I have always wondered why my kids can run around a playground for hours or spend the entire afternoon out exploring and climbing trees but suddenly as soon as they have to walk from the car to the store they think I am asking them to walk 50 miles in the snow and ice in bare feet! Tell me I am not alone!
Now that you are considering taking your kids hiking you will want to know how far you should be able to expect your children to hike without pushing their limits too far.
The General Rule…
There is a general rule that children can usually walk 1 km for every year of their age. So a 10 year old could be expected to walk 10km in one go. For those of you who are “miles” people, 1 km is 0.6 miles so you could just round it down to a 1/2 mile.
As with most rules there are plenty of children who will struggle to walk that far and those who will exceed that by a good few miles.
Start Small
In order to gauge exactly how far your kids can walk start them out on something completely manageable. You don’t want to crush their enthusiasm right off the bat with an Iron Man type feat!
Once they have successfully conquered their first official hike then move up to increasingly more difficult hikes. You will soon find the level and distance that is the sweet spot for your particular kids.
Plan for the Big Hikes
When we decided we were going to visit Southern Utah and hike in Arches National Park I knew I wanted to do the Delicate Arch hike. It was on my bucket list and didn’t know if I would ever be back. It is also inadvisable with young children because it is long and hard.
So I prepped those kids like your would not believe. The key to being successful at big hikes with children is in the preparation. If you just throw them into it there will be tears, and whining. I remember on the hike one kid who was about eight screaming at her dad “why are you trying to kill me, this is horrible!” She was absolutely miserable. I felt for her and for her dad.
In the months prior we started to build up the kids resilience. They were five, and four (and a 2 year old who got carried up). We hiked on our local trails, they broke in their shoes and I made them carry their backpacks everywhere. Honestly people thought we were crazy.
By the time we reached the time to embark on these big hikes they were ready. They confidently without one complaint walked the entire way to Delicate Arch, carrying their own packs by themselves. They had high fives and cheers the whole way up which just spurred them on.
The doubled the “expected” distance they should walk for their age but it was built up over time. There would be no way they could have done it without the preparation. If you are wanting to do a big hike with your kids spend a few months preparing so you kids don’t accuse you of trying to kill them!
Buy a Hiking Carrier
Hiking carriers can be a good middle ground for hiking with kids. If you have a hiking carrier you can let your kids walk for as far as those little legs will take them before putting them in the carrier for the remainder of the trail.
There is no reason you need to be limited to small and short hikes with young children if you have a carrier. There are so many different types of carriers but for a dedicated hiking carrier you can’t go past an Osprey Hiking Carrier. They are super light weight and come from a great company. Their products have a life time warranty so you know you a buying quality.
If you have a baby or older child you will want to check out this resource which breaks down the best carriers for hiking based on the age of your child or baby.
Choose Interesting Hikes
If you are wanting to encourage your children to hike further then you need to pick hikes that are going to interest them. Hikes that have some fun or exciting aspects to them will always push the kids so much further. For example if there is a fun waterfall to cool off in or a place to swim, you will always win a few brownie points for those hikes.
National Parks have a great Junior Ranger program that is a fantastic way to make children more excited about hiking and they will walk…run many many miles to be able to tick off all the requirements to get their badge at the end of the day.
Choose the Right Gear
Kids can walk for longer distances with the right gear. It really can make all the difference in world. The right gear includes, appropriate footwear, comfortable age appropriate backpack and drink bottle.
Shoes
A previous post “Do Kid’s Need Hiking Boots” goes into depth about when and why should should buy hiking boots for your kids. Sometimes you really don’t need to bother. However if you are serious about hiking as a family then it is highly advisable to invest in a good pair of hiking boots for your kids. Keen shoes are a highly reputable brand of hiking boots that will last you through many child and maybe even on to your grandkids if you look after them well!
Hiking shoes offer a lot of protection from sharp object, dangerous wild life as well as rolled ankles and falls. The way they are designed places a lot of emphasis on comfort. This plays an important part in how far your children can walk in a day.
Back Pack
A back pack needs to be comfortable. A regular school backpack is just not going to cut it on a long hike. It just doesn’t have the padding and support needed. Even little kids can carry their own pack. Our children having been carrying their own bags since they were about two. We start them out with nothing in it and gradually add more items as the get older.
Osprey comes out on top here again. For your average hiker you would only need one of these basic packs. Make sure to get a child or youth size one! If you are planning on doing over night hikes where they need to carry quite a lot of gear then definitely look at upgrading to these larger hiking packs for kids. They have all the space you need as well as being incredibly comfortable to wear for long distances.
Drink Bottle
A good hiking back pack will either have a water hydration bladder included or they will have a space for one. This is one of the best features of a hiking backpack.
Hiking is definitely a good workout and you need a lot of water especially if you are hiking in the warmer weather. We like to to fill up an insulated drink bottle like this Contigo one before we leave home so it is icy cold. We will also fill our water bladders. A water bladder or hydration pack is a refillable bag of water which you put in your backpack. It has a long tube that comes out from the bag with a mouthpiece on the end so you can take a drink of water without having to stop or open your bag. Kids think these things are amazing….If you buy an Osprey pack you can also purchase a hydration pack for a great price to go a long with it.
How far a child can hike is going to depend on your child. Start with the rule of thumb of 1 km or 1/2 mile per age then go from there. If your child loves to hike they are going to go a lot further than that! Remember they can run around a playground non-stop all Summer long!
