30 Must-Know Hiking Terms, Phrases and Slang

65 hiking terms explained, from cairn, blaze and switchback to zero day, nero and trail magic, plus the slang thru-hikers use.

Hiking terminology is mostly practical: it names the ground under your boots, the marks that keep you on route, and the gear that decides how the day ends. The words related to hiking below cover the everyday ones, and the hiking glossary that follows adds the words associated with hiking that only turn up on longer trails, the trekking vocabulary of zero days, trail angels and thru-hikes.

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Must-Know Hiking Terms, Phrases and Slang:

Hiking Glossary: Every Term A to Z

Terms A to C

Term	What It Means
Alpine	The zone above the treeline, thin on vegetation and hard on weather. Conditions change faster up there than anywhere else on a route.
Ascent	The climbing part of a walk, and the total height gained over it.
Backpacking	Hiking with everything you need to sleep out carried on your back, over one night or many.
Base Layer	The layer worn next to the skin, chosen to move sweat away rather than to keep you warm on its own.
Base weight	The weight of a backpack and its contents, not counting food, water and fuel.
Bear canister	A hard plastic container for food that bears cannot open, required in parts of the Sierra Nevada and other parks.
Blaze	A painted mark or plate on a tree, post or rock showing the line of the trail.
Bonk	A sudden collapse of energy when the body runs out of fuel, also called hitting the wall.
Bushwalking	The Australian word for hiking.
Bushwhack	To travel off trail through undergrowth where no path exists. Slow, scratchy, and occasionally the only way through.
Cairn	A stack of stones marking the route where paint would not survive, common above the treeline.
Compass	The magnetic needle instrument used with a map to hold a bearing when the trail or the visibility runs out.
Contour line	A line on a topographic map joining points of equal elevation.
Cowboy camping	Sleeping outside with no tent or tarp, just a bag under the sky. Fine until the weather changes.

Terms D to H

Term	What It Means
Day Hike	A walk done and finished within one day, so no sleeping gear is carried.
Declination	The angle between magnetic north and true north, which a compass reading must be corrected for.
Descent	The downhill part of a walk. Harder on knees than the climb and where most tired mistakes happen.
Elevation	Height above sea level. Trail descriptions quote it for the summit, for the trailhead, or for both.
Elevation gain	The total height climbed over a route, adding up every rise. A better measure of effort than distance alone.
False summit	A high point that looks like the top until you reach it and see the real one beyond.
Flip-flop	A thru-hike done in sections out of order, for example starting in the middle and heading north, then returning to finish south.
Footpath	A way made for walking, from a surfaced boardwalk to a thin line worn through grass.
Fourteener	A mountain over 14,000 feet, used especially for the peaks of Colorado.
Gaiters	Covers over the boot top and lower leg that keep scree, snow and water out of the boot.
Gore-Tex	A waterproof, breathable membrane used in jackets, boots and gloves. A brand name that became the general word.
Hiker	Anyone walking a trail for its own sake. Trekker, walker and, in Britain, hillwalker all mean much the same.
Hiker box	A box at a hostel, post office or store where thru-hikers leave unwanted food and gear for others.
Hiker hunger	The huge appetite that sets in after weeks on a long-distance trail.
Hill walking	The British term for hiking on hills and mountains.
Hydration pack	A pack with a water bladder inside and a drinking tube over the shoulder, so you drink without stopping.

