How to Use a Goal Setting Framework to Plan Your Hike

Yo I often tell people that the key to successful hiking is to want to do it more than anything: your desire to keep going must be strong enough to endure even the hardest days, when the immediate misery of cold rain, hunger, loneliness, etc., makes quitting seem like a great idea.

However, desire alone is not enough to get you from Georgia to Maine or from Mexico to Canada, or even to the starting line. “I’m going to go hiking in 2026” is a lovely New Year’s resolution, but if you can’t turn it into something more concrete, your dreams aren’t going anywhere. That’s why I always recommend that prospective hikers use a goal-setting framework to create a hiking plan that will set them up for success.

Arguably the most well-known goal setting framework is ELEGANT (a useful acronym meaning “specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound”) – the characteristics of a well-designed goal.

• Specific objectives describe exactly what you will achieve and how.
• Measurables define the metrics by which you will measure your progress.
• Achievable goals are based in reality: they may be lofty, but they must be things you actually have a chance to achieve, or else you’ll quickly lose motivation striving toward a goal you’ll never reach.
• Relevant objectives are clearly aligned with your broader values ​​and objectives. It’s easy to explain why these goals are important.
• Time-bound goals have a pre-set deadline, which creates more urgency for you to work on them consistently in the meantime; They don’t go on and on forever.

You can use SMART to set goals at every level of your hike, from your broader aspirations to the granular aspects of hike planning and the things you’d like to experience and accomplish along the way. In this article we will see some examples of how you can apply SMART at each stage of your hiking trip.

Set pre-tour objectives

Positioning yourself for a successful hike means (among other things) starting the trail with enough money, a good equipment setup, an understanding of the logistical details of the hike, and the fitness and flexibility to minimize the risk of injury from the start. “Getting ready” for your hike may seem vague and overwhelming, but by breaking down the process with a few SMART goals, you can manage it effectively.

SMART budget for the trail

When I hiked the AT, I prepared financially by saving “as much money as possible” for the trail starting about 18 months in advance. I had good luck that it increased my savings during that time and I started saving early enough for everything to work out, but “as much money as possible” is a pretty vague benchmark.

Most hikers these days seem to spend between $6-$10k on an AT or PCT hike; check out hiker surveys like our AT survey for the numbers. Do your research and choose a savings goal that works for you based on the path you plan to take.

“I’m going to save $6,000 in the next 12 months by directly depositing $500 into a special hiking account each month” is a specific, measurable, relevant, time-bound goal (whether that specific amount is achievable depends on your income and life circumstances, but it’s just an example). You could break this down further with additional goals, such as reducing discretionary spending or taking on a second job to reach your savings goals.

Training

“I’m going to get in shape for the trail” is a great New Year’s resolution. “I’m going to get in trail shape by spending 30 minutes on the Stairmaster with my backpack 3 days a week” is a SMART goal. Replace the Stairmaster with any training plan you want. Yoga, hiking, running, and strength training (really, any form of movement) can help you physically prepare for the trail.

Another good example: «I’m going to do one night hike a month every month from now until the trail starts.» Or, if it’s impossible to access the backcountry for a full test, maybe «I’ll walk two miles through the park with my loaded backpack once a week and ask my best friend’s parents for permission to camp in their backyard next week so I can practice sleeping in my tent.»

We all have to work with the limitations of our own life circumstances when preparing for a hike (and setting goals in general). If your pre-hike SMART goals look different than another hiker’s, that’s not necessarily a reason to worry; in fact, quite the opposite. It means you are being careful about tailoring the goals to your own needs. Whatever you do, make sure your goals are well defined; you will be more likely to comply.

During your walk

Getting to the trailhead already requires a lot of planning and preparation, as you can see. And once you set foot on the trail, the real work begins. “I’m going to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2026 starting April 1 and finishing by October 15” is already a pretty decent SMART goal, to be honest, but why not go into a little more detail?

Before you begin your tour, spend some time thinking about what you hope to accomplish on the tour while also making a list of potential challenges you’ll face along the way. You can set goals to address both lists.

Maybe you aspire to make new friends, get in better shape, or get to know a region better by hiking. I hiked with someone who was hiking the AT in training for a series of 200-mile ultramarathons later in the year, which is an extreme but appropriate example of a SMART fitness-related goal for a hiker. Another friend had a goal of visiting all the breweries in the AT towns during his tour. Another hiking companion aims to identify at least one species new to her each day on the trail using her naturalist app.

I was hesitant to write this article at first because I would never want someone to feel like they need to turn their hiking dream into just another checklist in a life that is already overly regimented. But in these examples you can see how goals can add a fun dimension to your hike and help you engage with the experience on a deeper, more personal level.

On the other hand, bad days can and will happen during your hike. We all know this, so why not have a plan for when those days inevitably come? In Appalachian TrialsZach Davis advises hikers to never leave the trail on a bad day. You can also make this a SMART goal.

“If I’m thinking about leaving the trail, I’ll stop at the nearest crossroads, hitchhike into town and spend a night in a private hotel room/find the nearest cell service and call three of my loved ones at home to talk it over first,” etc.

It almost matters less what your particular objective is than having a SMART contingency plan of some kind and sticking to it.

Navigating the post-trail transition

Much has been said and written about the strange and often challenging transition from the freedom of hiking to the routines and obligations of daily life in the civilized world.

Maybe you have a job and a life to get back to and you already know what the first few days and weeks off the trail will be like. Maybe you’ll spend the time doing some serious soul-searching and have to head into uncharted waters once you’re done. Either way, it’s good to put some thought into how you’ll handle this transition.

Again, aiming for a specific dollar amount for a financial cushion when you return home is a great idea for a SMART goal. You may not find a job or want to go back to work immediately when you return, and having some savings to fall back on can take a lot of the stress off your shoulders.

Many hikers also struggle to manage their health after the hike. From a mental health point of view, losing touch with the hiking lifestyle can be sad. To help manage this, you can set goals to walk a certain number of days per month or have a video call with your tram once a month on a predetermined day. From a physical health standpoint, setting goals for gentle daily movement, such as walking or yoga, can help your body adjust to normal life. (Some go the other direction and set goals to run ultramarathons after the trail, taking advantage of their divine walking fitness. Whatever you like!)

Set goals without turning the path into a checklist

As I mentioned above, I really don’t want this article to sound like a call to turn hiking into just another checklist. For most of us, the fact that hiking is so free and flexible is the basis of its appeal. It’s an inherently unpredictable activity that resists our best-laid plans, and that’s part of the magic. The most successful hikers are those who can go with the flow and adapt to changing realities on the fly.

Still, I think having clearly defined goals for your hike is a good idea. I didn’t do it when I did my first one, and looking back, I feel like I could have gotten more out of the experience if I had been a little more intentional.

You can’t and shouldn’t bother trying to squeeze this expansive, majestic experience into a small box, but having an idea of ​​how you’ll plan the hike and what you want to get out of it can make the experience more, not less, satisfying.

Cover image: Graphic design by Mackenzie Fisher.