# Hiking Etiquette **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 23, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966 "2017-07-23T21:28:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/21 "2017-07-24T19:50:44Z")
We usually say hi, or at least a quick wave. If we’re hiking with dogs, there may be a longer greeting process and a short talk about the dogs, depending on who the other person is (and if they also have dogs). ---
**Author:** ![the\_thecat\_hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@the\_thecat\_hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_thecat_hat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/22 "2017-07-25T10:58:53Z")
As the poster of this question, I want to thank everyone who responded. It is very interesting to see the variety of answers. I will continue to monitor, and any additional input is still appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/23 "2017-07-25T17:14:08Z")
A “morning”, “nice park!”, or “beautiful day!” is fairly common, but as **Riemann** says, it depends on how crowded the trail is. If I see someone every 2 minutes I won’t initiate anything, but if you are the first human I’ve seen in 3 hours a more involved exchange may be waranted. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/24 "2017-07-25T17:18:17Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I can’t recall when I’ve shaken hands with anyone while hiking, and it’s not like I’ve had to do any avoidance. IME, it just doesn’t come up. It’s much more likely in remote areas. If you haven’t seen anyone for days, and you’re in a place that very few people venture to, an extended interaction with anyone that you run into is quite natural. I hiked most of the Sierra High Route with a guy I met on the second day out, and I’ve exchanged contact details countless times. Obviously, offering to shake hands with someone you pass on a busy trail where you’re passing a dozen people an hour would be creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/25 "2017-07-25T19:52:32Z")
If it’s a serious-looking biker coming the other way, then a nod is what I give. A family on hybrids or department store bikes get a smile and good afternoon/morning. If there’s a gaggle of groups coming the other way, then I let them make first contact. When passing, context is a little different. “Rider on your left” is a good beginning, and if it’s someone who’s obviously startled (they shouldn’t be, on a mixed use trail), they’ll get a friendly “good morning.” I think for other bikers, “On your left,” is, by itself, the same as “good morning.” ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/26 "2017-07-25T23:30:14Z")
In a kind of evolutionary way, we are “closer” to people in remote areas where we only may see one guy every hour – because that’s the guy who’s gonna save your bacon if you’re lying by the trail with a broken leg. I think this is part of why we’re more friendly when we’re in the middle of God’s own Nowhere. We depend on each other. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/27 "2017-07-26T09:22:55Z")
Going down Bright Angel or Kaibab in the Grand Canyon, the people you’re passing have just completed an exhausting climb and are frequently out of breath (trust me on this). They really don’t want to talk to everyone passing them. Short version: If the trail is steep, I stay quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/28 "2017-07-26T09:56:39Z")
I typically just give everyone I encounter the finger. Sometimes they reciprocate, other times not. I don’t stress about it. mmm ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/29 "2017-07-27T00:23:47Z")
I am not the hiker I once was, but I still say hello to anyone I meet on a trail. People feel, well I feel and I assume others do to, more vulnerable out on a trail with one else around. Saying hello reduces the automatic tension that hits me (and I assume others), when I encounter someone else on a trail. When the trail is crowded and other people are in sight, I usually say anything. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966/30 "2017-07-27T03:08:00Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > I am not the hiker I once was, but I still say hello to anyone I meet on a trail. Hike some of the popular trails in NH and you’ll be pretty busy. You can easily be hiking with 500+ people on a nice summer Saturday on the Franconia Ridge loop. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiking-etiquette/791966.md?page=1)