A Shared Passion for Hiking

Most parents and grandparents dream about sharing their passions with their kids. But what happens when your passion includes schlepping 30 pounds or more of gear through the tick-infested woods and sleeping on the ground for days on end? Fear not. Here are some tips for hiking with kids.

Why take your kids with you?

It’s hard to guess which kids will take to hiking like a fish to water and which ones will beg off. But you’ll never know until you try. My kids were toddlers the first time we went backpacking on a short, level trail where I carried everything and I knew they could do the hike with no problem. My four-year-old wanted to know when we could go again but my three-year-old was uninterested in another trip. And that’s ok. Backpacking isn’t for everyone. But it’s definitely for me and my oldest. Now he’s 12 and carries almost the same weight as I do and loves to help me plan trips with 10-mile days.

The benefits of taking your kids hiking will be life-changing for you and for them. The physical and mental benefits of exercise are well known. We all know the restorative effects of a walk in the woods on mind, body, and soul. The feeling of self-reliance and accomplishment from a long hike completed are huge for mental and emotional health. And what better way to ensure the future protection of the wild spaces we cherish then to get our kids invested in caring for them?

How to do it

Once you’re out on the trail with young kids, distractions are important; they might not be content as you are to simply watch the trees go by. Poems, fairy tales, and your own made-up stories can help pass the time. Many of the kids I hike with enjoy making up their own stories as a group; someone starts a tale with one sentence and the next in line adds to it, and so on. This can keep up for miles. Food is important for every hike, but it can help to mix it up with special treats. My kids love candy but we only allow a few select kinds in the house to keep consumption under control. So we have a stash of “special” candy in the hiking backpack to use for bribes. Toddlers and preschoolers are especially easy to bribe: “You can have a lollipop if you walk to that tree!” or “You can have a chocolate candy if you take another 100 steps!”

My favorite way to keep kids happy on hikes is to invite their friends. It’s amazing how much complaining happens on a hike with only one family. But if you add another family with at least one kid in roughly the same age range, like magic the hike seems to get shorter and the climbs easier for everyone involved.

What to wear

Comfy and roomy pants or shorts are best (hopefully with pockets, so kids can carry their own snacks and trash). Most kids will do fine with sneakers on short hikes. Once your family is hiking distances on a regular basis, invest in some boots. Kids’ boots are cheaper than adults, and they often outgrow them before they wear them out, so they can get a lot of use by multiple kids. As always, make sure to bring the “Ten Essentials”, extra food and water, sunscreen etc.

A word about baby carriers

Bringing babies on hikes is a great idea! (This is not sarcasm.) When I was a new mom a hike with my baby on my back was a wonderful antidote to the feeling of being overwhelmed by this huge life change. And once he was old enough to walk on his own, his little brother was being carried by me or my husband. There are two basic kinds of carriers you can use to tote those who can’t make it the whole way on their own. The first is a soft carrier like a sling or Ergo. These are for babies and the smallest toddlers; check the manufacturer specifications for weight limits. The second kind of carrier is hard-framed backpack that kids can ride in for as long as mom or dad are willing to carry them. These are usually easy to find used.

The bottom line is that hiking is great for families, and the more you get young kids on the trail, the better. Before you know it, they’ll be ready to shoulder a load on an overnight trek. The Ozark Trail has many offerings for families. Get started planning your trip by exploring our trail offerings or using our Trip Planner tool.

Kathy Schrenk is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids St. Louis and Beyond,” out June 2018 from Mountaineers Books.