Is hiking better than running has been a debate for many years as individuals try to determine which activity is better for their overall health.

Hiking and running are cardiovascular exercises that cause a spike in the heart rate. Both activities are great in boosting the performance of the heart and lungs and can also help you lose weight.

Overall, hiking is better than running because you can hike for longer, allowing you to burn more calories. It is a low-impact activity that does not cause strain on your bones and is better for individuals who are overweight, pregnant, or suffer from arthritis.

Hiking is also great for your cardiovascular health. It is a sustainable activity that you can do regardless of your age, size, or gender. Moreover, many people enjoy how versatile hiking can be.

As professional hikers and avid runners, we will help you determine which is better- hiking or running by providing you with both sides of the debate so that you can make a decision yourself.

Is Hiking Better than Running?

Hiking is a wonderful aerobic activity that does not discriminate as it allows anyone to join. One can hike in a local park or backcountry without feeling unsafe. Moreover, you do not need too much specialized equipment to start.

You can burn up to 650 calories by hiking for one-hour. Of course, this largely depends on other factors, such as the intensity of the hike, your weight, trail difficulty, and pack load. If you are looking to lose weight, you need to hike uphill.

Compared to running, hiking is a low-impact workout and does not leave one susceptible to too many injuries. Running, on the hand, is a rigorous workout that can burn up to 1350 calories per hour. However, this depends on intensity and body weight as well.

That being said, running is more dangerous, and many people find it boring compared to hiking.

Running vs. Hiking- Number of Calories Burned

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, running for an hour will burn more calories than hiking. However, it is easier to hike for longer, while running can really suck your energy. This means that with hiking, you would possibly burn more energy.

For instance, if a 175lb individual runs 10 miles every hour, they can burn approximately 840 calories. However, that same person is likely to hike for two hours, burning 1008 calories.

Running vs. Hiking- Cardiovascular Benefits

Cardiovascular workouts are those that can cause an increase in your heart rate. Do you know the feeling when your heart pounds so hard you think that people around you can hear it too? This is more likely to happen on the run than on a hike unless you are uphill and really challenging yourself. However, the question is, is hiking better than running?

A study was conducted by the American Heart Association in which 49,000 participants were looked at. It was found that hiking and running both had similar results in reducing the risks of developing a cardiovascular illness, high ‘bad’ cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Moreover, both these activities helped boost cardiovascular activity in the body.

In fact, another study conducted in 2018 by the Radboud Institute for Health Sciences in the Netherlands discovered that high intensity, high volume, and long-term running damaged the cardiovascular system. This means that if you overdo running, you will not reap any cardiovascular benefits. In fact, it will only damage your body.

However, if you do either of the things in moderation, you will be able to experience similar benefits.

Hiking vs. Running: How Both Affect Your Joints

Hiking is generally a low-pact activity. Unless you are trying to make your way across a stream, one foot always remains on the ground. Your footsteps keep you grounded, and you do not land heavily on your feet, even if you do not have good form. This goes to show that hiking is definitely easier on your joints.

However, running is a high-impact exercise. Every step you take takes you away from the ground, and hence, you hit the ground with a lot of force. This impacts the cartilage of the knee joints, which can later lead to arthritis as you grow older. However, a different school of thought believes that running helps strengthen your muscles, taking the strain off the joints, and the repeated movement keeps the synovial joints lubricated, and the hips, knees, and ankles.

That said, overweight individuals and those with injuries or arthritis will find that hiking is better for them. They will be able to hike for longer periods of time without damaging their body.

Hiking vs. Running- What Muscles are Used

When discussing which activity is better for your body, we have to look at the perks of physical fitness associated with hiking and running. This means understanding which muscles are used with each form of workout.

The truth is that hiking and running both help strengthen the leg muscles, such as the calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, and glutes. Moreover, both these activities strengthen the abdominal muscles, which help build your balance, so we cannot really choose which activity is better in terms of muscles used.

Hiking vs. Running: The Risk of Injury

Usually, there is always a risk of injury with high-impact sports. This means that running is riskier than hiking. The ClevelandClinic states that the most common injuries associated with running are Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. Both these are caused by repeated stress on the joints.

Of course, there is also a risk of injury when it comes to hiking. These usually include mild-but-annoying blisters, as well as some sprains and strains. However, there is no denying that the risk of injury is lower in hiking than in running.

Wearing the right kind of footwear and maintaining good form will help reduce the risk of injuries in both activities.

Even though not all runners experience injuries, many studies point to the fact that runners have a higher risk of injury than hikers and walkers, so in this case, we believe that hiking is definitely better than running, especially if you are a beginner.

Hiking vs. Running: Time Required for Each

Of course, hiking requires a longer amount of time than running. Hiking five miles will obviously take more time than running the same distance. This is because you will be moving slower.

Because of this, individuals with a packed schedule who only have an hour to spare during the day might prefer running over hiking. It allows them to get out of the house more regularly.

Hiking vs. Running: Accessibility

When it comes to accessibility, hiking is definitely better than walking. This is because hiking does not discriminate- anyone and everyone can hike at some level, whether it is a short forest walk or a longer hike that lasts the entire day.

On the other hand, running excludes individuals who are overweight, injured, pregnant, or suffering from heart conditions. This makes running less accessible to a large chunk of the population.

However, you can always build your resistance through hiking and slowly work your way to running if you enjoy the latter more.