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Day Hikes
with Kids
distance, snacks, and when to turn back
The goal of a hike with children is not the summit. It is that they want to go again next week. Everything else, the distance, the view, the photograph at the top, is secondary to that, and once you accept it the whole thing gets easier and considerably more enjoyable for everybody.
Realistic distances
Toddlers who are walking. Half a mile to a mile, and it will take an hour, because they stop for every stick. That is not a problem, that is the walk.
Four to six. Two to three miles with limited elevation. They can do more and they will complain about the last mile, which teaches them the wrong lesson.
Seven to ten. Four to six miles with real elevation is achievable and they will be proud of it.
Eleven and up. Most children this age can do an adult day hike if they are used to walking, which is the part people skip.
Elevation matters more than distance. A flat five miles is easier than a steep two, and children feel climbing more than adults do because their legs are shorter.
The turn-back rule
Decide before you start what time you turn around regardless of where you are. Then actually do it.
This is the rule that keeps everybody safe and it is the one adults break, because the top is right there and it seems a shame. The top is always right there. It is right there for the people who get benighted too.
With children, half your daylight is the outward limit, and I would take less than that. The way back is always slower because everybody is tired.
Say it out loud at the start so it is a plan rather than a defeat. We turn around at two, wherever we are. Then nobody argues at two.
What to carry
More water than you think, and more snacks than that. Snacks are the single most effective piece of hiking equipment for children and it is not close.
Layers, including one more than the weather suggests. Mountain weather changes and a cold child is a finished child.
A basic first aid kit with plasters, because a blister ends a hike and a plaster does not.
A whistle each for children old enough to understand it, and a conversation about what to do if they cannot see you. Stay put and blow it.
Proper shoes. Not new ones. Trainers are fine for easy trails, but new boots on a first hike guarantees blisters.
Making it something they want to repeat
Pick a hike with a thing at the end. A waterfall, a lake they can swim in, a castle, a cave, a summit with a view they can see the car from. Walking to a view an adult appreciates is not a destination to a seven year old.
Let them lead. Genuinely. The pace will be wrong and they will love it, and a child at the front is a child who is not complaining.
Give them a job. Navigating with the map, spotting trail markers, counting bridges, photographing every mushroom. Occupation beats distraction.
Stop before they need to stop. If you wait until somebody is miserable, the stop is damage control rather than a break.
Eat at the top. Everybody eats at the top. It is the oldest trick in hiking and it works on adults too.
Weather and safety
Check the forecast for the elevation you are going to, not the town you are staying in. They are frequently different by a considerable margin.
Start early. Afternoon thunderstorms are the pattern in mountains almost everywhere in summer, and being above the treeline at three o’clock is a bad plan.
Tell somebody where you are going and when you expect to be back, particularly if there is no phone signal.
Know where the water is and whether it needs treating. In a lot of places it does.
When to abandon it
When somebody is genuinely cold, genuinely frightened, or has stopped talking. That last one is the signal I watch for. A quiet child on a hike is usually a child who is finished.
Turning back is not a failed hike. A four year old who walked a mile and got carried the last bit had a lovely morning and will come again.
A four year old who was dragged three miles will remember hiking as the thing that happened to them, and you will spend the next five years arguing about it.
If you are building a trip around walking with children, the choice of trail matters far more than the destination. Happy to point you at the ones that work.
Questions people actually ask
How far can a child hike in a day?
Roughly half a mile to a mile for walking toddlers, two to three miles for ages four to six, four to six miles for seven to ten, and adult distances for many children over eleven who walk regularly. Elevation affects children more than distance.
What is the turn-back rule?
Deciding a fixed turnaround time before setting out and adhering to it regardless of progress. With children, the outward leg should use well under half the available daylight since the return is slower.
What should you carry on a family day hike?
More water and snacks than expected, extra layers, a basic first aid kit including plasters, and a whistle for each child old enough to use one. Shoes should be worn in rather than new.
How do you keep children motivated on a hike?
Choose trails with a tangible destination such as a waterfall, lake or castle, let children lead, give them a specific job, take breaks before they are needed and eat at the high point.
When should you turn back on a hike with children?
When a child is genuinely cold, frightened, or has gone quiet. Sudden quietness is often the clearest sign a child has reached their limit.
More in Walking & Hiking
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Written and kept current by Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with Adventures We Seek. If something here is out of date, tell me and I will fix it.
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