The Ultimate Guide to Hiking with a Toddler: Tips, Tricks and Gear
The idea of hiking with a toddler is intimidating. I get it. But it can be so much fun once you figure it out!
In my quest to get my kids out into nature from a young age, I’ve made plenty of mistakes.
Taking your toddler hiking is a tough balance of on-site learning, endless snacking, and practicing independence while also dealing with bugs, the weather, and uneven trails.
But, take it from a mom who’s been there: once you get the basics of hiking with a toddler done, you can slowly add more adventure and fun as you both feel comfortable.
Below, I’m covering everything you need to hit the trail with confidence, from what to pack to how to deal with trail meltdowns and why the trail you choose to tackle is so important.
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Hey, I’m Natalie! I’m a mom of 2 who has camped and hiked in 34 states and 29 national parks, so you know you’re getting advice from a parent who’s been there!
Choosing the Right Trails for Your Toddler Hikes
Before we get into the gear you need and my general tips, let’s linger for a moment on where you need to go, which I think is just as important (or even more so!)
Because you can have all of the fanciest gear, the best snacks, and the cutest little hiking outfit, and your hiking experience with your toddler will go nowhere fast if you’re trying to tackle the wrong trail.
If you’re a lifelong hiker, forget everything that you know and love about this hobby.
Even if you hiked with your child as a baby in a carrier, that’s also vastly different than what you’re about to experience.
Toddlers are wild. They have zero self-preservation instincts and yet can move faster than a cheetah.
And that means that you will end up running down the trail with your hair flying everywhere as you chase after a small human who is trying to simultaneously impale themselves on a stick that’s bigger than they are and eating something that will probably require a call to Poison Control.
So, now that we’ve set the scene, let’s talk trails.
My toddler son having a blast on the trail
When I started hiking with my first child (who is now a preteen!) as a toddler, I popped onto a 3-mile, barely moderate trail in the North Carolina mountains without a second thought. The hike should’ve been something that we could do in a fun hour or two, and absolutely could’ve if she’d been smaller and in her previously used baby carrier.
Instead, I spent 2 hours trying to convince her to walk, not run, next to me on the narrow path while holding my hand since she didn’t understand the concept of a trail.
We ran out of snacks and water so fast since she was playing intensely and needed constant fuel. I was exhausted by the end of it and we never even made it to the summit.
After that experience, I went home and really put some thought into how I was going to move forward with future hikes because that. was. miserable.
My daughter didn’t want to stay in any sort of carrier, but I didn’t love how much work it was to let her walk alone.
And that’s when I realized I was trying to still hike like an adult.
Instead, I needed to think like a toddler and work backwards from there.
The trail needs to be short. (No, even shorter.)
Toddlers have little legs. They might be fast, but they aren’t lasting out there hiking 20 miles before dinner.
The likelihood of you finishing any trail of any length with a toddler is low, but it does improve if you’re trying to tackle a 1-mile nature loop instead of a 7 mile summit.
When my kids were that little, we kept our hikes between 1-2 miles with the expectation that I might make it half of that distance on a good day.
Consider the elevation.
For us, living in coastal South Carolina, our day to day hikes were all very, very flat.
But there are many areas of the United States where that’s not the case.
Do the best you can given your natural surroundings to find trails that don’t have a lot of elevation gain.
Your toddler isn’t going to understand the concept of “pushing through the pain” as you attempt to ascend 600 feet of switchbacks, and that sort of purposefully stressful experience that adult hikers seek after isn’t going to translate into fun for your little one.
Plus, a trail with considerable elevation likely has steep drop offs or sloping sides, which also don’t lend themselves well to hiking with a child who has no concept of personal safety.
Remember, low and slow is the way to go with toddlers on a trail.
The trail needs to be nearby.
You do not want to start hiking with your toddler on a vacation.
You want to tackle this situation while you’re on your own home turf and can go back for a nap if everyone gets grumpy or the weather shifts unexpectedly.
Look for trails in your city, county, or state parks, which typically include trails in a variety of lengths.
We lived in Charleston when my kids were that little, and Charleston has a surprising number of easy hikes that are great for toddlers and preschoolers.
The trail needs to be wide, flat-ish, and generally well kept.
