Trail Etiquette: Right of Way, Dogs, Drones, and Music

Who yields on the trail, what National Park Service guidance says about dogs, drones, and noise from your phone, and why the rules change from park to park.

By TrailsPals · Source-based guide. How we prepare our guides · Suggest a correction

Trail etiquette is mostly one idea applied over and over: the trail is shared, and the person who can step aside most easily does. The details change with the park, the trail, and who you meet. The National Park Service publishes the common baseline, and this post sticks to it.

Local rules always win. A sign at the trailhead or a park's own website overrides anything general, including this post.

Who has the right of way on a hiking trail?

Uphill hikers do. The NPS hiking etiquette page says plainly, "Hikers coming uphill have the right of way," and that descending hikers should step aside. Bicyclists yield to hikers and to horses or other pack stock. Hikers yield to horses.

The order, then, is horses first, hikers second, bikes last, with uphill beating downhill among hikers. Where a trail has its own posted rule, follow the sign.

How do you yield to horses?

Slowly and calmly. NPS advises you to "slowly and calmly step off to the downhill side of a trail," and if you come up behind riders, to announce yourself calmly rather than appearing suddenly. The same page asks that you not step off trail unless you absolutely must when yielding, since trampling vegetation off the edge causes damage of its own.

How do you pass someone on a trail?

Announce yourself. NPS suggests approaching from behind in "a friendly, calm tone" and letting the person know you want to pass. Wait for them to make room rather than squeezing by, and thank them.

Are dogs allowed on hiking trails?

Often not in national parks, so check first. NPS's hiking with pets guidance notes that "many parks do not allow pets on hiking trails or boardwalks," and that parks which do welcome pets have rules to follow. Surrounding national forest or other public land may have different rules, so look at that land's own page.

Where dogs are allowed, the NPS basics are to keep your dog on a 6 foot leash, pick up after it and dispose of the waste, and keep it away from wildlife. It also suggests making sure your dog is used to seeing other people and dogs, and watching for aggressive behavior. A leash is also what lets you yield quickly when someone approaches.

Can you fly a drone on a hike?

Not in a national park. The NPS uncrewed aircraft page says a 2014 policy memo directed superintendents to prohibit the launching, landing, or operation of unmanned aircraft on NPS-administered lands and waters, citing visitor safety, noise, and harassment of wildlife. It lists limited exceptions, such as official park use or a permit from the superintendent, and says a violation is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

That covers national parks. State parks, national forests, and other land have their own rules, so look them up before packing a drone. Don't assume that being allowed elsewhere means allowed here.

Is it okay to play music on the trail?

NPS's etiquette page doesn't address speakers or headphones by name. It does ask visitors to "keep the noise from electronic devices at bay," so the quiet is there for other hikers and wildlife. The simple reading is to use earbuds, or leave the speaker in the car.

One safety note of our own: if you wear headphones, keep one ear free or the volume low enough to hear someone call out "on your left" or a rider approaching, since yielding depends on hearing them.

What other trail manners matter?

Keep your distance from wildlife, which NPS asks of every visitor and some parks set a required minimum distance. Leave rocks, plants, and artifacts where you find them. Carry out what you carry in. Our upcoming post on Leave No Trace will cover that in more depth.

Does your phone affect trail etiquette?

It can. Sound is the obvious one, but recording matters too. A tracking app running in the background doesn't make noise, and how to record a hiking route explains how to keep a track going without staring at the screen. Look up at the people you pass, not at the display.

If you hike with someone waiting for you, the hiking safety app page explains how TrailsPals handles an expected return time, and live location sharing covers what a person following along can and can't see. Sharing depends on signal and power, so it supplements a plan, not replaces one. The day-hike safety checklist covers the rest.

Etiquette comes down to a few habits: yield uphill, step aside for horses, announce yourself, leash your dog where dogs are allowed, leave the drone at home in a national park, and keep your noise to yourself.