Music plays an important role in my adventures. As I said in my top long distance walking tips – it can massively help combat boredom and boost my mood. My handy iPod shuffle goes with me everywhere. On it I have an evening wind-down/reflective playlist and also an upbeat hiking songs playlist. When I need walking motivation, or just feel like singing out loud, I stick that one on.
If you are new to this blog, I’m Bex Band – a full-time adventurer and founder of the women’s adventure community Love Her Wild. My previous adventures include hiking the length of Israel, kayaking the width of the UK against plastic pollution, and kick-scooting from Canada to Mexico. I’m on a mission to make getting outdoors and going on adventures as easy as possible.
You can read more about me here. And can follow my adventurers on Facebook and Instagram!
BEST Hiking songs playlist
My hiking music tends to be upbeat (to help me through tough times) or reflective (because I do a lot of thinking when I’m in nature). A great way to pick up new walking songs is to ask hikers you pass what they listen to. I actually created a special Spotify playlist just for this and loved listening to it and remembering the people I’d met along the way – it’ll be an eclectic mix!!
To get you started though, here are the 23 tracks from my personal best hiking songs playlist….
#1 Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root
#2 I’m Gonna Be – The Proclaimers
I’m mean, really….is there a better hiking song out there?!
#3 Walk Of Life – Dire Striats
#4 Into The Wild – Rise
If you haven’t read Into The Wild you really should. It’s a good book to get you into the spirit of adventure. This song is part of the soundtrack from the film of the same name.
#5 You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon
#6 Walk This Way – Aerosmith
#7 Walking On Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
#8 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
One of my all time favourite hiking songs to lift my mood. I can never stop myself singing along!
#9 Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf
#10 Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones
#11 I Followed Flies – Matthew And The Atlas
I discovered Matthew And The Atlas just recently and love their music. Their Temples album is a good accompaniment to any adventure….although this is one of the best hiking songs.
#12 Mountains – Biffy Clyro
#13 Of Monsters and Men – Dirty Paws
Part of the soundtrack for the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – a good movie to watch to boost that feeling of wanderlust!
#14 Walk On The Wild Side – Lou Reed
#15 Porcelain – Moby
#16 Keep Your Head Up – Ben Howard
A good one to stick on when walking gets tough!
#17 Sail – Awolnation
#18 Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
#19 The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
#20 Stay Alive – Jose Gonzalez
This was my wedding first dance – couldn’t not include this on my hiking songs playlist!
#21 Anywhere – Passenger
#22 The Passenger – Iggy Pop
#23 Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin
#24 Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
#25 Heat Waves – Glass Animals
#26 Young Blood – The Naked and Famous
#27 Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears for Fears
#28 4Runner – Brenn
#29 On Top of the World – Imagine Dragons
#30 Sweet Disposition – Temper Trap
#31 Viva La Vida – Coldplay
#32 Journey – Don Diablo
#33 Step Outside – Jose Gonzalez
And saving one of my absolute favourite hiking songs to last……
Know any good walking songs?
Add your own hiking songs suggestions in the comments box below….I’m always looking for new ones to add to my playlist! I’d be especially keen to know if there are any songs about hiking that I’d missed….I really couldn’t think of so many.
I also have to give a special mention my all time favourite album – The Songs Of Distant Earth by Mike Oldfield. The album goes with me on every adventure and I can’t get enough of it. It’s got to be listened to uninterrupted from start to finish to be fully appreciated…
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The Mountain, Dierks Bentley
Perfect for those tough sections!
Several on that album
, actually Son of the Sun, Living and Traveling Light!
Yes!! Great suggestions – thanks Kim 🙂
Isn’t hiking already an activity to combat boredom? Why go hiking if it makes you bored?
Why cut out the sounds of nature with headphones and only get half the experience?
Different if you’re walking with busy traffic… But I’m not aware of any hiking trails shared with transport routes.
Not for me – I love hiking but often get moments of boredom, especially when doing multi-day/week/month treks so appreciate a bit of music to keep me motivated! We all have different reasons for hiking. Each to their own.
And I’ve been on many trails (the Israel National Trail, Jordan Trail, South Downs Way, etc) that run alongside roads but that’s not my main reason for listening to music when I hike.
I’ll be honest, I’m not likely to ever go on any hikes or adventures as extreme as the ones you described (just finished reading the Jordan Trail, the fact you and your group stayed calm despite your terrible guide is incredible! Not having water in the dessert even for a day would freak me out). Anyway, whole reason I discovered your blog was becausing I was listening to Ekko’s Champion Theme from League of Legends (I think the fact I was listening to that says a lot about my lack of adventuring) and it made me imagine being an adventurer. Thank you for the info!
Thank you Victory! Adventures come in all shapes and sizes so I hope you find the right one for you one day 🙂