Tags
etiquette, hiking, hiking 101, hiking etiquette, hiking rules, hiking trail, outdoors, outdoors etiquette, trail, who has the right of way
There are unspoken rules of the dirt trail and I’m here to list off a few (feel free to tell me your rules of trail!)….
- Always say “hi” when passing by- Even if its a smile, we are all here because we love the outdoors so share a friendly smile or hello 🙂
- If you are slowing other hiker’s behind you, move to the side- Just like driving, you hate getting stuck behind a slow driver. The proper etiquette is to move over when holding up the lane!
- If you are approaching hikers in the opposite direction and you have a larger group, move over and let them pass first.
- Don’t hike through someone’s campsite. If its the only way to go, acknowledge your fellow outdoor lovers and say “excuse me” and “hi” when passing through.
- When passing hikers, let them know you’re passing “On your left”
- When hiking in a group, hike single file.
- Stay to the right and pass on the left.
- Leave tech devices at in your pack- No texting while hiking! I take photos while I’m hiking but I always make sure no one is behind me so I don’t slow them down.
- Leave No Trace- Don’t throw your granola bar wrapper on the ground!
- Be courteous of others around you. If there are kids around, try to cut down the cursing or foul talk.
Ok, what are some of your unspoken rules of the trail?!
Girly Camping® 
My tip – Use your inside voice outdoors. Don’t scare everything away for miles around make a bunch of chatter.
LikeLiked by 4 people
This. Sometimes I have seen/heard groups gossiping about a night before whilst in a beautiful area of the park and it’s really distracting and disturbs the peace and wonder of everything around you. Also no one wants to know who did what to who in the toilets out back! Especially the wild life and kids!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really hate when I’m trying to sneak up on animals and kids especially are screaming and yelling all around me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unless you’re shouting “hey bear” to avoid startling one on an overgrown trail…
LikeLiked by 1 person
All dogs on a leash….
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see your point, but at the same time I love seeing dogs running freely in the highlands. They look so happy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dogs running freely in the wild often results in dogs being injured or killed by wild animals like bears.
LikeLike
At least they die happy.
LikeLike
My dog is almost never on a leash. I receive nothing but compliments about how well behaved he is. He doesn’t approach other hikers or chase wildlife. Why leash him? He actually behaves worse when leashed. I’m not looking to start a fight (this is an ongoing discussion in every hiker forum everywhere). Just stating my opinion.
LikeLike
Come across a grizzly in Yellowstone with your unleashed dog and let me know how that turns out.
LikeLike
Again. Wasn’t looking to start a fight, and your snide remarks aren’t really appreciated. I’m prepared enough to know what conditions to expect while hiking, so that I can make the best decisions about safety. In this particular case, the situation you describe could never actually happen because dogs are prohibited from the backcountry and trails in Yellowstone.
LikeLike
Grizzlies can be found anywhere in Yellowstone, not just on backcountry trails. They can also be found anywhere in the northern Rockies. I’m not trying to be snide, just giving a reality check to people who think their dogs are angels who somehow exist outside the rules of nature. Keep your dog leashed, for his sake if not for yours.
LikeLike
I hike in the middle Atlantic region. The worst thing we come across are black bears, and they usually take off running as soon as they hear footsteps. It is perfectly safe to have a well-trained dog off leash here, and there are practically zero dog-black bear altercations in this region in the last 10 years. We are talking about game lands and forests where dogs are regularly and legally used to hunt. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but the odds are good enough that I’m willing to play. I said. I’m aware of the dangers where I hike and prepare accordingly. Also I didn’t say “backcountry trails”. I said “backcountry and trails”. That means the dog wouldn’t be hiking there period. The other areas of the park have a leash rule, which I would obey. Again, I inform myself on all conditions and dangers before hiking somewhere, and I follow the rules. It just so happens that I hike in an area where leash rules don’t exist. Dogs must be leashed in state parks in this state, which is one of the many reasons I simply don’t hike in them. Your “reality check” was most definitely snide, and also (as proven above) implausible. Please do YOUR proper research before trying to make a dick out of someone on a comment board.
LikeLike
Not sure why you’re taking this so personally. Also not sure why you’re advocating leaving dogs off-leash just because you’ve had good luck so far in the relatively wilderness-free wilderness of the east. Surely you don’t want to advocate for anyone leaving their dog off-leash, even in the northern Rockies? If you like leaving your dog off-leash, fine, but don’t tell other people to do the same. Their dog and their particular adventure may not be as tame as yours.
