5 Tips for Adding Fun to Your Family Hike

I’m so happy about the longer, warmer days lately!  Excitement is running high, to get outside and play.  We just had an awesome weekend of exploring and hiking, inspired by a friend visiting from South Dakota. This is always a perfect excuse to play tourist in our own backyard, and day trip to some Western Colorado sites.  Or in this case, even into Utah.

My kids are VERY ready for school to be out for Summer.  After too many sedentary months spent indoors, we have much better opportunities for family hiking once Spring rolls around.  Admittedly, our family hikes don’t happen for us unless we put a little forethought into it.  So it’s an excellent time to make a list of trails you’d like to explore.

With that in mind, and in honor of the upcoming Kids To Parks Day – here are some family hiking tips for adding a fun factor.

Hike to Interesting Landmarks

If you’ve got a waterfall in your neck of the woods, I’m officially jealous of you.

In the absence of a noteworthy physical landmark… have you considered seeking out petroglyphs?  These are fascinating, and often within easy access by trail.  We have never stumbled across any “accidentally”, but by asking the Google before we head to a certain area, we often know right where to seek them out.

For me, it’s mind blowing to think about the past history behind rock art. Plus this adds an incentive and element of adventure for the kids.  They might even accidentally learn some history.  Hubba-whaa…??

Bring a Friend (or Cousin!)

We love our family outings together, and it’s an ideal time for bonding with your kids.  But consider having your child bring along a friend on your next hike.  My kids are SO happy when they find out their cousin will be joining them on the trail.  I swear we hear fewer complaints, and maintain better forward momentum, when there’s a bigger crew along.

I guess we parents just aren’t that fun.

Let The Monkeys Climb

Hiking for my family rarely means exclusively linear progress.  Stopping to let the kids climb can be frustrating.  And terrifying.

Be that as it may… my first grade son has waaaaay more fun “hiking” when we chill out, and just let him stop and climb rocks once in awhile.  You’ll want to do this within the bounds of safety, of course.  There are definitely times when he starts scurrying up something that gives us a heart attack, and we immediately bark at him “STOP!!”.

But when all is said and done, this is a fairly harmless endeavor that kids love, love, love.  It leads me to my next tip, though.

Make Sure They’ve Got Proper Footwear

Believe me, I know it’s hard to keep growing children in a correctly sized (which changes at least annually) pair of:

• School shoes
• Snow boots
• Summer Sandals
• … AND hiking boots.

Ouch. Right?

Often it’s those hiking boots which end up being the last item on that prioritized list.  But I’ve found two things happen when we do actually get my kids a pair of good fitting hiking boots (or shoes):

1. They feel more comfortable on the trail, and are safer on uneven terrain (or when climbing rocks)
2. Having the right “gear” available means we go hiking more.

It’s one of the things I love about hiking.  Once you have some good hiking shoes….. it’s free!

Finding a brand that makes decent quality shoes at a more affordable price (compared to spendy outdoor brands) definitely helps.  My entire family has been testing out both hiking boots and trail sandals from Northside, and are impressed with the comfortable fit and sole traction.

Pssst… I’m giving away a pair at the end of this article.

Take a Driving Tour with Shorter Hikes

I got this idea from our experience last weekend.  Although our final destination was Dinosaur National Monument in Utah, we had printed out a map of some petroglyph locations along the way.  This broke up the 2 ½ hour trip, and turned out to be a highlight of our day.

Driving for a distance, then letting the kids get out and do a short hike is a genius combo.  They weren’t so bored and antsy on the road trip.  And it contributed to the whole “the journey IS the experience” vibe.  We covered a lot of ground, and saw a lovely variety of terrain and sights.  Fun was had by all!

Kids To Parks Day is May 19th

I’m an ambassador again this year for “Kids to Parks Day”, a wonderful program to inspire people to take their kids outside to play.  Sponsored by National Park Trust, they have an excellent website to check out for ideas.  

Kids to Parks Day is Saturday, May 19^th!  That is ONE WEEK AWAY, people… so check it out today, and make a plan.

You can search for an event near you, and enter to win a camping gear package.  And whether you’ll be heading to a local city park, or a large national park – there are some cool family resources offered with activity ideas.

Northside Shoes – Giveaway

As a sponsor of Kids to Parks Day, Northside Shoes has offered to send one of my winning readers a free pair of Northside Shoes (adult or child) – your choice, anything from their website.  Woo hooo!

Open to US, ages 18 and up.  Enter using the form below.  Void where prohibited.

*o*     *o*     *o*

We received free shoes from Northside.  All opinions are my own.

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