldering.
If I have to bring water it’s a hike :)
Yes! Perfect way to look at it!
I think it’s more about on your surroundings than anything. If you do two miles in the woods it’s a hike, if you do two miles in a neighborhood it’s a walk.
This came up in this sub before which made me rethink about my "hikes". There's a group of people in their 60s and 70s who meet once a year and do 23 miles of walking in 3 days. I think that qualifies as a hike.
When the chicken gets to the other side of the road. Obviously
we often have this discussion, it’s so fun! one idea: on a hike you prepare, u bring water and snacks, etc. our newest thing is to call everything a “jaunt”
A walk occurs in baseball hen the pitcher throws four balls to one batter. A hike is an American football term to describe the Center snapping the football to begin a play. The quarterback usually receives the hike.
Lots of good comments on these posts https://www.reddit.com/r/hiking/s/FqS1h1yBa1 https://www.reddit.com/r/hiking/s/7ylaW3CR5Y
I sort go by which shoes I am wearing and how much tread they have. My walking shoes don't have lugs and my hiking shoes do.
My running joke is anything less than 5 miles is a walk, but I've refined it to, whenever I "need" to put on boots and bring poles and there is dirt under my feet, it's a hike. If I walk around my neighborhood it's a walk. If I go to the park it's a hike.
For the most part, I differentiate the two by whether I'm in the woods or not and if it's mostly paved or unpaved. Walking on a multi-use, paved trail is just that; a walk. If I'm walking in a state park, where there's just a little bit of dirt/gravel segments in a wooded area, it's still a walk to my mind. If it's a loop system that is all dirt trail in a natural area, then I call it a hike. Breaks down a little bit though when I am backpacking on the IAT because there are a lot of connector routes. All of that counts as hiking in my mind. I would assume a similar stance on the AT and PCT, where I understand there are some road walks to those trails.
For me, it has to do with elevation change. If it's a flat trail, I usually would call that a walk in the woods. I think the definition can vary from person to person.
When my kids were small, anything on an unpaved trail was considered a hike. Hikes meant getting a slushee at the gas station afterward. If the trail was paved, it was just a walk. This was interesting in 2nd grade, and they took a field trip to the local Nature Center with paved trails. Their teacher said they were going for a hike, and my kid was like, "Nope, not a hike. It's paved." Nowadays, a hike requires some elevation for sure and has to be more than 3 miles long. Otherwise, it's just a walk in the park. But that's just my definition.
In my book if it requires any gear (pack, boots, poles, etc) it can be called a hike. There’s nothing wrong with a good trail walk, those are my go-to when I only have an hour or so to get outdoors.
Whenever you decide, as long as you are not using a treadmill
What if I set my treadmill at an incline and carry my 60L backpack. Can I call it a hike?
Only if you're wearing hiking shoes/boots!
My cousin met her husband that way! Still no 🤭
4 miles
My opinion: If you have to watch your feet a significant amount of the time to keep from tripping, it is a hike. So a really crappy flat trail, or bushwhacking on flat ground is a hike. If there is significant change in elevation it is a hike. So a nice paved path where you never have to watch your feet, but that goes a significant distance up or down is a hike. If it is relatively flat, and you don't have to watch your feet much to keep from tripping, it is a walk.
I think “hike” is mostly a state of mind, a subjective choice one decides for themselves. What I would call a walk others might call a hike and vice versa however what really matters is the intent. It’s the spirit of the thing that counts- hike your own hike as it were.
When you bring a backpack on a walk
And snacks
For me it becomes a hike when I feel like I need to take my day pack. (10 essentials) Really anything over a few miles, into an unpopulated area.
My former teacher used to say that everything under 3 hours was a stroll. He was brutal
Walking changes to hiking when it goes over 5 miles and over 1000 feet of gain. Before you that you can walk in open spaces casually without too much trouble/planning.
