City to Wilderness Hiking: Where to Start?

City to Wilderness Hiking: Where to Start? Do you feel intimidated when people ask you if you hike on the outskirts of the city or the mountains? Do you feel like it’s a struggle to just get out hiking in your own city? I hear you. Don’t worry! Here are steps to make you feel confident hiking in your own city to eventually move up to hiking in the wilderness. It’s not only the location where you hike that matters but who you surround yourself with. Think of the people who are in your life. Who likes to hike? Maybe you have some family members or friends that like to hike. Think of your co-workers; maybe you could tag along with them. I’ll discuss meetup groups and the opportunities associated with that option. I’ll also provide options and make you feel confident hiking in the wilderness!

Familiar Hikes in the City

Google Maps

The easiest way to start is by doing small hikes in your city. Your city is a familiar place. It’s easy to look up places to hike on Google Maps.

Tip: Typically, the hiking paths will be indicated with either a green dotted line or a solid line.

Everyone has a cell phone these days, so carry yours with you wherever you go. I use the Samsung Health App to track how far I’ve walked, and where I’m located. It also shows roads and parks around you. It’s easy to zoom in and out so you always know where you are in relation to where you parked.

In Edmonton, there are so many hikes in the river valley. Some of my favourites hikes are walking from Fort Edmonton Park which allows you two options (walk right or left from there). If you hike to the right, you can make a loop by heading toward the Hawrelak Park footbridge and coming back. If you go to the left, you’ll head toward the Fort Edmonton footbridge. After crossing the bridge, you’ll reach a Y-intersection that will bring you toward Terwillegar (left) or Rio Park (right). Whitemud Park is a nice place to walk as well.

Hiking with Family or Friends

If you’re not feeling at ease hiking by yourself, ask a friend or family member who likes to hike to join you. They might be familiar with other places to hike in the city. It could make you less nervous to have someone with you that knows where to go and can help direct you. It can make you feel less lonely and it’s enjoyable to pass the time and have enjoyable conversations with people you know. Having someone by your side can also help boost your confidence so that you might be able to do this alone one day.

Tip #1: People tend to be friendly. If you’re lost, don’t be afraid to ask where you are and what direction you need to be heading. There should be someone able to help you, especially out on a weekend when it’s a gorgeous sunny day. There’s a high probability many hikers will have the same idea and be out on the trails with you. You don’t have to worry about being by yourself and unable to find your way home.

Hike on the outskirts

Once you’re comfortable hiking in the city, try wilderness hiking just outside the city. Close to Edmonton we have St. Albert (to the North), Chickakoo and Clifford E. Lee Nature Sanctuary (to the West). For more options, check out Easy Hiking Near Me. These locations are typically half an hour to an hour’s drive outside the city. It’s not too far from the city but yet will make you feel more in nature.

It will give you a sense of adventure and should boost your confidence that you’re making progress and trying something that feels more like the wilderness, which was your goal. Maybe you’ll be happy that you got yourself this far or maybe you want even more adventures somewhere in the mountains. But, for the time being, be happy you’ve made it this far! Look back at where you started and how far you’ve come! Be proud of yourself for hiking these trails.

I love going to St. Albert, even if it is close to the city of Edmonton. It helps change my thoughts and gives me new scenery to enjoy. Sometimes I have a familiar face when my father-in-law-to-be joins me on hikes here. It gives us a chance to catch up and gets me out of the house too to enjoy nature together. I often pick areas where family or friends live to give me a chance to drive to a different location. When my parents are in town, we often head to Cooking Lake-Blackfoot (to the east of the city) for some longer hikes. My parents and I love to spend a good portion of the day outside. Keep in mind that your mental health will benefit when getting outside with a mom in your life. E. Lee Nature Sanctuary is a short hike but a cool place to see a variety of different birds while walking on boardwalks.

Meetup Groups

Meetup.com groups are great. I’ve joined many in the past and even guided my own group. The wonderful thing about these groups is that you can find people who share common interests as you. Type hiking, kayaking, climbing, etc. to find people who want to partake in the same activities. You might have family, friends, or co-workers that are able to join you either on city walks or on the outskirts of the city, but they aren’t always available. If you just moved here and might not know anyone yet, meetup groups are a great way to connect with people who are interested in similar outdoor activities.

