The Well-Prepared Hiker's Route

Are you planning a one-day or multi-day hike?
Here's some advice.

Information and research

Look for any useful information about your hike

• online
• in trail guidebooks
• read other hikers' reviews on forums and blogs

Take the time to think through every detail, and don't be afraid to change your plans based on what you find.

Don't forget...

• Determine precisely your starting and finishing points;
• If the trip isn't a loop, plan how you'll leave the finishing point (arrange a return by transport, ask a friend to pick you up, hitchhike, …);
• Define stages, taking into account places to avoid or that you must see: how will you get back to the starting point, how long will the walk take, where will you sleep (bivouac, mountain huts, youth hostels), are the huts or hostels open, do you need to book, how much do they cost?
• For multi-day trips, plan where and when you'll be able to resupply.
• Ask yourself about the difficulty of the chosen route: the distance to cover, the terrain and the type of ground you'll cross. Detailed maps and specialist guides can help. Remember that if the distance is long, or if you decide to hike fully self-sufficient, your backpack will be that much heavier. If the difficulty is too great, don't hesitate to change your route: the pleasure of the walk comes first.
• Managing your time is important. Work out your schedule (when to get up, set off, take a break, stop). For an experienced hiker, an average day's walk is around 7 hours. It's also easier to set off early than to push on hard at the end of the day.
• Find out about weather conditions before you leave (length of daylight, river levels, snow cover, sunshine, …). In parts of the world closer to the equator, night can fall very quickly, so don't get caught out! Pay attention to possible changes in weather, whether over time or from place to place. If conditions are or become dangerous (storms, thick fog, gales), don't risk your life — know when to postpone your hike or take shelter.
• There are always rules to follow on top of basic good manners: find out as much as possible about local regulations, respecting wildlife and plant life, and rules specific to certain municipalities or national parks (bivouacking, permission to light a campfire, using a small gas stove, waste management, safety, or even where to "relieve yourself in the wild"!). Every year, dozens of fires ravage hectares of forest, started by campfires poorly put out by hikers or tourists! If you're the cause, you'll be held responsible.
• For your safety: tell someone outside the group about your plans, your starting and finishing points, your expected arrival time, and of course your route, so that rescuers can reach you more quickly.

Final tips

• Keep in mind that even the best preparation will never fully protect you from the unexpected. So think through a "plan B": what would you do if the weather suddenly changed, if one of you got injured, if someone didn't want to go on, if you got lost, or if your equipment broke? Don't hesitate to think through solutions for worst-case scenarios.
• Don't forget to take out good travel insurance.
• Watch out for ticks!

Also read: "Hiking: questions to ask yourself" and "Long-distance trails, the stuff hiking dreams are made of"[](/en/blog/hiking-questions-to-ask-yourself)[](/en/blog/hiking-questions-to-ask-yourself)