Barefoot Hiking Opportunities?

[RWheeler]

I tend to go around barefoot in my daily life and I'm curious if anyone knows of any good stretches on the trail that would be able to be hiked barefoot, if even just for a few miles.

[Blissful]

Read the book by the Barefoot sisters!

[Panzer1]

you can hike the trail barefoot but keep in mind if you want to go into any public building, like to resupply, you will have to something on your feet.

Panzer

[Trailweaver]

You may also want to keep in mind snakes, poison ivy, and yellow jackets. Just a thought.

[bflorac]

I hike with a guy thru the Smokies in June a few years back going barefoot. He had boots with him but did not wear them as the boots had given him so many blisters it felt better going barefoot. Now, he couldn't have weighted more that 140lbs and carried at most 20lbs.

[RWheeler]

Thanks all. Maybe I'll hike WV in its entirety in my bare feet.

[Shiraz-mataz]

Hey RWheeler, I'm a barefoot hiker too! At least I try to whenever possible... The AT is particularly difficult in that the terrain can change from foot-friendly loam to jagged crags ten times in one mile. There comes a point when I say it's just not worth it to have to keep putting shoes on and taking them off, especially when my hiking buddy is leaving me in the dirt because I can't keep his pace. So far we've done all of Maryland all the way to the southern end of SNP and I've probably managed to hike about 1/3 barefoot. The WV section is what... a few miles? I think you'll be fine!

[RWheeler]

Yeah, I'm most certainly not looking to do my entire thru-hike barefoot - just some stretch would be fine. Since the WV section is so short, I'll probably try to do the entire thing, regardless of terrain.

[The Snowman]

the Kent CT river walk is a nice section for barefoot hiking

[RWheeler]

I was probably going to go barefoot for a stretch of CT as well - probably up to about Lion's Head. Certainly not going down the north side of Bear Mountain barefoot.