The best way to get introduced to hiking is a club. Being a member of a hiking club comes with several benefits, not least of which is to learn from the experience of the group.
There are many things that fellow members of hiking clubs can teach you. For instance, they can tell you where the best local areas can be found and provide you with many tips. In addition, some of them may become your new hiking buddies (important when your significant other is more of a stay-at-home type or when you have just relocated).
Hiking clubs can have many distinct personalities. Some of them may be more laidback than the rest, while others are more aggressive. Some hiking clubs have younger members. Others are older. So check around for one that seems right for you.
Below is a few hiking clubs found throughout the 50 US states.
Alabama Hiking Trail Society
If you’re from around Huntsville to Mobile, then share your common love for hiking and backpacking with members of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society. This is one of the many hiking clubs in Alabama State committed to developing, maintaining, protecting, and promoting a statewide hiking trail system.
One of the perks of being a member of one of these hiking clubs is that all activities you participate in are covered under the Group Liability Insurance policy.
Fairbanks Area Hiking Club
The Fairbanks Area Hiking Club is a group of Interior Alaska residents who enjoy visiting all the nooks and crannies of Alaska. They explore on foot, by boot, ski, and snowshoe with trips taking you from Denali National Park to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the White Mountains, along the Chena and Tanan Rivers, and many other places that visitors can only dream about.
Off the Beaten Trail
It was in the summer of 2002 that co-founders Loree and Ward started hiking together. Pretty soon, word got around and the number of participants has grown to over 300. Off the Beaten Trail Hiking Club is a group of single people living in the metropolitan Phoenix, AZ area.
This hiking club separates hiking and social so that you get to decide what even or events you wish to do.
TrailBlazers Hiking Club
If you like the outdoors in the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains of Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, then you might want to check out the activities offered by the TrailBlazers Hiking Club. This hiking club schedules several hikes a month, some long and some short, some difficult and some more laidback. In addition, hikes are also scheduled almost every weekend from fall to spring. To find out what events you’d like to join, just look at the Events section of their website and pick out the one that fits your preferences.
Desert Trails Hiking Club
Offering easy, moderate, and strenuous level hikes, the Desert Trails Hiking Club schedules hikes 3 to 5 times per week. Hike in the Coachella Valley and beyond and enjoy the spirit of friendship and camaraderie that this hiking club offers