Terms I to S

Term	What It Means
Incline	The steepness of the ground. Sustained incline, not distance, is what usually decides how long a route takes.
Leave No Trace	The set of habits that keep a trail usable: pack out waste, stay on the path, leave what you find, camp on durable ground.
Loop	A route that returns to its start without retracing the outward leg.
Marker	Any deliberate sign on a route, blaze, post, symbol or cairn, put there to keep walkers on line.
Nero	A near zero, a day on a long trail with only a few miles walked, usually built around a resupply stop.
NOBO	Short for northbound, a thru-hiker heading north on a trail such as the AT or PCT.
Out-and-back	A route walked out to a point and then back the same way.
Peak	The high point of a hill or mountain, and often the goal of the day.
Peak bagging	Working through a defined list of summits, such as the Munros or the state high points.
Resupply	Restocking food and supplies in a town or from a mailed box during a long hike.
Ridge	A long, narrow crest linking high ground. Exposed, scenic, and the first place the wind finds you.
Scramble	Ground steep enough to need hands as well as feet, but short of roped climbing.
Scree	Loose broken rock on a slope. It slides underfoot going up and can be ridden carefully coming down.
Section hike	Walking a long trail in separate stretches over months or years instead of in one push.
Slackpacking	Walking a stretch of trail with a light daypack while somebody else moves the heavy gear to the next stop.
SOBO	Short for southbound, a thru-hiker heading south.
Summit	The highest point of a mountain, and the verb for reaching it.
Switchback	A zigzag in the path that eases a steep slope and keeps the trail from washing out.

Terms T to Z

Term	What It Means
Ten essentials	The standard safety kit list: navigation, headlamp, sun protection, first aid, knife, fire, shelter, extra food, extra water and extra clothes.
Thru-hike	Walking a long distance trail end to end in a single continuous trip, such as the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail.
Topo	Short for a topographic map, the kind that shows relief with contour lines.
Trail angel	Somebody who helps long distance hikers without being asked or paid, with a lift, a meal or a bed.
Trail magic	Unexpected help or supplies found on a long trail, most often a cooler of drinks left at a road crossing.
Trail name	The nickname a long distance hiker picks up on trail and answers to for the rest of the walk.
Trailhead	Where a trail begins, usually with parking, a sign and an information board.
Tramping	The New Zealand word for hiking.
Traverse	To cross a slope sideways rather than climbing or descending it, and the section of route where you do.
Treeline	The altitude above which trees stop growing. Above it there is no shelter and no shade.
Trekking poles	Paired adjustable poles that share load with the arms and steady the walker, most useful on descents.
Ultralight	A style of backpacking built on carrying the least weight that is still safe, counted in ounces or grams.
Vista	A wide open view from a high point on the route.
Waypoint	A saved point on a map or GPS track, marking a turn, a water source or somewhere worth finding again.
YDS (Yosemite Decimal System)	The American scale for the difficulty of walking and climbing terrain, from class 1 walking through class 4 scrambling to roped climbing at class 5.
Yellow blazing	Skipping parts of a trail by car, named after the yellow lines on the road.
Zero Day	A rest day on a long trail with no miles walked at all.

What Is It Called When…? Hiking Terms by Situation

Know what happened but not the word for it? Find the situation on the left and the hiking term on the right.

When…	It Is Called
Someone hikes off-trail with no path	Bushwhacking
The place where a trail begins	Trailhead
A hiker uses hands to climb over rock	Scrambling
A hiker rests a full day without walking	Zero day
A hiker walks only a few miles in a day	Nero
A stranger leaves food or drinks for hikers	Trail magic
Someone helps hikers with rides or a place to stay	Trail angel
A hiker walks a whole long trail in one season	Thru-hike
A long trail is finished in pieces over years	Section hike
A trail zigzags up a steep slope	Switchback
The top turns out not to be the top	False summit
A hiker carries only a daypack and gets shuttled	Slackpacking
A hiker sleeps outside with no tent	Cowboy camping
The route returns the same way it went	Out-and-back
The trees stop growing at high elevation	Treeline
A hiker skips trail sections by car	Yellow blazing
A hiker suddenly runs out of energy	Bonk
A hiker climbs peaks to complete a list	Peak bagging

#1 Blaze

A painted mark on a tree, rock or post that shows the route of a trail. The Appalachian Trail uses white rectangles about two by six inches, and side trails to water or shelters are marked in blue. Two blazes stacked on top of each other warn of a turn or junction.

In a sentence: “Keep an eye out for the white blazes, the trail turns left after the creek.”

#2 Bushwhack

Hiking off-trail through brush, forest or rough country with no path to follow. It is slower and harder than trail walking and calls for map and compass skills. In fragile areas it can damage vegetation, so land managers often discourage it.

