Table 2.

Key themes and findings from qualitative data

Themes	Findings
A positive experience	Both nature (‘All expectations were exceeded’) and urban study participants (‘LOVE THE GROUP’) provided positive feedback.
Perceived benefits	Participants reported on how the hikes helped them to be more active, lose weight, reduce stress and feel more connected to others.
Hike logistics	Participants suggested that prior to hikes, we ensure parking access, availability of toilets and locate the hikes closer to participants’ homes. Others suggested that we consider organising carpools and/or covering gas/mileage costs.
Difficulty of hikes	Most found the difficulty just right. Some felt that the hikes were too short/easy.
Location of hikes	Nature group: One participant wished that there was more of a ‘reward’ (‘like a waterfall’, ‘when you have a view, it seems more profound’), because some were just ‘walks through the woods’. Urban group: One person noted that some neighbourhoods were ‘sketchy’ and they were ‘constantly walking around garbage’ for one hike. Others noted that they really enjoyed exploring different neighbourhoods, areas around sports stadium and learning about the history of areas.
Group composition	A few participants suggested that we enrol more women or organise women-only groups and/or groups for survivors of sexual assault.
Incentives for completing questionnaires	Participants suggested that we offer the option to receive a single gift card that accumulated value instead of separate ones each time a questionnaire was completed.
Assessments	Several participants had trouble with the online software (eg, getting ‘kicked out’ of the survey mid-way through). Some participants reported that they would have liked text prompts instead of email, since they did not regularly check their email. Some participants found some questions to be difficult to answer (eg, the Perceived Cohesion Scale) or they were confused by differences in the time frame for different instruments (eg, on the weekly questionnaires, some questions asked participants how they felt ‘right now’ while others asked about the prior week).
Activity monitors	Several participants noted having problems programming and syncing the activity monitor.
Fostering interaction/connections between participants in a group	Participants suggested facilitating more structured ways to get to know other members of the group, including a social gathering prior to the initial hike, reintroductions before each hike, gathering for lunch or other meal after hikes and organising a social media group.