Hiking dos and don'ts
A great hike is mostly decided before you reach the trailhead. These are the dos and don'ts that keep you safe, comfortable and welcome on the trail — from planning and packing to etiquette and the mistakes that catch beginners out.
In plain English
Most hiking trouble is not bad luck. It comes from a few small choices: starting too late, bringing too little water, skipping a jacket, or not telling anyone where you went.
Think of a hike like a road trip in a place with no cell service. You would check the route, fill the tank and tell someone when you expect to arrive. Hiking works the same way. The trip plan you leave at home is the thing that gets help moving if you do not come back on time.
On the trail, a few manners keep things friendly. People walking uphill get the right of way because it is hard to restart a climb. Horses get room because they can spook. Pack out everything you brought, including food scraps, and enjoy wildlife from a distance.
The short answer
Plan the hike to your ability, tell someone your route, and carry the Ten Essentials with enough water, layers and light to handle things going a little wrong. On the trail, stay on the path, yield thoughtfully, pack out everything you bring, and turn around with daylight to spare. Almost every hiking problem traces back to skipping one of those.
Before you leave home
Preparation is where safety actually happens. Match the trail to the least-experienced person in your group, check the forecast and trail conditions, and build your pack around the Ten Essentials. A quick gear and weight check the night before beats discovering a problem at the trailhead.
Do
- Research distance, elevation gain and current trail/weather conditions.
- Leave a plan — route and expected return — with someone at home.
- Pack rain and warm layers even on a sunny forecast.
- Carry more water than you think, plus a way to treat more.
- Charge your phone and bring a power bank and a map.
Don't
- Pick a trail beyond your group's fitness or experience.
- Rely on a single phone with no offline map or backup.
- Wear cotton — it holds sweat and chills you when wet.
- Assume there's water, signal or a snack bar on the trail.
- Start late with no turnaround time in mind.
Not sure what to carry or how big a pack you need? Build a trip-specific list with our packing checklist, then size the bag with the pack-size finder.
On the trail
Once you're moving, the goal is to hike sustainably — a pace you can hold for hours, fueled and hydrated, with layers managed before you're soaked or shivering.
Do
- Set a steady, conversational pace and take short, regular breaks.
- Sip water often and eat before you feel empty.
- Add or shed a layer before you're cold or sweat-soaked.
- Check your map at junctions and note landmarks behind you.
- Keep a firm turnaround time regardless of the summit.
Don't
- Push a blister — stop and treat a hot spot the moment you feel it.
- Take shortcuts that cut switchbacks or leave the trail.
- Ignore darkening skies, wind shifts or a dropping temperature.
- Feed or approach wildlife, however tame it seems.
- Summit at all costs — the trailhead is the real goal.
Leave No Trace
The trail stays good for everyone — and for the wildlife that lives there — only if each of us leaves it as we found it. The seven Leave No Trace principles boil down to a simple habit: take only photos, leave only footprints.
- Plan ahead and prepare so you're not improvising in a way that harms the place.
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces — established trails and sites.
- Dispose of waste properly — pack out all trash, food scraps and hygiene items.
- Leave what you find — rocks, plants and artifacts stay put.
- Minimize campfire impact — use a stove; keep fires small and legal.
- Respect wildlife — observe from a distance, never feed.
- Be considerate of others — keep noise down and share the trail.
Trail etiquette
A little courtesy keeps shared trails pleasant. The basic rules of the path:
- Yielding: hikers going downhill yield to those coming up; everyone yields to horses; bikes yield to hikers.
- Passing: announce yourself ("on your left") and step to the downhill side to let others by.
- Groups: hike single file on narrow trails and don't block the path at rest stops.
- Sound: keep voices and music low — most people came for the quiet.
- Dogs: leash where required, and always pack out their waste.
The mistakes that catch people out
If you avoid nothing else, avoid these five. Each is common, easy to prevent, and behind a large share of trail rescues:
- Underestimating the hike. Distance plus elevation gain — not distance alone — decides how hard a trail is. Build up gradually.
- Too little water. Dehydration saps energy and judgment fast. Carry enough, and a way to treat more.
- No warm or rain layer. Weather turns quickly in the hills; a light shell and insulation weigh little and prevent hypothermia.
- No light or navigation. A headlamp and a map turn "benighted and lost" into "a bit late."
- Not telling anyone. If something goes wrong, the single biggest factor in a good outcome is that someone knows where you are and when to worry.
This is general trail-craft, not medical or emergency advice. For first aid, take a recognized wilderness first-aid course; in a genuine emergency, call your local emergency number (911 in the US) as soon as you can.
The planning numbers behind the rules
The National Park Service's Hike Smart guidance adds useful specifics to the page's advice. Plan for uphill sections to take at least double the downhill time, and set and stick to a turnaround time. Leave a trip plan with route, contact information, timing and companions with a trusted person who is not on the trip, because it helps search and rescue.1 The service also says hiking with a companion is safer and that solo hikers should take extra preparation measures.1
Timing in heat matters as much as distance. At Grand Canyon, most heat-illness rescues involve people hiking between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.2 That is a strong case for starting at dawn in hot country.
How much water: what the evidence does and does not say
The page's half a liter per hour is a rule of thumb, and it is worth knowing where the real numbers sit. Grand Canyon rangers say hikers in heat can lose one to two quarts of water per hour,2 and the CDC's Yellow Book says sweat rates can reach a liter per hour.3 No agency publishes a single hiking-specific figure. The closest official guidance is workplace guidance from NIOSH: for moderate activity under two hours in heat, a cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes, and no more than six cups an hour.4
More is not always better. The CDC Yellow Book says hyponatremia, low blood sodium, affects recreational hikers as well as endurance athletes. It calls 'you can't drink too much' outdated advice and says drinking to relieve thirst helps prevent it.3 Grand Canyon's guidance adds salty snacks to balance water in heat.2 The practical middle ground: carry enough, drink steadily, eat as you go, and do not force down water you do not want.
Etiquette and Leave No Trace, with the specifics
The Park Service's etiquette rules are the ones on the page: uphill hikers have right of way, hikers yield to horses and pack stock, and bicyclists yield to both. It also asks hikers to keep electronic device noise down.5
Leave No Trace has numbers attached too. The park service's version says to camp at least 200 feet from lakes and streams, dig catholes 6 to 8 inches deep and at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails, and pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.6 Wearing bright clothing is another small habit with a payoff, because it makes you easier for search and rescue to spot.7
Frequently asked questions
What should a beginner hiker not do?
The biggest beginner mistakes are starting with a hike that is too long or steep, carrying too little water, wearing cotton, skipping rain and warm layers, and not telling anyone the plan. Start with a short, well-marked trail, pack the Ten Essentials, and turn back with plenty of daylight to spare.
Is it safe to hike alone?
Solo hiking can be safe on popular, well-marked day trails if you are prepared: leave a detailed plan with someone, carry navigation and the Ten Essentials, know your limits, and set a firm turnaround time. Beginners and remote or off-trail routes are safer with a partner.
How much water should I bring hiking?
A common rule of thumb is about half a liter (17 oz) of water per hour of moderate hiking, and more in heat or at altitude. Always carry a way to treat more water so you are never fully dependent on what is on your back.