In a sentence: “There’s no trail to the lake, we’ll have to bushwhack the last mile.”

#3 Cairn

A deliberate pile of stones that marks a route where paint or signs will not work, for example above treeline or across bare rock. The word comes from Scottish Gaelic. Building extra cairns for fun is discouraged because it can lead hikers off route.

In a sentence: “In the fog we went cairn to cairn across the plateau.”

#4 Descent

The downhill part of a hike. It is easier on the lungs but harder on knees, ankles and toes, and more falls happen going down than going up. Trekking poles take some of the load off the joints.

In a sentence: “The descent took longer than the climb, it’s all loose gravel.”

#5 Elevation

The height of a point above sea level, given in feet in the US and meters elsewhere. Hikers care more about elevation gain, the total amount of climbing on a route, because that decides how hard a day will be. Above about 8,000 feet some people start to feel the altitude.

In a sentence: “The trailhead sits at 9,000 feet, so take the first mile easy.”

#6 Gaiters

Fabric covers worn over the top of the boot and lower leg to keep out water, mud, snow, scree and ticks. Low trail gaiters reach just above the ankle, while tall gaiters go up to the knee for snow and deep mud.

In a sentence: “Put your gaiters on, the next section is all snow.”

#7 Hydration pack

A backpack with a built-in water reservoir, often called a bladder, and a drinking tube that clips to the shoulder strap. It lets a hiker sip on the move without stopping. Reservoirs usually hold two to three liters.

In a sentence: “Fill your hydration pack at the spring, there’s no water on the ridge.”

#8 Incline

The steepness of a slope, given as a percentage or in degrees. A 10 percent grade climbs 10 feet for every 100 feet of distance. Treadmills borrow the word, and the Manitou Incline in Colorado is a famous old railway bed that climbs about 2,000 feet in under a mile.

In a sentence: “The incline gets brutal after the second bridge.”

#9 Trailhead

The point where a trail begins, usually with a parking area, a sign and often a register or permit box. Hikers sign in there so rangers know who is out. Trail descriptions measure distance from the trailhead.

In a sentence: “We’ll meet at the trailhead at 6 a.m. to beat the heat.”

#10 Loop

A route that starts and ends at the same place without retracing steps. Loops are popular because hikers see new ground the whole way and need only one car. A lollipop loop adds a short out-and-back stem to the circle.

In a sentence: “It’s a five-mile loop, so we’ll come out right back at the car.”

#11 Marker

Any sign that shows the way: a blaze, a post, a sign, a cairn or a metal disc nailed to a tree. Mile markers show distance along long trails. Hikers follow markers most closely in fog, snow and confusing junctions.

In a sentence: “I haven’t seen a marker for a while, I think we missed the turn.”

#12 Out-and-back

A hike that goes to a destination and returns the same way. The listed distance is usually the round trip, so a four-mile out-and-back means two miles each way. Turning around is easy if the weather changes.

In a sentence: “It’s an out-and-back to the waterfall, about six miles total.”

#13 Peak

The top of a mountain, or the mountain itself. Peak bagging means climbing peaks to complete a list, such as the 46 Adirondack High Peaks or Colorado’s 14ers. A false peak, or false summit, looks like the top but has more climbing behind it.

In a sentence: “Three more peaks and she’s finished the whole list.”

#14 Ridge

A long, narrow line of high ground connecting peaks or running along the top of a mountain. Ridge walks give long views but are exposed to wind and lightning, so hikers try to be off them before afternoon thunderstorms.

In a sentence: “We need to be off the ridge by noon, storms are forecast.”

#15 Scramble

Moving over steep rock using hands as well as feet, between hiking and technical climbing. In the Yosemite Decimal System scrambling is roughly class 2 to class 3. No rope is used, but a fall on a class 3 scramble can be serious.

In a sentence: “The last 200 feet is a scramble, so put the poles away.”

