How to Choose a Kid Friendly Hiking Trail

Hiking is a wonderful outdoor adventure that the whole family can do together. Easier trails that kids can handle on their own without getting too tired can boost their self-esteem while increasing their level of healthy exercise. Follow these steps to choosing a kid-friendly hiking trail.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Snacks
• Water
• Hat or sunscreen
• Comfortable walking shoes

1. Find a trail that fits the ability of the child. Do an Internet search for family hiking trails in your area.

2. Choose a couple that interest you. Choose some that are short at first--no more than a mile--depending on the age of the child.

3. Hike them first. You can hike the trails that you are interested in by yourself first. That way you can judge difficulty of the hike before taking your child out on it.

4. Only hike part of the trail. If you find a trail that you would like to try, but think that it may be too long, only do part of it. Start the hike and halfway through, turn around and hike back out. Save the other half for next time.

5. Ask friends that go hiking with their children where their favorite trails are. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find out about a trail and ensure that there are no unexpected surprises.

Tips & Warnings

• It is important that children feel successful when hiking trails. Otherwise, they will get frustrated and not want to do it anymore.