10 Tips for Hiking With Kids

From an outdoor Mom, here is my best advice to make a hike fun for the whole family. Read on for my top 10 tips for hiking with kids.

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I have always enjoyed spending time outside in nature and taking hikes has long been one of my favorite activities. Once I became a Mom, I couldn’t wait to get out there with my trail babies! I got them on a hike as soon as I could. Whether it was in a carrier, in a stroller or in a wagon, I made sure we hit those trails as often as we could.

If you need a good reason to take a family hike click over to my other post “5 Reasons To Take A Family Hike”

Even though I’m an experienced hiker and LOVE hiking, kids have a way of completely ruining a beautiful time. With all our time spent on trails over the last decade I’ve learned a few do’s and don’ts when hiking with little ones. I learned these all the hard way. So, please, take my advice to make it a bit more manageable and fun for everyone. Avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made and use my tips for hiking with kids.

10 Tips for Hiking With Kids

#1 Do some research

Pick a fun and easy trail. There are a few different ways to look for trails in your area. I like to use All Trails or you can just do a Google search for county parks or family-friendly trails in your area.

#2 Pack smart

What you pack will mostly depend on the time of year. If it’s summertime you want to make sure you have sunscreen and bug spray. If you are hiking in the fall and wintertime you may want to pack sweatshirts, hats and gloves. You should always have a full extra set of clothes in the car (including socks!). If you’re hiking with younger kids (under 5) you might want to have extra clothes in your backpack. If your hiking with infants, you may want to just bring your diaper bag.

Here are a few essentials to always have in your backpack when hiking with kids:

• Wipes
• powder
• bandaids
• bags for gabage

#3 Bring snacks and drinks

Just bring them. They will get hungry, they will get thirsty.

#4 Know your children’s limits

It’s a good idea to keep your hikes short and simple, especially when just starting out. Don’t pick one that is super long or difficult. If you are traveling out of your normal area take the different terrain into consideration. For example, we take LOTS of walks and hikes with our kids around where we live on the Jersey Shore. On one of our trips to PA we decided to check out a trail we saw. But once we got on the trail we could see it was very mountainous and not at all what our kids are used to. We quickly realized it was best for us to turn around and find a different trail to walk. It looked beautiful and I was a little disappointed but it was easily the best decision. Keeping everyone safe and happy is most important on a family hike.

#5 Plan for lots of extra time — don’t rush

Allow for lots of breaks. If your child sees something they want to inspect, encourage it! If they need to take a break, let them! If they feel rushed or pushed they are not going to have any fun and will never want to do this again.

#6 Encouragement — lots of it!

Keep it positive! Tell them how great they’re doing and how strong their bodies are. Positive encouragement does wonders for your little people! Let them know how awesome they are doing!

#7 Leave no trace — be prepared with bags for garbage

This is one of my favorite reasons for taking kids on hikes, reinforcing this lesson. Please make sure you are practicing it too! Be prepared with bags for garbage. The best way to ensure that we can continue to enjoy all the benefits of being in nature, is to clean up after ourselves.

#8 Make it fun — Have them bring bags to collect things, or do a scavenger hunt

Especially when you are first getting your kids into hiking, make it fun! I like to save the mesh bags that avocados or oranges come in. They make great collecting bags, especially if you manage to leave the handle on. It’s better than leaving with your pockets full of rocks and pine cones, lol

Or get them involved with a nature scavenger hunt like the one in my other post –>>

#9 Give them a responsibility — take turns

Usually when walking a trail you follow the markers. Let them be responsible for finding the markers and guiding you through the trail. If you’re like us and hiking with a few kids, take turns.

#10 Keep you expectations realistic — don’t give up!

I don’t want to say keep your expectations low, but definitely keep them realistic. Remember that even though you enjoy walks doesn’t mean they will right away too. And remember, even if they complain a little doesn’t mean they hate the whole walk and doesn’t mean that they will always complain. The more you go for walks the more they will enjoy it and look forward to it.

It may not seem worth it but I can promise you, the benefits of getting your kids outside are tremendous and are worth the effort! There are a million reasons to take your kids hiking, to see my top 5 reasons click here–>> But I think all of us parents can agree, one of the best reasons to get your kids out on the trail is to burn some of that never-ending energy they seem to have. After a nice hike and fresh air in their lungs they’ll be nice and tuckered out!