Culture
More Than A Third Of Hikers Use Marijuana To Enhance Their Experience On The Trail, Poll Shows
A significant number of people who hike enhance their experience on the trail with marijuana, according to a new poll.
The expedition company Climbing Kilimanjaro surveyed 1,008 U.S. adult hikers, finding that more than a third (35 percent) have hiked while under the influence of cannabis—the most popularly used substance in the poll.
Another 7 percent said they have hit the trail after using CBD products, and 15 percent have hiked while tripping on psilocybin.
Nearly 1 in 4 respondents in the poll (24 percent) said they are curious about using psychedelics while in nature but haven’t done so yet.
Overall, 44 percent of people surveyed said they have hiked under the influence of some substance. That includes 23 percent who have used alcohol on the trail.
Among those who do indulge in substance use while hiking, 48 percent do so to feel more connected to nature, and 23 percent said it helps them calm their nerves and get over fears.
More than half of those who consume cannabis or other substances while on hikes (51 percent) do so on short, easy trails close to where they live, while only 5 percent indulge on more difficult hikes or climbs, the poll found.
Justin Mtui, Kilimanjaro Consultant for Climbing Kilimanjaro, told Marijuana Moment that “for some hikers, the natural high just isn’t enough, and they’re looking for even more ‘elevated’ ways to enjoy the trails.”
“Cannabis and psychedelics aren’t competing with the outdoor experience, but they’re becoming part of the journey, with hikers using them to help relax, take in the scenery and feel more connected to nature,” he said. “With all of that being said, when it comes to more serious terrain, they’re opting for a clear head still.”
The poll reinforces the results of previously published research that has undermined the “lazy stoner’ stereotype by showing that cannabis can be part of a healthy and active lifestyle.
One study published this year, for example, found that people who use marijuana aren’t more or less likely to be physically active compared to non-users—but they do tend to favor light or moderate exercise, suggesting that “cannabis may influence the subjective experience.”
Relatedly, a 2024 study found that young to midlife adults were neither more sedentary nor more intensely active after consuming cannabis. In fact, recent marijuana use was associated with a “marginal increase” in light exercise.
“Our findings provide evidence against existing concerns that cannabis use independently promotes sedentary behavior and decreases physical activity,” authors of that paper wrote, adding that “the stereotypical ‘lazy stoner’ archetype historically portrayed with chronic cannabis use does not acknowledge the diverse uses of cannabis today.”
Another study showed that the non-intoxicating marijuana component CBD holds “potentially performance-enhancing properties” for athletes and may serve as an effective post-exercise recovery tool,
A study published in 2023 separately linked marijuana use to an enhanced “runner’s high” and lower pain during exercise. Participants experienced “less negative affect, greater feelings of positive affect, tranquility, enjoyment, and dissociation, and more runner’s high symptoms during their cannabis (vs. non-cannabis) runs,” according to those findings.
And in 2021, researchers found that frequent marijuana consumers are actually more likely to be physically active compared to their non-using counterparts.
Yet another study, in 2019, found that people use cannabis to elevate their workout tend to get a healthier amount of exercise. It also concluded that consuming before or after exercising improved the experience and aided in recovery.
Meanwhile, a recent federally funded study challenged a related longstanding stereotype about marijuana munchies leading to obesity in lazy stoners—finding that whole extract cannabis is linked to both weight loss and and reduced risk of diabetes.
A study released last year on the use of marijuana components to aid weight loss found that use of a combined product containing the cannabinoids THCV and CBD “was associated with statistically significant weight loss” as well as a slimmer waistline, lower blood pressure and decreased cholesterol.
A separate study in 2024 found that regular marijuana users were less likely to be obese than people who don’t consume cannabis. In fact, the analysis showed a “dose-response relationship between marijuana use and [body mass index], with the lower the BMI classification, the higher marijuana use.”
People who’d used cannabis within the past month were “31 percent less likely to be obese than non-users, after adjustment,” the study says, while “daily marijuana users are 32 percent less likely to be obese than non-users.”
Additional research published in 2020 found that “compared to older adult nonusers, older adult cannabis users had lower [body mass index] at the beginning of an exercise intervention study, engaged in more weekly exercise days during the intervention, and were engaging in more exercise-related activities at the conclusion of the intervention.”
