Yellow blazing (skipping sections by vehicle)

Yellow blazing is a piece of community slang for skipping some portion of a hiking route by traveling in a vehicle, often along highways or local roads. The term plays on the idea that painted yellow lines on pavement stand in for painted blazes on trees or posts along a trail.

The phrase is descriptive; it does not by itself set rules or standards. Hikers use it in varied ways, sometimes simply to record that a section was reached by road rather than foot, and sometimes as part of informal debates about style, terminology, or personal goals. There is no single, official body that defines when yellow blazing has or has not occurred.

Many long-distance routes intersect roads at towns, trailheads, or alternate access points. Travelers choose how to move between these locations and mainline trail segments based on time constraints, conditions, personal preferences, health, and logistics. Some walk every mile of the signed route, others combine walking with alternates or vehicle segments.

Because attitudes about yellow blazing can be strong in some circles, hikers are oftennefit from communicating openly and respectfully about how they describe their own trips. The term itself is best understood as informal shorthand rather than a formal rule set.