Hiking with Kids

Hiking with kids should be kept simple and open-ended.  A good planned hiking excursion is one that appeals to a child’s sense of exploration and adventure. It helps if you are familiar with the trail before you go hiking with kids, so that you can plan short scenic rest stops for munchie and water breaks and fun destinations to explore along the way, like waterfalls and caves, or even wildlife trees to observe.  This will keep the children’s interests alive and their energy levels excited with anticipation. Encourage imaginative games that work into the context of a hike. Take a child's friend along; they'll be more likely to stay entertained. Make hiking with kids a family tradition so that when your child grows up, they will have experience and knowledge to pass on to friends and family for generations to come.

Packing For Hiking With Kids

The first thing to consider when hiking with kids is how much should kids carry on their backs? Adults generally use 1/4 of body weight as a guideline, but we think this is too much for kids.  Most kids find it much more enjoyable carrying a 10 pound pack or less. They can get most of their stuff in at 10 lbs, and the adult ends up carrying almost all of the food.  A school backpack will usually suffice for a beginning hike with kids, or you can try this Kid's P.B.J. Daypack, a hiking hydration daypack which can also be used as their school backpack.

To start with, let them pack a flashlight, their own water, a favorite snack, lightweight jacket or long sleeve shirt. If you have a child that’s of the indoor creative sort and not the kind to be outdoors roughing it, let them take a comfort creature of their choice that they will be responsible to carry throughout the hike.  This will allow for a smile and cooperation on their new outdoor adventure as they show their plaything a good time and ultimately will make hiking with kids a successful day out. 

Use All Five Senses

Enjoy the woods while hiking with kids! The idea of getting dirty, exploring new trails, and searching for wildlife, appeals to the inner child in most of us. Granted, kids can take longer than their fitness-focused adult counterparts, but that is usually because they have different goals. Kids seek adventures and their curiosity and imagination could probably teach adults a thing or two about trail appreciation. They are a lot closer to the ground. They will point out fungus, moss or insects that you will never see.  Encourage their natural imagination. Set out on your hiking with kids excursion and the world becomes an exciting and magical place, where dried-up riverbeds become dinosaur grounds, ordinary mud becomes quicksand, and tree roots turn into crocodiles.  Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses.

Kids are hands-on learners, so appeal to sights, sound, scent, touch and taste. Feel the texture of leaves or moss, smell the mud and listen with eyes closed to the sounds of wind. Lie on your back to observe clouds and make pictures from them, or taste the rain. For younger kids, tape together two empty toilet paper rolls and tie a string for first “binoculars.” They help to focus on just one bird in the bush or one fuzzy caterpillar. Older kids might like a scavenger hunt with items such as “Catch a smell. What is it?” Here are some fun games to help you enjoy your experience in the wilderness when hiking with kids.

Hiking With Kids Is Loaded With Teachable Moments

Hiking with kids can present a great opportunity to teach some basic outdoor survival skills.  You can have them help navigate by using a map and compass to find your way.  Children love being an expert.  Have them identify birds, rocks, plants and wildlife along the way or use guide books to help identify what you observe. Teach kids to be aware of their environment and appreciate earth’s suttle details by looking for signs of wildlife (feathers on the ground, claw scratches on tree trunks, animal tracks or droppings, bird holes in dead trees, fur along the trail, slugs, water striders on lakes, frogs in pond). May we suggest some good hiking with kids resources to get you and the kids up to snuff on your adventure.

Encountering Wildlife

You can be sure that when you are hiking with kids, they will be very excited to see wildlife on their adventure. This can make for a memorable experience and a great photo op, however you need to make sure to follow all safety precautions when encountering wildlife.  Hiking with kids at dawn or dusk may increase your chances of meeting a bear. Use extra caution in places where hearing or visibility is limited: in brushy areas, near streams, where trails round a bend or on windy days. Avoid berry patches in fall. Reduce your chances of surprising a bear by making noise—talk or sing. Make sure children are close to you or at least within your sight at all times. Leave your dog at home or have it on a leash. Here is a great book on how to be prepared and avoid drawing the attention of a bear and also how to react when encountering a bear while hiking with kids; Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters

Preserving The Outdoor Natural Habitat

When hiking with kids, make sure to stay on the trail at all times. Not only can children get lost, but going off the trail can damage fragile plant life and cutting across switch- backs creates a pattern of erosion. Teach your kids to treat the outdoors kindly. Be sure to pack out everything you pack in (carry a trash bag).  Keep in mind, when hiking with kids, some of our trails may be marked with a Forest Service trail number, which means we may not pick or dig up wildflowers or other plants, may not cut on living trees or plants, may not remove moss or take souvenirs.  As nature lovers, we are welcome to look and touch and take photos, but we must leave everything in place, to treat the forest as a living museum.

Do Your Child A Great Favor

The child that grows up indoors, spending their free time sitting in front of a TV, or interacting with a video game or a computer, will become a much different adult than a child who has the freedom to roam and explore meadows and woodlands, discovering for themselves how immense and fascinating our earth is. When you are hiking with kids, the world expands in a child's imagination as they spend time in a forest, or climb a hill or mountain. Children need to play and get dirty, and be subjected to a wide enough array of bacteria so that they can also develop healthy immune systems as they grow.

One of the kindest things an adult can do for a child is walk or hike with him or her in the outdoors.  Go hiking with kids, now!