Weekend Adventure Rides – Biking or Hiking?

And don’t forget a proper helmet. Comfort matters on longer rides. Let us know how it goes if you end up riding this weekend!

If you're starting out, look into hardtail mountain bikes – like something from Trek or Giant. Keep it simple but get decent brakes. And padded gloves help more than people think!

Cool, thanks. I’ll check both apps out. Might try a short ride this weekend and see how my legs feel after. Any bike recommendations for a beginner? Nothing fancy, just something solid.

Haha, nice. I’ve done that too on rainy days. Back to trails – Strava is great if you’re leaning more toward biking. It tracks everything, even shows you what others are riding nearby.

Absolutely – I use AllTrails a lot. Super helpful for filtering by activity type, difficulty, even things like dog-friendly or shaded. You can also read real user reviews to avoid bad surprises.
Also, if you’re into chill stuff after a long hike, I sometimes just find something light to play online while resting – helps pass the time and relax a bit.

That’s a great idea, hadn’t thought of mixing the two. I guess it depends on the trail. I live near some state parks with decent elevation changes, but not sure which ones are good for bikes. Do you guys use any apps or maps for finding new trails?

I’ve done both, and honestly, it’s hard to choose. Mountain biking gives that rush – especially downhill. But hiking can be super rewarding too, especially when you get to a scenic summit. Have you considered combining both? Some trails are bike-friendly on the way up and then you hike the final stretch.

Depends on what you’re after! If you want adrenaline and speed, biking wins for sure. But hiking is hard to beat if you're into soaking in nature. Personally, I lean toward hiking – less gear, less fuss.
By the way, there’s a solid breakdown here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiking , it goes into types of hikes, terrains, and even gear if you’re just getting into it.