Pre-Trip Planning

In order to have a successful backpacking trip, you must do adequate planning. Where to go, when to go, trail conditions, trail difficulty, who to contact in case of a trail emergency are all important pre-trip planning items.

WHERE TO GO - There are thousands of backpacking trails to choose from. Are you looking for a place close to home or an exotic location. The backpacking trail list on this site is a good place to start. One of the best sources is other backpackers. Ask where they have been and where they recommend. If you don't know many backpackers, see if you can find a local outdoor club. Check our List Of Organizations You might also ask at your local outdoor store. If you have state or national recreation area in mind, you could contact the local rangers for recommendations. There are also many good trail books and other online sources of information.

WHEN TO GO - Temperatures and water availability are too big factor here. Check the average high and low temperature for the area and month you will be backpacking in. Make sure your sleeping bag is rated for the lows. Always bring one more layer of warmth than you think you will need. You may decide temperatures are too hot or too cold for you to enjoy the trip. If so, reschedule to a time when the temperatures are better suited.

Water availability is another big factor effecting when it is a good time for a backpacking trip. During dry summers, some small streams and watering holes may dry up or recede underground. Areas near the equator typically have a wet and dry season. It might be best to plan a trip in between these seasons. Sometimes it's difficult to avoid stretches with little or no water. To do the trip, you may find you need to carry a few days of water.

Deep snow or ice may block parts of the trail certain times of the year.

Check guidebooks or other resources for the best time of the year to backpack a trail

TRAIL CONDITIONS - Is the trail well maintained? Is it extremely muddy due to high rainfall? Are parts flooded? Are parts covered by deep snow or ice? Have recent forest fires effected the area? Is there logging activity in the area? Are parts of the trail closed for other reasons? You want to find this information out before you reach the trail-head. Contact the agency who oversees the area to check on trail conditions as part of your pre-trip planning.

TRAIL DIFICULTY - Make sure you have adequate experience and physical training to handle the difficulty of the trail you have chosen. Distance, elevation changes, trail composition, and altitude all effect the difficulty of a trail. One or a combination of these factors may make a trail be classified as "difficult". Just because the map says the distance is only four miles, does not mean the trail is easy. You have to look at all the factors.

Distance - Assuming none of the other factors made a trail difficult, five miles per day would be considered by most on the easy side, ten miles per day intermediate, and fifteen to twenty difficult.

Elevation Changes - Hills are a big factor in making a trail difficult. And it's not just up hill. Many people find going downhill is more difficult than uphill. Going downhill puts a lot of strain on your knees. If your boots/shoes don't fit properly your toes get jammed to the front. This can be very uncomfortable at best and painful or cause you to loose your toenails at worst. The best way to determine a trails elevation change difficulty is to view it's topographical map. The closer the lines are on the map, the steeper the terrain. If the trail runs parallel ( along ) the lines ( not crossing the lines ) the trail is flat. If the trail runs perpendicular to ( crosses ) the lines, you are either going uphill or down hill. Interpreting hills on a topo map takes practice and experience. While hiking, notice the how the trail crosses the topo lines or runs along the topo lines and notice how close the lines are together. Try to predict how difficult the hills ahead of you will be.

Knowing the starting and ending elevation of the day's hike is only the starting point. There may be many ups and downs in between.

Trail Composition - Hard packed earth is the easiest thing to walk on. Slippery boulders is probably the most difficult. In between is loose rock, loose sand, mud, and many other variations.

Altitude - Altitude is another major factor of trail difficulty. At 10,000 feet, you are above half the atmosphere. Because the air is much thinner, each lung full of air contains less oxygen. This makes you 'out of breath' with much less exertion, especially when going up hill. The more time you spend 'at altitude', the more you body compensates for this lower oxygen content of the air. On a recent trip to the California Sierra-Nevada Mountains, we were near 10,000 feet for the entire 18 days of hiking. Especially the first week, I would get very winded going up hill. Every twenty steps or so I would have to stop and take a few breaths before continuing.

TRAIL EMERGENCIES - Know who to contact in case you have an emergency on the trail. Most of the time your cell phone is not going to work on the trail. But, sending someone out to get help with the right phone number will be the fastest way to get help in many cases. 911 isn't always the best number to call. They may not be familiar with the wilderness areas so may not be the fastest way to get help. Many times the local sheriff is the best number to call. Find out before your trip by asking the authority who manages the area you will be backpacking in or calling the local sheriff to see who he recommends. Some very remote areas have remote ranger stations. In these cases they may be your quickest help. In any case, find out before you leave home.

TRAILHEAD PARKING Safe trailhead parking locations is another pre-trip planning item. Broken window glass on the ground of your proposed parking spot is a bad sign. It's best to call the local law enforcement agency for recommendations. They are the ones who take the reports when there is trouble. Plus, they might be able to check on your vehicle while it's parked there.