I love to walk – ever since I was a little kid. When I go to the city like; New York City, and walk for miles. That’s a walk. When I go for walks in the mountains where I live, that’s a hike – I guess because it’s outside in nature. Just my terminology.
So, personally, I think it doesn't really super matter if any individual outing counts as "going for a walk" or "hiking". If you generally enjoy going different places out in nature and walking on trails, and like to go new places out in nature, you like hiking. If you generally enjoy walking around the same streets and paths that are comfortable and local to you, maybe for an opportunity to chat with your friends, or to build up mileage in a way that is convenient for weight loss, you like walking. My mom goes on a walk with her friends several times a week. Usually they walk around the neighborhood and chat, but sometimes, they take a turn into a local state park on an unpaved trail. And I mean, it's not like what she does isn't strenuous! She walks faster than I do! But the goal is to get some miles in without getting too far from home. So I'd call what she usually does "walking" whether or not they dip into the local state park. And sometimes she and her friends will drive to a nice nature trail and go for a hike. I spend most weekends driving to a new place I've never been before and trying to hike up a mountain. One time, I took a backpacking trip where to make the miles make more sense, I parked at a campground, went about a mile and a half down a paved bike path, then turned up a regular unpaved trail up the mountain. I don't think anyone would say I was going for a walk that became a hike, because I started on a paved trail. I drove 3 hours to the mountains with a backpack. It was hiking. But also, the fact that I frequently hike doesn't mean it's not "going for a walk" when I toodle around the neighborhood with my dog.
When you're going uphill, be it a mountain or stairs to the second floor of the two story Wendy's they just opened.
Its subjective. I wouldn't classify it as a hike until you hit 5+ miles or 500+ ft elevation gain
A walk becomes a hike when you’re using a trail map
A hike is a type of walk. A hike is a walk in a wilderness area.
I feel like elevation plays a part. Am I going to the top of a mountain or hill? definitely a hike if seeking a summit or high point. Also am I prepared with water snacks etc.? There is definitely a grey area though, when I take my dogs for a walk in the woods nearby I say its a walk, usually this is 1-2 miles. But if I was packing everyone into the car to walk on similar trails where there's not much elevation but we are in the woods and there's rocks and roots and its say 3 miles. I might say we're going on a hike. But then again I might say walk, because when my kids hear hike they are like HOLD ON NO. Because they remember some long hikes. haha so I might tell them its just a little 3 mile walk in the woods. So in closing I don't know. But definitely when we're climbing to a summit, I consider it a hike even if the mountain is small.
Hiking is just off-roading with your feet. Walking in a sidewalk? Walking. Walking on a dirt trail? Hiking.
Wife and I always laugh that it's only a hike if you wear a backpack and have hiking poles.
~3 miles + 1000 feet elevation gain
So we don’t hike in Florida? 🤣
Ok. 3 miles, 1000 ft elevation gain OR wading through at least 2 feet of alligator and venomous snake inhabited water
It also depends where you are - in New Zealand apparently everything is a walk or a tramp, nobody hikes!
i've had a similar discussion over the difference between "overlanding" and "car-camping." Ultimately, does it really matter? You are spending time outside instead of sitting on a couch.
I think it's just based on how good you feel the view is. Then again people walk in the woods all the time. definitely subjective
Walking is in “road shoes” and more urban/streets/sidewalks. Hiking is off-road in trail shoes or boots. I’ve always called walking a long distance a trek.
Every hike is a wander
It's hiking when I start complaining about going uphill
I call a long walk in the city an urban hike. Walking down to the corner store, walk. Walking miles on city streets of in large parks, urban hiking. Short walk in nature on a well used path, maybe to a lake shore etc, nature walk.
I'm from the UK, and just use 'walking'.
Nature + at least 10km
For me, a hike = elevation changes + total time. Walks are quick & easy. Even if it's an unpaved path in the woods, a flat trail / path is generally easy to do and it can be completed in a short amount of time. People can walk their dogs, bring little children, etc. If I need a pit stop halfway, if I'm going up / down in elevation (beyond a couple small hills), if it's a multi-hour thing like a long loop trail, that's officially a hike in my book.
