The Art of Slow Hiking: Taking in Every Step and Scene
- Jo Moore
- Aug 13
- 7 min read
In the super fast world in which we live today, the simple act of walking in nature has become an antidote to mental overwhelm, disconnection, and emotional fatigue for many. But not just any kind of walking - slow hiking is a mindful practice that invites you to immerse yourself in each step and every scene, to experience the landscape not as something to conquer, but as something to become part of.
Slow hiking is not about reaching the summit; it’s about sinking into the rhythm of the trail. It’s about replacing adrenaline with awareness, and performance with presence. It’s a meditative form of movement that nurtures the nervous system, restores clarity, and awakens the senses. Let’s explore this art, and how it’s transforming the way we relate to ourselves and the world.
Why Go Slow? Reframing the Hike as a Practice in Presence
The default mode in much of Western culture is speed and efficiency. But as naturalist and writer John Muir once said:
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
This truth becomes especially potent when we give ourselves permission to go slowly. Slow hiking shifts the goal from distance or achievement to presence and connection. It encourages us to notice the tiny mushroom at the base of a tree, the intricate veins in a leaf, the melody of the birds overhead.
Unlike traditional hiking that may emphasize physical challenge or timekeeping, slow hiking aligns more closely with contemplative practices like mindfulness and forest bathing, encouraging a deep awareness of our surroundings, breath, and bodily sensations.
Scientific Support for Slowing Down in Nature
The benefits of slow hiking are more than poetic - they are physiological, neurological, and psychological.
1. Nature immersion lowers cortisol and stress
A 2019 study published in Frontiers in Psychology by Hunter, Gillespie, and Chen showed that spending just 20 to 30 minutes in nature can significantly reduce cortisol levels, the hormone associated with stress. The key was not vigorous activity, but simply being present in a natural setting.
“The greatest gains were observed in those who did not engage in aerobic exercise or phone use during their nature experience,” the study noted.
This directly supports the slow hiking approach, where the body is relaxed and the mind is available to take in subtle beauty.
2. Walking mindfully improves mental health
A 2021 meta-analysis in Mindfulness found that mindful walking can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Unlike walking for exercise or commuting, mindful or slow walking involves intentional focus on breathing, the feel of the ground, and surrounding stimuli.
This can turn a hike into a form of walking meditation, creating a therapeutic experience with long-lasting benefits for the nervous system.
3. Slower walks increase creativity
Psychologists at Stanford University (Oppezzo & Schwartz, 2014) discovered that walking improves creative thinking, and walking outdoors in natural environments increases it even more. The key insight? Slower, non-goal-oriented walks gave participants the mental space to generate more original ideas.
So when we slow down our pace, we speed up our creativity and insight.
How to Practice the Art of Slow Hiking
1. Set the intention before you begin
Start your hike not with a stopwatch, but with an intention. You might say to yourself:
“Today, I will move slowly and let the forest set the pace.”
“I’m not trying to get anywhere - I’m trying to be here.”
Setting this tone recalibrates your nervous system and breaks the loop of urgency many of us unconsciously carry.
2. Engage all your senses
Slow hiking is about sensory immersion. Pause to run your fingers along bark. Smell the damp earth after rain. Taste the fresh air. Listen to the rustling leaves or birdsong. Feel your feet roll slowly over stone and soil.
This sensual awareness is what Japanese researchers studying shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) have found to significantly lower blood pressure and boost immune function. Dr. Qing Li, author of Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness, notes:
“To really connect with nature, you must engage with it through all five senses.”
3. Take micro-pauses often
Unlike endurance hiking, slow hiking embraces frequent stopping. Let yourself pause every few minutes, not because you’re tired, but because there’s something to see or feel.
Watch how light filters through leaves. Notice how a breeze changes the scent in the air. These “micro-pauses” create a deepening of attention that often leads to a feeling of awe - a known predictor of increased well-being and even prosocial behavior (Stellar et al., 2015).
