Trail Slang

30 Hiking Terms You Should Know

Cairn, Scree, Scrambling…when you spend an entire day (or more) hiking along mountain trails, you’ll likely hear these terms being used by fellow hikers. If you’re not up to speed on hiking terminology, you may be left feeling in the dark about discussions surrounding a hike. Just what the heck is scree anyway? Like any other sport or activity, hiking has its own set of terms, acronyms and slang. For beginners, this unique vocabulary can be a bit intimidating. It can also feel frustrating when researching what to expect on an upcoming hike, if you don’t understand hiking lingo.

To help reduce confusion for newbies, we’ve put together an introductory hiking glossary with 30 of the most commonly heard hiking terms, jargon and expressions. Keep in mind however, that terminology will vary in different parts of the world and even different parts of the United States. For example, hikers in the Eastern U.S., especially along the Appalachian Trail, often use the word “Blaze” to describe what hikers out West call a “Trail Marker.” This is far from an exhaustive list, there are many more hiking phrases and terms out there, but this should be a good starting point for those who are newer to high altitude hiking adventures.

Alpine
Originally used in reference to the Alps Mountains in Europe, this term is now used for any high mountain terrain. For hikers, this usually means the Alpine Zone or simply “the Alpine,” which refers to the area of terrain that sits above treeline.

Backpacking
While many hikers embark on what’s known as a “dayhike,” backpacking involves at least two days of hiking while carrying everything needed for a multiple-day hike in your pack. Supplies such as food, water, cooking tools, shelter and sleeping gear are carried in a much larger backpack. A backpacking adventure can mean an overnight trip or many weeks.

Base Layer
This is a piece of clothing that is typically the first layer that goes next to your skin to provide warmth and moisture control. Ideally a base layer is made with moisture-wicking synthetic material such as polyester or polypropylene and often Merino wool. These materials are designed to keep hikers comfortable in changing conditions by wicking moisture away from the body to keep you dry and warm.

Beaver Fever
Hiking slang for a parasitic infection of the digestive system known as giardiasis. Giardia is often found in mountain streams and if such water is consumed without a proper water filter, it can lead to this dreadful infection characterized by severe abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Cairn
A stack of rocks made by other humans used to mark the correct route on a trail. Often found above treeline, cairns are intended to help other hikers navigate and help them stay on the trail.

Crux
This is considered to be the most difficult part of a trail.

Elevation Gain
This refers to the total amount of elevation change a hiker will experience from the trail’s lowest point of elevation to the route’s highest point. Usually expressed in feet or meters, the lowest point of elevation (where you begin the hike) is subtracted from the route’s highest point or summit to obtain the route’s elevation gain.

Exposure
This term refers to a feeling of high risk of injury in the event of a fall because the terrain is such that there is nothing below you except a steep drop-off. With mountain exposure, you are exposing yourself to some risk of injury or even death because of steep terrain. It can also refer to being on a section of trail that exposes you to the elements and severe weather including extreme cold, heat or high winds.

False Summit
A peak that appears to be the summit or top of the mountain but in actuality is not the true summit. False summits can be discouraging for hikers when they believe they have reached the top of the climb, but then realize they still may have a long way to go before reaching the summit.

GORP
An acronym for Good Old Raisins and Peanuts (aka: Trail Mix), this is a hiking snack typically made from a mix of nuts, dried fruits and often pieces of chocolate.

GPS
An acronym for Global Positioning System. A GPS is a navigation tool that provides the user with their location information via a satellite signal.

HYOH
An acronym for Hike Your Own Hike. This phrase means, to do what works best for yourself while hiking. For example, HYOH could mean: Go at your own pace without feeling obligated to follow someone else’s plan. This philosophy among hikers means to hike in a way that is best suited for you and also to avoid telling others how to hike.

Loop Hike
A trail that follows a mostly circular route that begins and ends at the same point without backtracking.

Microspikes
Used when hiking on icy terrain or hard-packed snow as well as fine, loose/slippery terrain, microspikes are a metal spiked device that attaches to the bottom of hiking boots for gaining traction.

Out-and-Back
A hike that follows a route to an end point, which is a turn-around point, and then follows the same route back to the trailhead.

Point-to-Point
Also sometimes called a “through-hike,” this kind of hike involves starting at one point and hiking to an entirely different end point.

Post-holing
Hiking in a snowfield in soft snow where your legs sink into the snow to about the mid-calf. Prepared hikers know that if they will face significant snowfield sections on a hike, they will wear snowshoes along such sections to avoid post-holing.

Saddle
Also known as a col or mountain pass, the saddle is the lowest point of a ridge between two mountain peaks.

SAR
Acronym for Search and Rescue—this is a team of people who are trained in wilderness first aid to help search for and assist lost or injured hikers.

Scat
This term refers to animal feces. Avid hikers will often be able to identify what kind of wildlife have been nearby when observing scat near a hiking trail and remain aware to help avoid unwanted wildlife encounters.

Scrambling
A more physically demanding type of hiking that involves using arms and hands in addition to legs and feet to ascend over steep, rocky surfaces…often large boulders.

Scree
A collection of loose pebbles and small rock fragments that form a sheet of loose terrain on a mountain slope. Because the rock fragments are so small and loose, hiking on scree can often result in sliding and unstable footing.

Switchback
When a section of hiking trail turns into sharp zigzags which allows hikers to hike up the slope of a mountain at a less austere angle as opposed to hiking up a straight incline.

Talus
Similar to scree, talus is made up of loose stones that accumulate at the base of a cliff or rocky slope. However, the rocks that make up talus are usually larger than scree which make talus less likely to move. Talus is found on a slope with bigger rocks that are often more stable than scree.

Tarn
A small mountain lake.

Topo
An abbreviation for a topographic map which is a detailed map using contour lines to show natural features and represent elevation.

Trailhead
The part of the trail that marks the beginning point…typically located at a parking lot.

Trail Marker
Intentionally made markings found along hiking trails to help guide hikers and to confirm that they are heading the right direction. Often, they are small markers attached to trees or guideposts.

Treeline
The area of mountainous terrain where trees discontinue to grow. At higher elevations (varying from roughly 11,500-13,100 feet depending on location), there is not enough oxygen or moisture for trees to grow. Treeline is also commonly referred to as the timberline, and the area above treeline is known as the Alpine zone or Alpine tundra.

Trekking Poles
Appearing similar to ski poles with a padded handle and wrist strap, trekking poles are made from metal or carbon fiber and used to reduce strain on the joints as well as help with stability while hiking.

What's your favorite hiking slang? Let us know in the comments below!