What is the difference between hiking and trekking?

[Macron]

Just wondering what the difference is between hiking and trekking?

I always thought they were pretty much the same thing, with Americans calling it trekking and the British calling it hiking - basically backpacking on rough trails?

And do either of them have an association with backpacking?

 

[Tribble]

I always thought of it in these terms:

• Walking - a leisurely, gentle, low-level pursuit on well established paths for a few hours that anyone could undertake without much need for specialist equipment and something people of all ages and abilities can enjoy.
  
  
• Hiking - full-day, more intensive walks on pre-charted paths or trails with specific goals / distance in mind, and sometimes for multiple days with overnight camping / hostel / B&B stopovers.
  
  
• Trekking - more rugged than hiking, walking / climbing / scrambling through areas that are not charted or previously walked along, or are in very remote places, and often for days or weeks on end.

I expect they've been put together in this forum section because they are somewhat similar, unlike walking, scrambling and climbing which are all markedly different.

 

[LeeDonny]

That's not a bad description Tribble, although I've always thought along similar lines to Macron with the UK and US thing.

 

[Shaun]

Yes, I was thinking along similar lines to @Tribble. I think we've got most things covered by other sub-forums so it seemed a more natural fit to put hiking and trekking together due to their similarity. We can always change it later on as the site grows.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I think it depends on your location in America. We always referred to hiking in the British context, generally. Trekking sounds more mountainous.

 

[Paulsb]

I agree with @Tribble but also think Americans use the word hiking to describe backpacking for several days in the way we use trekking.