OK, maybe you haven’t hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (2,663 miles) or the Appalachian Trail (2,185 miles). Or, hey, maybe you have! But as an RVer, we’re guessing you’ve completed some hikes in your lifetime. Are we right?
What’s the longest you’ve hiked in one day, how far did you go? Three miles? Five miles? 10 miles? 20? 30? Please tell us in the poll below, then leave a comment saying what trail it was on that you hiked the most miles. We’re excited to hear! Thanks!
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I don’t really know how far I’ve hiked in a single hike! I hike by the hour, and the distance is whatever it is. I have hiked up to 2 hours solid, with no stop breaks. But that was pre-sciatic nerve injury a few years ago. Now I’m pathetically happy if I can walk without some discomfort longer than 20 minutes.
When I KNOW I’ll be hiking some distance further than my comfort zone, I take my lightweight strap-carry chair over my shoulder.
And I ALWAYS take my hiking stick so i can haul my tushkie up even the slightest inclines.
It was a long time ago, 2015. A workplace accident with major leg injury makes it difficult to walk extended distance or time
At times even a trip to Sam’s does me in.
In my younger days I spent weeks at a time camping in Denali National Park. We’d go out for all day hikes along the road and miles up drainage “ditches” to the back country. Sometimes we were out for more than 12 hours… endless daylight will do that!
I voted for the couch/fridge choice, however we sometimes hike for about an hour at a park near us. Some of the terrain is gentle rolling sidewalks and dirt paths, some is through heavy woods, but the most challenging is a paved hilly road that we hike sometimes to return to the parking lot. It’s marked as a 15% grade. Doesn’t sound like much, but wait until you walk it. Most people on bicycles walk their bikes up that hill. As I write this I just noticed the irony of driving to a parking lot to hike. Seems strange.
Ha! That sounds familiar, Dan. I drive 1.5 miles to the local high school track, walk 1.5 miles, then drive home 1.5 miles. But my walking partner lives right on the other side of a fence from the track, so it makes sense for me to drive up there to walk with her. Walking is much more pleasant and seems to go much quicker when you have someone to walk/hike with. Take care. 😀 —Diane
In 1962 compliments of the USMC 22 miles.
Sounds like the Crucible in Marine Boot Camp to me, Bob. My son did it with a broken foot! He tried to help a fellow Marine over a wall on the first day, but the guy fell from the top of the wall and landed on my son’s foot. My son still managed to complete the course. Thank you for your service, Bob. 🙂 —Diane
About 14 miles, but it wasn’t by choice. It was supposed to be a 7-mile hike. Hiked in one mile and realized we left the sandwiches in the car. Hike back and got the sandwiches and then started the hike again. This was is Harrison State Park and we took the wrong trail marker. When we discovered we were nowhere near where we were supposed to be we took another trail back which was a nightmare and was also the wrong trail (somewhere we missed the change) Finally with night falling we heard cars on the nearby highway. We emerged from the hike at the parking lot only it was the wrong parking lot. We were 3 miles from the right one. So we hiked back part on the highway and part on a path that ran parallel to the highway. Got back well after dark to the parking lot with only one car in it – mine. We had a map and a GPS but we didn’t pull them out until it was too late. A learning curve for us.
About 20 miles in the Black Forest near Freiburg, Germany, with a group of teachers on a work/study program in 1975.
That must have been a wonderful experience! Such a beautiful area.
12 mile loop trail at Pinnacles. Sadly, I found out half way around that my feet had a 6 mile limit.
In college, we did the Bright Angel (Grand Canyon) trail before lunch at Phantom Ranch and then back up again for a late dinner. 20 miles with a mile of drop and RISE. Rather punishing and not advisable for out of shape college kids.
I hiked the Bright Angel trail in my 20’s; down and out in one day. On the way out, I thought of dropping my expensive camera to lighten the load. The worst part was getting passed by old-people.
Got in the car and drove back to Phoenix. The legs were so stiff that I could hardly walk and it took most of week for the soreness to go away.
15+ When in the Army. Not so much lately
Truth be told…it was 50 years ago when I was a Boy Scout for a merit badge! Longest miles of my life…
Yeah, the good old Boy Scouts. We did a hike back in Illinois (we were from Chicago) called the “Tulip Tree Trace Trail”. It was 20 miles in length and it was on this hike that I learned to dislike Spam . . . I think this was in the late 50’s.
Up over Baldy at Philmont scout reservation if memory serves me it is a little over 12,000 feet. What a hoot, still had snow on the north side, great snowball fight!
Hiking has become a passion for me much later in my life than I would like. Though I can still manage between 5-10 mi pretty easily, the All Trails app is my best friend to keep me from getting lost and going further than I’m able to.
Ah, the days of youth when hiking long miles meant you were simply really tired, and just a little bit sore at the end of the day.
Yeah, it’s been a long time…
Really have no idea. Do lots of hiking when traveling in our RV. Longest run I ever did was 31 miles.
At 14-16, in the flat Midwest, 15-20 miles was pretty easy. Now in mid-70s, we try to average 5 miles per day (daily flat walking) and no more than 8-10 on dedicated “hikes;” a little less if significant altitude change is involved. And one should not leave low-altitude Florida and a couple days late start a rigorous hike at 7000ft,..on the other hand, I was 70 before I experienced altitude sickness
Actually, I spent lots of money when I purchased an off-road 4WD Super Duty. I didn’t purchase it to walk.
About 8 miles, in Natural Bridge S.P. in KY. It’s next to Red River Gorge, a hikers paradise! I don’t worry too much about distance, I just try to enjoy the trek, within my limits.
Our most recent longer hike was in Feb. 2021 to Ka’ena Point on the western most point on Oahu about 6-7 miles round trip out to wildlife sanctuary where the albatross were doing their breeding dances. Muddy and uneven but spouting whales off the coast, monk seal on the beach and then the albatross! Best hike in a long time!
About 6 miles back in the 80s when I could still walk a distance.
My sneakers have a mileage limitation of 2 miles per day. 😉
Some 40 yrs ago, I enjoyed seven solid weeks down in the Grand Canyon. Down Bright Angel mid-Dec, crossed silver bridge & up onto northern equivalent of Tonto Plateau. That was the long hike. The next four weeks just wandered the plateau westward on burro & game trails, then found new ways back to the bridge & came up shortly before Valentines Day.
Was nothing to do 10-15 mile a day during fall hunting. Now in my 60s 2-3 miles a day is plenty.
The trouble with Philmont is most of the trails only go up hill. Very few seem to go down hill.
Yep, I walked them as a scout and also a trek leader. I also walked up hill both ways to school in the snow!
in my 20s an average over night hike 10 -12 miles per day. Now in the fun age of 65, 5 -8 miles on decent terrain is a good day.
My longest one-day backpacking hike was about 20 miles coming out of the Kern River east of Fresno. But that was when I was a teenager. Now, at I no longer am capable of backpacking and a hundred yard walk poops me out.