Kayak and Paddle Trip Plan
Put the trip on paper before you launch and leave a copy behind, so somebody knows where you went and when to worry.
OP-02 2 pages
Outdoor pursuits · OP-05
Hiking Route and Trip Plan
A free printable hiking trip plan — route legs, distance, ascent, escape routes and your own timings, plus the party, the kit and an overdue time to leave with somebody at home.
Download Free · no sign-up
2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Turn a walk you have in your head into a page somebody else can hand over if you do not come back, and make yourself think about escape routes before you are standing on the hill.
Who it is for
Hillwalkers and backpackers going out in country where help is not close, and anyone leading a group who wants the party details written down.
How to use it
- Break the route into legs and write your own estimated time for each one.
- Write an escape route against every leg, not just at the end.
- Set an overdue time and say plainly what the person holding this plan should do once it passes.
- Give them the filled-in copy before you leave, and ring them when you are safely down.
- Fill in the party details last — names, phones and next of kin.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: The walk written down before you set off — legs, distance, ascent, escape routes and your own timings, with a copy left behind and a time to raise the alarm.
Leave a copy with somebody at home. The useful part of this sheet is the copy somebody else keeps. No grades, pace figures or go/no-go conditions are printed here: the timings are the ones you work out for your party, your loads and the ground, and the decision to turn back is yours on the day.
Write-on lines: Date · Route or hill · Start point · Finish point · Map and sheet · Planned start · Expected finish · Overdue time — raise the alarm after this · Left this plan with · Their phone · Called them on return at
Legs, escape routes and timings — your own estimate, not a printed one
Table, 11 rows: Leg — to where · Distance · Ascent · Bearing · Escape route from here · Time est. · Arrive by
Page 2
Kit checked before leaving
- Map for the whole route, and a compass
- Route and timings known by more than one person
- Phone charged, and a power bank
- Head torch and spare batteries
Clothing and shelter
- Waterproofs for every member of the party
- Warm spare layer, kept dry
- Hat and gloves
- Survival bag or group shelter
Food, water and emergencies
- Food and water for longer than planned
- First aid kit, and anyone's own medication
- Whistle and something to signal with
- Forecast checked, wind and cloud base
Who is going
Table, 11 rows: Name · Experience · Phone · Next of kin and their phone · Anything the group should know
Questions
Why are there no walking times or pace figures printed on it?
Because a time that fits a fit pair on a path is wrong for a group with children, heavy packs or deep snow. The estimate has to come from you and the party you are actually walking with, which is why there is a blank against every leg rather than a number.
What should the person holding it do at the overdue time?
Write that on the sheet in your own words, with the number to ring, before you go. Who to call and how they respond differs from country to country, so agree it with them rather than assuming.
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Also in the resources library
The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.
