How to Set a Hiking Goal 2023, make it SMART!

The case for making a hiking goal:

It’s that time of year when many people make their New Year Resolutions. Setting a hiking goal is a great way to help you stay motivated. It can give you direction and once completed- gives you a sense of accomplishment. Setting goals that you want to achieve can reap big benefits for you.

How to set your hiking goal:

Step 1:

Setting a goal is about you. What is in your heart that you want to accomplish? For example, maybe you absolutely love Shenandoah National Park and you decide that you want to set a goal to hike all of its 500 miles of trails or maybe you want to visit all of the State Parks in Virginia. Whatever goal you decide to set, be sure it is something that you want to accomplish!

Step 2:

Create a SMART goal.  A Smart goal is: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART).

SPECIFIC. The first thing to ask yourself is- is it SPECIFIC. For example, saying- “I want to hike more in 2023” is not very specific but making a goal of wanting to hike 365 miles of trail in one year is much more specific.

MEASURABLE. How will you MEASURE your goal? Put a specific number in there somewhere. For example: wanting to hike 365 miles of trails or setting the goal to visit all 41 of Virginia’s state parks is measurable. Woah, that is a lot of state parks to check out- which brings me to…

ACHIEVABLE. Is it ACHIEVABLE? The goal “Visit all 41 of Virginia’s state parks” may not be an achievable milestone to reach in one year- that is a different park about every 8-9 days! To make it more achievable, you may want to break into a smaller more achievable goal like: Visit 30% of the Virginia state parks in 2023 (now it is only 12 – 13 parks in the year- that is about one a month- much more achievable).

REALISTIC. Is it REALISTIC? Is your goal to visit 12-13 parks in one year realistic? If you are working full time, raising 2 young children and taking classes at night you may have to modify your goal. It is entirely up to you what is realistic or not- hike your own hike. Whatever you decide, I think it is good to push yourself a little bit but not so far that your goal becomes overwhelming- remember this is supposed to be fun!

TIMELY. Is it TIMELY? Can you complete your goal in the amount of time you have? While you may not be able to visit all 41 State Parks in Virginia over 12 months, it may be a great goal to have over the next 3 years.

Step 3:

Write it down. This helps to make your goal more real instead of just having it float around in your head. Also, when you write it down it is easier to hold yourself more accountable.

Step 4:

Break it into small pieces. The hiking goal is now: I want to visit 30% of Virginia’s state parks in 2023. If I break this into smaller pieces, I am visiting 12-13 parks over the next year. I can now plan one weekend a month to visit a different state park. Now this is sounding more like a real possibility.

Step 5:

Take Action, get started. This is my favorite part. Maybe write out which park you will visit each month and you plan out which weekend you will be visiting. However, you may know ahead of time that December gets hectic. So you make the decision to visit two parks in the month of July because you have more free time. Whatever you decide- write out your plan and get going on your goal!

Step 6:

Assess your progress, adapt if necessary. Let’s say your goal is to visit 12 of Virginia’s State parks in 2023 but June rolls around and you have only visited 2 of the parks. You have a choice to make, either step it up or modify your goal. Again, I am a firm believer in hiking your own hike- make the decision that is best for you.

Once you have followed all of the steps you have a clear goal in mind and an action plan to achieve your goal!

Creative hiking goal ideas:

If you’ve gotten this far you may already have some ideas rolling around in your head for what hiking goal you may want to complete- that is great! Go with it!

However, if you need some additional ideas, here are some possibilities:

• Participate in the 52 Hike Challenge (hike 1 trail a week) or set a mileage goal- maybe hike 365 miles of hiking in a year.
• Train for an epic trip. A fellow hiking friend of mine wanted to do a walking tour in Scotland. She had her end goal in mind and then created a plan to build up her endurance throughout the year to reach her goal.
• Smash a past mileage record, maybe you hiked 365 miles last year and this year you want to get in 500 miles of trail time. 
• Participate in a community challenge such as the Shenandoah 500 or the “48 over 4000” New Hampshire peak challenge.
• Build up your experience to finally go on that overnight backpacking trip you have been wanting to do (or maybe set a goal for the number of nights you want to sleep outside)
• Complete a long trail in sections – this doesn’t have to be one of the big 3 (AT, PCT, CDT) but it could be a longer trail that cannot be completed in a day. Some examples could be the Loyalsock (Pennsylvania) or the Tuscarora Trail (Pennsylvania to Virginia)

These are just a few ideas, the possibilities are endless. You can switch it up each year or continue a challenge from one year to the next. Over the years I have set many different hiking goals for myself. I have modified them depending on what stage of life I am in. 

Some of my past personal hiking challenges have included completing the 52 hike challenge, Hiking 365 miles in one year and currently I am in the process of working on the Shenandoah 500.

Now, quit reading! Get Ready, Set, Go plan out your hiking goals!

FAQ’s