A Thru-hiker's Guide to Hitchhiking
Learn how to hitch hike with these 42 tips from thru hikers
August 7, 2023
Hitch hiking is often the only way that thru-hikers can get from the trailhead to the closest town to get food and a shower.
When people ask me about thru hiking, the three most common questions I get are:
Do you carry a gun (no);
How do you afford to take 6 months off to hike (I'm writing an article about that right now); and
Is there any part of thru hiking that you DON'T like?
My answer to #3 is – hitchhiking. For me, it's right up there with going to the dentist. I really, REALLY don't want to do it, but sometimes I just have to.
Hitchhiking is a common way thru-hikers get from the trailhead to town to get food and resupply. Most trailheads don't have options for public transport and you won't be able to call a taxi driver to come out to most trailheads, so hitchhiking is the most common way for hikers to get to town.
Over the years, I've learned that there's definitely an art to hitchhiking. I've learned from my mistakes and picked up tips from other thru hikers as well.
After figuring all this out, I've realized that hitchhiking is a little like hiking in the rain – it's never as bad as you think it's going to be. Sometimes it's actually fun! In fact, I've been known to hitchhike even when I'm not thru hiking!
These are tips for thru-hikers who are hitchhiking that have worked along long trails in North America, New Zealand, South America, and beyond.
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Wearing bright colored clothes can ensure you are visible to cars as you hitchhike.
Get Prepped
Before you even stick your thumb out, there are a few things you can do to prepare for hitchhiking:
Clean yourself up
Not everyone is ready for that unique odor that a lot of thru-hikers emit, so it's best to clean up as best you can. Looking clean-ish probably increases your chances of getting picked up too.
Use hand sanitizer or wet wipes on your armpits
Use your bandana to wipe the dirt off your face
Put on your "clean" sleep shirt, if you have one (it probably smells less)
Take off your sunglasses. You need to make eye contact with drivers.
If you have bright clothing, put it on to increase the chances of being seen and decrease the chances of being hit
2. Prep your pack
The less stuff you have lying around or hanging off your backpack, the better your chances of being picked up. Also, I know SO MANY hikers who have left their trekking poles in the back of the car (including me).
Here's how to get your pack ready for hitchhiking:
Collapse your hiking poles and put them in your side pockets
Put your pee rag inside your pack
Make sure everything is secure so it won't come loose during the drive
3. Prep your critical gear
If you end up having to bail and leave your pack in the trunk of the car, it's critical that you have a way to make a phone call and a way to pay. I've never met a hiker who had to leave their pack, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I, personally, have asked to end a hitch early. I saw a grocery store on the road ahead, and I asked to be let out there.
Put your wallet and phone in a zippered pocket somewhere on your body. If you don't have a zippered pocket, put it in the deepest, most secure pocket you have. People who wear bras, you can store your wallet there.
Turn on your satellite messenger and start tracking. Put it in a zippered pocket somewhere on your body.
Pull out a few dollars if you want to offer gas money.
Wolf Creek Pass on the CDT in Colorado has a large parking area and is a popular place for thru-hikers to hitch.
Choose a Good Spot
Where the trail crosses the road is not always the best spot to hitchhike. Here are tips to find the best places for hitchhiking.
4. Figure out where you're going
When you get to a road, it's not always obvious which way town is and how to get there. When hitchhiking on smaller roads, you may need to take multiple hitches to get to the closest town. Check the FarOut app, and make sure you know which side of the road to stand on. If there isn't an app, use Google Maps or Gaia GPS.
5. Stand on the correct side of the road
Generally, stand on the side of the road that driver drives on to get to the town you want to go (i.e. the right side of the road in North America and South America, left side of the road in the UK, South Africa, and New Zealand).
Look for a wide shoulder with lots of space to pull over.
6. Look for a wide shoulder
Drivers won't pick you up if there's no place to safely pull over. You need to be in the right place for drivers to see you and react. At a minimum, look for a wide shoulder. A pull-out, parking lot, rest stop, or even gas station will have plenty of room for drivers.
7. Give drivers enough time
Give the drivers LOTS of time to see you before they have to pull over. As someone who now also picks up hitchhikers, I need time to assess before I decide whether to stop. If they can't see you until the moment they need to pull over, it isn't enough time. It's rare, but drivers will sometimes turn around to come back and pick you up, but it's best to give them enough time to decide on their first pass through.
