Asian American Backpacker Liz Thomas Wants You to Try an Urban Hike

Urban art in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Gilbert Garcia.

First and foremost, Liz Thomas is a badass with the most beautiful smile and a heart of gold. She’s also a Triple Crown thru-hiker, the former women’s unsupported speed record holder on the Appalachian Trail, a Yale graduate with a degree in environmental science, an award-winning author, editor-in-chief at Treeline Review, and the first to traverse the Chinook Trail, a legendary 2000-plus mile trek in the Columbia River Gorge and Wasatch Range in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. And she wants you to try an urban hike. 

What’s an Urban Hike?

Liz in the Canadian Rockies. Photo by Naomi Hudetz.

Urban hiking is the belief that adventure is everywhere, even in the heart of the city. Many of us, myself included, are stuck in a routine, drawing circles in the place we live like zombies roaming from one familiar spot to the next. Urban hiking is an opportunity to try something new, by walking on a beaten path and feeling as if you’re on a road less traveled. When you urban hike, the rhythm of your life slows to a gentle pulse, the colors of the city burst to life, every face tells a story, and your perspective shifts. 

“Whether it’s a blade of grass growing out of a crack in the sidewalk or a beautiful garden, there’s a peace that can be found in nature if only we take the time to walk around and look,” Liz said. 

And that’s exactly what she did on her first long-distance urban hike, the Inman 300 in Los Angeles, California, a 230-mile expedition that forever changed her perception of outdoor exploration. 

“Urban hiking wasn’t even on my radar,” Liz recalled. “A stranger reached out to me through my website and pitched the route.”

That stranger was Andrew Lichtman, now a close friend, who introduced Liz to LA’s vibrant urban day-hiking scene. Together they hiked warm-up routes like Stairtrek and Tomato Pie, showing Liz that urban hiking could be just as physically demanding and breathtakingly gorgeous as hiking in the mountains. The Inman 300 became her treasure map, broken into sections, etched with the allure of stairways to heaven, local gems, and historical landmarks cloaked beneath moonlit skies and city lights. 

Yet amidst all this beauty, the truth could not be ignored. Despite the architectural marvels, aesthetic designs, or the thrill of discovery, city life is not the same for everyone. Along her journey, Liz began to ponder critical questions.

“Why is this street like this?” she asked. “Who has been privileged by this urban design? And what does it mean to be part of a community?” 

“LA, like many cities, has been deeply impacted by highways that split communities,” Liz added. “Seeing the city on foot helped me understand how everyone is connected, and though infrastructure may physically separate us, all inhabitants of a city have more in common than we realize.”

Liz’s reflection highlights the true beauty of urban hiking, the people. Take every human being out of a city and you’ll be left with an eerie silence, an apocalyptic world, desolation’s row. Pour back in human souls with their mosaic of culture and stories, and the heart of the city will beat again. It’s the people within the space, not the buildings themselves, that make all the difference. 

You may find yourself walking past restaurants overflowing with beautiful people, smiles everywhere, laughter in the air, tourists spellbound, and tea spilled. But don’t forget the wandering, the homeless, whose gaze is often unreturned. Even a slight nod can remind the Beat that they exist, that they’re still here, and that they, too, matter. 

Prepare for Your First Urban Hike.

Selma to Montgomery National Historic- Trail. Photo by Dave Mullins.

Simple! Pick a city, even your own, and start your research. 

“I spend a lot of time on Google Maps finding areas of interest that I'd like to connect by foot,” Liz said. “Sometimes that involves crowdsourcing places that I don't want to miss or reading a lot of books about the city’s history, people, and development.”

In other words, urban hiking is flexible. It’s a journey that’s yours and yours alone. Those “areas of interest” that Liz mentioned can be anything. You might hike to a different restaurant each day, visiting at odd hours to avoid long lines. Or perhaps you could swing by every museum, bookstore, and brewery in town? If you’re extra outdoorsy, walk to all the public parks and botanic gardens. Shoot, if you’re a film fanatic, maybe watch a movie in a different theater every other night? The possibilities are endless. 

By researching, you’ll know the general layout of the city, and therefore you can change course on a whim while still being guided by your north star (whatever that may be). Don’t be afraid to improvise. Be free, look around, and be part of the environment. 

“Oh yeah, and talk to as many local people as you can,” Liz added. 

For the introverts among us (like me), that may seem like a daunting task. But no worries! Remember, it’s your experience. Do as you wish. Maybe your urban hike was designed for you to be with yourself, reflect, and play the role of the observer. That’s perfectly fine. 

But Liz’s advice to talk to people is worth considering because you’re a gift unto others just as much as they’re a gift unto you. Should a conversation flow naturally, figure out what makes their city so special to them. If you’re feeling especially brave, start a conversation, hear their story, and share your own. Who knows? A single sentence can change a life. Maybe this time it’ll be yours (or theirs).  

Benefits of Urban Hiking.

NYC Playground hike. Photo by Marian Thorpe.

“The obvious ones are easier access to food and water, fewer bugs, and the luxury of a bed and shower every night,” Liz explained. 

Traditional hiking in the mountains offers the unique, priceless solitude of being embraced, off-grid, by the wild. In the wilderness though, when times are tough, your feet are spent, your food rations dwindle, and the nearest water source is twenty miles away, the only answer is often to just keep walking. 

Not with urban hiking. Pop into a convenience store for water, grab some grub at a food truck, find some shade, pull out that book you have stashed away in your pack, and read for a while. If you’re done walking for the day, find the nearest bus stop, get some rest, then try again mañana. Urban hiking is not a competition. It has no ego. So as always, do what’s best for you. 

“Another benefit that I’ve enjoyed is the ability to have friends easily come join me for a bit after work or on the weekends,” Liz reflected. “The ability for them to bus, drive, or take a rideshare to my location and then easily get back home means that my urban hikes are also hikes with my community.” 

Finally, Dream Big. 

Liz poses on a mountain pass in Colorado. Photo by John Carr.

Get out there! Shake things up, trust yourself, do some research, and take the leap. If you normally drive, take public transportation. If you’re always on public transit, rent a car. Urban hiking is an incredible journey that’s within your grasp. Your pace and the number of miles you hike don’t matter. All that matters is that you appreciate you for you while you walk them. 

And hey, after a hard day, you might find yourself relaxing with a beer in hand, sinking into a plush couch while listening to the hustle of the city. Distant car horns and blurred murmurs of conversation will seep through the windowsill while the rhythmic tick of a clock marks the passage of time—your reminder of adventures unknown, bound to arrive with the rising of the sun. 

Follow Liz Thomas' outdoor journey on Instagram @lizthomashiking. Learn more about urban hiking at eathomas.com, and grab your copy of her award-winning book, “Long-Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-Hike.”