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Camping, camping activities, camping with kids, fall camping with kids, Hiking, Hiking With Kids, RV activities, RVing, Taking Your Kids Camping
One of the very best camping activities is hiking. There’s nothing like a nice morning hike to put you in a good mood, and hitting the trail is the perfect way to reconnect with nature. Hiking is fun during all parts of the year (though we do recommend heading south to do your winter hiking), and as long as you choose the right trail, it can be a good activity for people of all abilities and fitness levels.
All that said, you might be hesitant to add hiking to your list of camping activities if you have kids. After all, kids have a tendency to complain when a lot of walking has to happen, and there’s little reason to believe the same won’t be true of a hike. Besides, many parents can have trouble believing their kids will be up to the challenges a hike can pose.
The thing is, with a little bit of planning, hiking with kids can actually be fun. Try using the tips below to plan the perfect hiking adventure with your kids and rediscover your love of walking the trails.
Slow Down
First and foremost, it’s incredibly important that you slow down. Little legs can’t keep up with an adult’s longer stride, and asking them to will tire them out quickly, leading to the aforementioned whining.
Slowing your hike might seem like a huge bummer. However, this really isn’t the case. Slowing down can actually be a really nice thing if you choose to use the extra time to look around and really observe and appreciate your surroundings.
In fact, you might even find that you prefer slower hiking, opting to continue moving a bit slower even when the kids aren’t around.
Pack Snacks
Another thing that can lead to whining? Hunger. Unfortunately, kids get hungry quickly, especially when they’re moving around. For this reason, it’s crucial that you pack plenty of snacks that they will eat. This might seem silly if you’ll only be hiking for a couple of hours, but trust us when we say you won’t regret it.
Keep It Short and Sweet
Speaking of short two-hour hikes, that amount of time tends to be the sweet spot for kids. Go much longer than a couple of hours and you’re likely to have some unhappy little friends for the remainder of your exploration.
This will of course vary from one kid to the next, so you might want to experiment a bit to find the best hike length for your kids, but starting with two hours is a good plan of attack that isn’t likely to induce meltdowns or other negative outcomes.
Include Small Challenges
A short hike doesn’t have to be a boring one. If your kids are a bit older, consider picking short hikes with some challenging bits to keep things interesting. There’s no reason an 8- or 9-year-old can’t handle a bit of rock scrambling or bouldering, and they will likely feel more engaged during the hike and more accomplished after when challenges like this are put in their path.
Just be sure to know your own kids and their limits, testing with the smallest challenges and growing from there based on how they do.
Grab the Right Gear
The right gear can make all the difference in the world when hiking with little ones. A small backpack for each kid will allow them to carry their own things—a lifesaver when you have multiple kids, as putting everything in a single pack will get heavy fast. You’ll also want to make sure every kid has their own water container, as well as a hat to keep the sun out of their eyes.
Lastly, if you’ll be hiking with a baby or toddler, be sure to invest in a high-quality hiking baby carrier for their comfort and your own.
Head to National Parks
We love hiking with kids in national parks. Most national parks have plenty of short yet rewarding hikes, with some even offering some challenging bits. The views will always be gorgeous in these parks, and the Junior Ranger programs here offer young hikers some incentive to get out on the trails.
Give the Kids Cameras
Last but not least, we highly recommend handing each kid a camera to carry during the hike. This will help keep them engaged by encouraging them to truly observe their surroundings. It will also give you an opportunity to see the world from their point of view, something most adults don’t do enough of.
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About the author: Chelsea Gonzales
Chelsea has the amazing opportunity to take part in full-time RV living and traveling with her tiny tribe. She homeschools her five-year-old son as they travel, and takes full advantage of their unique situation by using the entire world as her son’s classroom. A group of total Disney fanatics, Chelsea and her family often find themselves in the Orlando area in order to visit the Disney parks, but they have also visited over 25 of the 50 states with plans to see many more along the way. No matter where her travels take her, Chelsea enjoys riding bikes, gazing at beautiful sunsets, finding new coffee shops, Irish dancing, and sitting around a campfire with her family.
You can join her adventures through her blog, Wonder Wherever We Wander.
Scott H. ~ “We have been extremely happy with Coach-Net’s service agents as well as the overall service that they provide.”
Do you have kids who are reluctant to join in your adventures? It could be that they would benefit from being involved in the planning process. Not only will letting your kids help plan get them more excited about the trip, but it will also help them gain skills such as budgeting, time management, and route planning.
As mentioned above, traveling with an RV means traveling with your kitchen. It also means you’ll have a bathroom and your own beds anywhere you go. This is amazing news for parents everywhere, as it makes pit stops a cinch.
Getting kids involved in whatever you are doing is key to ensuring they have a good time and learn a thing or two during your trip. There are many ways to go about this, and the options we’ve mentioned so far are a great start.
Kids plus camping equals a mess. For this reason, you will definitely want to skip the nice clothes and reach for the older, more worn-out clothes in your kids’ drawers. Sure, it’s tempting to pack those cute new summer outfits for your family vacation, but having those brand new clothes ruined will only lead to upset, and asking your kids to stay clean restricts the amount of exploring they can do.
