What Makes An
Excellent Hiking Blog?

By Diane Spicer

An excellent hiking blog is a thing of beauty, and truly depends on the eye of the beholder.

Not only the eye, but the

• age
• gender
• location
• hiking experience
• tolerance for non-hiking ramblings

of the beholder!

Excellent hiking blog features

Because I'm an older experienced female hiker in the western United States, I am naturally drawn toward hiking blogs that catalog and categorize hikes that I would want to do.

Although I've lived in Washington State for 20+ years, I'm nowhere near finished with exploring the hiking trails here.

And I'm guessing it's the same for you when you bookmark a truly excellent hiking blog:

• It meets your needs,
  
• piques your interest,
  
• entertains you,
• gives you photos and trail descriptions to drool over,
• and answers your questions about the best hiking gear or hiking techniques.

It is also updated frequently! Sometimes when life gets busy, you can live vicariously through the blog!

Of course, the opposite might also be true if you're hunting for a blog in an area of the world you're eager to explore.

That's true for me, too!

Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, and some of the European mountain ranges are all calling to me. If you're a blogger who regularly hikes there, please use my contact page to get in touch.

Picking a hiking blog to follow

What if you haven't found a blog to scratch your hiking itch?

You can try the blogs I follow regularly.

Keep in mind that some blogs are very person-centric. You not only get a glimpse of the hikes, but also the thoughts and emotions of the hiker.

The "too much information, or TMI" types of blogs tend to make me uncomfortable.

Why?

I'm all about the hiking.

I want details about

• the gear used,
  
• the distance covered,
  
• the elevation gain and loss,
  
• the weather,
  
• the wildlife,
  
• all of that good stuff a reliable blogger communicates to the reader.

However, if you're a hiking newbie, it might be really useful for you to "hear" what the blogger is going through before, during and after a hike.

If that's the case, look for "tell all" types of hiking blogs.

If you've got some dust on your boots already, look for "stretch" hiking ideas: new places to hike, new gear or techniques to try, or a fresh approach to trail time.

To help you figure out which blogs you want to follow, here's a list of the Top 100 Blogs, selected by Feedspot.

• Hiking For Her is listed as #5. WooHoo!
  

Some excellent choices
for the Pacific Northwest

FYI, Puget Sound refers to Seattle, WA and surrounding areas.

1. Hiking With My Brother blog: What I like about this website is its authenticity.

These 2 hikers are enthused and knowledgeable, and share my mindset about encouraging folks to get out on the trails.

Another attractive feature: they organize the hikes in categories according to region and difficulty.

AND they provide a Google map marked with the hikes, so you can see instantly how far away from Seattle each hike is.

2. Here's a great blog by someone who has logged a lot of mileage in this region: Alpine Lakes Aficionado.

This blogger keeps things current, which I admire because it's always a struggle to find time to write AND hike.

My favorite feature: topographical maps are provided, with the route drawn in red.

I can use this as I'm reading the description to call up a mental picture of the hike. Love it!

3. Here's a woman's perspective on the fabulous Northwest hiking options: MustEatMustHike. Use her blog to whet your appetite for a new trail along with a new trail menu.

My humble attempt
at an excellent hiking blog

This labor of love called the Hiking For Her website is somewhat of a hiking blog hybrid, falling between "tell me all about hiking" and "this is where I hiked".

• My goal is to get as many women out on the trail as possible.

I aim to shut off the voice in the head that says "I'm too old/young, too weak/fat/frail to start hiking", and replace it with a "can do" voice.

I plan to start adding detailed trail reports to complement my pages of best hiking tips, so stay tuned.

I live in a mountainous area, the Pacific Northwest of the USA, and you might be hankering to visit the hiking trails here.

If that's true, I'll have video, audio and written information for you very soon!

Please stop by and see what's new :)

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Excellent Hiking Blog