8. Keep your group small
If you're hiking with a tramily (a trail family), the more people you have in your group, the harder it will be to get a ride. So if the driver sees 3 people, and they only have room for 2, they probably won't stop. It's probably best to hitchhike in shifts if you're with a large group. You can always have 2 people hitch hike and if a car stops, ask if they have room for more.
9. Don't hitchhike at night
Hitchhiking at night is extremely dangerous. Don't do it. Most drivers won't pick you up anyways, so it's better to camp a few miles from the road and start hitching in the morning. Even hitchhiking at dusk is marginal.
Many trails have some sections with road walks that you may actually want to walk. If you stick out your thumb, drivers will know you want a ride.
Stick out your thumb
10. Stand, don't sit.
I know it's the LAST thing you want to be doing after a long day of hiking, but standing while you hitchhike increases your odds immensely.
11. Make eye contact with drivers
Take your sunglasses off and try to make eye contact with the driver (just the right amount – don't have a stare-off). Many people find removing hats (which can make it hard to see eyes) also helps increase your chances of getting picked up.
12. Smile!
Looking friendly always helps your odds while hitchhiking.
13. Point your thumb in the direction you want to go
This is important, especially if you are hitchhiking at an intersection.
Thru-hikers waiting for a ride on the CDT.
Someone stopped, now what?
14. Jog to their car
You might need to walk a bit to get to the spot where they've stopped. Jog, don't walk, and show them that their time is important.
15. Tell them your destination
Don't immediately open the door and jump in the car! Tell them your destination, and don't open the door until they've offered you a ride.
16. Listen to your inner voice
If you feel like something is off, it probably is. Listen to that inner voice. That voice is there for a reason. Kindly decline the ride. You can even use the excuse of – I just got a text from my friend, who's already on their way to pick me up.
17. Take a license plate photo
Be subtle about it, but as you're putting your pack in the back of the car, take a photo of the license plate with your phone. If you can, discreetly text it to someone at home who understands why you're sending it to them with no context.
Thru-hikers getting onto a bus that stopped for them as they tried to hitch hike.
18. Sit in the front seat
If the front seat is open, you or someone in your group should sit in it.
19. Make conversation!
You never know – this could be the first time this person has picked up a hitchhiker. Try to make it a nice hitchhiking experience for both of you. If they're locals, they may drive this stretch of road often, so future thru hikers will thank you!
One of the most amazing coincidences I've ever experienced was during a hitchhike. My husband and I were coming into Sierra City on the Pacific Crest Trail and said hello to some day hikers who were on their way up. We got to the trailhead, no one was around, and there was no traffic, so we started walking. A few minutes later, those same day hikers drove up and offered us a ride, and we weren't even hitchhiking!
They asked where we were from and we said Portland. The woman said, "my sister is on a huge road trip right now, going to different yoga centers on the west coast to find where she wants to open her own yoga studio. She's in Portland right now taking a yoga class."
I said, "Wow, my sister is a yoga teacher in Portland. Do you know which studio your sister is at?"
She said, "I think it's Sunset Yoga or something like that."
I said, "That's my sister's yoga studio!"
So at that exact moment, when this woman had picked me up and given me a ride, her sister was taking a yoga class from my sister. It still kinda gives me chills. Her sister ended up opening a yoga studio in Portland, and my sister is still a yoga teacher and has also written for Treeline (yoga for hikers, yoga for skiers, and best yoga mats)!
Tips for LGBTQIA+
20. Hitchhiking as an LGBTQIA+ person
Hitchhiking as an LGBTQIA+ person may carry additional risks. We encourage LGBTQIA+ hikers to maintain situational awareness and listen to their inner voice. If a situation seems even just a little bit off, it probably is. Read our more extensive discussion about thru hiking as an LGBTQIA+ person.
Hitch hiking doesn’t have to be a scary experience.
Other tips
21. Be friendly with day hikers
There are trailheads at some road crossings, so you will likely see dayhikers coming up the trail as you're coming down. Say hello, chat them up. They're often the best source of rides. If these conversations go well, you may not even have to tackle hitchhiking the traditional way with your thumb.