Joining one of these groups will allow you to locate hiking close to the city and some that are in the wilderness. You will get the opportunity to sign up for hikes that interest you while not being alone. Trip leaders might be more experienced to show you the way or at least provide some company on an adventure together. It will help build your confidence and grow your skills while in different hiking environments. It might also introduce you to new hikes and scenery.

The picture above shows our shared picnic after hiking in Devon together. There are so many ways to connect, so never feel like you’re alone and don’t have anyone to join you. There are always options.

Mountains

I went hiking with my family at Jura Creek in April. Note: A conservation pass is required to park in this parking lot. Of course, there was still lots of snow with us being in the mountains, close to Canmore. I came prepared with my Olang Parigi 2.0 Spike Boot. I had never been to that location before but I was able to get confidence by leaning on my family who had hiked it previously. We did seven kilometres there and back. It’s not a super long hike but gorgeous to hike up the canyon and spend quality time with my family. This is a nice hike to experience in the winter. Presume Outdoor Competence in Kids and take your children with you on your hikes like we took my nephew with us. If you start them young, they’ll have more chances to love the outdoors as much as you do!

Tip #1: If the water is high in the summer, there’s a high probability of getting wet as you’ll need to walk through the water to get to the top.

Tip #2: There are easy trails in the mountains such as this one along Jura Creek that aren’t difficult at all. Find people who have the same interests as you and go exploring together. As you gain more experience in the mountains, you can acquire more skills. Before you know it, you’ll likely want to add more hikes and adventures to your list.

Tour Groups

Athabasca Glacier

Tour groups are also an option for city or wilderness hiking. You might not feel comfortable going on your own but when joining a tour group, you have an expert guiding you and leading the way like we had on our glacier hike. Athabasca Glacier Hike: What to Expect? goes more into detail on what to expect but our guide was able to answer our questions and concerns and be able to provide advice as we tackled the day. They directed us up a glacier warning us of things to keep in mind such as crevasses so we didn’t fall into one. They educated us on facts and how fast the glacier is quickly melting, as we observed the large volume of water rushing down the glacier at an alarming rate. Kris and I learned so much when we participated in this group tour.

Mount Batur Sunrise

We’ve hiked before but never in the dark and up a volcano in a foreign country. Even being adventurous and experienced, I was still a bit nervous but our guide made us feel comfortable and led us slowly up the trail by telling us what to expect along the trail. That was reassuring for a person feeling a bit out of her comfort zone. I had someone to rely on. Read Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide for more details.

Tip: Regardless of where your fitness level is and how experienced you are doing an activity, if a guide makes you feel safe and more at ease, go with a guide! Note that a cost will be associated with a guided tour.

Motorcycles

On the Mount Batur hike, we had to watch out for motorcyclists driving up the path along with the hikers. Those hikers that didn’t feel they could make it to the summit before sunrise had that option. It’s weird to step to the side of the trail in the dark, hoping not to get run over. Thankfully, there are no motorcycles allowed on our Canadian trails.

Hiking Fast

We had to hike fairly fast up the volcano in the dark while tackling elevation gain. We didn’t want to miss the sunrise! Something I had not considered was to walk fast not to miss it. We did take many breaks.

Tip: Our guide was amazingly patient and stopped every time I needed a break. I hike and felt fit at the time, but I don’t usually hike that fast and up a volcano with a time limit in the dark. With all those constraints in place, it changed how confident I felt.

You never know how self-assured you’ll feel once you’re put into a different situation than you’re used to. When away from the city and doing wilderness hiking, a guide can definitely boost your confidence and provide motivation to get to the destination. Hiking up Mount Batur was hard work but completely worth it once we saw the sunrise!

Final Thoughts

Are you feeling more confident to progress from city to wilderness hiking now? If you’ve managed to make it to the wilderness or the mountains by following these steps, congratulations! I’m proud of you! You’ve succeeded to accomplish your goal. How do you feel? Remember to start small, go inside the city for walks, then go on the outskirts of the city to the wilderness and maybe you’ll even get to the mountains one day. Go with people in your life that love the outdoors such as family, friends, or co-workers. If you don’t know anyone that loves hiking, join a meetup group or a tour group and get experience through a paid guide. Don’t stop your ambitions because you get stuck and can’t find anyone to join you. If you follow these options, you’ll be out in the wilderness in no time! Enjoy and go have fun in the outdoors!