How To Avoid Getting Lost While Hiking
Getting lost is a fear of every hiker and backpacker. However, it is something that you risk every time you go into the forest. On average, 2,000 unfortunate hikers will get lost in the woods each year. Understanding the most common causes of how these people got lost can help us learn how to avoid getting lost while hiking ourselves.
Below, we’ll cover some of our tips for how to avoid getting lost while hiking. Then, we’ll give you some advice for what to do if you ever have the misfortune of getting lost in the woods.
Tips For How to Avoid Getting Lost While Hiking
Stay on the Trail
One of the most common reasons hikers get lost is because they wandered off the trail. Once you lose track of the trail, it can be difficult to find your way back to it.
This is especially true if you’re hiking somewhere without any clear landmarks such as a river or a mountain. In the deep forest, everything can start to look the same. You can easily get turned around and find yourself hiking further away from the trail as you try to locate it.
Always Know Where the Trail Is
If you’re backpacking, there will be times where you need to leave the trail. Getting water, relieving yourself, or finding a campsite are all occasions where you’ll need to disobey our first tip.
Most forests without designated campsites will instruct backcountry campers to obey the 200 feet rule. This rule is asking backpackers to camp at least 200 feet away from any trail.
When this is the case, make sure you have a way of knowing where the trail is at all times. Tie markings to trees, set up rock piles, or create markings out of sticks to help direct you back to the trail. Do this every time you venture off the path and make sure these markings are distinct.
Please be sure to remove these markings as you leave in an effort to leave no trace.
Stick to Well-Marked Trails
If you’ve hiked often enough, you’ve probably been on some well-marked trails and some poorly marked trails. Stick to the trails that are well maintained with clear markers if you’re trying to avoid getting lost while hiking.
If you’re on something that looks like a trail, but then slowly fades away into the landscape, take a second to evaluate your surroundings. If there are no clear markings or obvious continuations of the path, turn around and head back to where you last felt confident that you were on a trail.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with different types of trail markings. There may be markings on trees or signs put in place by the rangers. You may also find hiker-made markings such as rock cairns.
Before you head out on any trail, do a quick search about the trail online. There are plenty of websites that have ratings of popular trails where hikers can warn you of trail conditions. Take individual reviews with a grain of salt but if there is a common consensus that a trail’s markings suck, then you might want to avoid it.
Keep Track of the Time
It’s a good idea to plan out your mileage and how long you expect that mileage will take you to cover.
Do this before you start hiking and make note of landmarks that you should meet at certain times of each day. If you’re supposed to cross a river about 2 hours into your hike and at hour 4 there is no river in sight, you may have taken a wrong turn.
As fun as it may be to fly by the seat of your pants, you should really have a game plan for your hikes. It’d be a real bummer to realize you are 5 miles away from your car or campsite as the sun is starting to set.
Look at the Map… Often
It seems like such a simple suggestion, but it is something many people neglect to do. Bring along a map and use it. If you think you have killer directional instincts, that’s cool, but you should still use a map. Often.
Pull out the ol’ map throughout the day as you come across forks in the trail, offshoots, and scenic overlooks. Keep it somewhere handy, like you hip pocket, so it’s not a chore to reference.
Even if you remember that you should take a left at the first fork, it doesn’t hurt to consult the map and make sure the trail names match up. You’ll be better off checking a map often than to checking it once you’re already lost.
Check Trail and Weather Conditions
An important tip for how to avoid getting lost while hiking is to always check trail and weather conditions before setting out.
Call the ranger station to learn about current trail conditions. Forest fires can make trails difficult to identify and follow. A recent storm with washed out areas or fallen trees can cover the trail or make certain areas impassible. The forest station should be aware of these hazards and will warn you if you call ahead of time.