Camping has always been something families do together. However, until recently, living and traveling in an RV fulltime was something that was primarily done by retirees. Now thanks to the internet, more and more young people are able to find mobile work and take their families on the road.
Obviously, if you’re going to be traveling fulltime, you will have to do some sort of homeschooling or 
When you move into your RV, be sure to set very clear boundaries for the kids from the beginning. For instance, our son is not allowed to leave our campsite without permission. He also isn’t allowed in anyone else’s RV without us. Setting these clear and unchanging boundaries will help keep your kids safe while you see the world.
RV homes are quite small. For this reason, it’s important to get out of the RV and stretch while all giving each other some space.
As summer gives way to fall, many people will be winterizing their RVs and putting them away for the colder months. Fortunately, you do not have to be one of those people. Why not keep the RV out for some fall-time camping with the kids? Not only will you get to continue to enjoy the relaxing camping experience, your kids will be thrilled as well.
While acorns can be found on the ground in the summer, they become much more abundant as the weather turns colder. Take advantage of this fact by teaching your young nature explorers how to create a whistle from an acorn cap. Not only is this great fun, it could also be helpful knowledge to have in an emergency situation.
If you enjoy hiking, you are probably always looking for a way to entertain the kiddos during your treks through nature. Why not have the young hikers collect pretty fall leaves during your adventures? There are leaves in lots of amazing colors, shapes, and sizes, and collecting them could turn into a fun lesson on how to identify various leaves.
The fall season brings earlier sunsets, meaning much more of your camping time will be spent in darkness. However, you don’t have to let this fact put a damper on your fun. Instead, use the darkness to increase your fun by playing a rousing game of flashlight tag.
There are many “rules of behavior” that apply to RVers and campers while traveling. Some are written on almost every park sign, while some are inferred. Ignoring them is likely to have a range of results, from being shunned by your camping neighbors to being asked to leave the park.
Let’s start with arguably the most important, yet frequently poorly enforced rule, that of quiet hours. This rule is displayed prominently on the signage and literature of every RV park I’ve ever visited, yet it is often ignored. My family is a quiet bunch; We set up camp, explore the area, walk the dog, and ride our bikes. We eat outside but do so while engaged in quiet family conversation. We like to retire to the RV early and usually enjoy a movie and/or game before going to bed. These evening activities generally last until ten o’clock or later. There is always a wide array of family groups staying at RV parks and campgrounds in everything from tents to large Class A coaches, and I find that more than a few of them have young children. When it’s lights out time in our motorhome, it’s after a long day of travel or activity and nothing would be better than to fall asleep to the sounds of only crickets, frogs, or…. nothing. Unfortunately, the serenity of the great outdoors is all too often interrupted by neighboring campers listening to music or talking loudly. This often lasts until the wee hours of the morning, with 2 or 3 am seeming to be the norm. While some RV parks do a good job of curbing this behavior, others, even those with 24hr. patrols, do not. When you are camping with your family or other groups, please be courteous to your neighbors and move the conversation, music, or other socializing inside after the posted quiet hour, which generally starts at 10 pm. Even conversation that may seem quiet to you in your own campsite can carry across the park, especially to those close to you. Note that a tarp is not an effective sound barrier.
RV parks have rules regarding pets. Please be aware of these rules, such as not leaving your pet unattended, keeping it leashed, and cleaning up after it does its “business”. We tend to know when a family has left their pet behind due to the telltale barking, whining, or howling. Even the best-behaved pooch will miss its humans and want to enjoy the sights with them.
In terms of unwritten rules, the one that I most often find causes the most problem, and generally involves children, is crossing a campsite occupied by somebody else. While it is understood that people are inclined to short-cut to lessen travel time, it is considered very rude to cross through another person’s campsite. This is especially true when the offender is running or on a bicycle or other form of transportation. Please educate your family on the importance of privacy and urge them not to travel through campsites that are occupied by others. Stick to the roadway or campsites that are unoccupied. This is not only an annoyance to those occupying the site, but may also be a security concern.
Summer and camping go hand in hand, and there is nothing quite as wonderful as sharing the summer camping experience with your kids. Part of the reason my family lives the RV lifestyle is to spend more time experiencing camping and making memories together, and I think every family should have the opportunity to do the same.
Hunting for treasure is fun for everyone. After all, it gives the hunters a great opportunity to pretend they are pirates, and who wouldn’t love to have that chance?
Many RVers have taken up painting and hiding rocks in the campgrounds they visit. The rocks are then found by others, who have the option to keep the pretty decorations or hide them somewhere else for other lucky campers to find.
Swimming is a big part of camping for most people. This is especially true during the hot summer months when keeping cool becomes difficult. Why not make your camping swimming sessions even more fun by playing some water games?
After the sun goes down, most campers can be found sitting around campfires telling stories and singing songs. While you will definitely want to have the classic campfire experience, there is nothing wrong with mixing it up on occasion.
