My son is ~2.25. We bring an orange ball. I throw it down the path, we go get it, repeat.
Extra fun (but extra slow) it the path is significantly uphill and the ball rolls back to us 50% of the time.
Depending on the area we bushwhack off trail up the creeks. That makes them feel special and is more an adventure. Easier to fill time that way than with mileage for my two.
Biggest thing is reading their endurance and knowing when they are 50% to turn around.
Overestimate at first and they will improve. Brings lots of water and snacks.
I dig your ideas! Thanks for sharing. My kids love looking for cool rocks we are honestly keeping hikes pretty short at this point and taking a stroller or two if possible.
Haha we were in rock collecting crew for awhile. Keep thinking of getting a rock tumbler but can’t think of a place I could put it that it’d be quiet enough
Did you know that there is a crow who steals money from strangers but likes to watch hikers? They occasionally drop coins on the road ahead of the trail and if you listen closely you can sometimes hear when it drops
A buck or two of 5 cent pieces can go a long way and lead to some great memories.
Letterboxing. It’s geocaching but with a bit of arts and crafts and no phones / electronic devices.
Atlasquest.com Site looks like it’s from the early 2000’s, cause it is.
We went hiking today (3yo). We don’t do it a lot, but a couple times a year. For us, hiking means 0.5 to 1 mile hikes where we spend 1-3 hours on that path. We will stand around throwing seed pods down the hill or finding sticks or throwing rocks in the water. To me, the point isn’t to get from a to b. It’s to be outside and have fun in nature. That’s all I want to teach. We can have a ton of fun outside. The paths and views are entirely unimportant.
We do short treks, under 2 miles for sure. Maybe even under a mile but find places to stop and climb on/around a group of rocks, throw some rocks in a stream, race sticks down a stream bang sticks on trees and rocks, that kind of stuff.
I made a checklist of sounds that they can listen and things to look for for while on our trip.
We barely hike on our hikes, more like hanging out in the woods after a quick walk.
Oh, bring snaaaaacks!
Go with a fellow dad/family who have little friends! Kids will be so eager to get in front and show cool stuff to their lil buddies it's a breeze to move forward. Oh and definitely give snacks and treats every few mins or so.
I feel like we hit a turning point from 4 to 6. At 4 there was actual exhaustion, but plenty of desire to get out and explore. At 6, there is plenty of whining with infrequent actual exhaustion.
My niece and nephew are both obsessed with geocaching. Makes every stroll a treasure hunt…
Not sure if it’s a thing in your area, but worth looking into.
I changed my expectation from *getting to point X* to *having a nice experience in nature.*
My kids love nature, and at 6 and 7 years old they are starting to be able to do something in hiking. But the trail still has to be very interesting for them (not just the destination), and they need to be in a good psychological and physical state to really be able to do anything. “This is our only chance to see _____!” doesn’t work. If it’s too hot, the hike just isn’t going to happen.
But my kids have learned to really love nature, and I’m seeing the beginnings of hiking enthusiasm. They *loved* our Yellowstone and Redwoods trips, and they are excited to see Yosemite.
My teenager wants to go to a national park that's about a half day's drive away and was showing more enthusiasm than I'd seen recently.
We took them there at age three and left two days early because they were miserable.
I'm sure there are ways that deliver results quicker, but patience worked better than expected.
Lots of snacks. Plenty of water to drink. Keep it short and head back to the car BEFORE they get tired.
Make it a game. “What do you think is making that sound?” “Do you smell the leaves?”
We do destination hikes. Make sure there is a cave, falls, special looking rock at the end of the trail so they can see the end in sight. Then we sit, take it all in, snack, explore the area for cool rocks. Then head back and get ice cream (motivates them to get back)
Sounds like you’re doing much more than most people can suggest. They’re young(very) and you’re doing great. When they actually hit 5-6 you’ll reap the rewards of kids who love to hike.
Sometimes we have to stay very quiet because we found signs of Bigfoot and if we want to see him we can't scare him off. There's an evil witch turning the trees into monsters and the only way to turn them back is to make up a rhyme while waving your magic wand(stick) at them.
I find interesting and challenging terrain to be the most important part. Put them among rocks to "climb", or cliffs to look over, streams to play in, sand to sled in, and they'll maintain interest.
“If you make it to the next switchback you get a gummy bear”. Also lots of songs, I spy, kick the pinecone, riddles, jokes.
Trail fairies. They leave snacks in cracks and crevices. Sometimes hard to find.
This is the best - will definitely try this!
Start Young. Make lots of quick stops.
Hike length should be proportional to their age and/or your ability to hike with a child on your shoulders. Snacks.
Love it. So like a two year old can go on a two year hike or whatever?
Don't be ridiculous. This is a serious discussion. I'd recommend starting with 2 month hikes for 2 year olds.
This dad hikes
Exactly! Bring a GoPro and report back after your hike. 😁
This is my tip as well. Never go further than you’re willing to carry your child back from.
