# day hikes what's your favorite length ?



## jstarks188 (Aug 20, 2005)

howdy all,
   i'm curious about what other hikers consider a good length for a day hike.
     I need at least 5 or 6 miles so it feels that i've actually done something,and feel better if i get in 8 to 10 miles. My longest was 18.4
             how about it everyone?
                      cya in the woods
                            jack


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## thetrailboss (Aug 20, 2005)

Short trek for me = about 2-4 miles.  

Medium = 4-6

Decent/average = 6-10.

High = 10-12 (long day). 

I was able to do 10-12 easily but I'm kind of out of shape...that's what Boston does to you... :roll:  Glad to be back in the North Country!


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## SilentCal (Aug 20, 2005)

3-5 miles is good for a half day
10-12 miles is good for a full day
Longest is 22.8 miles.   

Elevation gain also is factor in a good days hike.  Seeing wildlife is always bonus points.


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## riverc0il (Aug 20, 2005)

6 miles is a good hike.
8 miles is nearing a full day
10-12 miles once per year over a tough loop with rough trails for my annual "ball buster" as i like to call it


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## Vortex (Aug 21, 2005)

3.5 miles to 5 is average.  I prefer the all day 10 mile hikes, just hard to get the time.


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## jessbee (Aug 21, 2005)

At least 10 miles, otherwise I feel like I wimped out  
Longest mile-wise was Bondcliff (18 miles). 
Longest time-wise was Jefferson/Washington (via a crazy route, 11.5 hours).


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## thetrailboss (Aug 21, 2005)

jessbee said:
			
		

> Longest time-wise was Jefferson/Washington (via a crazy route, 11.5 hours).



Lemme guess...Caps Ridge Trail to Gulfside Trail to Top and then back down either Ammo or Jewell Trails before taking the Boundary Trail back to the Caps Ridge Parking lot?


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## ga2ski (Aug 21, 2005)

Like ones that are most of a day about 10 miles.

Longest so far has been 18.6 miles, but we did in 10 hours. (owl's head with a stop at franconia falls)


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## awf170 (Aug 21, 2005)

i would say 8-10 miles and 3,000 elevation gain is a good day.

For my longest probably only a little over 10 miles.  Next year i wanna do the whole presidential traverse with my dad(dolly copp to crawford notch) 20 or so miles, and a ton of elavation gain. Dont ask why it sounds like fun :wink:


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## jessbee (Aug 21, 2005)

thetrailboss said:
			
		

> jessbee said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Close...Caps Ridge to Gulfside, summit Washington, then down Nelson's Crag, Alpine Garden to Wamsutta...then up Six Husbands (hehe) to summit Jefferson and back down Caps Ridge.


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## cbcbd (Aug 22, 2005)

It depends, if it's local then I'll be happy with low mileage, 3-6... but if I'm driving a distance to get there it better be an overnighter or a 10+ mile day.


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## smitty77 (Aug 22, 2005)

My weekend trail jogging has been in the 4 mile range.  Takes about 1:20 to complete.

I like a nice 6-10 mile hike if I'm driving 3+ hours to the whites.

My longest was around 19-20 miles, though it's been a while since that one.  Second longest was Owls Head.


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## Mike P. (Aug 22, 2005)

Where, how much time I have & elevation gai come into play.

I've done some 3.0 mile days after work & a few over 20 mile days too. (Owl's Head in NH instead of coming back, we went around the mountain & also Redfield, Skylight & Marcy from the Loj & back)

In TN I did a couple fo 15 mile days but started over 5,000 feet so teh distance was not so bad.

I try & hike longer than I drive, since most day hikes start in CT & require approximately 4 hours driving each way I need a hike of 10 - 15 miles to qualify.  If ist's shorter than that I'm taking a Sunday drive with a short breather to stretch my legs.


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## ChileMass (Aug 22, 2005)

3-5 miles is a good half-day hike.  I like 6-7 miles better to get in more terrain, depending on where you are.


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## MichaelJ (Aug 22, 2005)

6-8 miles is a good hike. 10-12 miles has been my typical, whether it be a day hike or one day of a backpack. Much longer than that I can do (such as the 18 miles of Owl's Head) but I'm pushing to succeed.


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## runs247 (Nov 22, 2005)

38 miles is my longest day hike. I usually only do day hikes when my wife wants to get out for a day. I prefer to at least spend the night under the stars. But occasionally I like to get out and see how much distance I can cover in a day. My wife and I average 12-18 miles on our day hikes. I usually won't hit the trail unless I'm going to cover at least 10 miles.


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## beren (Nov 24, 2005)

*Hard to find difficult day hike in Missouri,,,*

Anything less than 10 miles in the Missouri flatlands is a short hike and probably doable in about 5 hours.  If we go out with the children (ages 4 & 6), they peak out at 4 miles, pretty good for their ages.  With the wife, we are looking at about 10 miles.  A favorite of mine is a spur of the Ozark Trail with 4200 feet of elevation gain overall, 13 miles in about 7 hours (including lunch and photo ops).  It doesn't really challenge me much, but the best I have found so far in the Midwest.

As I prepare for the AT in May '06 I will add weight and probably include another section and more weight on my back.  The Appalachians are a bit loftier than these peaks...
http://www.ozarktrail.com/taumsauk.htm


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## takeahike46er (Dec 7, 2005)

I thought surely the majority of the responses would fall in the 12-14 range for a day hike.  That's the distance that most of my hikes seem to warrant.  Of course, I hike mostly in the 'dacks where the approaches tend to require a bit of a walking.  Guess I've gotten used to it.


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