Married couple Riley Hykes and Trevor Hykes are living out their 20s in nature, and they’re bringing the world along with them.
Riley, who is 28 and from Beaver, Pennsylvania, and Trevor, who is 26 and from Austintown, run a social media account called @hikingwithhykes, where they highlight their travels and outdoor adventures.
The couple has won the “Multimedia Master” category of Akron-Canton’s Top Content Creator competition of 2026.
The two met at and graduated from the University of Akron. Trevor started the account in 2023 after graduation to keep himself accountable in traveling. As time went on, he grew more passionate about photography and content creation.
Today, the couple lives together in a house they recently bought in the Akron area, and Riley is involved in content creation as well.
They have amassed almost half-a-million followers on Facebook and about 132,000 on Instagram, 19,000 on TikTok and 2,500 on YouTube.
Though Riley still works full time in construction management, the two find time to film content together for their accounts — all under the same handle — which Trevor runs.
Here’s what the couple had to say about their social media channels, traveling and hiking.
What type of content do you create?
“We started out by sharing (with) people how much there is to do in Ohio because a lot of people think you have to travel far away to get any sort of outdoor adventure experience,” Trevor said.
“… While that was fun and all, and we enjoyed doing that, we were like, well, we still want to cross off things on our bucket list, like places out west and different countries and things like that. So, we took the close-to-home adventure and just started broadening that a little bit to show people how they can get out of Ohio and go see new places.”
What have been your favorite locations to hike at?
“We just went on a couple trips to Washington and Idaho over the past few weeks, so I think one of our new favorite hikes is in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington,” Trevor said. “It feels like another world out there — just lots of insane mountain views and epic hikes.”
What tips would you give to someone wanting to take up hiking?
“My advice would be to start small, and just start,” Trevor said. “A lot of people think you have to go on the biggest trip of your life to go have an adventure, whereas we can just go to the metro parks 10 minutes down the street and just go for a hike.
“You don’t need all kinds of crazy, expensive gear,” Riley said. “When we first started hiking, I had the tennis shoes I work out at the gym every day in and was hiking with them. As long as you have comfy socks, comfy shoes and a bottle of water, it’s easy to just go ahead and get started.”
Are there any bucket list hikes you want to do?
“There’s a never-ending list,” Trevor said. “The place I’ve always wanted to really go to is Yosemite in California, and we actually just booked a trip to go there this year in September, so we are super excited to do that.”
“The Dolomites in Italy are one of our huge bucket list items,” Riley said. “Every time we see anything about it, it’s just like, oh, wow, we need to go. … The bucket list just never stops growing.”
What is the most unusual situation you’ve ever encountered on a hike?
“We just had a really cool experience with a brown fox when we were hiking in Idaho,” Riley said. “We had come across the fox on the trail heading towards us, and he jumped down into the ravine. He was running around in there, and we lost him.
“We kind of just kept going. … I heard this noise behind me, and I turned around, and here he was coming right back up the trail. Goes right around us like we’re walking too slow for him, and he keeps going right down.”
“We saw him, like, two more times,” Trevor said. “It was like he was guiding us down the trail towards the view of the hike.”
“It’s really cool just to see the wildlife in the wild,” Riley said, “and how nature interacts with you,” Trevor finished.
Is there anything else you think readers should know about you?
“The best thing that we always want to encourage through our social media is it’s attainable,” Riley said. “These epic hikes that we do, I work full time still, I only get a finite number of days off every year. … Just take advantage of the time that you’re given. … I’ve never regretted once traveling in a short time to some of these epic places.
“It’s awesome to be recognized here within our community, and we hope that people are inspired by what we share and post. … There’s a lot to do in Ohio, even though we’re kind of dabbling outside of Ohio, but it’s attainable, and it’s fun, and we’re so grateful for everyone who’s followed along.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Get to know Top Content Creators behind @hikingforhykes
Reporting by Lauren Cohen and April Helms, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lauren Cohen and April Helms, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
