{"id":191296,"date":"2024-07-01T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T07:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=191296"},"modified":"2024-07-24T12:50:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T19:50:14","slug":"micro-trails-small-hiking-trails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/micro-trails-small-hiking-trails","title":{"rendered":"Small Trails, Big Impact: How Micro Trails Can Help You Connect with Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Chicago, I don\u2019t summit mountain peaks and I don\u2019t carry a heavy pack. My outings in nature include hikes along wood chip-covered trails at my neighborhood park and on worn-down dirt footpaths that run adjacent to the sidewalk. Most of my local trails climb no more than 10 feet in elevation gain. I love wandering into street-side gardens and navigating the narrow gravel paths that run through them. I seek short hikes in tree-packed parks and look and listen for migratory birds while I walk.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter the distance or degree of challenge, I consider myself a real<\/em> hiker because these are real<\/em> hikes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many cities\u2014big and small, suburban and rural\u2014boast lesser-known trails across shorter distances. Yet despite their abundant access to nature right out the front door, our urban areas often receive less attention than their mountain-town counterparts. The truth is, regardless of size, location or geography, every town is full of uncharted territory and trails waiting to be explored. You just have to find them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Dustin Kingman<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Making of a Micro Trail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Micro trails\u2014or short-distance walking paths that follow lesser-traveled routes\u2014do exactly what long, technical treks aim to do: Connect hikers with nature. Typically between 0.25 to 2 miles long, they can be a woodchip or paved path, in a local park or neighborhood garden, or even a staircase connecting two city streets. The beauty of micro trails is you can find them in unexpected places and in creative ways\u2014or chart your own.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you\u2019re someone who only has 20 minutes<\/a> on your lunch break and you want to do more than walk around your usual block; or a person with a disability that\u2019s passionate about being in nature and finding new and accessible ways<\/a> to navigate an existing path; or a family with kids<\/a> looking for a shorter trail that still provides a quick boost of Vitamin D. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe micro trail is a trail that isn’t a trail until you make it one,\u201d says Charles Fleming, a former city walking columnist<\/a> at The Los Angeles Times<\/em> and guidebook author. \u201cIt’s a pathway that you invent\u2014a route that maybe wasn’t necessarily designed to be a trail or isn’t necessarily being used by anyone else as a trail, but that you create or discover on your own.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleming grew up exploring big mountains and long trails out West during his time as an Eagle Scout and was never really a true fan of hiking. In fact, he gave it up after earning his final merit badge. As he grew older, between raising and growing a family, managing household responsibilities and his career, exploring the outdoors was always an afterthought. It wasn\u2019t until much later into his adulthood, when he had more free time, that Fleming fell in love with long walks while traveling internationally\u2014completing routes like circular pub blocks in England and rambles <\/mark>in Ireland\u2019s countryside. But that journey in long walks came to an abrupt halt after facing a series of serious injuries and surgeries in his early 40s.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleming underwent two hip replacements, broke his leg and had two spine surgeries, all within a five-year span. His health challenges left him nearly bedridden, unable to drive and dealing with constant, extreme pain. His once-active lifestyle went dormant. Yet, despite his decade-long bout of medical challenges, and a third spine surgery looming on the horizon, he reached a point physically and emotionally where there was no other option than to persevere.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was no doubt I would need another surgery, but I told my surgeon I just couldn’t do it\u2014I wanted to try something else,\u201d says Fleming. \u201cI started trying to just walk despite the discomfort that I was in, and eventually, I started feeling better.\u201d* <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His rehabilitation journey started with short walks down his Los Angeles street in the Silver Lake neighborhood. Step by step, block by block, and, eventually, staircase by staircase, his walks more so resembled micro trail hikes over your average neighborhood stroll. The adventure, excitement and accomplishment of reaching the top of the stairs each outing he took propelled him on a personal quest to conquer every staircase he could within Los Angeles city limits.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleming mapped hundreds of local staircase-centric walking routes he discovered throughout his recovery, and he went on to write Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles<\/a>. <\/em>A micro trail guidebook in its own right, Secret Stairs <\/em>chronicles the geographical, architectural and historical aspects of the city\u2019s staircases. The collection of short city walks takes readers through lesser-known pockets of Los Angeles neighborhoods and the nature within them. Fleming later wrote a second book, Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles<\/a>,<\/em> which features strolls through often unknown and unseen parks, canyons and neighborhoods.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t require a wilderness permit, or the need to drive three hours away, or having to worry about bears and getting lost,” says Fleming. “You can just walk out your own backdoor or go to a nearby park\u2014and along the way, you discover what you didn’t even know was there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Carina Skrobecki<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Micro Trails, Mighty Connectors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Micro trails open the possibility for connection: For Fleming, a connection to a personal journey; for ultramarathoner, adventurer and Strava<\/a> athlete Zagdaa Baatar<\/a>, a connection to community.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A self-taught ultramarathoner, Baatar moved from Mongolia to the U.S. with her family over two decades ago and fell in love with exploring trails out her back door on Mount Diablo, east of San Francisco. She says the adventures she takes on her local mountain fill her with the same sense of adventure she felt chasing her brothers through her small and remote hometown as a child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She and her husband started regularly exploring micro hikes on Mount Diablo with a group of 10 family members and friends. As she spent more time on the mountain, folks started to recognize the group and join the local adventures. Over time, the hiking meetups grew, and Baatar decided to officially launch the Nomadic Adventure Club<\/a> in 2013 to connect even more people to hiking, trail running and, most importantly, community. Today, the club has more than 150 club members, and its newcomer- and kid-friendly hikes top out around 2 miles\u2014micro trail distances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I like to tell people to just explore, even if it’s not a big mountain, and instead, just a small local trail,\u201d says Baatar. \u201cEvery time you go into nature, even if you\u2019ve been before, and even if it\u2019s a short trail, you’re going to find something beautiful\u2014nature is unending beauty.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those shorter hikes and the time spent exploring the mountain led Baatar to discover other adventures, and in 2019 she started running after learning about the Badwater Ultramarathon, a grueling 135-mile race from California’s Death Valley to Mount Whitney. The allure of tackling such a challenge is what inspired her to give trail running a go. As she got started, Baatar\u2019s backyard mountain served as the training ground for longer races, and her training segments resembled the micro trails she hikes on with the Nomadic Adventure Club\u2014extremely short distances compared to high-mileage races she’d work up to running, like the 100-mile Western States Endurance run, which she competed in for the first time in June 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s running long-distance races or taking out new hikers for the first time, Baatar says, camaraderie is at the center of Nomadic Adventure Club. This same community has also helped drive her training for and determination to compete in ultramarathons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about community\u2014we encourage each other no matter if it’s a first hike or a first marathon; [our community] helps people find out their abilities,\u201d says Baatar. \u201cI love to see their eyes after completing a challenge; they are so happy and they say, \u2018Can you believe that? I have done it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Zaagda Baatar<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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* Editor’s note:<\/strong> We always recommend consulting with your doctor if you feel pain or discomfort before undertaking any physical activity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7 Micro Trails Worth Exploring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Micro trails can be found in public parks, green spaces, suburban communities and neighborhoods\u2014you just have to know where to look. Below, we\u2019ve partnered with Strava<\/a> <\/a>to find micro trails and short hikes across the country in popular nature spots and lesser-known gems.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you don\u2019t live in one of these places, you can find micro trails near you too.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few pro tips: <\/p>\n\n\n\n