We LOVED hiking mile after mile as a family this past summer. Our kids are active 9, 11, 11, 13, & 15 year olds. However, I was concerned that hiking as much as we were planning could get tiresome and difficult. So, I did a bunch of research before we headed out and learned some valuable lessons about hiking with kids as we went along that made the experience as positive as I could think to make it. So here, in no particular order, are my thoughts/recommendations about how to make your hike with your children truly enjoyable:
- Hydration Packs are WONDERFUL. We gave each of our kids (and ourselves)hydration backpacks for birthdays and even though birthdays got a bit redundant, it was well worth it. We bought 1.5 or 2 liter packs depending on the size of the child. They were great because our kids could easily drink as they hiked and keep some basic supplies on them. Yes, that means that on one of our hikes a couple kids ran out of water because they were drinking a bit much (so us adults got to share), but it was still wonderful to not listen to them whine, “I’m thirsty, can’t we stop?” 5 minutes after the last stop to get out water bottles.
- Keep extra water in your vehicle. In case kids run out in their pack, it’s good to have some extra. :)
- Pack Snacks. Before our trip, I bought a variety of dried fruits and nuts, granola bars, nutrigrain bars, slim jims, fun fruits, etc. Every morning each child was given a quart size ziplock baggy to fill with the nuts and dried fruits they wanted. Plus they could pick out 4 or so of the other snack items. They put their snacks in their packs. When you’re planning on hiking an average of 8 miles a day, your children will have much more energy and will be MUCH more smiley when they have plenty of snacks to keep their tummies happy!
- Pack Lunch. Every day my husband and I, along with our 15 and 13 year old carried lunch for everyone. Even if you think your morning hike will be quick, it’s best to be prepared and have lunch on you. It gives you the flexibility of staying at your destination as long as you want (and let kids skip stones to their hearts’ content) without having the hungry grouchies force you to rush back to your vehicle to eat lunch.
- Wet wipes. You will find a myriad of uses for them on the trail.
- Keep Jackets or sweatshirts handy. I purchased backpacks with bungee straps on the back so we could easily tuck our an extra layer in them when we were warm and get the layer out when we were chilly. Glacier had a heat wave the week we were there, so we hardly needed our jackets (although early mornings in the forest are always cool), but Grand Tetons and Yellowstone were chilly, so we were glad to have them!
- Consult a day backpacking site and pack the stuff they recommend. The compass? Yep. We never needed it, but the kids loved using it. In fact, I thought they would, so for a couple bucks a piece I bought each of them small compasses with carbineers to hook on their backpacks. Of course make sure to pack the first aid kit (with large bandages), sun screen, bug spray, bear spray (if applicable), etc., etc.
- Get a cheap pocket guide for animals/birds/whatever natural your child is interested in, so they can look the info up while going to and from hike locations or as you take little breaks on your hike. It gets them more knowledgeable and excited about what they may see that day. I had purchased an “animals of the northwest” book that my kids enjoyed, but the best/most popular resource was at the first house we stayed in. They had a book called, “Who pooped in the Park?” Our 11 yr old boys ate it up and trust me, you see a lot more scat than live animal on trails. Our boys loved being able to figure out which animal had left their mark!
- If you rented a cabin or house to save on food expenses - have supper waiting for you when you get home. I planned lots of crockpot and quick grill meals for us so we could sit down and eat quickly. The last thing I wanted to do after a day of hiking was deal with supper, so I made sure I didn't have to!
Finally, if at all possible, do an all day or half day local hike before your big trip. A couple months before our big trip we went to Starved Rock for the day. We don’t typically do big full day hikes, so it was invaluable to hike 6+ miles at a stretch and learn from it. Our big take-aways from that day were to slow down and enjoy the hike itself, not just the destination and make sure we had plenty of food and water on us (not just in our vehicle).
(Starved Rock a couple months before we headed West)
I’d love to hear any “hiking with kids” tips you have to make our next trip even better!
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