Thanks, Ell, and congratulations on your impending new and greatest adventure. Our kids are now 22 and 19 and love spending time with us, much of it outdoors; they’re also avid skiers, backpackers, climbers, etc.

You might also like my story “A Survival Guide for the Outdoors Lover Who’s a New Parent.”

Good luck and get in touch anytime.

Thanks, Sarah, I appreciate the feedback. Have fun with your granddaughter!

Hi Sasha,

Thanks for the nice compliment and the great question. I wasn’t familiar with switchbackr.com, but that looks like a very good option. REI’s used gear shop also sells used gear and allows customers to trade in used gear for an REI gift card.

Many cities also have outdoor-gear consignment stores, where you can purchase used gear that’s in good condition at very reasonable prices and sell your own old gear and earn a consignment on it, while assuring that it will have another life for someone who’s trying to enjoy the outdoors on a budget. There are two in Boise, where I live, but do an online search in your area and you may find some close by.

I hope that helps. Good luck and keep in touch.

Good idea there, Skylar. Good luck.

Hi Rhonda, thanks for asking. Sure, I’ll email you about it.

My name is Rhonda and I am an associate professor at Loma Linda University in the School of Public Health. I am currently working on a book for moms and was wondering if I could possibly get advice from you? Over the past few years I have been researching the childhood experiences of people who have reached 100 years in age (centenarians) living in the only U.S. blue zone region (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Zone). Since the centenarians were outdoors each and everyday, I am hoping to encourage parents and their children outdoors as well. Would you have any advice you can share with me on how to encourage parents outdoors during snowy weather, like that typically seen in the midwest? Any other advice you might share on encouraging families outdoors even if the weather isn’t the best (like rainy days)? And would you be interested in being quoted in my book? Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best wishes,
Rhonda

Hi Dallas, I feel liked I’ve been greeted by the Shred Dog inner circle! Thanks for the nice words and congrats on both exciting new developments in your life. Sounds like we lead similar lifestyles.

I remember friends I know–who were expecting their first just months after our first was born–what I saw as the biggest change in my life when we became parents. My answer: “I suddenly have this brand-new, most-important person in my life.” It has really proven true over the years. Now my teenage kids are my skiing, backpacking, climbing, and paddling partners–and getting better than me at the technical sports.

Have fun. As the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon once said: “Enjoy every sandwich.”

I enjoyed reading this post and look forward to exploring your site further. I typically spend 25 – 40 days a year living out of a pack in the backcountry, with many additional day trips. My wife is currently pregnant with our first little one and I cannot wait to have a new adventure partner. Reading posts like this gets me even more excited. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

PS. I am the other Co-Founder to SHRED DOG

Thanks, Marc, I’m glad you found The Big Outside. Good luck with Shred Dog. I’d like to see high-quality outdoor apparel and gear made for kids that’s affordable.

Hi Maria, thanks for commenting, I’m delighted you’ve discovered The Big Outside. Good luck checking out my many stories here. Get in touch anytime.

Update: He’s 17 now and after doing a 5 week cros-country NPS trek 3 years ago, we took up Kayak camping at National forests. He loves white water and has a natural ability to read the current. Kayaking gives him independence that he can’t have in town because of his autism. Getting outside has given him real freedom. So thankful that we got him outside! Thanks again for your article!

Thanks, Jax, and good for you.

Thanks. Yes, candy is the fuel for hikes with little kids. Keep it up!

My wife and I had our first child in 2014, and 2 months later, we moved to Sydney, Australia. We are constantly amazed with how much we CAN do with a baby/toddler!

We haven’t been able to completely ditch our stroller, but it certainly gets less use than our backpack carrier or her own two feet. Overall, we find the stroller far too constraining, especially with how much we rely on public transport and bicycles.

This reliance on public transport forces us to have at least some agenda, but we found success through minimalist planning. We plan to catch our train back from the mountains, we plan to have food, and most importantly, we plan to have a long stop for her to play and explore.