Toddlers are not the most coordinated of individuals, and they can (and do) trip over their own feet regularly.
With that in mind, choose a trail that’s going to work with them, not against them.
Pick a gravel or packed dirt trail that’s not too riddled with rocks or roots to lessen the tripping hazards. Both of my kids have scars on the bottoms of their chins from tripping and falling on rocks when they were about this age, so it is a real consideration.
In just a short while, your toddler will be big enough to love a good rock scramble, but for now, stick to a less intense trail experience.
A wider trail is key since your little hiker is going to want to do it themselves. You’ll spend less time reminding them of what the trail is if there’s more room to walk.
Plus, in areas where there are ticks or venomous snakes, that wide trail will keep your toddler away from bushes and underbrush that might hold those things you don’t want near your kid.
Lean into amenities.
This is a stage in your hiking hobby that you want all of the amenities.
Air conditioned bathroom with flush toilets? Yes, please. That will be SO much more comfortable for everyone while your toddler is learning to potty train than trying to get him or her to squat in the woods.
And don’t even get me started on trying to get your toddler to use the bathroom in a vault toilet. Mine just screamed and refused to go because they were convinced they were going to fall in and never get out. (Honestly, same.)
A cute camp store that sells ice cream? Absolutely. This is the time when you want to emphasize the fun parts of hiking so that your toddler will remember that feeling and want to do it again!
Seek out the shade.
If at all possible—and I know I’m asking a lot in places like Arizona and Utah—find a trail that has some shade.
Toddlers think they’re invincible, but they are susceptible to sunburn and dehydration just like anyone else. And, they typically don’t have the personal awareness or speaking skills to let you know when they’re not doing well.
Finding a shaded trail means that you’ll both be more comfortable throughout since you’ll have some protection from the sun and even a light rain if a storm springs up.
Consider the worst case scenario.
Even if you’re comfortable with more remote hiking on your own, reconsider those spots when hiking with a toddler.
If your toddler got badly hurt, could you carry him or her out to safety?
If you got hurt, is the trail busy enough for someone to come by to help you in short order?
If you or your toddler gets lost or hurt, is there reliable cell phone signal?
I don’t know about you, but I’m far more willing to do crazy things when I’m on my own. But when I’m with my kids, I’m 100% about safety and consistency.
As I do hike solo with my two young kids a good deal, I am always worried about what to do if I got hurt since they clearly couldn’t carry me out. When they were toddlers and definitely couldn’t relay emergency information to a 911 operator should I get hurt on a trail, I stayed on short, easy accessible, and more populated trails for that reason.
NOTE: If you want to carry gear with you to help alleviate these fears, look below in the gear section!
Aim for somewhere to play.
The Riley Moore Falls trail had a perfect mid-hike stop for swimming and snacks.
If you know a trail that has a built in stopping point along the way, that helps a lot with toddler motivation.
For example, we often went to a local county park that had a playground at our usual turnaround point, and my kids loved hiking to that. We’d climb the tower to look out over the marsh, slide for a bit, have a snack and then return to the car.
We’d also hike to a kayak launch to watch the kayakers on the water or watch the birds.
Other great options to hike to include streams or waterfalls that you can safely splash in, storybook walks, or nice picnic areas.
Do your research.
It’s also important to see what others think about the trail you’re planning to visit.
While a national or state park website might list the trail as “easy,” you don’t know how recently that blurb was written and what might have changed in the meantime.
Before you set out on any hike, it’s a good idea to check for any recent updates, trail conditions, and level of difficulty at AllTrails! Purchase your annual subscription here.
This will ensure that you know about any changes to the trails, access, or facilities.
Learning How to Hike with Your Toddler: Tips and Tricks
Here is my number one best tip for hiking with a toddler: the point isn’t to log the most miles! If you and your child are out having fun, then that’s successful hiking with a toddler.
Have stick, will hike!
Be slow and curious.
Toddlers are innately curious and will want to investigate every rock, leaf, and piece of dirt (and probably try to eat it!).
Encourage this exploration as long as it is being done safely and on the trail.
Also, know that this focus on curiosity will mean that you end up hiking very, very, very slowly.
But that’s okay!
The point here isn’t to set a speed running record.
