Hiking and Trekking – Whatโ€™s the difference?

I use the terms interchangeably on this site.

Casey Fiedler:

There are different expectations of each word based upon English speaking countries around the world.

Itโ€™s pretty clear that very little is truly clear when it surrounds different subtle variations on these terms โ€ฆ

The Difference Between Hiking and Trekking (โ€˜cos, it kinda matters)

Tombstone, Yukon
Tombstone, Yukon

BUT Alex Todd on 10 Adventures did a deep dive concluding:

Hike: a long walk or walking tour.

Trek: a long arduous journey, especially one made on foot.

Click through to see his chain of thought on that:

Hiking vs Trekking: So Is There Really a Difference?

Climbing Rinjani Volcano near Bali, Indonesia

Mount Rinjaniย (Indonesian:ย Gunung Rinjani,ย Sasak:ย Gunong Rinjani) is anย active volcanoย inย Indonesiaย on the island ofย Lombok.ย 

It rises to 3,726 metres (12,224ย ft).

Adjacent to the volcano is a 6-by-8.5-kilometre (3.7 by 5.3ย mi)ย caldera, which is filled partially by theย crater lakeย known asย Segara Anakย or Anak Laut (Child of the Sea), due to the color of its water.

I’m very keen to climb it myself, perhaps with India Hikes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

TOP 10 Hiking Towns โž™ Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand.  YES!

The Adventure Capital of the World, a gorgeous location on Lake Wakatipu opposite the saw-toothed Remarkable range.

If you’ve never been to New Zealand, start planning. Now. It’s our #1 hiking destination on Earth.

Queenstown is an international resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand’s South Island. …

According to the 2006 census, the usually resident population of the Queenstown urban area … is 10,416 …

… a centre for adventure tourism. Skiing, jet boating, whitewater rafting, bungy jumping, mountain biking, tramping and fly fishing are all strong promotional themes. …

Queenstown is the departure point for a large number of day trips to the similarly famous Milford Sound …

More interesting photos tagged Queenstown.

If you find it too much of a tourist trap, move away up the lake to Te Anau (pop. about 2000). It’s got everything you need to stage for an epic Kiwi hike.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Queenstown and Te Anau are:

โ€ข Milford Track
โ€ข Routeburn Track
โ€ข Kepler Track

These are the three on the list of Great Walks. (Kiwis avoid them because they’re crowded with international tourists. Locals can take you on hikes just as good, but unknown to foreigners.)

on the Milford Track
on the Kepler Track

More “best hikes” in New Zealand and Australiasia.

Best months for these alpine tramps are December – March.

Start with our New Zealand information page.

TOP 10 day hikes โž™ Alpine Circuit, Lake Oโ€™Hara, Canada

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

Many feel this is the most beautiful of the Canadian Rockies trails.

  • Yoho National Park in British Columbia near Banff, Alberta.
  • mid-June through the end of September (start and end dates vary) for example, bus operated for hikers and campers from June 19 to October 4, 2018
  • 11.6 km
  • perhaps 9 hours
  • perhaps 900 photos ๐Ÿ™‚
  • highest point 2528 m
  • elevation gain 1012 m

World โ†’ N America โ†’ Rockies โ†’ Canada โ†’ Alpine Circuit, Lake Oโ€™Hara

For details click over to our Alpine Circuit, Lake Oโ€™Hara information page.

Toilet System on Indiahikes Trips

One of the BEST reasons for signing on with a Guiding Company is how they take care of your toilet needs.

When toilets are available, they plan stops.โ€‚When tenting away from civilization, they provide excellent and sheltered toilets.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Hiking Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

MacMillan Provincial Park is a 301-hectare (740-acre) provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Located 25 km (16 mi) west of Qualicum Beach and 16 km (9.9 mi) east of Port Alberni, the park straddles Highway 4 and the Island Rail Corridor in central Vancouver Island.

The park is home to a famous, 157-hectare (390-acre) stand of ancient Douglas fir, known as Cathedral Grove, which draws visitors from all over the world.

… the only highway-accessible protected old-growth Douglas-fir forest in British Columbia.

In 2007 Cathedral Grove made the short list on CBC‘s competition Seven Wonders of Canada.

My video includes parts of both loops. AND some shots outside Cathedral Grove, in the Provincial park.

I stop every time I drive highway 4.

Dozens of times, so far.

It is a fantastic short day hike.

British Columbia Hikes NOT Requiring Reservations

British Columbia is a fantastic hiking destination. BUT campgrounds and some of the best hiking areas require difficult-to-aquire permits โ€” most famously, the West Coast Trail.

Happily, Taryn Eyton, author of Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia, details many great hikes that DO NOT require permits:

No permits required for the Sunshine Coast Trail

Vancouver Island

  • Juan de Fuca Trailย in Juan de Fuca Marine Provincial Park near Port Renfrew (requires backcountry permits)
  • Wild Side Trailย on Flores Island near Tofino (requires a water taxi to reach the trailhead)
  • Forbidden Plateau Core, Bedwell Lakes, Elk River Trail, and Arnica Lake in Strathcona Provincial Park (All require backcountry permits except Arnica Lake.)
  • Nootka Trailย on Nootka Island near Gold River (requires a water taxi to reach the trailhead)
  • North Coast Trail,ย Cape Scott Trail, and San Josef Bay in Cape Scott Provincial Park near Port Hardy (requires backcountry permits, North Coast Trail requires a water taxi to reach the trailhead)
  • Raft Cove in Raft Cove Provincial Park near Port Hardy (requires backcountry permits)
  • Carmanah Valley in Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park (requires backcountry permits)

Interior and Eastern B.C.

  • Trophy Meadows in Wells Gray Provincial Park near Clearwater (requires backcountry permits)
  • Cathedral Lakes Provincial Park near Keremeos (requires backcountry permits)
  • Okanagan High Rim Trail near Vernon and Kelowna
  • Spectrum Lake in Monashee Provincial Park near Cherryville (requires backcountry permits)
  • Gwillim Lakes in Valhalla Provincial Park near Slocan
  • Kaslo Lake in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park near Nelson (requires backcountry permits)
  • Earl Gray Pass in Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park near Kaslo
  • South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park near Lillooet

Northern B.C.

  • Hunlen Falls in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park near Bella Coola (requires backcountry permits)
  • Monkman Memorial Trail in Monkman Provincial Park near Tumbler Ridge
  • Wokkpash Valley and McDonald Creek in Stone Mountain Provincial Park near Fort Nelson
  • Mount Edziza in Mount Edziza Provincial Park near Dease Lake

Backcountry permits are not reservations. And they donโ€™t sell out.

Taryn has more advice for hikers in this post:

How to Go Backpacking in BC Without Reservations

related – 37+ BC backpacking trails that do not require a reservation