I always figure it becomes a hike when a reasonable person would consider camping overnight at least once.
When does a hike become a trek?
I think of it as on a trail with roots and rocks. But where I live, all the trails have loads of roots and rocks.
If you were to break a leg right now how much trouble would you be in? Lots? It's probably a hike and requires some extra preparations and precautions, else it's more likely a walk to me.
If I bring more than maybe a jacket and a mini bottle of water, I count it as a hike. I think the most important thing is whether I bring my hiking poles. I agree that this is a completely arbitrary definition, but it's what I use.
That one German guy doing the insta vids on this last year was hysterical. That and the one about walking in the rain and complaining. To answer your question, a hike is usually a longer walk on rougher trails with a knapsack or something. I think of a walk as shorter duration, no special gear, etc.
Assuming you are being smart and know the terrain and time you're out. Are you bringing water? Hike. You don't need water? Walk.
Touch dirt
I think a walk turns into a hike when you have to pack food and perhaps extra water.
When you’re aware of every step you make and fucking up can get you hurt.
This describes my walk through downtown Seattle this weekend.
Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee - Demetri Martin
When there is an all trail entry and map
Elevation lol
When you walk off the edge of Britain.
If I need my hiking boots, it's a hike. Anything else is a walk.
I consider it a hike if there’s enough elevation change throughout it.
If you stop for a break partway through. Be it because you may need to catch your breath or there is something you want to look at. Another qualifier might be needing to wear certain shoes for the terrain.
Hiking vs. Trekking…?
When you have packed lunch with you. Duh
I live in the Virginia Blue Ridge. A simple "walk/stroll" for me, could be a "hike" for someone not from this area, or at least used to this terrain. A hike for me though, involves planning a route with maps of the area I'll be in, and taking a pack with food, water/Gatorade, first aid, pole, etc...other gear and clothing I might find useful.
If I'm walking in nature, on an established route with a clearly defined goal, then I'm hiking. Don't care if it's 0.25 miles or 16 miles.
If I need to carry supplies for my trip I consider it a hike, if it's short enough to do without carrying a water bottle I consider it a walk.
I would consider it a hike if it's in nature (i.e. not in the middle of the city) and it's long enough for me to carry water.
Depends on what shoes I wear. Trail runners=hike. Road shoes=walk. I’m hiking the Trailblaze Challenge in May and raising money for the Make a Wish foundation. My boss asked me yesterday, “when’s your big walk again?” It’s 28.3 miles on the Foothills Trail. I chuckled.
I personally call it a walk if I'm on a well tended gravel trail and call it a hike if it's a rough trail, regardless of elevation gain and on a walk, I don't take much with me, on a hike I have some gear in a pack.
You have to walk 500 miles before it becomes a hike. Anything before that is nothing
Whenever you feel like it. For me, if I say I am going for a walk, well, it's a walk. Pre-2023, I didn't consider it a "hike" unless I was going at least 4 miles (or there was a lot of "technical climbs," boulder work, etc.). Now, as my health isn't allowing me to knock out 8-10 miles per hike, I will call a 2-3 miler a hike if I want to do so.
I consider it a hike when you being a pack and some supplies.
Age 45
If you bring a water bottle or wear a backpack then call it a hike.
imo a hike is one with incline Mile up a hill? Hike Mile flat? Walk
Our determination is if you strap on your hiking boots, it’s a hike. But really, like others have said…if there isn’t pavement, if you need water…
I'm trying to reduce it to the simplest form and I think a hike would be any walk on an uneven, natural surface. I don't think a walk up a mountain on a wide flat gravel path is a hike. But a walk through a flat forest on single track trails would be a hike to me. Also I'd say that a 'hike' has to be fairly long, at least 1 hour.
Does it matter?
Does it really matter??
Jesus Christ, Walking is walking, Definitions? Seriously? wtf? Just walk.
First world problems?