How to plan a hike in the hills

In 2023, I went on remote working trips in Madeira, Tenerife and Cape Town, South Africa. These places have beautiful nature and because I like hiking, I went on many day hikes in the hills. After about 20 of them, I had developed a little preparation routine that might be useful for other hikers too. You can use this for planning day hikes in any location, except for snow & ice conditions or very technical terrain, because that requires more preparation. My suggested planning takes about 90 minutes per hike.

If you’re interested in longer multi-day nature treks, including wild camping, I wrote another guide for that.

On this page:

• Weather
• Route
• Hike Sheet
• What to bring

Weather

A few days before the hike I like to check the weather forecast and look at the expected temperature, precipitation and wind.

Temperature
This determines what clothes to bring. Also keep in mind that with rising elevation, the temperature goes down (lapse rate: -0.6 C per 100 m) and the wind – and therefore windchill – generally increases.

Rain
Wet conditions can make steep rocky trails slippery and much harder to hike than in dry conditions, so I tend to avoid these trails when rain is expected. When hiking in the rain, your rain gear should be in order, ideally jacket, pants and gloves.

Wind
Strong winds will make exposed routes (above the treeline) harder and colder. With wind speeds over 30 km/h (4 Bft), I tend to avoid exposed high elevation routes.

On the morning of the hike itself, I like to get the latest forecast and summarize it in my Hike Sheet.

Route

Based on the weather forecast, my hiking goal, and the fitness of my hiking party, I’ll search online for a suitable hiking route. Apps like AllTrails, blogs and just Google are good sources.

A doable day hike for a group with average fitness would be something like 3 hours long, about 500 m elevation gain, and nothing too technical besides maybe a little rock scrambling. Online reviews of a route can be informative for this.

Once I have picked a route, I like to study it in detail on the map, both in my hiking app (e.g. AllTrails) and on Google Maps. The latter includes Satellite, Terrain (with elevation lines), and 3D views which contain valuable information.

Once I’ve decided on a route (or maybe multiple options depending on the weather), I share it with my hiking party and download it on my mobile device because I might not have reception on the trail. I also like to download the area where we’re going in Google Maps (you can do this by typing “ok maps” in the Google Maps search bar).

A little warning about today’s hiking apps: they are great, but not infallible. I noticed for instance that the elevation data in AllTrails for some hikes was wildly off. Therefore it’s wise to verify the apps data with an accurate map before you go.

Finally I like to note some route statistics in my Hike Sheet.

Hike Sheet

My Hike Sheet is a summary of the hike. Here an example of a hike I did in Cape Town, South Africa. At the trailhead I briefly go over this with my hiking party so everyone knows what to expect.

*****************************************

Name: Constantia Corner Circuit
Source: AllTrails
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Date: 29 Oct. 2023
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Party: Marc, John, Mary, Pete (4 total)

WEATHER¹
Source: yr.no, 29 Oct. 2023, 08:00

² -1.4 C on min. elev., -4.3 C on max. elev. (Lapse rate: -0.6 C / 100m).

ROUTE
Length: 6,0 km
Elev. gain: 600 m
Elev. loss: 600 m
Time: 3 hr
Route type: Loop (clockwise)
Scrambling: Moderate (on way up)

POINTS OF INTEREST

*****************************************

Footnotes:

1. I only fill in the weather data for the hours when it’s changing from the previous hour.
2. If the weather forecast is based on sea level, I like to note the temperature difference at minimum and maximum elevation of the hike too.
3. I estimate hiking time as follows: hiking speed on a good road 5 km/h, on an average trail 4 km/h, and on steep and rough terrain 3 km/h. Furthermore, I add 1 extra minute for every 10 m ascending.

Here’s my Hike Sheet in Google Sheets to use as a template for your own hike.

What to bring

The clothes and gear I usually bring on my hikes:

1. Backpack (20 L)
Include a plastic bag which functions as a waterproof liner

2. Phone with emergency no. and wallet
For long hikes: power bank + charging cable. For late hikes or caves: headlamp + spare batteries

3. Navigation app and Hike Sheet
Optional backups: paper map + waterproof case + compass, GPS watch

4. Trail running shoes
Works for me in most conditions (except snow & ice, then I prefer waterproof boots). Feet might get wet, but don’t get cold as long as you’re moving.

5. Base layers and rain jacket
When cold: puffy jacket for breaks. When rain expected: rain pants + rain gloves.

6. Cap, sunglasses, sunscreen
When cold: beanie, gloves, buff

7. 1 L water bottle and snacks
When warm: 1.5 – 2 L water bottle

8. First aid
Especially anti-blister stuff like sports tape and Compeed

9. Pocket knife
Optional: lighter (e.g. to make a campfire) and some Duct tape and string (for in-field repairs)

It should all easily fit in a day pack and not weigh more than 4 kg.

You’ll find more info on gear and navigation in my nature trek guide.

Happy hiking!