Hiking as a family provides you with the opportunity to step away from hectic schedules, put down the electronics, and enjoy the beauty of nature with the people that you love. Involving children in your time out in nature makes something great even better, all the while teaching them skills they can use for the rest of their life. Of course, hiking with kids does come with its own set of challenges. Here are a few tips for executing a successful hiking adventure that will help to connect your family to the great outdoors.

Choose Your Location Wisely- For your first few times hiking together as a family, select a hike that isn’t too long or taxing. If possible, choose a trail that has a feature, such as a lake, stream, waterfall or something else that will keep kids occupied and give them a goal to reach. When planning a hike with little ones, start small. Select a trail that is suitable for beginners. As they become more familiar with the experience, you can travel farther and go on longer adventures. For very small children, even a nature walk around the neighborhood can get them used to the idea of a hike. When you are ready to hit the trails, a smartphone can help with free apps such as Map My Hike, All Trails, and Hiking Project. These apps can help you find trails near you and provide great information, both as you are planning where to go and as you are on the trail.

Allow Yourself Plenty of Time- Kids are natural explorers. One of the greatest things about hiking with children is watching them discover the world around them. Make sure to account for plenty of stops and opportunities for your little ones to touch and see the world around. Also, keep in mind that hiking requires a great deal of energy. Frequent stops for snacks (who doesn’t love trail mix???) and drinks will help to keep your child on target. You can also use breaks as motivators to keep your child moving by saying “watch for the bridge, we’ll stop there for our next snack.”

Make It Fun- Create games that you and your children can play out on the trail. Have them look for signs of wildlife such as scat, bird holes in trees, fur or look for certain colors in the plant life. Organize a scavenger hunt and have them find things are bumpy, smelly, small, big, living, wet…the list goes on! In keeping the fun, choose a child to be your trail leader. Kids love feeling like they are in charge. Having the children take turns leading the hiking group can help the kids feel empowered – just make sure that the leadership rotates or this could lead to arguments further down the trail. By allowing the kids to lead, you can also make sure that the pace is slow enough so they can keep up.

Teach Conservation- Teaching children to take care of the world around them is an important part of being in the great outdoors. Teaching kids about conservation when they’re young promotes a lifetime of eco-friendly habits. However, simply explaining concepts is rarely enough to make them stick. When out on a hike, make sure that all of your trash is collected.  The “pack it in, pack it out” concept is fully embraced on the trail. To further reinforce this idea, bring a small garbage bag and have the kids pick up any litter they see on the way back to the car. By getting kids engaged in hands-on activities you help children understand the true meaning of conservation. For more information on the seven principles of outdoor ethics checkout Leave No Trace.

By going on a hike you are investing in your family, your health, and your world. So go, make a plan, and take a hike!

Most families feel squeezed by work, school, planned activities, sports practice, and home upkeep. We don’t need fancy research to tell us that getting away from all the hustle and bustle for a few hours is refreshing to the mind, body, and soul. But studies do show nature has many benefits like decreased stress, increased mental energy and creativity, and overall, improved mental health. You may wonder how to fit one more thing in your family’s full schedule. However, if you are prepared, even a couple of hours that might have been spent binge watching a show or cleaning out a closet can turn into a family adventure.

Nature has healing properties. Leaving the stress of work, homework, and a dishwasher that constantly wants to be loaded, frees your brain to relax.  Make time and soak up some fresh air. Taking into account the ages and preferences of your family members, make a short list of places you could go to get outside and enjoy creation. If you have toddlers and preschoolers, where is the closest walking trail with a paved path, shade, and perhaps a water feature? Elementary kids, how about a place you can safely bike and end up at a large playground or ball field? Middle and high schoolers might be attracted to a more strenuous hike that could wind you around to a fun outdoor eatery. 

I don’t know about your family, but in ours, often the most difficult part of the journey is the first step. Getting out the door with all the people and all the equipment seems to take forever. I remember having toddlers and thinking that no one would ever be able to put on their own shoes. Now with teenagers, I often wonder if everyone can just find their shoes! At a family dinner, come up with a plan for where your next family adventure will take place. Decide how long you need to make it happen and what you need to take with you. Will you be riding bikes or scooters and need helmets and the bike rack? Will you stay for a meal and need a picnic blanket, snacks, and a cooler? Most adventures would do well to have a hat, water bottle, and sunscreen for all participants. Can you make a list or have these things in a bag at the ready?

To schedule or not to schedule? That is the question. Again, you know your family best. If you have young ones, just look for an empty spot on the calendar and block it off for “Nature Time.” If your kids make their own plans, you may have to request an uninterrupted time a few weeks out. Mark the time off with their approval, then you can send them text reminders. If it would be more fun, invite some friends to join you. Of course you can just enjoy the outdoors, but if you have family members who want to know the purpose of the trip or who are easily bored, you have options. Planning a scavenger hunt (photos of items work just as well as collecting the items) can be a great way to engage everyone and encourage sibling camaraderie. If you decide to bring phones along, you can have a photography contest of the most interesting find. If your children are younger, come up with a game you can play on your walk or ride. Finding something they see for each letter of the alphabet  is a fun way to help them notice what is around them. You can also do a colors-of-the-rainbow contest to see how many different colors people can notice or photograph. As long as you are breathing in fresh air and enjoying your time together, you have accomplished much.