As she grows, I keep dreaming of the day when she will carry a bit of the load, but I think your advice is solid. I will wait until she asks to carry a pack.

Now, I will add your site to my blog feed, and see how long it takes to digest all of the information.

Cheers,
JZ

Thanks Micheal! I really loved this.

Thanks for those great suggestions, Debbe.

Hi Jessica, thanks for writing and congrats on being such a good influence on your kids. You’re right, it’s not always easy, but your youngest is within just a few years of turning the corner and being able to do increasingly more. Both of my kids (now 14 and 12 and very experienced outdoors) started doing “real” dayhikes and backpacking with us at age six. Yours are close enough in age that the youngest will probably learn to keep up. You’ll find lots of trip ideas at The Big Outside, but look in particular at the “family hiking” and “family backpacking” tags in the Tag Cloud (left sidebar of every page) if that’s what your family likes to do. Good luck and keep in touch.

That’s what it’s all about, Lesley. Good luck.

I just finished looking at pictures of our National Park visits. When our youngest was three or four, he was going on short hikes. He’s 18 and loves the outdoors! We also brought my children’s friends with us. They always remember those trips and still talk about them.

Great story, Pam, thanks for sharing that. Where do you live that it hits -40?

Thank you, Lesya. It warms my heart every time my kids ask that question, too.

I absolutely agree, Katie. Thanks.

Thanks Emily. And I agree, much of what we do to teach our kids to enjoy and love the outdoors really does apply more generally to virtually all parenting situations.

When I suggest ditching the stroller, I don’t mean to literally imply that you should never use a stroller. My wife and I used a regular stroller with babies and a jogging stroller for a while. They certainly have a purpose. We also used a child-carrier sled for cross-country skiing when our kids were really small–it’s a good way to keep them warm and they enjoyed the ride (no doubt more than I enjoyed pulling it!).

My point is that it’s easy to overuse a stroller and continue using it long after a child is walking. (I’ve seen parents put four-year-olds in strollers, but my point applies to much younger children.) What I’m saying is don’t give in to habit of whipping out the stroller at every opportunity. It’s convenient, sure, because your toddler is a slow walker and you don’t always have time to be patient. But by weaning the child (and the parent) off the stroller, we teach him/her that they will walk instead of being carried. They get used to the idea of walking everywhere, which is the attitude you want to foster as you begin hiking with the child and letting him/her walk as much as possible instead of being carried in a backpack.

Plus, you make a child a stronger walker at a young age than if they’re always being carted around in a stroller. I can remember numerous occasions when my kids hiked a surprising distance for their age, and not because my kids are superhuman or outstanding athletes; they were just used to walking. Many times, they walked farther in miles than their age in years (for example, hiking five miles at age four, or 12 miles at age 10).

Ditching the stroller isn’t some absolute rule; it’s a guideline. Strive to use it less and less once your child is walking. The day will suddenly arrive when you realize you don’t need that thing anymore, and your past patience will be rewarded by having a kid who hikes with you.

Good luck and keep in touch!

One question: when you say ditch the stroller: what about jogging stroller? Bike trailer to get longer distances without the car? We’ve also used this to walk or xc ski when it’s cold (terms or lower).

It’s never too late, of course. Good for you. Your son will always remember these times.

We’re getting a really late start! Our son is 14, he has autism and loves Earth science… we’ve done museums and science centers and children’s museums ad nauseam. So with the ups and downs of this past winter we started looking at outside options that would be interesting and educational and really fun… the Junior Rangers program for National Parks really caught my eye so on our already planned umpteenth visit to DC, we bought a National Parks pass and J earned 5 Junior Ranger badges. What a wonderful experience!

Now we’re planning– with his help– a cross county trip (loosely following the Lewis and Clark trail to OR, down to UT and back to OH). We’ll be doing shorter day hikes and working on Jr. Ranger books throughout the trip… maybe next summer we’ll try a back country trek!

