Mckenzie Campbell Davies
Hiking is a year-round activity in the Pacific Northwest, which makes it the most popular way for new Mountaineers to find their footing in our community. Whether you are new to the region, new to hiking, or an experienced hiker new to The Mountaineers, here are some tips and trends that will help you feel confident in showing up to your first Mountaineers hike.
Find Day Hikes
In 2025, volunteer leaders posted more than 1,200 hikes across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Listings of all trips can be found by clicking or tapping on “Activities & Courses” and going to “Find Activities.” You can filter using the green sidebar (on mobile, tap “Search & Filter” and “I want to go…” to select an activity type). Other filters include preferred days of the week and difficulty. And don’t miss the “Map” button to toggle from the “List” view to an interactive map view and see where in the world The Mountaineers are headed. Filtering by Branch may help you connect with other Mountaineers who live in your area, but members may participate in activities with any branch, regardless of their affiliation.
New trips are posted nearly every day, and the lead time tends to be shorter in colder months when weather is less predictable and conditions are more variable. Hikes in April-September are posted, on average, more than a month out, whereas hikes in December have an average lead time of about nine days.
The best way to stay in the loop is to set your Alerts & Notifications Preferences so that new trips come to your inbox. If any are of interest, you can mark your calendar to come back when registration opens.
In 2025, April and May were the top months for day hiking at The Mountaineers with more than 150 volunteer-led day hikes in each month.
Some trips associated with courses may have priority advanced registration for members enrolled in that course. Note the “Non-Priority Registration Open” date, which is when the trip will open to all members. To filter out trips that are not yet open or are still in a priority registration period, find the “For…” filter and select “All Who Qualify.”
Choose a hike
Day hiking is a broad category at The Mountaineers, so you’ll want to pay attention not only to the difficulty of the route, but also the leader’s style and expectations for their trip.
Mileage and elevation gain are the most basic descriptors of a hike. The total mileage and elevation will broadly categorize each hike into a difficulty level. You can read more about the terrain and trail by clicking on “See full route/place details” under the “Route/Place” tab on the activity.
Pace, leader rating, and leader’s notes are the other sources of essential information to determine if the trip will be a good fit for your expectations. Leaders typically post their expected pace and determine a leader rating based on their pace and route difficulty. Additionally, the trip description and leader’s notes are where they will explain anything else about their style and goals for the trip.
If you see the word “conditioning” or “conditioner,” that trip is intended to help folks train for longer hikes or more technical activities and you can expect a higher intensity and faster pace.
Audience allows leaders to post hikes for groups of people who share identity or goals. This can include affinity groups, such as trips for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, or shared commonalities, such as trips geared toward families.
Start time will be listed, but scheduled return times are not included. Check your calendar to make sure that you’re free all day, and that you don’t have any early evening commitments. Our leaders expect that folks who register for trips are committed to the group for the full activity, so you should not plan to arrive late or leave early.
If you read the full trip listing and still have questions about whether it is a good fit for you, you can always reach out to the trip leader. Click on the leader’s name (while logged in) to reveal their email address and get in touch.
Sign up
The Mountaineers requires advanced registration for all our activities, so the next step is to register for the trip.
Some leaders choose to require Leader’s Permission. For these trips, you need to reach out to the primary leader via email and receive their permission to join before registering. This feature is one extra step to ensure alignment of expectations and helps the trip leader plan a successful trip.
Once all the spots on a trip are filled, you can sign up for the waitlist. If a spot becomes available before the registration close date, the next person on the waitlist will automatically be added to the trip.
On average, day hikes at The Mountaineers have more than a 50% cancellation rate. This means that more than half of all spots on day hikes are filled from the waitlist. The rate gets higher the longer registration is open.
We know plans can change at the last minute. When you register for an activity, take note of the registration close date. If a cancellation is necessary, follow our best cancellation etiquette and cancel your participation before registration closes so that someone else can take your spot.
Get Ready
Several days to a week in advance of your trip, you will generally receive a “Hello Hiker” email from your leader. This message is to confirm your participation and to provide any last-minute details about equipment, conditions, or meeting location. Additionally, many leaders will use this email to help the group facilitate carpooling.
The Mountaineers leaders generally require all trip participants to carry the Ten Essentials. This gear list is designed to be flexible based on the specific nature of the trip. For a good idea of what you’ll want to bring on your day hike, take a look at our blog about the Day Hiker’s Ten Essentials. You’ll want sturdy and comfortable shoes (and consider how they will perform in any mud, rain, or snow you might encounter). It is also recommended to avoid jeans and other cotton clothing as they make you cold when they get wet and tend to dry slowly compared to wool, fleece, or other synthetics.
The day before your trip, make sure your gear is packed and double check your packing list and any instructions from the trip leader. Save offline directions to the meeting place or trailhead and check the weather forecast, keeping in mind that most Mountaineers trips go rain or shine. Consider reviewing your trip leader’s photo so you can recognize them, and save their number in your phone if they’ve shared it with you.
Hike!
Mountaineers trips are peer-led outings – that means our trips are led by volunteers who are generously giving their time in support of our community. Leaders will typically arrive a little early and gather everyone for a pre-trip briefing at the trailhead.
Groups stick together – this is an important component of our community – and each member of the group is responsible for their own personal safety and well-being and contributes to the success of the group. If you notice anything that seems like it could risk the physical or emotional safety of the group, speak up!
Finally, as stewards and enjoyers of the lands and waters we enjoy, Mountaineers set an example for those around us as low impact recreators. This includes traveling and resting on durable surfaces, not feeding wildlife (intentionally or accidentally), and packing out garbage such as food packaging and toilet paper.
Have more advice?
Are you already an avid member of our community? If so, what else do you wish that you had known before your first hike with The Mountaineers? Leave us a comment and we’ll use it to update this blog or create future blogs!
