A hiking and mountain biking community for wherever you hike, with our most active community in Southern California. Discover group adventures, find trail buddies who actually show up, and never hit the trail alone again.
Verified trail guides for 43 regions, from Southern California across the Rockies to New England, plus Anchorage and Honolulu. Browse the trail guides.
Group hikes are scattered across Facebook groups and Meetup pages. Permit hikes fill up before you can find anyone to go with. Most apps optimize for likes, not lacing up your boots.
Facebook groups are noisy. Meetup feels corporate. There's no place built specifically for hikers and riders to find each other.
Mt. Whitney. Half Dome. Mt. San Jacinto in summer. By the time you find a group with an open spot, the permit window's already closed.
Hiking alone limits where you can go and when. The right people make harder trails accessible — and remote ones safer.
No infinite scroll. No vanity metrics. Just the tools you need to find trails, find people, and get out the door.
Browse upcoming events filtered by distance, date, activity, and difficulty. See who's hosting, who's going, and exactly where the trailhead is.
Every trailhead is verified — no estimated coordinates, no guessing where to park. From Baldwin Hills to Big Bear, find the trail before you find the people.
Launch from a trail in the library or pick your own route. Set the date, difficulty, group size, and you're live. Mates RSVP, you get a heads-up the night before.
Tag your event Easy, Moderate, Intermediate, or Expert so people show up matched to the trail. No surprises at the trailhead.
Add Mates after a great hike. Get matched with Trail Buddies based on your pace, your preferences, and the trails you actually want to do.
Set your activity, your gender preference (Women only? Non-binary friendly? Up to you), and the difficulty + distance range you actually want. We'll surface buddies who fit.
Download from the App Store or Google Play, set your profile, and tell us your skill level.
Find a group hike near you, or post your own from the trail library.
Lock in your spot. Ask questions in the event group chat, see who else is coming.
Show up, hike or ride, add your new mates afterward.
Public, private, and women-only events with built-in RSVPs and group chat.
Built specifically for hikes that require permits. Joins fill in order, host stays in control.
Auto-suggested buddies based on activity, skill, gender preference, and trail style.
Every event has its own group chat. Coordinate carpools, gear, and meetup details with your group — no DMs from strangers, ever.
Profile flagging, community-visible safety records, and zero tolerance for harassment.
Push alerts for new events, mate requests, and reminders the night before. No spam.
I built TrailMates because I was tired of scrolling Facebook groups looking for someone to hike with, and missing permit hikes because I couldn't find a group in time.
I hike SoCal trails. You might hike somewhere else entirely. Either way, I made a better way to find people who actually show up.
No VC, no growth team, no algorithm. Just one solo founder building a tool for our community.
If something's broken, email me: support@trailmatesapp.com. I read every message.
Long-form guides on finding hiking partners, joining hiking clubs, trail safety, and the craft of moving well in the mountains.
The best hiking buddy apps and group hiking apps, compared honestly: Meetup, AllTrails, Hiking Project and TrailMates, including where our own app falls short.
Finding a hiking partner over 40 in SoCal means matching pace, schedule, and goals — not just location. Here's where to look and what actually works.
Hiking etiquette with a new partner goes beyond yielding on switchbacks. Learn the unwritten social rules of pace, breaks, and conversation on the trail.
Hiking with strangers: honest safety advice for SoCal trails. Learn the real risks, smart vetting steps, and when it's genuinely fine to say yes.
Want to find a hiking buddy in Southern California? Real tactics SoCal hikers use to meet trail partners in LA, San Diego, the Inland Empire, and beyond.
Find a hiking partner as a woman in SoCal without compromising safety or adventure. Real strategies, red flags to watch, and tools that actually work.
How to find a hiking partner on Reddit the right way — best subreddits, post templates, red flags, and SoCal-specific tips that actually get responses.
Solo hiking vs group hiking in SoCal — neither wins outright. Find out which style fits your personality, goals, and the trail you're actually planning to hike.
Wondering what to talk about while hiking with someone new? This guide covers real conversation topics, when to go quiet, and how to read your trail partner.
Beginner hiking groups in Southern California are more welcoming than you think. Here's how to find your first group and actually enjoy it.
Hiking clubs Los Angeles: discover how LA's massive trail community connects thousands of hikers across Griffith Park, the Santa Monicas, and beyond.
Hiking clubs San Diego has to offer span coastal bluffs, chaparral ridges, and desert canyons. Find your trail community and start exploring all three.
Hiking clubs in Southern California are booming post-pandemic. Find your trail community, from San Gabriel Mountains groups to Cleveland National Forest crews.
Hiking clubs in the Inland Empire connect you to Cucamonga Peak, San Gorgonio, and beyond. Find your trail community in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Hiking groups in Rancho Cucamonga connect you to Cucamonga Peak, Etiwanda Falls, and the San Gabriels. Find your trail community right from the IE.
Find hiking meetups in Southern California beyond Meetup.com. Real sources SoCal hikers use to discover weekend trail events near you.
How to start a hiking group in SoCal — the logistics most guides skip: liability, pace splits, no-shows, and sweep leaders covered.
Hiking clubs for solo hikers aren't a contradiction — they're a strategy. Here's why joining a group makes you a better, safer, more independent hiker in SoCal.
Women's hiking groups in Southern California offer safety, community, and confidence on the trail. Find your crew, hike smarter, and explore SoCal together.
Discover the best beginner hiking trails Inland Empire has to offer — with honest difficulty breakdowns so you know exactly what you're getting into.
Best sunrise hikes Southern California: real timing windows, parking logistics, and trail picks that make the early alarm worth it for SoCal hikers.
Dog-friendly hiking in Southern California: best trails, gear tips, and the wilderness areas where your dog is NOT allowed — the detail most guides skip.
A hiking gear checklist for beginners that cuts the fluff — what you actually need on SoCal trails, what to skip, and why less gear means more fun.
Hiking in extreme heat in Southern California can turn deadly fast. Learn the heat-injury threshold most hikers ignore and when to stay off the trail.
Hiking safety tips for Southern California covering heat, wildfires, mountain lions, and cliffs. Real hazards, real trails, practical advice for SoCal hikers.
How to train for hiking as a beginner — build real elevation fitness, not just cardio. A practical SoCal guide that gets you to Cucamonga Peak and beyond.
Solo hiking safety tips for women who want confidence on the trail, not just a fear checklist. Real SoCal-tested advice for hiking alone safely.
Trail permits in Southern California explained for 2025 — where you need them, how to get them, and how to join hikers who already have one.
Lost on a trail? The first 30 minutes are critical. This step-by-step guide covers exactly what to do if you get lost on a trail in SoCal.
Meeting strangers on a trail takes trust. We've baked safety into the platform so it's not an afterthought.
Events don't activate until three people RSVP. No one shows up to a trailhead alone expecting a group.
Every reported profile or photo is reviewed within 24 hours. No exceptions, no automation hiding behind it.
Profile flags are community-visible. Zero-tolerance conduct policy. Your safety is part of the product, not the fine print.
TrailMates is on the App Store and Google Play. Download it free, join a group hike near you, and find your first trail buddy this weekend.
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