There are so many different types of hikers you’ll encounter on the trail. Some are experienced and others are new to hiking, but beyond that, there are so many different individuals and groups enjoying the trail in their own way.
I bet you’ve met all of these kinds of hikers on your adventures, but which one are you?
I know I’m a good blend of several, leaning more towards one or another depending on the day.
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Table of Contents
Types of hikers
The connecting to nature solo hiker
This is the solo hiker who won’t spend much time talking to others on the trail and often chooses routes with the chance of meeting none to a few other people.
Their goal with the hike is to connect with nature and their own thoughts. They can walk for hours or even days without interacting with other hikers, except for a polite hello as they pass.
I believe some of the best hiking quotes came from these kinds of hikers.
The trail runner
Just as you try to catch your breath, looking up at the peak wondering how long time you have left, the trail runner will blast past you.
They come solo or in groups, giving you a quick, easygoing “Hola” as they light-footed sprint past you, and before you know it, they look like small ants disappearing in the vast.
The whimsical hiker
Often not very well prepared, but sometimes surprisingly experienced, the whimsical hiker has often forgotten to bring the right gear for the route, enough water, or just hasn’t planned to go on a hike at all.
But just finds themselves walking further and further along the trail because – hey, it’s just really beautiful!
The whimsical hiker is easygoing and doesn’t see any problems with wearing the wrong shoes for the route or forgetting a windbreaker on a windy day. Instead, they’re just living the moment and enjoying the hike.
The good Samaritan
The good Samaritan is the type of hiker who will bring an extra bag to pick up all the rubbish left by others on the trail. They have a strong focus on leaving no trace (their own and others) and helping others on the route whenever needed.
The good Samaritan comes in introverts and extroverts – the latter will loudly tell other hikers off as soon as they see inappropriate behavior like leaving rubbish behind or feeding wildlife.
The photographer
We’ve all met the photographer on the trail, carrying 30 kilos of camera gear on their back with different lenses and drones to capture every angle of the hike.
Don’t be surprised if you see a tripod or two trapped on the backpack too. The photographers might wear proper hiking gear or just climb that peak in jeans.
The wildlife enthusiast
Equipped with binoculars and wearing natural colors to blend in with nature, the wildlife enthusiast will typically choose routes with unique wildlife looking for birds or other creatures at the time of day that the animals are easy to spot.
They will be quick to “hush” you if you approach during a wildlife spotting. You can truly capture a magical moment when meeting one of these hikers!
The tourist hiker
The tourist hiker mostly has no idea what the hike they just embarked on entails. They are not prepared, they wear typical city clothes like Converse, jeans, and a shoulder bag – though I’ve even seen them in heels.
These are hikers you don’t really know whether are used to the mountains or if they need rescuing.
On the odd occasion, they’re more experienced than you’ll think – they just didn’t bring the appropriate clothes for a hike because they flew Ryanair with only a personal item for the weekend and just found out about this cool hike the same day.
The competitive hiker
The competitive hiker will typically start telling you how many kilometers they’ve hiked, how fast they’ve gone, and how many peaks they’ve accomplished today.
Their aim is not to enjoy nature but to exercise and tell everyone of their accomplishment. The competitive hiker doesn’t have time to take pictures or enjoy the views and often just carries a water bottle and a couple of energy bars.
The I-don’t-give-a-shit hiker
We’ve all met the I-don’t-give-a-shit hiker throwing the plastic wrap of their biscuits and leaving behind their empty plastic water bottle.
These are the ones you can tell any other hiker is looking at with disgust wondering whether to tell them a lesson, shut up and pick it up after they leave, or shut up and leave it there because it’s not their shit.
The chatty group hikers
The chatty group hikers will come in large groups of 10-20 people, often wearing the same t-shirts and hiking poles even though it’s not really necessary on their hike. These hikers will always smile, laugh, and be overly enthusiastic about the experience and the company.
They will bundle up for group selfies on the trail and typically block the way for other hikers until someone realizes it. Then they will loudly forward the message to the rest of the group until everyone happily and apologetically moves to let people pass.
The dog mummas and daddys
The dog parents who are out enjoying nature with their furry friends, loving to see them happy and free come in two different forms (and one more than the other in Andalucia!)
You have the responsible dog parents who have their pup on a leash where it’s mandatory or call them in when they meet other hikers and animals so they won’t jump or scare people on the trail.
And then you have the I-don’t-give-a-darn-as-long-as-my-dog-is-happy dog parents who let their dogs run free at any cost and harass other dogs and hikers while constantly giving excuses like “don’t worry, he’s just happy” or “don’t worry, she’s not dangerous, she’s just playing”.
The sexy hiker(ess)
She will be dressed in the smallest top and the tightest hiking tights showing all the contour of her tight booty.
Her makeup is perfect and her hair is styled to a “casual” ponytail that took her an hour to get right and her perfume will follow you for the next kilometer to make sure you don’t forget her scent.
The youngster hikers
The youngster hikers often come in groups of three to five and a good mix of boys and girls chatting along as they enjoy nature.
Good on them for spending their weekends walking in the woods instead of being out at the club all night!
The first-second-or-third-date couple
The first-second-or-third-date couple is easy to spot as you can tell that the boy or man is clearly trying to impress his new date by taking her somewhere spectacular – maybe a place that is very special to him.
He will typically talk about what she can expect to see and what he has done there before and she will either be very impressed or try to keep up a good face while silently pondering on how much longer she’ll have to walk – possibly regretting going on a hiking date in the first place.
The loudspeaker hikers
The hikers everyone detest, the loudspeaker hikers.
Not only do they play loud music for the entire mountain scaring off potential wildlife spottings, but their choice of music has nothing to do with nature, rather a nightclub.
Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to grab that loudspeaker and throw it off a cliff!
The Insta queen
Oh, we’ve all seen the Insta queen walking up to the peak in a light dress and a wide-brimmed hat while her photographer boyfriend is carrying all the gear to capture her perfect pose on the cliff’s edge.
No one really understands how she got up there without breaking an ankle with those shoes, but somehow she’s still looking just as perfect as she did when she left home.
The chatty solo hiker
We’ve all met the chatty solo hiker who talks about everything to everyone who crosses their path. The one you kinda wonder why went out solo in the first place and the one that just crashed the connecting-to-nature-solo-hiker’s day.
The all-gear-no-experience hiker
The all-gear-no-experience hiker is usually busted after exchanging a couple of sentences. It’s all about the looks, brands, and status, of carrying the latest hiking gear but they have no idea about hiking.
Your best bet when meeting them is to pretend that you think they are super experienced and not step on their ego. Or would you prefer to go for the opposite?
The moaning friend
We’ve all either hiked with the moaning friend (I had an ex that was like that!) or seen others try to please them.
These are the hikers who either didn’t know what they signed up for or got tricked into coming on the hike.
They don’t really like hiking and are constantly moaning about how far it is to the end, why they can’t take another break, or why they don’t turn around because it’s too far to the top.
The motivating hiker
The motivating hiker is often accompanying the moaning friend and is the one who dragged them along in the first place. Other times, they’re just the motivator of a smaller group.
These types of hiker enthusiasts are always in a good mood, giving motivation like “Well, done, we’re nearly there!”, even when they’re not even halfway.
Summing up different types of hikers
Summing up, there are many different types of hikers and I’m sure you recognize yourself in one or more of these.
I sure had a blast thinking about all the different kinds of hikers I’ve met on the trails throughout the years.
Let me know in the comments if there are other hiker stereotypes you’ve met on the trail.
Happy hiking!