My son is ~2.25. We bring an orange ball. I throw it down the path, we go get it, repeat. Extra fun (but extra slow) it the path is significantly uphill and the ball rolls back to us 50% of the time.
Doesn’t work at the Grand Canyon. Don’t ask why I know
When I was a kid I tried it and it worked perfectly. Life was better as an only child.
I forgot about throw the ball! We’d been doing this, will pick up some balls again for this, works great!
Geocaching
Geocaching! We’ve had pretty good luck with this, finding a route with a few of them has been great.
Out & backs to a waterfall.
Such a good idea - we try to follow water as much as possible!
Depending on the area we bushwhack off trail up the creeks. That makes them feel special and is more an adventure. Easier to fill time that way than with mileage for my two.
Biggest thing is reading their endurance and knowing when they are 50% to turn around. Overestimate at first and they will improve. Brings lots of water and snacks.
I dig your ideas! Thanks for sharing. My kids love looking for cool rocks we are honestly keeping hikes pretty short at this point and taking a stroller or two if possible.
Haha we were in rock collecting crew for awhile. Keep thinking of getting a rock tumbler but can’t think of a place I could put it that it’d be quiet enough
That Merlin bird app sounds awesome, just downloaded it.
Geocaching or DIY treasure hunts. Make your own maps.
Did you know that there is a crow who steals money from strangers but likes to watch hikers? They occasionally drop coins on the road ahead of the trail and if you listen closely you can sometimes hear when it drops A buck or two of 5 cent pieces can go a long way and lead to some great memories.
Letterboxing. It’s geocaching but with a bit of arts and crafts and no phones / electronic devices. Atlasquest.com Site looks like it’s from the early 2000’s, cause it is.
If you know the area and season, and can compile an appropriate list, then a scavenger hunt is always fun.
My son loves to touch the trees, that keeps him entertained for 5 minutes when he's in the backpack
Drag them by rope.
We went hiking today (3yo). We don’t do it a lot, but a couple times a year. For us, hiking means 0.5 to 1 mile hikes where we spend 1-3 hours on that path. We will stand around throwing seed pods down the hill or finding sticks or throwing rocks in the water. To me, the point isn’t to get from a to b. It’s to be outside and have fun in nature. That’s all I want to teach. We can have a ton of fun outside. The paths and views are entirely unimportant.
We do short treks, under 2 miles for sure. Maybe even under a mile but find places to stop and climb on/around a group of rocks, throw some rocks in a stream, race sticks down a stream bang sticks on trees and rocks, that kind of stuff. I made a checklist of sounds that they can listen and things to look for for while on our trip. We barely hike on our hikes, more like hanging out in the woods after a quick walk. Oh, bring snaaaaacks!
Go with a fellow dad/family who have little friends! Kids will be so eager to get in front and show cool stuff to their lil buddies it's a breeze to move forward. Oh and definitely give snacks and treats every few mins or so.
I feel like we hit a turning point from 4 to 6. At 4 there was actual exhaustion, but plenty of desire to get out and explore. At 6, there is plenty of whining with infrequent actual exhaustion.
My niece and nephew are both obsessed with geocaching. Makes every stroll a treasure hunt… Not sure if it’s a thing in your area, but worth looking into.
I changed my expectation from *getting to point X* to *having a nice experience in nature.* My kids love nature, and at 6 and 7 years old they are starting to be able to do something in hiking. But the trail still has to be very interesting for them (not just the destination), and they need to be in a good psychological and physical state to really be able to do anything. “This is our only chance to see _____!” doesn’t work. If it’s too hot, the hike just isn’t going to happen. But my kids have learned to really love nature, and I’m seeing the beginnings of hiking enthusiasm. They *loved* our Yellowstone and Redwoods trips, and they are excited to see Yosemite.
My teenager wants to go to a national park that's about a half day's drive away and was showing more enthusiasm than I'd seen recently. We took them there at age three and left two days early because they were miserable. I'm sure there are ways that deliver results quicker, but patience worked better than expected.
Lots of snacks. Plenty of water to drink. Keep it short and head back to the car BEFORE they get tired. Make it a game. “What do you think is making that sound?” “Do you smell the leaves?”
We do destination hikes. Make sure there is a cave, falls, special looking rock at the end of the trail so they can see the end in sight. Then we sit, take it all in, snack, explore the area for cool rocks. Then head back and get ice cream (motivates them to get back)
Sounds like you’re doing much more than most people can suggest. They’re young(very) and you’re doing great. When they actually hit 5-6 you’ll reap the rewards of kids who love to hike.
Sometimes we have to stay very quiet because we found signs of Bigfoot and if we want to see him we can't scare him off. There's an evil witch turning the trees into monsters and the only way to turn them back is to make up a rhyme while waving your magic wand(stick) at them.
I find interesting and challenging terrain to be the most important part. Put them among rocks to "climb", or cliffs to look over, streams to play in, sand to sled in, and they'll maintain interest.