The hiking trails in and around Tampa will bring hikers to the shores of beautiful lakes, through serene shaded forest paths, along the glimmering bay, and gorgeous coastal views. These fantastic trails attract a lot of interest from local hikers. Some of these hikers have formed Tampa hiking clubs and organizations in order to build a stronger hiking community.
Here is a list of the top 8 Tampa hiking groups that you should check out. These groups all have unique leadership and events. You will be able to meet a diverse group of hikers from different backgrounds with a lot of different hiking experiences. Use this list as a launching pad for your exploration of Tampa hiking groups.
- Suncoast Chapter – FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION – 3,820+ members
- Day Hikers Group – 2,960+ members
- Tampa Bay Outdoor Adventures (TBOA) – 2,270+ members
- Outdoor Afro – St. Petersburg-Tampa-Orlando – 1,150+ members
- Tampa Millennial Hiking Crew – 450+ members
- Trail Dames of Central Florida – 440+ members
- Tampa Weekend Warriors Camping Meetup Group – 390+ members
- TOTs: Tampa Outdoor Toddlers (0-5 yrs) – 310+ members
Suncoast Chapter – FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Tampa, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Suncoast-Florida-Trail-Hiking/
Description: Suncoast Chapter – FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION is a community that loves to get outdoors by hiking, backpacking, paddling, and volunteer trail maintenance. Joining this meet-up does not constitute joining the Florida Trail Association. This group has hosted 1,250+ events in the past and one event each week.
Day Hikers Group
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Tampa, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Weekend-Hikers-Group/
Description: Day Hikers Group is a group to show up and have fun on day hikes with the group. They do hikes that range from 4 miles to 9 miles. This group has hosted over 25+ events in the past and typically has one or two events each month.
Tampa Bay Outdoor Adventures (TBOA)
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Clearwater, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Tampa-Bay-Outdoor-Adventures/
Description: Tampa Bay Outdoor Adventures (TBOA) is for those looking to expand your social circle with fun folks. This is a group who loves to enrich their social life, enjoy outdoor activities, and meet new friends. They organize events such as hiking, kayaking, biking, watching sports, happy hours, and more. Their ages range between 25 and 48. This group has hosted over 950+ events in the past and typically have one or two events each month.
Outdoor Afro – St. Petersburg-Tampa-Orlando
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Tampa, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Outdoor-Afro-Saint-Petersburg-Tampa-Orlando/
Description: Outdoor Afro – St. Petersburg-Tampa-Orlando is a community that reconnects African-Americans with natural spaces and one another through outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, biking, birding, fishing, and more. This group has hosted over 100+ events in the past and typically has two or three events each month.
Tampa Millennial Hiking Crew
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Tampa, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/tampa-millennial-hiking-crew/
Description: Tampa Millennial Hiking Crew is a group to pull together a local gang of nature lovers for hiking, camping, kayaking, and more. This group has hosted 5+ events in the past and typically has one event every few months.
Trail Dames of Central Florida
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Tampa, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Trail-Dames-of-Central-Florida/
Description: Trail Dames of Central Florida is a hiking club for women of curvy nature, however they welcome all women. This is a group of women who are looking for a chance to get out and see the beauty that the world has to offer. They prefer to hike slowly to enjoy every second. This group has hosted over 40+ events in the past and typically has one event every few months.
Tampa Weekend Warriors Camping Meetup Group
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Tampa, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/tampa-weekend-warriors-camping-meetup-group/
Description: Tampa Weekend Warriors Camping Meetup Group is for those who enjoy caming as a group. You can enjoy making new friends that enjoy cooking, games, water sports, hiking, biking, and more. This group has hosted 4+ events in the past and typically hosts one event every few months.
TOTs: Tampa Outdoor Toddlers (0-5 yrs)
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Tampa, FL
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Tampa-Outdoor-Toddlers-0-5-yrs/
Description: TOTs: Tampa Outdoor Toddlers (0-5 yrs) is a group for new and relatively new parents that are passionate about the outdoors and who want to get their children excited about being active outside from a young age. They welcome families with kids between 0 and 5 years old. This group has hosted over 15+ events in the past and typically has one or two events each month.
Why should you join a hiking group?
Trail Discovery
Joining a hiking group will lead you to meet other local hikers and going on more hikes, but there are other great benefits of joining a Tampa hiking group. The first benefit is that you will likely discover new hiking trails. The groups will be diverse in where they plan their hikes from local urban hikes to out-of-state hikes. This will give you exposure to new hiking areas with the hiking group. You will also be able to discover local hidden gems that are not documented online.
Building a Habit
The next benefit of joining a local hiking group is that you can work on building a consistent hiking habit. If you are training for a tougher hike or looking to work on your fitness through hiking then joining a group can definitely help with that. There are groups that host events weekly and there are likely events throughout the week from various groups. This can help you hike more often and hike with a support group.
No Research Required
The next and one of my most favorite benefits is that you won’t have to do any research for the hikes. The group leader will plan and research the trail distance, elevation gain, difficulty, and more. If you are used to planning all of your hikes and figuring out all of the logistics then this is a much-needed break. Now all you need to do is pick the hike that sounds the most intriguing and just show-up!
3 things to consider when joining a hiking group
Required Experience
You might be tempted to attend your first event right away, but there are three things to consider before you go to your first event. The first thing you should think about is what the expected experience level is. Some groups will welcome all skill levels, while others will cater to either beginner hikers or more advanced hikers. Find a group that matches your current experience and start branching out from there.
Pacing
The next thing to look into is what the group’s preferred hiking pace is. If you have ever hiked in a group and you felt like you had to constantly slow down or you were playing catch-up then you know how important being in sync is. You can look at the group’s description and the hiking description to see what pace they will be hiking at. There are groups that prefer to hike at a leisurely pace and some that prefer at a fast-paced training hike. You can join both groups to mix it up and enjoy some hikes slowly and work on stamina and fitness on other hikes.
Attendance
The last thing you want to look into is the average attendance per event. While some groups have large membership numbers, that number can be deceiving. There are groups that have been around for more than a decade and most of their members are now inactive. To figure out how many people are actually attending the hiking events, you can look at the most recent past events and see what the average is. This is a great way if you want to find a smaller group to hike with or a large group.
Summary
As a hiker from Tampa you will encounter trails by the bay, around lovely lakes, through tranquil forest paths, and to stunning views of the coast. These sights and sounds are wonderful but are made into lasting memories when shared with the hikers you will meet from these Tampa hiking groups.
The list above is only just the beginning. As you go on more hikes and gain more experience your hiking interests will likely change. As your interests evolve you can start to explore other hiking groups that align with your changing interests. Enjoy your hikes with the Tampa hiking clubs and organizations!