It’s to emphasize fun out in nature.
Look for learning opportunities.
The scavenger hunt is always a hit!
Whenever you can, point out interesting looking sticks and rocks.
Narrate your hike to teach your toddler basic vocabulary and numbers. You could also:
play I Spy as you walk slowly along,
count trees or squirrels or clouds,
sing your ABC’s loudly (no indoor voices here!), or
see how many colors you can find on the trail.
These are the moments that will stick with your child and show the entire family that nature is a place of wonder and interest.
If you’d like a more directed way to help your child learn on the trail, check out my free printable nature scavenger hunt. My kids LOVED doing this scavenger hunt when they were toddlers and preschoolers thanks to the colorful images that are instantly recognizable.
Keep some colorful nature pamphlets in your day pack (like this one about bugs and slugs, for example, one of my kids’ favorites) and make a big deal of it when your child finds a new crawly thing.
By finding fun ways to make your hike more engaging and enriching, your kids are learning to associate nature with fun even from a young age.
For even more ideas on how to make hiking fun for the entire family, check out my comprehensive guide!
Keep your expectations low.
I had a mom friend tell me once, “Some days, you might not even get out of the parking lot. And that’s fine!”
This was the biggest shift for me from hiking with other adults (and then hiking with a baby in a carrier) to hiking with a toddler.
When it was just me or adult hikers, we had a goal and we set out to accomplish it.
With toddlers, they do not care one bit about your goals. They don’t even know what goals are.
They live entirely in the moment, which is kind of incredible when you allow that shift to happen in your own mind.
So, if you have 10 really great minutes on the trail before a meltdown happens, that’s a good hike. If you make it an entire hour before your child is starving, that’s also a good hike.
Know when to carry them and when to provide more freedom.
This was the biggest transition from hiking with our babies to taking them on trails as a toddler: they just want to “do it myself” ALL of the time.
While I’m okay with that independent spirit at the house, it’s so much harder to get comfortable with them being wild and free on the trail.
There’s just so much more that can happen in the blink of an eye.
That being said, you’ll have to find the right balance for your child. Some kids will want to get out of the baby/toddler carrier as soon as they can walk and will never look back.
Others will be content with a little bit of independent walking time before they’re ready for you to carry them again.
If at all possible, I recommend pushing them a little here. Before they can get put back in the carrier, have them explore for a set number of minutes or a specific distance.
After all, they won’t learn a love of hiking if they don’t actually do the hiking.
Definitely have a carrier of some sort with you even if you don’t think your kid will use it (see below for suggestions). That one time you leave it at home is the one time your toddler will fall asleep while you’re holding him or her, and you’ll need to figure out a way to hip carry all of the way back to the car.
NOTE: I don’t recommend bringing a stroller while hiking with your child unless you are positive that the entire trail is paved and well maintained. Even all-terrain/running strollers are miserable after a short time on a packed dirt trail.
Always check the weather.
Hiking with toddlers can be sweaty, exhausting affairs even when everything goes right, but adding in a scary thunderstorm or intense winds can quickly derail a trip.
Case in point: we once had a sudden thunderstorm roll up on us when we were adventuring on an isolated island near St. Pete Beach, Florida, and we were left without anywhere to shelter in the near vicinity.
The thunder was so loud that my kids talked about it for years.
Again, you’re trying to encourage fun and exploration, and having your child scared of the outdoors in any way is going to work counter to that.
Invest in the proper gear.
If you’re new to hiking in general or just to hiking with a toddler, you’ll want to build up a set of reliable, go-to gear.
Having specific pieces of trail ready clothes, shoes, and gear means that you can be ready for a hike in a moment’s notice, and that you’re set for whatever the day might throw at you.
At minimum, you’ll want supportive shoes, a carrier, a day pack, and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
See below for more on what to carry with you for a successful hike with your toddler.
Be willing to call it quits.
Some days, the living is easy with a toddler. But a lot of the time, it’s not.
There is always the likelihood that you’ll pack the car, pack your day pack, get your toddler and yourself dressed, and drive to the trailhead, only to witness a meltdown from your child 10 feet into the trail.
Try water and food and a short rest to see if any of those could be causing the issue. Then, see if he or she is tired and try the carrier you brought along.
