Is Hiking a Sport? No, Here's Why

Some people ask if hiking is a sport. To me, the answer is no, but I can understand why some people might ask this question. After all, there are other similar sports like mountain biking and fishing, so why are those considered sports and hiking not? To understand if hiking is considered a sport, we need to take a look into what a sport is.

Is hiking considered a sport? No, Hiking is not considered a sport. Sports must have rules and regulations by a governing body and have competitive events. Hiking lacks these elements to be considered a sport. Hiking, however, can be competitive and incorporated into races.

Why Hiking Is Not a Sport

So if we look up what sports are, we will get slightly different answers. Most of them say what is similar to this:

an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

Definition of "sport" from Dictionary.com

I find this definition to be a bit generic. I think to better define a sport, it must have two requirements:

• Rules and regulations by a governing body
• Competitive events

By looking at this definition alone, you could say that hiking is not a sport because it lacks competition. This makes hiking more of a hobby or activity rather than a sport.

But wait, there is some competition when it comes to hiking. There are hiking records such as the fastest time hiking the Appalachian Trail and various other records like the fastest time hiking NH's 48. Some may argue that you can even compete against yourself.

I think the difference here is that these are simply records. There are records for lots of things that aren't considered sports. Just take a look through the Guinness World Records. You'll find lots of crazy records like farthest distance walking on legos, which definitely isn't a sport.

But what about sports like mountain biking and fishing? I can do those things without competing. Why are those considered sports and hiking not? With those activities, if you do them outside of a formal competitive event, it wouldn't be considered a sport either, but rather a hobby.

Hiking Races and Competitions

While hiking isn't a sport, there are similar events that are sports. Trail running, adventure racing, and geocaching can be considered sports. There are many events held around the world for these activities and they are sometimes televised.

I think though, hiking by definition, is not competitive. Hiking is about getting away from the busy city and out into nature's wonders. It's about working the body and resetting the mind. There are many reasons why people hike - for the views, the health, and the community.

Competition in hiking isn't a big priority and the moment it does become one, it would probably turn into something else like trail running or adventure racing.

As someone who has done multiday adventure races (check out my About Page), I do like the idea of turning hiking into a sport. I can imagine some type of multiday race where races must carry their own food, supplies, and shelters along a specified route. Some events might have already been tried somewhere.

What do you think? Should hiking be a sport or not?

Other articles that might interest you:

• Hiking vs Walking - Differences and Benefits
• How to Hike in Yoga Pants
• Yoga Mat as a Sleeping Pad - Can It Work?
• How to Cowboy Camp the Right Way

What Actually Defines a Sport?

Most sports governing bodies — the International Olympic Committee, SportAccord, the Council of Europe — use a roughly similar checklist. A sport needs:

• Physical exertion as a primary component.
• Defined rules that govern the activity.
• Competition between individuals or teams.
• Skill that improves with practice and can be measured.
• Organisation — a recognised body, standings, events.
• Fairness and safety rules enforceable by a referee or judge.

Hiking ticks two of those boxes — physical exertion and skill. It misses the other four, which is why almost every formal definition calls it a recreation or an outdoor activity, not a sport.

Hiking vs the Sporting Cousins It's Confused With

A lot of the "hiking is a sport" argument comes from lumping it together with activities that genuinely are sports:

• Trail running — a real sport. Organised race circuits (UTMB, Western States), official rankings, regulated trails, timed competition.
• Orienteering — a real sport. Governed by the International Orienteering Federation, with world championships. You're hiking/running a set course against a clock with map navigation points.
• Mountaineering — partially a sport. Competitive climbing is an Olympic event; Himalayan expeditions are not.
• Fastpacking and thru-hiking speed records — in the grey area. Records exist (Pacific Crest Trail FKT, Appalachian Trail FKT), there are rules, but no formal governing body, so it's more "competitive recreation" than sport.
• Nordic walking — also a sport in Europe. INWA-sanctioned events exist with technique judging.

If you want the sport-version of hiking, those five activities are where it lives.

Is Hiking Exercise? (Yes, and Here's How Much)

The fact that hiking isn't a sport doesn't mean it isn't serious exercise. Average calorie burn on a moderate hike:

• Flat trail, no pack: ~300 kcal/hour for a 150 lb person (similar to a brisk walk).
• Rolling trail, day pack (15 lbs): ~430 kcal/hour.
• Steep hills, day pack: ~530 kcal/hour.
• Backpacking with a 35 lb pack on steep terrain: ~650–750 kcal/hour. Matches a slow jog.

Hiking also builds leg and core strength, improves cardiovascular health, and has documented benefits for stress and sleep quality. There's a reason hospitals in Japan prescribe "forest bathing" (shinrin-yoku) hikes as formal therapy. See our hiking vs walking breakdown for a deeper look at the calorie and cardiovascular math.

Is Hiking a Hobby, a Pastime, or a Lifestyle?

All three, depending on the person. Most people fall into one of these buckets:

• Casual hikers (maybe 2–3 times a year) — hiking is a pastime.
• Regular hikers (once a week to once a month) — hiking is a hobby.
• Thru-hikers, peak-baggers, fastpackers — hiking is a lifestyle, a serious physical discipline, and arguably a semi-professional pursuit for the small number of sponsored ultrarunners and trail athletes.

None of those definitions require calling it a sport to take it seriously.

Why the Distinction Actually Matters

This isn't just semantics. The "sport vs recreation" label affects real things:

• Liability and insurance. Organised sports carry different liability frameworks than unorganised recreation. Ski areas, rock gyms and sanctioned events use the sport framework; trails and backcountry do not.
• School funding. Sports get varsity budgets. Outdoor clubs run on shoestring funds because hiking isn't classified as a sport.
• Public perception. People underestimate the physical demands of a big hike because it's "just walking."
• Injury statistics. Hiking injuries are tracked as recreation injuries, not sports injuries. This affects research funding and public health messaging.

Is Hiking a Sport FAQ

Is hiking an Olympic sport?

No. Race-walking, marathon, trail running (introduced as an IAAF-sanctioned discipline but not yet Olympic), and sport climbing are all Olympic. Hiking as recreational walking on trails is not.

Is mountaineering a sport?

Parts of it. Competitive lead, bouldering and speed climbing are sports (and Olympic since Tokyo 2020). Expedition mountaineering on 8,000m peaks is technically an extreme sport but lacks a governing body or standard course.

Can hiking be competitive?

Yes — peak-bagging challenges (all 58 Colorado 14ers, all 46 Adirondack High Peaks), trail FKTs, and thru-hiking speed records make it competitive at the serious end. But there's no shared rulebook, so it's competitive against yourself or a record, not against other players in real time.

So what IS hiking, officially?

The cleanest label is outdoor recreation or physical activity. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks it as a leisure activity; the CDC tracks it as moderate-intensity physical activity. Neither calls it a sport.

Does calling hiking a hobby make it less legitimate?

Not at all — hobbies just don't have referees. A six-month Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike is a bigger physical achievement than most professional sports seasons. The label doesn't determine the difficulty.