#16 Switchback

A zigzag in a trail climbing a steep slope, so the path rises gradually instead of going straight up. Cutting switchbacks speeds up erosion and is one of the most common trail etiquette complaints.

In a sentence: “Twenty-two switchbacks to the top, I counted every one.”

#17 Thru-hike

Hiking an entire long-distance trail from end to end in one season. The big three in the US are the Appalachian Trail (about 2,200 miles), the Pacific Crest Trail (about 2,650 miles) and the Continental Divide Trail (about 3,100 miles). An Appalachian thru-hike usually takes five to seven months.

In a sentence: “She’s planning a northbound thru-hike of the PCT next spring.”

#18 Topo

Short for topographic map, which shows the shape of the land with contour lines. Lines close together mean steep ground, lines far apart mean gentle terrain. Most US topos are based on USGS maps, which typically use contour intervals of 20 or 40 feet.

In a sentence: “Check the topo, those contour lines are stacked right on top of each other.”

#19 Traverse

To cross a slope sideways rather than climbing straight up or down it, or a route that crosses a whole range or area from one side to the other. A ridge traverse links several summits in a single outing.

In a sentence: “We’ll traverse under the cliffs and pick up the trail on the far side.”

#20 Ultralight

A style of backpacking that keeps base weight, everything except food, water and fuel, under about 10 pounds. Ultralight hikers use frameless packs, tarps or single-wall tents and quilts instead of sleeping bags. Lightweight usually means a base weight under 20 pounds.

In a sentence: “He went ultralight and his base weight is down to nine pounds.”

#21 Vista

A viewpoint along a trail with a wide, open view. Trail guides and maps often mark vistas as a reason to stop. In the US the word is also used in place names, such as scenic vistas along parkways.

In a sentence: “Take a break at the vista, you can see three states from there.”

#22 Waypoint

A fixed point saved in a GPS device or phone app, such as a trail junction, water source or campsite, given as coordinates. A route is made of a series of waypoints. Hikers mark waypoints to find their way back or to share key spots.

In a sentence: “I dropped a waypoint at the spring so we can find it in the dark.”

#23 YDS (Yosemite Decimal System)

The American scale for rating the difficulty of walking and climbing routes. Class 1 is walking on a trail, class 2 is rough off-trail hiking, class 3 is scrambling with hands, class 4 is exposed scrambling where many use a rope, and class 5 is technical climbing, subdivided as 5.0 to 5.15.

In a sentence: “The guidebook calls the summit block class 3, nothing technical.”

#24 Zero Day

A day on a long-distance hike when no trail miles are walked, usually spent resting in a town to eat, shower, do laundry and resupply. A near-zero, or nero, is a day with only a few miles.

In a sentence: “We’re taking a zero in town, my feet need it.”

#25 Alpine

Describes high mountain terrain above treeline, where only low plants, rocks and snow remain. Alpine zones have their own fragile plants, so hikers stay on the trail or on rock. Alpine start means leaving in the dark to summit before the weather turns.

In a sentence: “It’s an alpine start tomorrow, alarms at 3:30.”

#26 Base Layer

The layer of clothing worn against the skin, usually merino wool or synthetic, that moves sweat away from the body. Cotton is avoided because it stays wet and cold, hence the hiker saying “cotton kills”. The full layering system adds a mid layer for warmth and a shell against wind and rain.

In a sentence: “Swap your cotton tee for a merino base layer before we start.”

#27 Compass

A magnetic instrument that shows direction. Used with a topo map, it lets hikers find their way when a phone or GPS fails. Hikers must adjust for declination, the difference between magnetic north and true north, which varies by location.

In a sentence: “Take a bearing with the compass before the cloud comes in.”

#28 Day Hike

A hike that is completed in a single day, with no overnight camping. Day hikers carry a small pack with water, food, layers and the ten essentials. It is how most people hike.

In a sentence: “It’s too long for a day hike, we’ll camp at the lake.”

#29 Footpath

A path meant for walkers only, closed to bikes, horses and vehicles. In Britain public footpaths are legal rights of way, marked with yellow arrows. The Appalachian Trail is officially the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and is managed as a footpath.

