How to Hike with Kids

Video Transcript

"Hi! I’m Kate with Zoar Outdoor on behalf of expertvillage.com talking to you about hiking and backpacking. If you are going to be hiking with kids, there are a lot of options for you to do. The first thing is don’t set your goals too high. Your kids might be their first time hiking or it might be their 5th time hiking. They are going to be determining your pace, what you are doing for the day and if you have to turn around early because they are not having a good time. A lot of times hikes that have swimming involved would be really good. It would be a good thing to say we are hiking to a swimming spot. We are going to have lunch and we are going to hike out. I find that kids also like to have responsibility in hiking for the day so maybe giving them their own backpack and their food and their water is a good option. Keeping them entertained, having friends that go with them also keeps them entertained and you might want to consider geocaching. Anything that gets a kid outside, hiking with you on a nice easy pace and not to steep terrain, keeping them happy and content in the outdoors is always a positive. Make sure you stay on the trails and make sure your kids are comfortable about going to the bathroom in the woods so there is none of those necessary problems half-way through your day."