A lot of women dream about hiking or backpacking alone but feel scared to get started. I don’t think most women are just afraid of bears, getting lost or being alone outdoors though. I think many women are afraid of trusting themselves.
For most of our lives, we’ve been told things like:
Don’t go alone
Don’t wander too far
Don’t trust strangers
Be careful
So when a woman decides she wants to start hiking alone, she’s not just learning outdoor skills. She’s also trying to unlearn fear.
If you’ve ever wanted to go hiking or backpacking alone but feel overwhelmed, intimidated or unsure if you could actually do it, you’re not alone.
The Fear of Hiking Alone Isn’t Just About Safety
When people talk about solo female hiking fears, the conversation usually focuses on wildlife encounters, getting lost, getting injured and coming across creepy people on trail.
Yes, those things can absolutely feel scary. In my experience of helping women learn how to hike and backpack solo, the fear usually goes much deeper than that.
A lot of women are afraid of failing, making mistakes, looking inexperienced, being judged, not belonging outdoors or feeling like it’s “too late” to start
When I first started hiking alone, I constantly worried about whether I was doing everything “right.”
I didn’t want people to think I was new. I didn’t want to look like I didn’t know what I was doing and I was terrified of making mistakes.
Looking back now, this is honestly kind of funny because I made SO many mistakes.
I packed the wrong things.
I packed too much stuff.
I forgot things.
I got nervous and second-guessed myself constantly.
But that’s part of learning.
The problem is that when women hike alone, those mistakes can feel amplified because it often feels like we’re supposed to already have everything figured out before we even begin.
But confidence doesn’t work like that. You don’t know what you don’t know. Making mistakes is part of becoming more capable outdoors.
Why Hiking Alone Feels Different for Women
Fear outdoors isn’t unique to women. Men experience fear outdoors too. I do think though that women are navigating an additional layer because so many of us grew up hearing:
Don’t walk alone
Don’t travel alone
Don’t camp alone
Don’t trust strangers
Be careful
When women start hiking alone, we’re not just learning navigation, safety skills and trip planning. We’re also undoing decades of conditioning.
Sometimes when I’m hiking alone, there’s still a tiny part of me that feels like I’m doing something I’m not supposed to be doing. Not because hiking alone is wrong, but because I’ve spent so much of my life hearing people tell me women shouldn’t do it. Whether it’s friends, family or strangers online, those messages can really get into your head after awhile.
Most People Outdoors Are Actually Wonderful
I also want to say this clearly:
Most men I’ve met outdoors have been incredibly kind and respectful.
I’ve had many men thank me for helping more women feel confident hiking and backpacking outdoors. So this isn’t about saying all men are dangerous or should be feared.
Not at all.
But women are often calculating risk differently because we’ve been conditioned our entire lives to do so.
If you’re a man reading this and wondering how to help women feel safer outdoors, it’s all about doing little things like announcing yourself when approaching someone from behind, giving people plenty of space on trail and and avoiding overly personal questions when someone is hiking alone.
For many women, simple awareness and respect go a long way.
What Women Are REALLY Looking For Outdoors
I really don’t think most women are looking for more hiking advice. I think many women are really looking for: freedom, confidence, independence, adventure and proof that they’re still capable of growing
A lot of women are tired of hearing:
You shouldn’t go alone.
That’s unsafe.
That’s reckless.
What they really want is: support, encouragement, community and to see other REAL women doing these things
Not influencers who make everything look easy, but normal women.
Women who get scared.
Women who are still learning.
Women who are figuring it out as they go.
This is a huge reason why I created The Confident Solo Female Backpacker System. So many women dream about hiking and backpacking alone but don’t have support from the people around them.
Sometimes their family doesn’t understand.
Sometimes their friends aren’t interested.
It’s hard to build confidence when it feels like nobody believes you can do it.
You Don’t Have to Wait Until You Feel “Ready”
Even after hiking thousands of miles solo over the last 9 years, I still get scared sometimes. The difference now is that I trust myself more. I don’t let fear make my decisions for me anymore.
Maybe that’s what hiking alone really teaches you.
Not how to become fearless but how to believe in yourself enough to keep going even when you’re scared.
If you’ve been wanting to go hiking or backpacking alone but keep feeling stuck waiting until you feel “ready,” I created a free guide to help: The Solo Backpacking Readiness Check
Inside this free guide, you’ll learn why you feel stuck, what’s really holding you back and what to do next so you can start building confidence now instead of waiting for it to magically appear one day.
Want More Support Learning to Hike or Backpack Alone?
I also created my coaching program, The Confident Solo Female Backpacker System, for women who want step-by-step support learning how to hike and backpack solo safely and confidently.
Inside the program, I help women learn trip planning, backpacking skills, navigation, gear and safety mindset and confidence and how to actually trust themselves outdoors.
You’ll also get access to live coaching, a private women’s hiking community and opportunities to join me on group trips throughout the year.
Confidence Doesn’t Come Before You Start
One of the biggest misconceptions about confidence is believing it magically appears before you do the scary thing. But that’s not how confidence works.
Confidence is built AFTER you take action.
It’s built through experience. Through proving to yourself that you can handle hard things. Through figuring things out as you go. Through making mistakes, adjusting and continuing forward anyway. Through learning that you don’t have to do things perfectly to be capable.
That’s how self-trust is built outdoors.
Not by waiting until the fear disappears, but by learning how to move with it.
If you’re in that place right now of wanting to hike or backpack alone but not feeling “ready” yet, I just want you to know this:
You don’t have to feel ready to begin. You just have to be willing to start where you are.
For most women, hiking alone isn’t really about becoming fearless. It’s about slowly learning to trust yourself enough to take the next step and then the next one after that.
Sometimes it really is just one foot in front of the other.