Navigation
GPS for Hiking: When a Dedicated Handheld Beats Your Phone
A dedicated handheld GPS earns its place when conditions work against a phone: wet gloves, cold hands, dense tree cover, or days without a charger. A phone remains a fine…
Read the story →Latest Stories
Decisions and Safety
Whistle, Mirror, Phone, Satellite: What Each Emergency Signal Can and Cannot Do
Body and PaceAltitude for Day Hikers: What Happens Above 2,500 m and How to Plan Around It
Weather and SeasonsReading the Sky Without a Forecast: Cloud Sequences, the Altimeter as Barometer and the Signs Worth Trusting
NavigationNavigating at Night and in Whiteout: The Head Torch, the Bearing and the Decision to Stop
Decisions and SafetyGroup Decisions: The Slowest Walker, Summit Fever and the Art of Saying No
Body and PaceFeet First: Blister Mechanics, Lacing, Socks and the Hot-Spot Rule
Navigation
View all →Weather and Seasons
View all →Weather and Seasons
Shoulder Seasons: Old Snow on North Slopes, Avalanche Terrain for Walkers and the Spring River Problem
Weather and SeasonsHow to Read a Mountain Forecast: Freezing Level, Wind Aloft and What “60% Chance of Rain” Really Means
Weather and SeasonsLightning on the Trail: The 30/30 Rule, Starting Early and the Places We Should Never Be at Two O’Clock
Navigation, weather, pace and good decisions on the trail
Smart Hikes is an independent online magazine about hiking with your head: reading contours and bearings, using a phone GPS without being betrayed by it, understanding a mountain forecast, pacing and feeding the body over a 20 km day, and making the decisions that turn a walk around before it turns into a rescue. Written by people who actually go. We sell nothing and organise nothing.