I have a blog link-up on Fridays, called Free to Talk Friday, I hope you’ll come and join; I think my readers would enjoy this post. It will be open late tonight at dreamingofperfect.weebly.com

Hi Alex, thanks, I’m delighted that you enjoyed this article and want to link to it from your blog. You live in a beautiful part of the country, and one I plan to visit this summer with my family.

No, sorry, that’s a photo of my daughter at Craters of the Moon, taken a few years back.

#3, Taking Baby Steps photo, the adult female looks like a family friend, Laura B. Could that be?

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoy my blog. Good on you for your Family Nature Group and getting your kids outside. Thanks for sharing your own adventures through your blog, too.

Hi Tyler, thanks for the nice words. To answer your questions, my wife and I don’t keep score on our own trips without family, we just strive to let one another go whenever it fits into our family schedule, and we both try to not be away too much. Those are personal decisions that only a couple can work out, and I’ve seen other couples struggle with it when they don’t see eye to eye about how much time away from family is reasonable. Our solution is to give the other person something he or she wants in exchange for your time, and each be willing to sacrifice. It gets easier as kids get older, too, and I think the kids enjoy the occasional change of pace of having just one parent around.

Question about your mention of doing a trip for yourself. You mentioned that you and your wife (especially when the kids are younger) take trips separate from each other because that’s just the way it is. Do you have a post about how you handle that? Do you keep track of each other’s trips to make sure it’s fair? Do you have a set amount of trips that you set aside for each other each year? What about duration of your solo trips away from family? This is always a hot debate at times between my wife and I and we could really use some tips.

Thanks again. Looking forward to reading more.

Jay, sounds like your daughter is turning out pretty well. Congrats. Keep up the good parenting.

Thanks Dean. If my kids decide to run a marathon someday, I’ll send them to you for advice!

Susan, I shoot with a Nikon D09 and two lenses: a Nikkor 18-200 zoom and a Sigma 10-20 ultrawide zoom. I consider both indispensable, but I use the 10-20mm zoom more and more because I love the perspective and depth it lends to scenic and action photos.

Great suggestions, Linda.

Hi Megan, there are Smoky Mountains in central Idaho, too. Not as well known, but very pretty. They are west and north of the Sun Valley and Ketchum area.

Christina, have you tried having a hear-to-heart conversation with your partner about how important this is to you? If that doesn’t work, perhaps the outdoors becomes a shared activity just between you and your child, which can be nice, too. I’ve hiked for years with my mom, even though my dad has only occasionally joined us.

Thanks Debbie. Nice to hear from like-minded families and parents.

Also, when they are really not motivating to get up that hill, M&Ms placed on rocks, and tree stumps by an adult going ahead up the hill is a quick motivator for those little ones.

Ashdown Gorge (near Cedar City) is a great one… you follow the edge of Cedar Breaks for the first half and end up in a non-technical slot canyon for the rest of it. About 10 miles total and most of it is downhill (It does require a car shuttle). Most dayhike it, but there are decent camp spots about half way down (we camped). Not very well known or crowded…. My two daughters (ages 8 and 10 at the time) loved it. Additional details: http://www.utahtrails.com/backcountry%20pages/ashdown.html

Sasha, good for you getting those kids out. You’re right, though, that it’s tough backpacking with kids before they’re capable of carrying much on their own, when the kids outnumber the adults, because you just can’t carry all the gear and food. Recruit an adult friend to help you, if you can. Even with two kids, my wife and I did a lot of dayhiking with them when they were preschoolers. But getting them on the trail will help excite them for backpacking and they’ll be able to carry their own clothing and sleeping bag/pad by age 9 or 10, and more very quickly as they get bigger.

Kamila, are there any local hiking clubs, or gear stores that sponsor family outdoor events, or chapters of national recreation or conservation groups that do the same?

