Why Short Hikes?
Welcome to Short Hikes!
Here you'll find our actual Short Hikes articles, organized by state and by specific categories like the U.S. National Parks, as well as the travel tips and other topics in the Read More section.
Many hiking sites, blogs, and brands focus on "hardcore hiker" culture and on longer hikes, whether those are overnight backcountry hikes, full-day hikes, or other intense hikes. Others cover trails of a variety of distances, or they include hiking or walking as a footnote to a larger vacation or trip.
So why focus specifically on Short Hikes? For 2 main reasons:
1. Health Conditions and Other Energy Limiters
According to a study by Hajat & Stein, 1 in every 3 adults worldwide suffer from a chronic illness. In the U.S., the figure is 51.8% according to the CDC.
On top of that, 26% of Americans (per Johns Hopkins) and over a billion people worldwide (per WHO) suffer from mental illnesses. These numbers have sharply increased since 2020 in particular.
Chronic physical and mental health conditions can affect our strength, our energy, our stamina, and our motivation. However, nearly all such conditions are benefitted by moderate exercise, including walking and hiking. Being outside in nature also has its own advantages to both body and mind.
Although we may not have the strength to do a full-day or overnight hike, we might be able to make it 2 miles, 1 mile, or even half a mile - the Short, Shorter, and Shortest Hikes' maximum distances, respectively.
This allows us to reap the benefits of both walking and being out in nature without exhausting ourselves or causing a flareup of symptoms from pushing ourselves too hard. It is much better than nothing.
2. Time
Many of us can attest to being or feeling busier than ever. We juggle many responsibilities, often all at the same time.
The only time we have to exercise might be on our lunch break or for a few minutes before dinner. The fact that we can't go on a 5-mile hike doesn't mean we shouldn't take advantage of the time we have. Again, getting some benefits of walking and being outside is definitely better than getting none of these benefits!
The time crunch can even extend to our vacations. For example, we may not have the time or money to spend a week in each National Park. But we can make the most of our trip and see more areas of the park by doing multiple short hikes in different areas of the park rather than doing 1 long hike in 1 area.
Our Focus
Short Hikes was created to help you focus on the hikes you can do without having to sift through information about longer hikes that are unrealistic for your circumstances.
We offer an abundance of free information about hikes in different areas along with products like hiking logs and walking planners to help you track your progress (coming soon!) and journals like our National Parks of the 50 States Journal to preserve the memories of your adventures for years to come.
I sincerely hope the information provided by Short Hikes improves the quality of your life and your adventures. Let's get going!
P.S. Connect with Short Hikes on Pinterest here and on Etsy here!
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