Top 10 Tips for Hiking with Kids
Hiking with kids can certainly be an adventure, but it also creates amazing memories! We’ve done a bunch of hikes with our kiddos and have come up with a list of tips to share with you!
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1. Make sure that you are familiar with hiking best practices and have the essential gear you need for hiking. NH Fish and Game has a wonderful site with great guidance here. I imagine that your state does, as well, so check it out!
2. Consider a child carrier. We carried Little Man through age 3 and it was super helpful! If you’re just figuring out if you like hiking, a soft sided carrier (like a Tula or Ergo) would be fine. However, a true hiking carrier is definitely more comfortable for longer hikes; it better distributes the weight and the structure keeps you both cooler. We use an Osprey Poco; you can read about why here.
3. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks. Snacks are essential to keeping the kiddos happy and are a great bribe to get them up to the top!! We generally don’t let them snack on the way up, but once we get up they each have their own little snack bag filled with things like kids clif bars, fruit pouches, apples, pretzels, and a “high value” treat like fruit snacks. We like to use reusable snack bags like this.
4. Have the kiddos carry their own backpacks. L has been carrying her own bag since she started hiking. We usually put in a small water bottle, one of her layers, and her snack bag; that way her bag isn’t too heavy, but she is still being responsible for her own necessities. However, the main reason they carry their own bags is so that we have something to grab to help them during the hike. We can use it to help them up a big step or to keep them in control while going down hill. Both our kiddos have used versions of this bag, as it’s the perfect size for the littles!
5. Make sure to wear sturdy shoes. We all wear hiking boots when we hike as we feel they help to prevent twisted ankles and help ensure that we get the best footing. Many people hike in solid sneakers, as well. Definitely don’t put your kids (or yourself) in crocs, Keds, flip-flops, etc.; you’re just asking for an injury! You can read about the boots we put our kiddos in here.
6. Have your kiddos be the trail marker finders. We show our kiddos the trail marker at the beginning of the trail so they know what to look for and then they are responsible for finding them during the hike. This is a great activity if you are carrying an older kiddo, as it gives him/her something to do. Little Man was great at spotting a “white rectangle!” or an “orange rectangle!” last year. Not only does this teach your kiddos trail navigating skills, but it helps keep their little brains focused on something other than walking. However, do keep an eye out for the markers yourself, just incase the kiddos get distracted… (and they will get distracted and/or forget at some point!)!
7. Look for squirrels/spiders/chipmunks/dinosaurs/flowers. We always keep our eyes and ears open for interesting things along the trail. L likes to look for interesting flowers and bugs, while Little Man loves looking for dinosaurs. We’ve seen many a squirrel while hunting for dinosaurs (squirrels often sound a lot bigger if they are running through leaves) and we’ve also seen some pretty cool flora and fauna. Not only is this a chance to subtly teach the kiddos about things one finds in nature, but it again serves the purpose of keeping their little brains distracted.
8. Bring snacks to leave in the car for after the hike. We always eat all of our packed snacks at the top of the mountain, but definitely need another snack at the bottom (especially the kiddos)! I usually try to bring something different than what I packed for the hike, just to switch it up a little. We also always pack extra water for the car and some gatorade or the like if it’s a hot day. We started putting the water in insulated bottles (like this) with a lot of ice; it’s amazing to come back to some chilled water at the end! We tend to bring clean water bottles for the kiddos to use, as well, as you never know how many times their hiking bottles will get dropped in the dirt on the hike.
9. Bring shoes to change into after you hike. Your shoes will be dirty and the kiddos’ shoes will be dirty; trust me, you don’t want all that dirt and mud tracked into the car! Plus, taking your feet out of your boots after a hike is an amazing feeling, no matter how comfortable your boots are!
10. Pick an appropriate trail for your family. Don’t try and hike a 4,000 ft mountain on your first hike, or second, or third for that matter. Start small and easy to allow the kids to gain confidence and skill. There are many trails that offer big rewards for easier hikes. Mt. Willard and Mt. Kearsarge from Rollins State Park are great first hikes. When you get to the top, take some time to enjoy the views and enjoy your snacks. We always try and get an early start to our hikes to ensure that we have enough time to enjoy the top (it’s also less crowded in the morning). Additionally, our kiddos tend to get tired in the afternoon so hitting the trails in the morning also helps them to be at their best for the hike!
Our most important tip for you, however, is to enjoy the time with your family. Have fun, embrace the experience, and create memories.
55 Comments
Cindy
Hiking has never been my thing but I do want to allow for that for my grandson. I think we are going to start by geocaching which will involve some hiking and go from there. These are great tips.
Melissa
Geocashing is so fun, as well! Great idea to start your grandson with that!
Stephanie
Love these tips! I want to start hiking more. Haven’t done it in years because my kids are so young lol. These tips are very helpful for when we do!
Melissa
Thank you! I’m so happy you found them helpful! I hope that you make it out on the trails soon!
Jennifer | Me and My Traveling Hat
I love New England, such beautiful landscape! GREAT tips for hiking with children.
