What is Urban Hiking?

For most people, hiking conjures up evocative thoughts of rugged trails through the woods, over mountains, and along streams or around lakes in an expansive outdoor paradise like Shenandoah National Park. Urban hiking, however, offers a different experience, one that’s full of city exploration, street art. historical sites, local food, and discovering hidden gems. These personalized adventures can be a great way to discover your city with urban hikes that are self guided or with a group. You can use an urban hike to improve mental health or embark on fitness-focused urban hikes that work your muscles as you work up a sweat. Here's your primer on the burgeoning world of city exploration through urban hiking, whether you are hiking in summer or heading out for a cold weather hike.

What is Urban Hiking?

You may be wondering what differentiates taking a walk and urban hiking. It’s simple! The latter will be filled with new surprises, fun discoveries, and photogenic moments. On the other hand, a walk is more purpose-based on paths well-trodden, like getting some exercise around your neighborhood after dinner each night or walking to the grocery store.

Even though city traffic may slow us down, urban hiking is an incredible way to see a city at 3 or 4 miles an hour instead of at 55 on the freeway or even 15mph at rush hour. Urban hiking can fine-tune our eyes, mind, and body, allowing us to better see, feel, sense, and be aware of our surroundings. You may hike in and around a city to get lost, keeping your head on a swivel to take it all in and see things you'd otherwise miss. You may find local food being sold on the street to keep you fueled up and make the sense memories you're making more delicious.

Budget-Friendly Urban Adventures

With no transportation costs and a focus on discovering street art, urban parks and green spaces, historical sites, and local food from neighborhood spots and street food, urban hiking is a great way to explore the hidden gems of a city without breaking the bank. These budget-friendly urban adventures will help you see a side of your city or a new city while traveling.

Urban Hiking for Beginners

With an abundance of street art and historical sites waiting to be discovered, the best hidden gem urban hikes will get your legs stretched, blood flowing, and lungs full of fresh air. Here’s how and why you should discover your city with urban hikes.

Like other outdoor endeavors, urban hiking is about setting goals of city exploration, physical fitness, and being outside for a while. Just as with a hike in nature, you can rely on urban hikes to improve mental health and reduce stress because as you sample local food, check out street art, and stumble upon hidden gems you've driven past for years but never stood in front of before, you might find yourself forgetting about the worries of everyday life.

Urban Hikes for Stress Relief

Whether in nature or pounding the pavement of a big city, trying new things can expand our minds, strengthen our bodies, and give our life more color. Exploring a city while on an urban hike may bring you to a whimsical garden, the vibrant murals painted on the side of buildings that you usually zip past on the road or take you to roads you've never been on before, and bring you to historical plaques, buildings, and sites you never had the time to stop and learn about because life is so hectic. Urban hiking slows the spin of the Earth for us to be more present and aware. While experiencing all of this, your everyday stress about work, school, commitments, and responsibilities will begin to fade away because you are engaging your mind and body in new, exciting ways. This is because there are mental health benefits to hiking and you may just find that joy starts pushing aside your anxiety while on an urban hike.

Urban Hikes with a View

Not to say that traditional hikes in nature don't provide picturesque vistas, but urban hikes with a view hit differently. For example, when crossing a bridge in NYC, Philadelphia, or San Francisco on an urban hike and stopping at the apex of the span of the bridge you'll be treated to breathtaking, postcard-perfect views in a photographer's classic rule of thirds: water, cityscape, and sky in equal measure.

Check out these 10 fall outdoor activities for National Take a Hike Day this fall and even more ideas to get moving in the great outdoors!