I live in Eugene and tend to hike alone a lot—mainly because I've found that most of the local hiking groups tend to be heavy on socializing and "ambling" and light on covering distance—which is totally fine, just not something I always prefer to do. (And the locals tend to hike the same trails constantly, whereas I'm always up for exploring new trails on weekends.)
So I'm wondering where a good place (or places) are online that exist primarily for the purpose of connecting people who post hikes they're planning so others can join them? Does such a thing exist?
I'm also an adventure motorcyclist, and there are lots of places (mostly message boards) where individuals post up and say "I'm going for a ride to _____. If anyone wants to join me, let's meet at _____ on _____." And people connect all the time that way.
Seems like from what I've seen, all the hiking sites I've found (so far) are big on people sharing hike reports after the fact but not so big on connecting people for hikes. (But I might not have been looking in the right places.)
Thanks for any suggestions!
Scott
EDIT: Okay, I'm an idiot, LOL. I swear I scanned the other boards in this forum before posting, and somehow (on a 2nd scan) realized I missed the "Organize and Invite" board. (Doh!) Sorry. But if anyone has other suggestions I'd love to hear them!
Where's the best place to find hiking partners?
- SWriverstone
- Posts: 96
- Joined: January 26th, 2016, 8:28 am
- Location: Eugene, Oregon
Re: Where's the best place to find hiking partners?
I noticed your recent Diamond Peak hike invite here didn't get any response. This sites gets decent traffic, but it's easy to miss something like that depending on how one skims the various forums, especially when time sensitive.
One idea is a Facebook group like PortlandHikers. Much more traffic potential. There might be a Eugene or Southern Oregon equivalent, but if not, even PortlandHikers might get some results for you because some people don't mind traveling for a good hike. The group page is also useful because one can search for recent trip reports if you're looking for current conditions.
However, I don't actively follow the group because it's too busy and fills my feed with endless stupid questions about which trails in the Gorge are still closed, is it safe to hike alone, and people posting the same boring photos of Mirror Lake and Silver Star. I am a member of the group but only see the posts if I go directly to the group page. =D
One idea is a Facebook group like PortlandHikers. Much more traffic potential. There might be a Eugene or Southern Oregon equivalent, but if not, even PortlandHikers might get some results for you because some people don't mind traveling for a good hike. The group page is also useful because one can search for recent trip reports if you're looking for current conditions.
However, I don't actively follow the group because it's too busy and fills my feed with endless stupid questions about which trails in the Gorge are still closed, is it safe to hike alone, and people posting the same boring photos of Mirror Lake and Silver Star. I am a member of the group but only see the posts if I go directly to the group page. =D
- retired jerry
- Posts: 14424
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Re: Where's the best place to find hiking partners?
there are groups like meetup.org or mazamas that have group hikes
I have seen other requests here for hiking partners that go unheeded
I believe someone posted an invite which someone else took them up on and they formed a relationship, I think they got married eventually, so sometimes it works here. Maybe try several organize and invite. Maybe look back at previous organize and invites for others
I have seen other requests here for hiking partners that go unheeded
I believe someone posted an invite which someone else took them up on and they formed a relationship, I think they got married eventually, so sometimes it works here. Maybe try several organize and invite. Maybe look back at previous organize and invites for others
Re: Where's the best place to find hiking partners?
I was tempted to be a smartass and say "at the trailhead"
But yeah, the trail is where you're most likely to meet your own kind.
Personally, I like solo, because nobody can keep up with me. Kidding, really . But yeah, I do prefer solo, for other reasons.
But yeah, the trail is where you're most likely to meet your own kind.
Personally, I like solo, because nobody can keep up with me. Kidding, really . But yeah, I do prefer solo, for other reasons.