To keep the formatting of pages the same throughout the Field Guide, we've created this template to use for hike pages. Hike pages also have a naming convention. If there's only one hike to an area, then the destination is sufficient, such as Fairy Falls Hike or Aldrich Butte Hike. If there are multiple hikes to the same place use "from" or "via", like Umbrella Falls from Timberline Lodge Hike or Wy'east Basin via Mazama Trail Hike. If the hike is a Loop or a Traverse (a car shuttle) use those words in the hike name. Examples: Horsetail Falls Loop Hike, Nesmith-Oneonta Traverse Hike. In any event please end all hike names with the word "Hike"

To create a new hike page, type the name of the place into the search bar from anywhere in the Field Guide. It should tell you that the page doesn't exist and it will give you a link to create the page. Click that link, then copy and paste all of this into your new blank hike page to use as a template. You can save your page at any time, to see what it currently looks like.

[[Category:ENTER CATEGORY HERE]]
[[Category:ENTER ANOTHER ONE HERE]]
[[Category:Hikes]]

[[Image:Sample.jpg|thumb|400px|Describe destination image here]]
[[Image:Sample.jpg|thumb|250px|Describe destination image here]]
[[Image:Map.jpg|thumb|250px|Insert map image here]]

{{Start point|TRAILHEAD PAGE}}
* End point: [[DESTINATION PAGE]]
* Trail Log: [[THIS HIKE/Log|Trail Log]]
* Hike Type: (ENTER "Out-and-back", "Loop", OR "Shuttle")
{{Distance|IN MILES}} (ROUND TRIP WHEN APPLICABLE)
{{Elevation gain|IN FEET}} 
{{Difficulty|ENTER Easy, Moderate,Difficult OR Very Difficult}}
* Seasons: 
* Family Friendly: 
* Backpackable:
* Crowded: 
{{Hazards|s=y|t=y|p=y|f=y}}

=== Hike Description ===
Hike description goes here

=== Maps ===
{{Hikemaps|latitude=ENTER LATITUDE HERE|longitude=ENTER LONGITUDE HERE}}

=== Regulations or Restrictions, etc. ===
LIST ANY REGULATIONS, LIKE HIKE PARTY SIZE, OR HIKING PERMITS NEEDED

{{TripReports|{{PAGENAME}}}}
* [http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30292 Coyote Wall 3-16-08]

{{RelatedDiscussions|{{PAGENAME}}}}

=== Guidebooks that cover this hike ===
* ''Title'' - 1st Edition, by Author

=== More Links ===
* See more information at [http://www.somewebsite.com Describe the link here] 

=== Contributors ===
* [[User:YourUsernameHere|YourUsernameHere]] (creator)

We realize that this template can be confusing for first time users. Basically, it's just a text file that you'll be changing from a generic "blank hike", to your finished page relating to a specific hike.

Here's what all of this gibberish means:

The first section is the categories. Categories are basically searchable lists, so you'll want to enter every category that applies to your hike. At a minimum, each hike can use two categories, one that would be a geographic area like Northwest Portland Hikes or Mount Hood Area Hikes and one category describing the level of the hike, easy, moderate or difficult. Hike categories end in the word "hikes". The story behind the plural is a long one. You can add as many categories as fit your hike. Common hike categories are "Wildflower Hikes", "Easy Hikes" and Viewpoint Hikes". A complete list of categories is available here. Try to stick to this list, or the searches can become pretty useless.

Next come the pictures, here called images. The first field is the filename, which can be anything not already used on the Field Guide. Long names, like LatourellFallsSpring06Flowers.JPG are good. Spaces are OK. The next field is the word "thumb", just let that stay there. Next is the picture size. The first pic should be 400px if horizontal, 300px if vertical. Secondary pictures should be 250px horizontal or 188px vertical. The last field is the caption. Type in whatever you want it to say. If you want to add a photographer credit, put it in where specified. You can add more pictures than two by copying the second image line.

Next, we come to the main statistics about the hike. Some of these fields are templates that drive the search engines behind the scenes; some are merely text. Please stick to the format exactly, replacing the stuff in ALL CAPS with your information.

• Start point: This is your hike's trailhead. It should be "something trailhead".
• End point: This is the end of your hike. For a loop it should usually be the point farthest from the trailhead.
• Trail Log: Type your hike name in here. This generates the link to the trail logs we'll build later.
• Hike type: You have three choices here, pick the one that applies, delete the others.
• Distance: This is the total distance in miles, round trip.
• Elevation gain: Total elevation gain in feet
• Difficulty: Four choices here, pick one, delete the rest
• Seasons: This is a freeform field. Acceptable entries are Year-round, Summer, Jun-Oct, etc
• Family Friendly: Yes or no, maybe an age limit. What we're looking for here is danger to kids
• Backpackable: Yes or No, Can people camp on this hike? Think distance, available sites and/or regulations.
• Crowded: Yes or No, Are you likely to see more than a dozen people on his hike?

The last line of this section is the hazards template. Currently, there are 3 hazard templates set up, snakes, ticks and poison oak. If your hike is prone to poisonous snakes, use the code fragment "s=y". For ticks, "t=y", for poison oak "p=y". Delete the the templates that don't apply to your hike and make sure you have the right amount of "|"s for your templates.

The Hike Description section is yours to play with. Tell us about the hike. Usually the best approach is a walk through. "Start here and go to this spot. Be sure to see this. Next, head up the hill to the other place" This section is completely free-form.

The maps section can be tricky. If you're hike is well represented on normal topo maps, you can probably use the "Hikemaps" template provided. Just type in a latitude and longitude and the system will do the rest. If your hike involves trails that aren't on maps, or if the area is too large for our maps, you can create your own map off line and display it using an image tag. Or you can just skip this part.

"Regulations and restrictions" is for legal mumbo-jumbo. "No dogs allowed". "Park closes at dusk". "Trail closed from January-June". "Camping prohibited" That kind of thing. An asterisk (*) will start each entry on a new line.

Leave the line that says {(TripReports|{(PAGENAME)}}} alone. On the next line, if the hike is covered by a trip report, change the "thread number" and the description to match the real thread. If there are no existing trip reports, delete this line.

Leave the line that says {(RelatedDiscussions|{(PAGENAME)}}} alone.

"Guidebooks" and "more links" can be filled in, using the provided formats, if you have any.

Finally, put your Field Guide username in twice in the "Contributors" section. This is where you get your well-deserved praise. THANK YOU!!!

Once you finished with that big intimidating box, you're just about done. If you wish, you can type something in the Summary box. This is where you add a note about what you changed. This could be "New" for a new page, but it's not necessary. If you've just changed a typo or something click "This is a minor edit". In any event be sure to click "save page", otherwise all of your hard work goes away.

To add your pictures, just click on the links on your newly finished page. You'll get a link to upload and then you can browse to your pictures.

See sample finished page here: Trail of Ten Falls Loop Hike

We realize that all of this is pretty technical, but the extra difficulty is necessary to keep the site looking halfway professional. Try to keep to the standards, but don't worry if your page is "less than perfect". What's most important is getting the information out there. If one of the more senior editors comes along and changes the formatting a bit to conform to standard, please take it in a friendly spirit. We're not being grouches grumpily fixing your screwups; we're happily reading and enjoying the information you've shared, as we make it a bit clearer for others.

Once again, THANK YOU!