Melissa
Thank you!! New England is the best!
Pam
Great tips! We always found hiking with the kids to be successful if we had a “destination” – like a waterfall or ravine or something similar. It kept them going longer.
Melissa
Thanks! That’s a great trip, as well!
Kristen W Allred
I love the tip about giving your kids their own little backpack. I bet they love that!
Melissa
They do! They are so proud to wear them!!
Casandra
Those backpacks look like they are the perfect size for kids. Lots of great tips here thank you.
Melissa
They are definitely perfect for hiking!
kmf
Great tips for families…day hikes are so fun!
Melissa
They are so fun and a great way to get the kiddos outside!
Tricia Snow
I loved it when my kids had their own storage like a back pack! Great tips!
Melissa
Yes! Less that we have to carry! 🙂
Eva Keller
Great ideas to keep them entertained and safe! Great photos too!
Melissa
Thank you!! I give photo credit to our amazing NH mountains!
Sara - Seek Discover Learn
We are hoping to do some hiking this fall. We haven’t done much hiking yet because our youngest is 3. She’ll be 4 next month, so we are going to give it a try later this year and see how it goes. We live in Kentucky and have a camping trip planned to the Red River Gorge area in October, so that will be our first true foray into hiking as a family. Thanks for sharing your tips – we definitely need to invest in some hiking boots for sure.
Melissa
We started our littlest with short hikes (about 1 mile) at age 3 and he loved it; I am sure your little will, as well! Enjoy your trip!!
Hera
We have 4 legged kiddos and funny a lot of these tips are relevant to our fur balls too. They love hiking with us and are so cute to watch
Melissa
Great point!! Hiking with dogs is so fun!
Jennifer
The kids look like they enjoy hiking
Melissa
They do! They keep asking when we get to go again!
Amanda Holdsworth
What great tips! I love the kiddos’ backpacks too!
Melissa
Thanks! Those backpacks are the best!
Missy
We enjoy hiking. It is wonderful to get outside. We always pack snacks. This is very important. 🙂
Melissa
Yes, snacks are very important… for the hangry adults, too! 🙂
Melissa
Yes!! Snack are very important… for us adults, too! I think we eat ours just as quickly as the kiddos!
Lisa Manderino
This is perfect timing because we are going to take our kids hiking tomorrow!
Melissa
Have so much fun!!
Stacey Billingsley
These are great tips. I think anytime kids are involved, you should have a lot of snacks. That’s a good point about changing shoes, too. I learned that one from the beach, actually!
Melissa
Great tip about changing shoes at the beach! Thanks for sharing!
Cathy
These are great tips! I especially love the idea for each kid to have their own backpack. Definitely doing that!
Melissa
Thanks! The kiddos always feel so proud to wear them, too!
Melanie Kis
Great tips! I love hiking with kids is a great thing to do with them. It’s more than just exercise.
Melissa
Thank you! It is definitely so much more than just exercise!
Taci- Life Beyond Zebra
great tips! My little will be born in September, so we are aways away from hikes but when she is big enough I am so taking her hiking all over, great info here.
Melissa
Congratulations!! I am sure your new little one will love being outside with you!!
Trisha
Hahaha! You hunt for dinosaurs on your hikes too?!? They are allusive little critters aren’t they? 😉
Thank you for the great tips!
Melissa
They certainly are!! Glad to hear we aren’t the only dinosaur hunters!
Heather
This is a great list! We’ve been playing around with the idea of taking our boys hiking but didn’t know where to start. Thanks!
Melissa
Thank you! Just start small and I am sure that they will love it!!
Fawn
Wow! What an amazing hiking trip with your family! I love taking my family hiking too. My youngest has outgrown the hiking backpack but I sure loved those hiking days! Looks like you make some awesome memories!
Melissa
This is our first year without him in the carrier and I do miss having him contained and doing longer hikes.. but I don’t miss the extra weight! 🙂 Hiking certainly does make some wonderful memories!
Marianne
Great article! We love to hike as a family! Snacks and water seem to be the most important to the kids! We are barely on the trail and they want their special Granola Bites that we make at home!
Melissa
Homemade granola bites sound amazing!! No wonder they want them as soon as you start!
Mariah French
These are great tips! We just got our son his own backpack that he can carry on hikes and I am so excited for him to use it! It will sure beat me having to carry his big diaper bag around.
Melissa
Awesome! I bet he will be so proud to carry it, as well!!
Holly Beemer
These are great tips!
We loved our Kelty and it served us well. It lasted through 3 kids (each born ~3 years after the last). We were still grateful when they could walk, haha.
Melissa
I heard good things about the Kelty, too. This is our first season with everyone walking and I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is to get to the summit!! 🙂
Jessica
Thanks for the great tips! Such a great idea to pack snacks for after the hike… we always forget to do this!!
Melissa
We didn’t pack snacks for our first hike and I definitely learned my lesson!
Manish Ambaliya
Amazing! I know nothing about traveling all over the country, what a wonderful looking place to explore.
Melissa
New Hampshire has so many amazing places to explore! I hope you make it out here some time!