u/Lopsided_Big2675

One thing I've noticed while hiking around Bengaluru is that we have hundreds of trails, but we only ever seem to talk about the same few.

There are hill forts, forest trails, village paths, and lesser-known hikes all around Karnataka, but information is scattered across blogs, YouTube videos, GPX files, and old forum posts. Planning a DIY hike often means spending hours piecing everything together.

The Washington Trails Association (WTA) has a community-maintained trail database in the US, and it got me thinking—why don't we have something similar for our region?

So I've been working on a community project to document hiking trails around Bengaluru and Karnataka. The idea is to create an open resource where hikers can contribute trail information, GPX tracks, recent conditions, wildlife sightings, and route updates, making it easier for anyone to confidently explore on their own or with friends.

I'm curious what this community thinks.

• Would you use something like this?
• What information do you always look for before attempting a trail?
• Which lesser-known trails around Bengaluru deserve better documentation?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions before taking it further.

I've been hiking around Bengaluru for a while now, and one thing has always bothered me.

Most discussions revolve around the same handful of popular trails or organised weekend treks. But Karnataka has so many lesser-known hills, forts, forest trails, and village routes that are scattered across personal blogs, YouTube videos, GPX files, and old forum posts.

While looking at hiking communities around the world, I came across the Washington Trails Association (WTA). Their community-driven trail database inspired me to build something similar for our region.

So I built Bengaluru Trails.

The goal is to create a DIY, open trails community where anyone can:

• Discover trails beyond the usual weekend destinations.
• Access detailed trail information and GPX routes.
• Confidently plan hikes without depending on an organised trekking group.
• Submit new trails and improve existing ones.
• Share trail conditions, wildlife sightings, and route updates.

This isn't meant to replace trekking organisations. They play an important role in introducing people to the outdoors.

Instead, this is for people who enjoy exploring on their own or with friends and want a reliable, community-maintained resource for hiking around Bengaluru and Karnataka.

There's also a WhatsApp community where members discuss trail conditions, discover new hikes, share GPX tracks, and help each other explore responsibly.

I'd genuinely love feedback from this community.

• What features would you like to see?
• Which trails are missing?
• Would you be interested in contributing trail information or GPX files?

Since this subreddit doesn't allow links, I haven't included the website here. If you'd like to check it out or join the community, send me a DM and I'll share the website and WhatsApp community link.

My hope is that, over time, this becomes a resource built by the hiking community, for the hiking community.

Bala Kondarayana Durga is one of my favorite hikes near Hosur. From the western side, it's a short and enjoyable 30-minute climb. I've done this trek multiple times, and I never understand why people hesitate to revisit a beautiful place. If a trail is worth doing once, it's worth doing again.

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A few months ago, I discovered another route to the same peak from the eastern side. On one trip, I climbed up from the west, descended via the east, then climbed back up from the east and returned to my parked car on the western side.

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This weekend, I decided to revisit the eastern trail. I started with the confidence that it was a small hike and would be easy. Within a few minutes, though, I had a nagging feeling that I was heading in the wrong direction. After checking my bearings, I realized I had missed a turn and lost the trail.

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The path that was clearly visible during summer had almost disappeared after the recent rains. The vegetation had exploded, and finding the trail became a challenge. Fortunately, I still had internet access. I downloaded the GPX track from my previous hike and managed to locate the route again.

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As I continued climbing, the trail became narrower and narrower. In several places, the overgrowth was so dense that I had to bend down and push my way through. It felt more like an animal trail than a hiking trail.

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Then came the thorns.

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Not the kind that prick you once and let go. These were the nasty ones that grab onto your skin and pull. My neck, hands, and arms were covered in them. Pulling them out left scratches and drew blood. At first, I thought it was just a short section, but the trail ahead was filled with the same thorny vegetation.

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That was the point where I decided to call it a day and turn back.

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By then, the sun was high in the sky. Since the trail was on the eastern side of the hill, there was very little shade, and the heat was becoming relentless.

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We returned without reaching the summit, but with something more valuable: a reminder that nature doesn't care how many times you've done a trail before. Familiarity can easily turn into overconfidence.

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This time, Bala Kondarayana Durga humbled me.