LikeLike
Obviously you didn’t read the parts of my post where I said that I research the areas in which I hike in order to make the proper safety decisions. I never told anyone to keep their dog off leash in the Northern Rockies, Yellowstone, or any other Grizzly-populated area. I said that it is safe to do it HERE in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, IF the dog is well-trained. Not that it matters for the sake of this discussion, but if I were to fly cross-country to hike, my dog would be staying at home (no matter what the hiking conditions) because it would be logistically easier. Within driving distance, he goes. You are reading things into my comments that aren’t there and attempting to make me look irresponsible. Read my statements again. I have done nothing but advocate self-education, safety, and respect for the rules. I believe you, on the other hand, are simply one of those people who get annoyed by dogs on trail. I saw you were also annoyed by children in a comment above. Seems that you just want everyone banned from the backcountry except yourself. If everyone on the trail is so annoying, imperfect, and unsafe, maybe YOU should just stay home.
LikeLike
In your initial post you never mentioned caveats about your dog only visiting the relative safety of the east. You simply said your dog doesn’t need a leash, and that implied to other people that their dogs don’t need to be on a leash either. Please watch what you advocate to other people.
LikeLike
“My dog is almost never on a leash. I receive nothing but compliments about how well behaved he is. He doesn’t approach other hikers or chase wildlife. Why leash him? He actually behaves worse when leashed. I’m not looking to start a fight (this is an ongoing discussion in every hiker forum everywhere). Just stating my opinion.”
This is dangerous logic to apply to all situations.
LikeLike
I was responding to a post about HIKER ETIQUETTE, not backcountry safety. That means the “leash your dog” comment I originally responded to was meant as a commentary on manners, not “safety in grizzly country”. As in “I don’t want strange dogs jumping up on me. They should all be leashed.” In the context of the article posted above and the thread of comments, my original post contained the appropriate amount of detail. This was never a question about wilderness safety or survival, until you felt the need to change the subject. I never advised anyone to apply my “dangerous logic” to Yellowstone or the Northern Rockies. All I said was that my dog doesn’t bother people or wildlife while hiking off leash because he is well-trained and well-mannered. I didn’t know that blog comments were meant to contain backup plans for every terrain, ecosystem, and weather type on Earth. Apparently they should also contain information on topics that aren’t actually relevant to the original conversation. I’ll be sure to post 100,000 word dissertations in the future. You are a self-righteous blowhard who needs to argue with others in order to feel smarter.
LikeLike
Absolutely! And if your dogs leaves a present ON THE PATH, pick it up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your #1 rule. It’s amazing how many people pass right on by without a nod, a smile or some sort of acknowledgement. I chalk it up to they’re in “city mode” and haven’t fully decompressed yet. They still get a “hello” from me. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am planning a “camping etiquette 101” post soon. I plan to include your hiking points as well. With citation of cpirse.
LikeLike
Of course!! Use as much as you want 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
No fights in the parking lot! It doesn’t matter where you park, you’re hiking anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the greeting on the Camino de Santiago: Buen Camino- may you have a good journey!
LikeLiked by 2 people
More
Try to keep erosion to a minimum
Try to keep your noise pollution to a minimum
Don’t pick the wild flowers…
Haha…and have a great time
I guess I’m lucky… I can often walk a whole day and see no-one else.
LikeLike
Good list! I only wonder if we take over from the right side here in the UK, as all the traffic is on a wrong side anyways (right vs. wrong)?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good a place as any to take a poll – when two hikers are on a hill hiking toward each other, one uphill and one downhil, who has right of way?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always been told uphill has the right of way. Personally I hate breaking stride during a climb. Takes more energy to start going than to keep going.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yield to the uphill hikers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks folks, that’s what I’d been taught, but I had some people very adamant that it was the other way around.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rule 4: why are these people camping so close to the trail?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not precisely on topic but relative nonetheless: Don’t set up camp on a freaking overlook. At Badlands National Park last week I came across a young couple that parked their car, set up a tent, and build a fire smack dab in the middle of a prominent overlook. If a ranger had been around they would have been fined, but outside of that it’s just plain rude.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Give the right of way to people going uphill; if they don’t want a rest, they’re working hard to keep their momentum going.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Kevin's Walk on the Wild Side.
LikeLike
Your etiquette list is definitely true!
LikeLike