FAQs

Trail Almanac collects, curates, and displays long-distance hiking trail data.

I intend it to be the definitive source of structured trail data across European hiking trails.

The trail archives are displayed as trail cards and contain a series of data points to help you identify trails you’re interested in at a glance.

From any trail collection page, you can use the filter section to whittle trails down to those that meet your chosen criteria. Whether that’s trail length, location, scenery type, vibe, amongst many other factors.

Individual trail pages present a large amount of data related to that trail to help you choose and plan your hike.

Trails can be compared to one or two other trails. On compare pages, you can view the trail data of your chosen selection side by side. I believe this is the first and only tool for viewing such information in this way.

I’m not looking to provide every half mile amble around your own neighbourhood. I’m interested in named trails that take the average hiker between a week and a month to complete.

The number of times I’ve spent weeks figuring out what my options are for an upcoming period of time off is ridiculous. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve scoured the internet for the same information I looked for last year, trying to figure out prime hiking season for the Kungsleden, whether I can wild camp on Walkers Haute Route, or how much I should budget for an Alta Via. This winter, I decided that, instead of having half my notes on scraps of paper, another half on my laptop and yet more on my phone, it was time to get organised. It’s probably overkill but I decided to build this website to keep my owns notes and a proper system in check. It’s been a work in progress for months and I hope others will benefit from my compulsive hiking planning and research.

With any luck, this will help fellow hikers fill their time off work and make effective use of the limited time we have to travel and enjoy the outdoors.

I see no reason not to extend the dataset further and you’ll no notice there are a few outliers already. That’s because at some time or other I’ve made extensive notes on trails like Everest Base Camp or the Toubkal Circuit and thought I might as well finish the job.

I’ve collected data from a wide range of sources across the web, as well as from trail and local authorities, and fellow hikers.

It’s a pain-staking and serious undertaking to collect this vast amount of data from such a wide array of sources.

Some fields (like those containing weather and governmental/NGO related data) are fed to the Almanac by API services.

AI tools assist with data normalisation and collection, though all content is reviewed for accuracy.

I’d love to see users get involved with data collection and normalisation. I do my best but it’s really difficult to normalise the data. If you hiked two trails and the comparison doesn’t feel right, let me know. If you know something just isn’t the case, please let know.

I’m developing a system for verified users to update or challenge existing or empty data points or suggest improvements. I’m also looking to create a kind of voting system for those necessarily subjective aspects of a hike (those in the vibe section, mainly). Until then, I encourage you to drop me a line at [email protected].

Thanks to everyone that takes the time to help me and the hiking community.

The trail list started small, and is ever expanding.

Suggestions for trails not yet covered should be emailed to me at [email protected]. I can’t promise it will immediately be added, but I’m very interested to learn about trails I might not be otherwise aware of. Be sure to include why it’s a killer trail with your submission and as much info as you can. This will be considered user-submitted content as defined in the Terms of Use.

Yes. Access to core trail data is open to all.

It’s been a huge amount of work to create the website and data architecture, collate and populate the trails, and to host and maintain the site.

I hope you’ll forgive me for having plans to include affiliate links and promotional content in future. Wherever that happens, promoted content will be in line with the mission of the site and my values, which include sustainability, inclusivity, and integrity. I won’t support or promote any service or organisation that doesn’t meet that bar, regardless of how much they offer to pay me.

I want to promote lesser known trails and regions ripe for exploration.

Too much focus is placed on the trails we all know: Tour du Mont Blanc, West Highland Way, Fisherman’s Trail, and so on. For at least part of the year, all of these trails are oversaturated and it’s often difficult to organise a trip without planning months in advance.

But that’s never really been my style and there are so many hiking trails in Europe and beyond.

Not everyone is looking for the same thing. Some want to camp wild and survive on pot noodle and stream water. Others want to hike from bed to bed, have a cooked (by someone else) meal, and not let their blood-shnapps level drop below a critical point.

There’s something for everyone and I want you to be able to find it here.

By highlighting data points that are seldom addressed but really matter to some or all hikers (like the amount of rubbish on trails, the ease of travelling to trailheads, the treatment of minority groups, and other factors, I hope to encourage hikers to favour trails and regions that support our diverse community, and to encourage trail and other local organisations to keep safe and respect hikers, local communities and the environment.

Yes. There’s a place for the hike-your-own-hike mentality but as far as I’m concerned there are limits.

I don’t want you dropping litter, damaging the environment, or being rude to the locals and other hikers you meet.

I want to help organisations and trails that encourage inclusivity in the outdoors, sustainable tourism, and environmental protection.

I won’t promote organisations or trails that don’t meet those criteria, even if they pay me.

I have lots of ideas about expanding the functionality of the site.

I’ll publish a roadmap to announce and monitor updates soon. Drop me your email if you’d like to be kept up to date.

I’m making a gargantuan effort to collect and normalise data from a large range of sources. It’s a lot of work. Luckily for you, I love it and am committed to providing the most accurate dataset that I reasonably can with the tools, information, and time available to me.

That said, I can’t guarantee that the data is error-free. It is provided for informational purposes and should not be exclusively relied on to keep you safe, out of jail, dry, happy, or sane. Hiking is not a danger-free activity and you should take appropriate precautions to keep yourself and others safe while on trail and while travelling to and from a hiking trail.

I encourage you to be appropriately insured, to carry the necessary safety equipment, and to be in reasonable shape to undertake the trails you choose to hike.

Please do not do this.

All the information here is provided for informational and illustrative purposes only. Most GPX tracks have been smoothed or compressed to keep the site snappy and are not designed to take you to your next water source, or help you find your way from an alpine summit to safety.

If you are taking on a serious challenge, take a serious attitude and serious equipment including map and compass and know how to use them. If you will rely on digital tracks, ensure they are accurate and created for the express purpose for which you will use them.

No, I’m good. Go find your next trail.