Hiking Resources
Get the information you need to feel confident on your next hike.
Joel Cross
American Hiking Society has partnered with the Hiking Project to help you find trails and featured hikes you’ll love. The Hiking Project is a crowd-sourced platform, which means that all trails are shared by hikers like you. If you don’t see trails near you now, keep checking back. And better yet, why not share your favorite local hikes?
Trail Ratings:
  Easy: walking with no obstacles and low grades
  Easy/Intermediate
  Intermediate: 10% grade, small rocks and roots, easy scrambling
  Intermediate/Difficult
  Difficult: 15% grade, large obstacles, possible scrambling or climbing
  Extremely Difficult: 20% grade, 15+" obstacles, many harder sections
Featured Hikes:
Sometimes it's hard to pick the perfect hike right off the map. Browse through Hiking Project's highest rated hikes to see which trails other hikers are ranting and raving about.
Download the Trail Info:
take the info with you on your next hike. Download the maps and trail info to your mobile device for offline use. Remember to pin the trails before you leave cell service.
Give to American Hiking Society Today
Help build and maintain hiking trails, conserve America’s natural landscapes, build a more inclusive outdoors, and ensure that tomorrow’s hiking experience is even better than today’s. Your gift makes you part of a growing hiking community helping to protect the places you love to hike.
Lionello Delpiccolo
Hiking Resources for Your Next Hike
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Before You Go
Callistus Ndemo
All About Trails
Overcoming Adversity on the Trail
Before Wesley Trimble came on staff with American Hiking Society he set out on a 139-day journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. Recently Outside Magazine featured Wesley’s awe-inspiring short film entitle CP and the PCT. In the four-minute video, Wesley shares his experience of hiking the 2,660-mile trail even though he has a mild form…
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Protecting Trails and the Experience of a Lifetime
For years my good friend Barney “Scout” Mann and his wife Sandy “Frodo” have served as PCT trail angels and have hosted and shuttled thousands of hikers from the San Diego airport to the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. Section hikers and prospective thru-hikers come from every corner of the planet to embrace…
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Tales From the Trail
By: Mike Custodio, Volunteer Vacations Participant Serving with American Hiking Society has lit my passion on volunteerism. It has changed my life for the better, and it will change yours. Join the corps of volunteers, carry the torch of passion, and live the dream John Muir and so many others dreamed of: take care of…
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Spring Break on the Trail
Many think of spring break as a deserved respite from hard work- a week to relax, take a vacation, or catch up on errands and school work. This is not the mindset of the dedicated trail stewards that spent their spring break giving back to trails and public lands through American Hiking Society’s Alternative Break…
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The 10 Best Hikes in the Smokies
By RootsRated– From the smoke-shrouded summit of LeConte and the open-armed expanses of Andrews Bald, down into the laurel laden hollows of Porters Creek and the historic homesteads of Cades Cove, it’s difficult to overstate the majesty of the Smokies. If anything, the grandeur can be overwhelming. With such a depth and breadth of wilderness…
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Day-in-the-Life of an Alternative Breaker
Until she helped lug a truckload of 4-by-8s down a disused riding trail, Jenni Herrick never realized just how far 0.2 miles can be. Herrick, GWC’s assistant dean of students and director of the Office of Student Success, recently accompanied a group of six students on a weeklong alternative spring break to Virginia’s James River…
Read More5 Reasons Why Your Organization Should Host a National Trails Day Event
Most trail and conservation organizations say they’re constantly trying to engage their local community in new ways and boost their numbers of supporters and donors. Here’s 5 ways your organization can benefit from hosting a National Trails Day event. 1. REACH A NEW AUDIENCE: Your organization benefits by having new supporters find you via American Hiking…
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A League of Their Own: The Women Who Started Saving the Redwoods
By Sam Hodder, President & CEO, Save the Redwoods League On August 8, 1919, Save the Redwoods League founders Madison Grant and Stephen Mather spoke to a packed auditorium in the Northern California mill town of Eureka. They had driven up from San Francisco, where the League had just held its first Board meeting, and…
Read MoreJamison Sliger
American Hiking Society's Alliance of Hiking Organizations is a network of trail groups, hiking clubs, land trusts and other organizations working to promote and protect hiking trails, trail lands, and the hiking experience. American Hiking Society and its Alliance are the primary force in pressing for increased funding for trails and protecting places special to hikers.
Learn about organizational membership benefits and join the Alliance today.