Make sure you are also up-to-date on the weather conditions. Bad weather such as downpours can disorient you and make it difficult to see. If you’re hiking in the winter, a blizzard may cover your tracks and the path. A storm may also cause trees to fall and block your path or trap you, preventing you from using the trail altogether. Avoid hiking altogether if the weather looks dangerous.
Take Mental Note of Landmarks
This tip is more handy for out-and-back hikes than for loop trails. Keep notable landmarks in mind so you can look for them as you head back to the trail head.
If you’re on the way out and nothing looks familiar, consider the possibility that you took a wrong turn somewhere. Consult your map, ground yourself, and figure out for certain which way you should be going.
What to do if You Get Lost Hiking
It is possible that you do your best to follow all of our tips for how to avoid getting lost hiking and yet still find yourself lost in the woods. That would be a truly bad day, but we can prepare for it! Knowing how to handle the situation will increase your chances of making it out of the woods safely.
Leave Breadcrumbs
Not literally. We mean make it as easy as possible for people to locate you in the event that you do get lost.
Before every hike or backpacking trip, make sure that someone you trust knows your route plan. They should also know what car you took to the trailhead and how long you planned to be in the forest for. This person will sound the alarm if you’re in the woods for too long. They can also direct a search crew to your path.
In addition, you should check in where ever you have the opportunity to. If there is a ranger station, they might have a check-in where they will ask for details about your trip and keep it in a diary. Sign your name and date any shelter registries as well to leave more clues to your whereabouts.
Be Prepared for the Worst
For every hike or backpacking trip, you should bring along backup gear just in case. Have extra food and water. Bring along layers of clothing. Have a well-stocked first aid kit.
In a day pack, it may be more challenging to pack in all this emergency gear. However, you should make an effort to have the necessities. It will make it much easier to endure a bad situation if it happens.
Stay Where You Are and Relax
If you’re lost and scared, you may make the situation even worse by moving around. Every part of you will want to scurry around to locate the trail. However, the more you wander, the more lost you may get. Especially when you’re in a panicked mindset.
Instead, take a seat and do some deep breathing. Ease your mind so you can think more clearly about the situation. After a few minutes of relaxation, ask yourself the following:
How long ago was it that you didn’t feel lost? What landmarks do you remember seeing? Are you in any physical danger? Is it starting to get dark out?
Once you have a better grasp on the situation, you can determine what your next steps should be.
Locate a Water Source
If you’re going to stay put, make sure you stay put near a water source. If you are out there for a while, you are going to need to replenish your water.
Staying hydrated is incredibly important, especially in an emergency. A person can survive only three days without water, and you’ll start feeling pretty sick before then.
So hunker down near a stream or river. Make sure to boil or filter the water before you drink it to make sure it is safe to drink.
Find a Shelter
Once you have decided you are certainly lost and you have found water, your next move should be to find a shelter.
If you’re backpacking, find a place to set up your campsite as you normally would. If you’re hiking, look for natural formations that can be used as shelters. Otherwise, try to build one out of the materials at your disposal. It doesn’t have to be a perfect shelter, but it should protect you from rain and wind.
Once you have a shelter, hang colorful items from the trees to draw attention to where you are. This will help people notice you.
Start a Campfire
Once you have a shelter set up, it’s a good idea to build a campfire. A fire will keep you stay warm and help you dry out if you got wet. It will also allow you to boil water if you don’t have a water filter or jetboil with you.
In addition, the smoke will catch the eye of anyone looking for you, directing them to your exact location. Keep the fire burning as much as possible to keep the smoke visible. This will also help to keep your mind occupied. It’s good to have something else on your mind rather than stressing about your current situation.
Keep Your Mind Busy
One of the hardest parts of being lost is going to be the mental aspects of being lost. You may feel scared and lonely. Keep your mind occupied and avoid being consumed with these negative emotions.
Maintain a fire, improve your shelter, find food, or even make crafts to keep busy. The more time you spend doing nothing, the more likely you are to fall into a bad mental state. Your mentality is everything.
