Why Hiking Clubs Are Quietly Becoming the New Third Place to Make Friends and Feel Connected

Loneliness has become the defining social problem of the decade, and Americans are answering with their feet. Hiking clubs are exploding in popularity in 2026, growing at nearly twice the rate of run clubs and drawing in a generation of remote workers, sober-curious 20-somethings and burned-out daters looking for something real.

Gen Z has been branded the loneliest generation, but the response has been to build new kinds of community offline. Book clubs are back. Run clubs fill city streets on weekend mornings. Now hiking clubs are becoming the next frontier, and the numbers back it up.

What the data says about hiking clubs

Strava’s end-of-year report, drawing on data from more than 180 million users and a survey of 30,000 users and non-users, found that hiking clubs grew sixfold in 2025. That is nearly double the growth rate of run clubs.

The AllTrails 2025 Impact Report shows the platform added 20% more users, pushing its base to 90 million accounts. Many of those users are searching for trails more than 200 miles from home, treating hikes as destination trips.

“So we know that people are using us for planning travel and then for navigating and exploring National Parks and other destinations,” Carly Smith, chief marketing officer of AllTrails, told Business Insider.

Why hiking clubs are replacing bars and running groups

Running clubs remain popular, but hiking and walking have a practical advantage. They deliver similar health benefits and social payoff without requiring the stamina or pricey gear. Anyone with sneakers and a water bottle can start.

The bigger driver is remote work. Without office friendships or built-in coworker lunches, many people are hitting adulthood without a ready-made community.

“There are more people working remotely than there were in the past. Hiking clubs in particular can give people a good sense of community in ways that maybe they aren’t finding in other parts of their life,” Smith told Business Insider.

The shift away from drinking is compounding the trend. Bank of America economists analyzed aggregate credit and debit card spending from 70 million consumer and small-business accounts. Gen Z spending on fitness categories grew roughly 9%, compared to less than 4% growth in bar spending. Sales at liquor, wine and beer stores are sliding.

“Younger Americans are really driving this movement that we’re calling ‘The Great Moderation,’” Joe Wadford, an economist at the Bank of America Institute, told USA TODAY.

The personal story behind the trend

For many members, hiking clubs are less about fitness and more about survival tools for a lonely stretch of life. Jeb Jagne, who started a hiking group after friends moved away, told Refinery29 that unsociable work hours as a florist made building friendships hard.

“What started as something I really needed in order to add structure to my routine has now become other people’s structure. It’s become that anchor. It now exists for other people,” Jagne said.

Jagne also pushed back on the assumption that outdoor clubs are only for older, white hikers. “Whenever I would tell people what I was doing, their first thought when they hear ‘walking group’ is 80 year olds, right? But young people want to get outdoors, and as a queer person of colour I never see myself represented in the outdoors,” Jagne told Refinery29.

How hiking clubs became a dating scene

Single people fed up with swiping are also turning to trails to meet potential partners. The setup, side by side rather than face to face, takes the pressure off.

“A hike gives singles the opportunity to connect and talk in a way that isn’t threatening. Having a common goal of meeting and spending time outside, all while getting to know each other, allows people to open up more naturally,” Robi Ludwig, a New York City psychotherapist, told the New York Post.

Ludwig said even a hike that does not spark romance is a win. “Either way, you’re being brought into a whole new community. When you’re single, you want to widen your circles as much as you can. You may be surprised to see what this does for you,” Ludwig said.