4. Let your breath and steps sync
Let your breathing guide your pace. Inhale for three steps, exhale for four. Or simply notice the breath without changing it. Allowing your movement to sync with your breath draws you into the rhythm of nature and out of the chatter of the mind.
As Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh beautifully wrote:
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
The Inner Landscape: What We Discover When We Slow Down
Slow hiking isn’t just about appreciating the outer landscape - it’s also about navigating the inner one. When we slow down, thoughts and emotions that have been suppressed may begin to surface. This is a gift, not a disruption.
A 2022 study in Nature Mental Health found that individuals who spent more time in natural settings reported greater emotional regulation and resilience. The researchers proposed that nature provides a safe container for reflection, allowing people to process emotions in a gentler way.
This makes slow hiking especially powerful for people undergoing life transitions, grief, or burnout. The steady, unhurried movement combined with sensory input allows for integration of experience.
A New Kind of Trail Marker: Moments of Presence
Instead of measuring your hike in miles, consider measuring it in:
Birdsong heard
Textures felt
Emotions acknowledged
Clouds watched
Journaling breaks taken
Moments of awe
Each of these is a trail marker in the art of slow hiking. They are reminders that you're not only moving through nature, but that nature is also moving through you.
Stories from the Trail: Voices of the Slow Hiking Movement
“I used to hike fast, always pushing to get to the top. One day, I decided to sit on a rock by the path. A deer came and grazed not ten feet from me. That moment changed everything. Now I hike to see, not to get there.”
– Maria, 42, Vermont
“When I started walking slower, I noticed that I also began breathing better and sleeping better. It’s like the trail taught me how to live again.”
– Rob, 53, UK
"I used to walk fast in order to 'fit' my walk into my busy day. Sometimes, I'd not even notice what was going on around me as my head whirled around the day's activity of what I should or shouldn't be doing. And then, quite suddenly, a tree would shake its boughs in front of me, even though there was no wind. Or, two butterflies would turn up and start to dance right in front of my eyes as if to say, 'hey stop a minute and look at the beauty all around you'. Now I go out with my eyes and ears open and slow down to engage with more of that beauty that makes life worth living."
– Jo Moore
These are not isolated stories. All over the world, hikers are discovering that when they slow down, the trail becomes more than a path - it becomes a teacher.
The Healing Power of Slowness
Slowness can be a radical act in a world that glorifies busyness. Choosing to slow hike is not lazy - it’s wise. It’s a statement that your time, breath, and attention matter. It’s an investment in your mental health and in your relationship with the earth.
Author and nature guide Craig Foster, known for his documentary My Octopus Teacher, once said:
“The slower you go, the more you see.”
This is the mantra of the slow hiker.
Bringing the Practice Home
Even if you can’t reach a remote trail each week, the principles of slow hiking can be integrated into daily life:
Take a slow walk around your neighborhood or local park.
Notice the details - the cracks in the pavement, the plants growing through fences.
Leave your phone behind or put it on airplane mode.
Give yourself permission to pause.
Slow hiking isn’t about geography - it’s about how you relate to space and time. Whether you're on a mountain trail or a city sidewalk, you can practice this art.
Final Thoughts: Walking as a Way of Being
Slow hiking is not just a method - it’s a mindset. It asks us to trust the moment, to savor the journey, and to honor our place within the natural world.
It’s about becoming present enough to see that the trail is alive, and so are we.
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson
When we take in every step and every scene, we stop being separate from nature—we become part of it. That is the true gift of slow hiking.
Try Slow Hiking on Retreat in Southern France
Sources & Further Reading
Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y.-P. (2019). Urban nature experiences reduce stress in the context of daily life based on salivary biomarkers. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722
Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition.
Li, Q. (2018). Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness. Penguin Life.
Stellar, J. E., et al. (2015). Positive affect and markers of inflammation: Discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Emotion.
Thich Nhat Hanh (2015). How to Walk. Parallax Press.
Nature Mental Health (2022). Time spent in natural environments is linked with better mental health outcomes.
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