You may sort our list of Alliance members below by any column, by clicking on the up/down arrows in the header.
| Organization Name | City | State | Website | Membership Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Forty-Sixers | Plattsburgh | NY | http://www.adk46er.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| American Endurance Ride Conference | Auburn | CA | http://www.aerc.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Arizona Trail Association | Tucson | AZ | http://www.aztrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Bay Area Ridge Trail Council | San Francisco | CA | http://www.ridgetrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Benton MacKaye Trail Association | Cherry Log | GA | http://www.bmta.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy | Franklin | NC | http://ncbartramtrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation | Hungry Horse | MT | http://www.bmwf.org/ | Alliance, SILVER |
| Border Route Trail Association, Inc | Edina | MN | http://www.borderroutetrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Camp Tuscazoar | Zoarville | OH | http://www.tuscazoar.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Capital Stick Kickers | Delmar | NY | capitalstickkickers@gmail.com | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Carolina Mountain Club | Asheville | NC | http://www.carolinamtnclub.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Carteret County Wildlife Club | Havelock | NC | https://www.carteretwildlifeclub.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Cayuga Trails Club | Ithaca | NY | http://www.cayugatrailsclub.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Champlain Area Trails | Westport | NY | http://www.champlainareatrails.com/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Chinook Trail Association | Vancouver | WA | http://www.chinooktrails.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Clean Trails / National CleanUp Day | Denver | CO | https://www.cleantrails.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Columbia Land Conservancy | Chatham | NY | https://clctrust.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Connecticut Forest & Park Association | Rockfall | CT | http://www.ctwoodlands.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Cuyahoga Valley Trails Council | Peninsula | OH | http://www.cvtrailscouncil.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Dolan Springs Trails System | Dolan Springs | AZ | http://www.dolanspringschamberofcommerce.com/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Epic | Lexington | KY | Alliance, BRONZE | |
| Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. | Mt. Morris | NY | http://www.fingerlakestrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Blackwater, Inc. | Thomas | WV | http://www.saveblackwater.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Cloudland Canyon State Park | Trenton | GA | http://friendsofcloudlandcanyon.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Congaree Swamp | Columbia | SC | http://www.friendsofcongaree.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Don Carter State Park | Gainesville | GA | http://gastateparks.org/doncarter | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Government Canyon | San Antonio | TX | https://friendsofgovernmentcanyon.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of Panthertown | Cashiers | NC | http://www.panthertown.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Friends of the Columbia Gorge | Portland | OR | http://www.gorgefriends.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Gallatin Valley Land Trust | Bozeman | MT | http://www.gvlt.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Great Shasta Rail Trail Association | McCloud | CA | https://www.greatshastarailtrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Gwynns Falls Trail Council | Baltimore | MD | http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Headwaters Trail System | Three Forks | MT | https://www.threeforksmontana.us/ | Alliance, SILVER |
| Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy | Southeastern | PA | http://hstrail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Idaho Trails Association | Boise | ID | http://www.idahotrailsassociation.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Klickitat Trail Conservancy | Lyle | WA | http://klickitat-trail.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Lone Star Hiking Trail Club | Tomball | TX | http://www.lshtclub.com | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Louisiana Hiking Club | Baton Rouge | LA | http://hikelouisiana.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Mohonk Preserve | New Paltz | NY | https://www.mohonkpreserve.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club | Lynchburg | VA | president@nbatc.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Nature Trust of the Santa Monica Mountains | Malibu | CA | http://www.naturetrust.net/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Navajo YES | Teec Nos Pos | AZ | http://www.navajoyes.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| NC High Peaks Trail Assoc. | Burnsville | NC | http://www.nchighpeaks.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Newburyport Parks | Newburyport | MA | http://newburyportparks.org/index.html | Alliance, SILVER |
| Norfolk Land Trust | Norfolk | CT | http://norfolklandtrust.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| North Country Trail Association Incorporated | Lowell | MI | http://www.northcountrytrail.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Northwest Youth Corps | Eugene | OR | http://www.northwestyouthcorps.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Orinda Hiking Club | Orinda | CA | http://www.orindahiking.org/index.html | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Pacific Crest Trail Association | Sacramento | CA | http://www.pcta.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Palmetto Conservation Foundation - Palmetto Trail | Columbia | SC | http://www.palmettoconservation.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation | Camp Hill | PA | http://www.paparksandforests.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Red Lodge Hiking Club | Columbus | MT | Alliance, BRONZE | |
| Rocky Mountain Field Institute | Colorado Springs | CO | http://www.rmfi.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| San Diego River Park Foundation | San Diego | CA | http://www.sandiegoriver.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Smoky Mountains Hiking Club | Knoxville | TN | http://www.smhclub.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Superior Hiking Trail Association | Two Harbors | MN | http://www.shta.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Tahoe Rim Trail Association | Stateline | NV | http://www.tahoerimtrail.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Teaneck Creek Conservancy | Teaneck | NJ | http://www.teaneckcreek.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| The Niagara Hiking Company | Niagara Falls | NY | http://www.hikeniagara.com | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Trail Center | Palo Alto | CA | http://www.trailcenter.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| TrailBliss | Sammamish | WA | http://www.trailbliss.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Trinidad Coastal Land Trust | Trinidad | CA | https://www.trinidadcoastallandtrust.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Victor Hiking Trails, Inc. | Victor | NY | http://www.victorhikingtrails.org/ | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Visit Mississippi | Jackson | MS | http://www.visitmississippi.org | Alliance, BRONZE |
| Wild Basin Creative Research Center | Austin | TX | http://www.wildbasin.org | |