A hiking site is a trail, boardwalk, or other pathway or area designated for persons (and sometimes animal companions) to walk for pleasure and to enjoy the natural surroundings. It generally does not refer to footpaths in a garden or a groomed park, but must rather pass through a natural, wild, or naturalistic setting. It may or may not include defined trails.

A marked trail is optional; an area can be designated for walking through its natural setting without one fixed route. A boardwalk can qualify when it provides such a route through natural surroundings.

An ordinary path within a groomed garden does not generally have the same usage. The designation concerns walking for pleasure in a natural or naturalistic setting, not every route available to pedestrians.