In a sentence: “The footpath crosses the field and follows the hedge to the village.”

#30 Gore-Tex

A brand of waterproof, breathable membrane used in jackets, pants and boots. It keeps rain out while letting some water vapor escape. Many hikers skip Gore-Tex boots in summer because once water gets in over the top, they dry slowly.

In a sentence: “My Gore-Tex jacket held up fine, but my boots were soaked.”

Hiking Slang Players and Fans Actually Use

Slang	What It Means
Trail magic	Unexpected kindness on the trail, such as a cooler of sodas left at a road crossing.
Trail angel	A person who gives hikers trail magic, rides, food or a place to stay.
Trail name	A nickname given to a long-distance hiker by others, used instead of a real name on the trail.
Nero	A near-zero day with only a few miles walked.
Hiker trash	An affectionate name thru-hikers use for themselves, grubby and proud of it.
Slackpacking	Hiking a section with only a daypack while someone drives the rest of the gear ahead.
Yogi	Getting food from tourists by being friendly without asking directly, named after Yogi Bear.
Pink blazing	Changing pace or route to stay near a hiker one is romantically interested in.
Blue blazing	Taking a side trail or shortcut instead of the official route, after the blue blazes on the AT.
Purist	A thru-hiker who passes every white blaze and never skips a step of the official trail.
Vitamin I	Ibuprofen, taken in quantity by sore hikers.
Hiker midnight	Around 9 p.m., the time thru-hikers usually go to sleep.
Bounce box	A box of supplies a hiker mails ahead to themselves from town to town.

Hiking Expressions and Sayings in Everyday English

Hike your own hike: Do things your own way and do not judge others. A thru-hiker motto, often shortened to HYOH.
Leave no trace: Leave a place as it was found. The name of the outdoor ethics principles promoted by the Leave No Trace Center.
Take only pictures, leave only footprints: A long-standing outdoor motto about protecting wild places.
Cotton kills: A hiker warning that wet cotton clothing loses its insulation and can lead to hypothermia.
The mountains are calling and I must go: A line from a letter by naturalist John Muir, now a hiker favorite on mugs and stickers.
Over the hill: Past one’s best, past middle age. The image is of a climb that has peaked and now only goes down.
Take a hike: Go away. A blunt way of telling someone to leave.

FAQ

What are hikers called?

Hikers in the US, ramblers or hillwalkers in Britain, trampers in New Zealand and bushwalkers in Australia. Long-distance hikers are backpackers or thru-hikers.

What is it called when someone hikes off-trail?

Bushwhacking. It means finding a way through brush or forest where there is no path, usually with map and compass.

What is the beginning of a hiking path called?

The trailhead. It usually has a parking area, a sign and often a register where hikers sign in.

What is it called when you use your hands to climb while hiking?

Scrambling. On the Yosemite Decimal System it falls between class 2 and class 3, beyond walking but short of roped climbing.

What is a rest day called on a long hike?

A zero day, because zero trail miles are walked. A day with only a few miles is a nero, for near-zero.

What do you call walking down a mountain?

The descent. Steep sections are often taken with trekking poles to protect the knees.

What is trail magic?

An unexpected gift to hikers, such as food, drinks or a ride, usually left or given by strangers called trail angels. It is a long tradition on the Appalachian Trail.

What are some words related to hiking?

Route words (trailhead, loop, out-and-back, switchback), terrain words (ridge, summit, scree, treeline), gear words (gaiters, base layer, trekking poles) and long-trail words (thru-hike, zero day, trail magic). The hiking glossary above lists them all.

What are some hiking terms for beginners?

Start with trailhead, blaze, switchback, loop and out-and-back for reading routes, then elevation gain for judging difficulty and base layer for dressing right. The ten essentials list is the gear checklist every beginner should know.

What are some hiking slang terms?

Long-distance hikers use trail magic, trail angel, trail name, nero, hiker trash, slackpacking and hiker midnight. The slang table above explains each one.