Take a Hike! 6 Tips to Ensure Safe Family Hiking

The crisp mountain air, the smell of pines in the wind, that larger-than-life feeling you get when looking out at the valley below—nothing beats hiking in the beautiful mountains of the West.

You could settle for seeing these sights from your car window, but to really experience nature, you need to get out and explore. Hiking is a family-friendly, cost-friendly, and experience-rich activity for people of all ages to enjoy—especially your kids. Ensure that your outdoor adventures with your children are ones you will remember happily by following some simple safety tips.

Safe Hiking Tips for the Whole Family

1. Know the Trail Before you start your hike, make sure you know what to expect. Review trail guides on the web that describe the terrain, elevation gains, and the difficulty of the trail, and check the weather forecast to avoid getting caught in a storm. Cater your hike difficulty to the weakest or youngest member of the family. If you choose something too strenuous, you may be stuck with whining or with having to carry kids up the more difficult parts of the trail.

2. Use the Buddy System If you’re hiking with more than 3 people, pair each child with an adult so that no one gets left behind or forgotten. Everyone should be in sight of their buddy at all times.

3. Take Plenty of Water Hiking can make you hot, tired, and thirsty. Experts recommend taking 1 liter per every hour you plan to hike. It is always better to take more than you think you will need. Be sure to start out well hydrated and then to take regular water breaks as you go. Pay extra attention to infants and children, because they tend to lose body fluids faster than adults and have a harder time regulating their body temperatures. Both little and big people can become irritated, irrational, and may even refuse to drink water when they’re dehydrated.

Teach your children the danger of drinking water from rivers, streams, and ponds. If you have water-purifying supplies, teach them how to properly clean water before drinking it.

4. Gear Up Depending on the trail, sneakers may be fine, but if you are hiking on uneven, rocky terrain, hiking boots will make a big difference. Although they are heavy, a good boot gives your ankles better support. To avoid blisters, have kids break their boots in by wearing them around the house days before the hike. Don’t forget to wear good sock while hiking! Sunglasses, hats, long pants (not jeans!) and lightweight-material shirts will complete your gear. Don’t forget sunscreen and bug spray too!

5. Never Play the Silent Game As much as mom and dad love peace and quiet, hiking is not the place to be silent. Most wildlife don’t want to be around humans, so if they can hear you coming, they will move out of your way in time to avoid a potentially dangerous encounter. Your kids should have no problem following this tip!

6. Channel Your Inner “Tree Hugger” One of the biggest problems when kids get lost is that they don’t stay in one place long enough for someone to find them. Tell kids to “hug a tree” or stay put if they find themselves alone. Carry some sort of GPS device like your smart phone with you. This is crucial in the case that you’ll need to give a rescue crew your location.

What are you waiting for? Take advantage of the great outdoors and plan a hike with your kids. Even a small hike will provide healthy exercise, opportune teaching moments, and memories that will last your family a lifetime.

Find the perfect hike for your family with the help of Intermountain LiVe Well’s Healthy Hikes.