If none of these work and your toddler is just mad about life, you can either go home or push through, depending on how you think your child will react.
If your child can be diverted with a change of scenery (and they’re not kicking and screaming so much that you can make progress on the trail), see if the fresh air and movement will help.
If that still doesn’t work, there’s no shame in saying you tried and returning home. Just pick back up there on a different day, and you’ll likely have a different outcome!
What to Pack for Hiking with Your Toddler: The Best Gear and Supplies
1) A day pack.
Not a purse. Not a hip pack.
You’re going to need an actual day pack for the best chance of success at hiking with your toddler.
Gone are the days you can hop on the trail with a water bottle and some granola bars and have a good time.
After all, if something goes wrong on a hike when you’re with another adult, that’s a very different situation than if something goes wrong on a hike when you’re alone with a young child.
Whenever I’m with our kids for a day hike, I carry either my Osprey Skimmer 28L pack or my Osprey Daylight Plus, depending on how long I think I’m going to be gone and how much water and food we need.
However, no matter the pack, I carry everything we might need if we were to get hurt or stranded somewhere.
2) Plenty of water
I carry a 2.5L water bladder, but a large water bottle or two will also suffice if you prefer that method.
I always like the water bladder since the less rigid shape allows the weight to be more evenly distributed on my back. Plus, the attached straw made it easy for me to share my water with my toddler.
Just make sure that you have more water than you think you need for your time on the trail. That goes double if you’re hiking in the summer and/or on exposed trails.
My son enjoying a(nother) trail snack!
3) So many snacks!
When my son began to understand what hiking was, he was not a fan.
He got hot.
He got tired.
He got dirty.
But, then, we introduced him to the trail snack!
In reality, a trail snack is any snack that you pack in your day pack, but we like to really get the kids excited about their trail snacks.
While we’re on the trail, our kids can have access to any of the snacks that we’ve brought.
This might mean that some toddlers will snack, bite-by-bite, during the entire hike.
And that’s okay.
Take this inspiring family’s story of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with 3 young kids: the journalist points out several instances where the kids hike with pretzels or granola bars in hand.
My kids love hiking now, and that’s in no small part to the trail snacks that they know await them.
4) The 10 hiking essentials
I’m not listing these individually, but the 10 hiking essentials are something you should always have in your hiking gear and on your person.
These items, which include a basic first aid kit, extra layers, an emergency bivvy, and sun protection, give you the best chance at a good hike—and a good rescue if something terrible were to happen.
These are very much a case of having something and not needing it (as opposed to needing something and not having it), and they will give you peace of mind if nothing else.
Learn more about the 10 essentials for hiking here.
5) Garmin InReach Mini
I also have my Garmin InReach Mini clipped to my pack at all times.
Having it with me gives me comfort that if something did happen to me while I was hiking, I would be able to contact someone to let them know.
Especially when I was hiking with my babies/toddlers and I knew that they could not assist me in any way should I get hurt, I wanted to make sure that I had a way to get help.
The Garmin InReach is tiny and takes up essentially no space, but it gives me 24/7 satellite access to emergency response.
I know that the newer iPhone models also claim to do something similar, but this is one time when I’m okay having a bit of an insurance policy in the Garmin. Plus, the Garmin is nearly indestructible and stays next to me on my day pack, while my luck would be that my iPhone would shatter into a million pieces.
6) A packable cloth baby carrier
While most of your hiking with a toddler will be slow progress on the ground, there will inevitably be a time when your little one needs a break.
We love a soft baby carrier for this reason, and, when our kids were little, we always had one tucked in our day packs, ready and waiting for the next requested break time or trailside nap.
We loved our Tula carrier for every day, light to moderate hiking. It was lightweight, washable, and highly adjustable so both my husband or I could wear it.
We started using the Tula carrier when the kids were babies, and it was still going strong years after this photo!
Plus, it can be worn for both front and back carry, making this something you’ll use on and off the trail from infancy and into toddlerhood.
The padded shoulders and waist belt help distribute the child’s weight well, so that I wasn’t uncomfortable even when hiking with my toddler.
