THE SECRET KEYS TO HIKING WITH KIDS. If you can master these two things, your children will stop sucking the joy out of your treks, and your family hikes will become fun bonding experiences instead.
Warm weather is here! For my family, that means two things – allergies and hiking!
(Do you suffer from seasonal allergies, too? It seems worse than usual this year! *sniff, sniff, sneeze*)
Despite the sniffling and sneezing and general congestion, our family is always excited to hit some hiking trails.
Our most recent hiking adventures took us to Hocking Hills in Ohio. We saw waterfalls, explored caves and even walked across a large natural land bridge! What a fun family adventure!
READ MORE: Hiking at Hocking Hills in Ohio
We all had a great time hiking, even the kids! That has not always been the case.
My children did not always appreciate our hiking excursions though.
There was a time when my children were NOT excited at all about hiking. They would even claim to hate hiking.
Does this sound familiar? Can you relate?
Through a lot of trial and error, I have learned two secrets to successful hiking with children.
And ever since we learned how to turn those little hiker frowns upside down, our family treks have been so much fun.
Two Secrets to Successful Hiking with Children
In case you have found your own children to be in the anti-hiking camp, I am sharing my success secrets with you:
IDLE THREATS and BEGGING!
Just kidding!
The real secret to a successful family hike is to make it exciting and know your child’s limits.
That’s it! If you can master these two things, your children will stop sucking the joy out of your treks, and your family hikes will become fun bonding experiences instead.
Make It Exciting
To make it exciting, turn up the wow factor on your hikes by selecting an unusual or impressive hiking destination, like waterfalls, caves or sand dunes. The promise of seeing interesting wildlife works well. You could look for giant swan nests, search for bald eagles in a known nesting area or even look for trolls at an arboretum.
Make it a fun adventure by choosing trails through interesting terrain. Traverse along cliffs, ford streams, stroll along boardwalks, explore lava fields, stride along a canopy trail or scramble up occasional steep inclines.
Build excitement by promising a reward at the end of the trail – rewards like swimming or stopping at an ice cream shop or just a yummy snack in the car afterward. Lately, I bring cookies. I hand each child a cookie before the hike to “energize” them and promise them another cookie after the hike. (Of course, Mom and Dad always partake in these little treats as well. Yum!)
Know Your Child’s Limits
To know your child’s limits, it takes a little experimenting. Take your children on hikes of varying lengths and difficulties to see what they are able to tolerate comfortably.
Through trial and error, I have learned that my youngest children (ages 7 and 9) can hike up to four miles at once on easy terrain. For more difficult hikes, they can handle up to four miles if our treks are split into multiple small hikes.
Test their limits every now and again by trying a longer or more difficult hike. As children grow older, they will be able to tolerate trails that are longer and tougher.
And, remember to bring along water bottles and a few snacks. Nothing depletes your family’s energy stores faster than hunger or dehydration. When your child’s energy level bottoms out, a snack/drink break may be just what they need to re-energize.
MORE TIPS: Hiking With Kids: Making It More Than An Uphill Walk – Hiking In My Flip Flops
Favorite Family Hikes
Looking for fun places to take the family hiking? Here are some of our family’s favorite hikes:
- Starved Rock State Park: Family-Friendly Hiking Near Chicago
- Hike to Hidden Falls in Grand Teton National Park
- Hunt for Trolls at Morton Arboretum
- Exploring Lava Tubes in Idaho
- Discover the Nation’s Longest Canopy Walk
- Exciting Hikes at Hocking Hills State Park
- Favorite West Michigan Trails for Families
- Family Bonding on the North Country Trail
You do so many cool hikes! We do some short ones from time to time. I’ve found my kid does much better when it’s not hot. She hates being too hot!
I like idle threats and bribery 😂 these are such great tips. My 4-year-old is fine and dandy unless she falls…so we embark on a hike knowing full well one of us may have to carry her back home.
Love this post! We have a festival in town today (I definitely do not know my 15 month old’s limits yet – I’m learning:)
That looks like such a beautiful activtiy with kids. I think it would be a great time for my family when we will go. We’d have a lot of fun there.
My kiddo loooooves hiking, but that’s probably no surprise. This last weekend we were up at Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula and he had us stop and read him every single interpretive sign and labeled wildflower. I loved it.
Great ideas! I take my grand babies on walks and often end up carrying them. Funny how they can run forever until..