7 Tips For Hiking With Kids in the Black Hills
Hiking with kids can be….torture, I mean, a challenge. Disclaimer: I do not have any specific training or education in childhood development, so these are only my suggestions and it is quite possible that following my advice could lead to long term emotional issues in your children. I’m just letting you know what I do and it’s definitely possible I may be completely screwing up my kids in the process. You decide what is best for your kids.
Here are some things to consider when hiking with kids.
1. Trail Features
Picking the correct trail is key. I love a good climb with a reward of amazing views at the top. My kids, not so much. They just really don’t appreciate the scenic overlook like I do. It may take some trial and error to discover which kinds of trails your kids really enjoy, but don’t be afraid to deviate from that to expose them to new things, either.
My kids love water, so we will try to find trails that cross streams or creeks, or that start near a lake in the summer for swimming after. The more creek crossings, the better, for them. For some reason wet feet do not bother them at all! Some of their favorites with creeks in the Black Hills are Little Elk Creek, Grace Coolidge and Sunday Gulch. Also, a good rock scramble will keep my kids from complaining about distance. They enjoy climbing the rocks near the top of Little Devils Tower and Lovers Leap.
2. Distance
This really depends on your child and how much experience they have. If you’re just starting to hike with younger kids (4-7) I would start with 2 miles at the most. See how it goes. Remember, if you’re doing an out and back trail, you will have to turn around and go back. There’s no shame in cutting the hike short if its a struggle. Start slow and ease them into it. The worst thing you can do is make their first hiking experience a terrible one. Keep it fun and if they are tired, let them rest.
3. Patience
If you don’t have patience, you are dead. You might as well turn around and go home. You’re not going to make it. There is no way to get through a hike with kids without patience. It’s a necessity. Food, water, patience, you need them all. If you are on a tight schedule and think, “I will just squeeze in a quick little hike before ________.” Don’t do it. There is no such thing as a “quick little hike” with kids. You just don’t know what will happen. There could be a stampede of…ants on the trail which will take exactly 37 minutes to observe and determine that they are in fact ants crossing the trail. So, be prepared to stop and smell the flowers or the deer crap or whatever else may be on or near the trail.
4. Food
Or as I like to call it, “shove-something-in-their-face-so-they-can’t-whine”. The less nutritional value, the better. If it’s something they can get at home, it will work, but if it’s something that is only a “hiking snack”, this is the best. I try to find something they really love and then use it to bribe them to keep going. You know the kids are going to hit a wall. It’s not a question of “if”, it’s a question of “when”. Could be at a mile in, could be at .01 mile. There really is no predicting it.
In case you aren’t familiar with the wall. It’s when your lovely child lays down in the middle of the trail and all the bones have suddenly become mush, they cannot stand or move another foot. This is an emergency and is often preceded by incessant chanting of “how much farther”. Nothing will break through that wall faster than a well-timed promise of a honey bun over the next hill. (Yes, I know it’s processed crap and we should really all be nourishing our bodies and believe me, if my kids could perform for an apple the way they do for a honey bun, I would be all over it. However, at the moment, Honey Buns are where it’s at.)
5. Adventure/Imagination
This one can encompass many things. With my boys, its something as simple as seeing a sign warning of rattlesnakes in the area at the trailhead. They immediately grab their nerf guns from the car to “protect” me. (They did not bring bullets.) This kept them engaged and interested for at least 2 miles looking for snakes to shoot. Sometimes I will start off the hike seeing who can spot the most pine cones or birds or squirrels.
Keeping the kids engaged and pointing out things around them is really all it takes to turn a long, boring hike into an adventure that everyone enjoys. I have been known to point out poop along the trail or different tracks and see if the boys can guess what kind of animal left it. They love it when I ask if it could be a T-Rex or velociraptor. Silly mom, those are extinct.
6. Safety
On the way to the trailhead, I will usually go over some basic rules with my kids. The number one rule is staying together. I will let my teenagers run ahead as long as they are together, but the little ones need to stay within eyesight of me. Number two rule is animal safety. We go over both wild and domestic animals. For example, we talk about not petting other people’s dogs unless they first ask for permission. We discuss snakes, cows, horses and bison and what we will do if we see any of those things.
7. Navigation
Depending on their age, teaching kids some basic navigation skills is important. It can be as simple as knowing which trail you are on and helping to find the trail signs. I will often let my kids look at the map and I show them where we are and which route we are taking. When we get to a junction, I ask them which way they think we should go.
Showing them how to tell the difference between what may be an animal trail vs the actual trail. As they get older, letting them pick the trail and the route and letting them take the lead can instill a sense of ownership in your hike and its amazing how much more involved a teenager will be when they have planned the outing.
Overall, hiking with kids creates memories that you all will cherish one day, so don’t give up. There may be days they will tell you how much they hate hiking, just smile and say “I know, that’s why we do it,” and move on. Trust me, there will come a day when they will appreciate the fact that you “tortured them” by making them hike.