(You might be wondering, “What do I do with my day pack when I’m baby wearing on the trail?” We would double wear the baby carrier and day pack with one on the front and the other on the back.)
There are other options, such as a fully structured toddler hiking bag if you’re committing to much longer, more frequent, and more strenuous hikes.
These structured packs, like the Osprey Poco SLT, combine the packing ability of a day pack with the hands-free accessibility of a toddler carrier.
On the plus side, these carriers are the best of both worlds and will make for much easier long hikes. You can even set the carrier down on the ground with your child in it, which is a great feature if your toddler falls asleep and you need a break.
On the downside, the carriers are much more expensive than a day pack + soft sided toddler carrier, and there’s more of a learning curve on how to use them.
Overall, I think you can get away with the smaller carriers unless you plan to do a lot of longer hiking with your toddler.
7) Bug and tick spray
My kids have always seemed to attract every mosquito in a ten mile radius, so bug spray was a non-negotiable for us on hikes.
If you’re worried about putting bug spray on your child’s gentle skin, try a DEET-free bug and tick spray like this one or use these cute stickers to repel ticks or these for mosquitos!
If a bug bite or two does happen, consider using this soothing (and amazing smelling) bug balm from InVine Botanicals. It’s all natural and uses herbs to calm inflamed and itchy bites.
Get inspired with some kid friendly hikes across the United States!
What to Wear for Your Hikes
Proper Footwear for Everyone
You’ll want to make sure that you are wearing hiking boots or hiking shoes for proper traction.
Wearing these types of shoes over your regular tennis shoes can prevent injury and twisted ankles. It will also protect your regular athletic shoes from getting torn up and dirty on the trail.
For your toddler, you don’t necessarily have to buy specialized hiking shoes, but they might be a good idea if you plan to hike frequently.
Here are our suggestions for the best toddler hiking shoes, and here’s a guide to the differences between hiking boots, trail runners, and hiking sandals.
If you don’t opt for hiking boots for your toddler, ensure that his/her footwear has a closed toe and heel, and that socks are snug.
Play clothes
This was the least amount of dirt our kid had on her outfits during our 3 days in Moab.
Your kid might be like my younger one and be positively allergic to dirt during the toddler phase.
Or, they might be like my older kid who routinely tried to swim in mud puddles.
Wherever your toddler is on that scale, let go of any ideas of pristine clothing while out hiking.
This isn’t a space for saying things like, “Oh, be careful with that shirt! It’s brand new!” or “Don’t wipe your hands on your pants!”
Get inexpensive shirts and pants from a thrift store or big box store just for your family hikes.
If they get stained, wrinkled, or messy, then you know you had a great time.
It’s also helpful to plan your hikes with your toddler on days that you know you’ll have time to head straight back to the house or campground and not hurry off to somewhere you need to look presentable.
Having special hiking days or times will keep the pressure off of you to keep your kids pristine looking and allow you and your little one space to immerse yourselves in your nature walk.
Day packs (for everyone!)
We started our kids wearing tiny little backpacks as soon as they could walk.
There would often be nothing in these packs, or close to nothing. They’d occasionally carry one pack of fruit snacks or one small rock in it, but that’s okay.
At this stage, we were just getting them used to the idea of having something on their backs when they were out on a trail.
As they’ve gotten older, we’ve slowly added weight to their packs.
When you’re starting off with your toddler hiking, go very lightweight. And if he or she wants it off at any point, take it off.
Wait a little bit, and then try to put it back on again. Repeat until you can make it longer and longer stretches.
Again, the point is to have fun and encourage hiking as a normal part of life, not to make this experience miserable for your kid.
You don’t need a fancy or high tech day pack for your toddler, just something that’s lightweight and fun. You also want something that can get dirty since there’s a high likelihood that this bag will get pulled through the mud at some point.
This inexpensive but colorful little backpack ($14.99) is cute and could be easily replaced if it gets worn or overly stained.
This adorable Deuter pack ($35) is a bit more durable, but also more expensive. The 5L (5 liter) size is great for 2-3 year olds! We had a Deuter pack for our kids and it lasted beautifully over several years.
For a pack that will allow you to easily spot your child, this bright yellow pack comes in 8L and 12L versions ($29.99 and $34.99, respectively).
