How Indonesia Can Build Sustainable Hiking Trails in Its Wilderness Areas

In many of Indonesia’s mountains and forested regions, footpaths form the lifelines of adventure—connecting people with nature. From the trails of Mount Gede Pangrango to the forest routes of Mount Rinjani National Park, every step on moist soil, stone, or tree roots is more than just a physical journey—it reflects our relationship with the Earth. Yet behind this beauty, most trails in Indonesia face serious threats: erosion, litter, and environmental degradation caused by tourism without sustainable management.

Over the past two decades, the surge of public interest in outdoor activities has brought blessings to local economies but has also left scars on many mountain ecosystems. Trails that were once narrow and natural have widened uncontrollably, trampled by thousands of hiking boots each weekend. Soil washes away with rain, roots are exposed, and vegetation along the paths dies from being stepped on. In popular mountains like Salak and Prau, the trails even turn into water channels during heavy rain.

This kind of damage is not merely aesthetic. Erosion along hiking paths causes sedimentation in rivers, degrading water quality and aquatic habitats. Many trails lack proper drainage systems or official markers, leading visitors to open alternative routes that worsen the damage. When thousands arrive without adequate management, what should be an act of loving nature turns into an ecological burden.

Learning from the World

This issue is not unique to Indonesia. In countries with strong hiking cultures such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Japan, similar challenges have long been addressed through sustainable trail systems—designed to allow outdoor recreation without destroying the environment.

Hui Min Lim, Founder and Director of Dirtraction Trail Service, explained that four core principles are applied globally in sustainable trail management.

“These four basic concepts are alignment, drainage, durability, and experience,” said Lim during the talk show World Trails for Indonesia, organized by PT. Adhimukti Triyasa Calya at Outfest 2025 in Jakarta.

Alignment involves designing trails that follow natural contours rather than forcing the terrain. Trails are built with specific slopes to prevent rainwater from pooling and causing erosion. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the U.S., for instance, each kilometer of trail includes small drainage points known as grade reversals that help channel water naturally.

Beyond design, trail durability through maintenance and scenic appeal is another key. Programs such as Leave No Trace in the U.S. and Respect Nature in Norway teach hikers how to walk, camp, and interact with the environment without leaving negative impacts. In New Zealand, hikers entering famous trails like the Tongariro Alpine Crossing are even required to watch short educational videos about environmental ethics and safety before entry.

Indonesia’s Portrait

In Indonesia, most trail management remains reactive. Paths are repaired only after damage occurs, rather than being designed to last. Conservation funds are often limited, while visitor numbers surge. Many popular trails such as those in Papandayan, Semeru, and Merbabu are now managed by local communities or private operators, but not all have the technical understanding needed to build sustainable trails.

Some groups have begun to take initiative. In Rinjani, local nature lovers have started reshaping trails according to natural slopes and replanting vegetation along the sides. At Mount Gede Pangrango, the national park authority has collaborated with volunteers to restore heavily eroded paths.

Arief Mahmud, Head of Mount Gede Pangrango National Park (TNGP), acknowledged this challenge. “We’ve tried to minimize damage by regulating visitor quotas based on the park’s carrying capacity and ecological limits,” Arief said.

Global Lessons for Local Action

Several key lessons from global practices could be adapted for Indonesia’s context:

Science-based and contour-aligned design.
Trails should be built with careful attention to drainage, slope, and soil type. Digital mapping technologies such as LIDAR and GIS, widely used abroad, help design trails resistant to rainfall and heavy use.

Community-based management.
In Nepal and Bhutan, local residents are trained as trail caretakers responsible for maintenance and damage reporting. A similar model could work in Indonesia’s rural tourism areas, providing both conservation and economic benefits.

Quota and permit systems based on ecological capacity.
Famous routes such as Peru’s Inca Trail allow only 500 hikers per day to prevent degradation. Indonesia could adopt dynamic visitor limits, especially during peak seasons, giving ecosystems time to recover.

Education and certification programs for hikers.
Before entering sensitive areas, visitors should attend short briefings on environmental ethics. This approach has begun in some national parks but should be expanded to become a national standard.

Continuous monitoring using technology.
Cameras, soil moisture sensors, and visitor data can be used to monitor trail health, helping authorities decide when to temporarily close or repair certain sections.

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Walking with Renewed Awareness

Building sustainable trails is not merely a technical matter—it’s a philosophy of reconnecting humans with nature. A well-designed path isn’t just about making hikes more comfortable, but about ensuring every step honors the life that sustains us. Across the Indonesian archipelago, this philosophy has long existed—like in Dayak wisdom that calls the forest “mother,” or in Bali’s Tri Hita Karana, which teaches harmony between humans, nature, and the divine.

Now, as environmental pressures grow, that wisdom must be revived in a modern context. Every trail we build should symbolize the meeting point between adventure and conservation—not a conflict between them.

With scientific design, sustainability-driven policies, and strong community involvement, Indonesia can become a model for how eco-tourism should be managed—with respect and responsibility. Because at the end of every sustainable trail, it’s not just the mountain peak that awaits, but also a more balanced future for our planet. (Sulung Prasetyo)