22. Make a sign
Signs are especially helpful when you're leaving town. Write your destination in large bold letters so drivers know where you're headed. Use a thick pen like a Sharpie. The driver needs to be able to see the words from far away.
23. Have a female in your group
I know it isn't fair, but it's easier to get a ride if at least one person in your group is a female. The big beards that a lot of male thru hikers grow during a hike don't always help the hitchhiking situation!
24. Is it safe for women to hitchhike alone?
I've hitchhiked alone as a cisgender woman and accepted rides from single men. I've also picked up single male hitchhikers when I was the driver and alone. I'll admit, it's scary. I'd much rather hitchhike with other people. If you know you'll be hitchhiking alone, you can always bring a small canister of mace pepper spray that you can keep in your pocket. Having a small line of defense might just be enough. And it can also provide you with some peace of mind. I also strongly advise sending out a text message before you start hitchhiking to your contact at home (either on your phone or satellite messenger) and start tracking on your satellite messenger. See our guides on How to Camp Solo and How to Hike Solo for other recommendations on body posturing and using your words and tone to protect yourself.
25. Should you offer to pay?
It depends! I'd say you need to read the situation. In some cases, it may just make it awkward. In desperate situations (think 10+ hours to get a hitch), I've known some hikers who wave 20-dollar bills to get picked up – and it worked. At the end of the ride, I almost always offer a few bucks for gas – and most drivers decline.
26. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe
If it reaches a point where you feel like you need to bail out, just do it. I've known hikers who've been close to that point (as in, they actually thought about jumping out of a moving car), but ultimately didn't have to. Make an excuse, say you forgot something, just get yourself out. Ask to get out at the next grocery store you see. Don't second-guess your instincts here.
27. Make sure it's legal
Hitchhiking is legal in 44 of the 50 United States (one surprising one is New York). In other countries, there may be other restrictions (e.g., it's illegal on the German Autobahn and some highways in Canada). It may also be illegal to hitchhike in national parks. Make sure it's legal where you are or know the risks.
In some states, it may be legal for thru-hikers to ride in the back of vehicles.
42. Red flags
Do not get in the car if:
You smell alcohol on the driver's (or passenger's) breath
If you see empty alcohol cans or bottles
You suspect the driver may be high
They immediately ask you for money
Your instincts tell you not to
There are items in the car that make you uncomfortable
It's always a good idea to use common sense and err on the side of caution.
Some locals love to pick up thru-hikers that are hitchhiking to town.
A happy hitch hiking experience
To end this on a positive note, I have one more true hitchhiking story.
The first time my husband hiked the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) was in 2010. He and his hiking partner were hitchhiking out of Helena, MT, back to the trail – a notoriously hard hitch at the time because it's a busy highway in a fairly large town.
Finally, a single woman picked them up and dropped them at the trailhead.
Fast forward 2 years, and my husband and I are hiking the CDT together in 2012. We're hitchhiking out of Helena, MT. A single woman picks us up. We get to chatting and she tells us how she's been picking up thru hikers for the past 2 years after she picked up 2 hikers in 2010 and how nice they were.
It turns out that it was the same woman! Based on how nice my husband and his hiking partner were, she continued to pick up hikers and drop them at the trailhead – including us. She had no idea what the CDT was before 2010.
The moral of this story – always make conversation, tell the driver what you're up to, and be nice!
Naomi Hudetz is a thru-hiker and co-founder of Treeline Review.
About the Author
Naomi Hudetz is a thru-hiker and co-founder of Treeline Review. Naomi left her corporate career to pursue her passion for the outdoors. She received the Triple Crown award for completing the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trail and has hiked numerous other distance routes, including the Great Divide Trail across the Canadian Rockies (twice), Grand Enchantment Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, the Arizona Trail, (most of) the Idaho Centennial Trail, the first known thru-hike of the Blue Mountains Trail, and the Oregon Desert Trail. She's hitchhiked on most of those trails.
She is the former Treasurer of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West and is based in White Salmon, Washington.
For this guide, we talked to thru-hikers who have hitchhiked from long trails in North America to the North Island and South island of New Zealand
You can read Naomi’s Treeline Review stories on her author page.