Our family is in Charlotte, North Carolina… Home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame… and we have been to 43 of the 58, now 59, American National Parks. http://www.58before18.com/ We are out there…

Silvia, my daughter had similar adventures since being a baby – hiking, biking, canoeing, backpacking before she could walk. But I think our kids are a huge minority, few and far between being raised that way, at least here where I live in PA. We can’t find families like us to join us, so my girl is always alone in the experience and I can see how big detriment that is. Only on few occasions there was another kid on a trail to keep her company and provide peer motivation. And it makes a huge difference. Last year, when she was 5, we hiked half way down Grand Canyon and back up, 7 miles total. On the last mile up she met a girl, few years older, befriended her and holding her hand raced that last mile! We were amazed.
Yes, we can find groups who do some things with kids, but that is mostly: short walk in a park (not scaling mountains), camping on campgrounds (not backcountry), canoeing on small lakes (not multi-day trips in Everglades), gym-climbing versus rock-climbing, etc. We are seriously considering moving to the west coast for that single reason – to find other families like us and friends for our girl.
I wonder if anyone would have any tips on how to solve that problem?

Another wonderful life activity to get your children involved in is Volunteering. Look for a volunteer group that works with the Forest Service, Park Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife or a state/ county parks administration. They are always looking for volunteers and will welcome your kids when you’re there to supervise them and keep them safe. The San Gorgonio Wilderness Association has monthly clean-up events in a picnic area along a creek. The real small kids make and decorate a “Trash Monster” out of a paper bag and then walk around with Mom & Dad feeding the monster. Older kids pick up trash or help remove graffiti on the rocks along the creek.
Work and play go hand in hand and it begins to instill a sense of pride and ownership of our public lands. With agency budgets being reduced each year we _need_ more people to help nurture and maintain the wonderful resources that belong to all of us.

Thanks for a great article!

Good on you for that, Silvia. Your kids are fortunate.

Thanks Walter, that’s another good suggestion. I did it some years ago, before kids.

try Coyote Gulch in Escalante National Monument. I believe the trailhead is forty mile wash. the road to the trailhead a little so read the guide books and check with the ranger station

My 4 year old daughter sumitted Mt Whitney in a 3 day backpack, after hiking happily on her feet 20 miles of the 22 miles in 3 days. Yep, the trail was full of gummy worms that came up at just the right time, and chocolate and other goodies. We talked about the trip and trained for it months in advance. And she was excited. And after the trip, she was even more excited as people were taking pictures of her.

But then,,, she was on top of Baldy at 10 months, and 2 years, San Gorgonio at 2, in a kayak at 10 months, on first backpack trip by 1, white water rafting at 2 etc.

Her little sister was in a kayak at 1 month, and is a veteran camper, and backpacker ( on parent’s feet) at the age of 1 ….

Our goal is to take other families with kids into the great outdoors… Check out the family oriented trips of Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Little Hikers.

Thanks Erik, for writing and sharing this. I hope you’ll subscribe to my email list, too. Keep in touch.

Thanks for the nice words, Zeke. You’re starting at a good age–get them excited now, rather than waiting until they’re older and harder to convince.

Thanks for reading my stories, Matt. There are many good options for short trips in southern Utah. Hike in to Chesler Park in the Needles District of Canyonlands and explore around in there. Zion also offers a variety of possibilities; see my story about backpacking with my kids there, you’ll find good trip-planning information: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/pilgrimage-across-zion-traversing-a-land-of-otherworldly-scenery/

Agreed, SquiggleMum. We’ve always done the same, having our kids carry a small daypack. When I referred to carrying “weight,” I meant a backpack. Thanks for pointing that out.

Thanks Rebecca. Age split between kids definitely affects things, even the two and a half years between my kids. Sometimes I do things individually with each kid, sometimes we’re all together. Thanks for commenting.

Thanks Nathan, much appreciated.

Hi Kamila, that’s a smart, specific suggestion to add and I agree completely. We also try to get out with out kids at least every week. Frequency is important. Thanks for writing.

Thanks Shana, hope you and Scott are well.

Good advice, Kay. We also play a “story game,” where we each take turns adding onto the narrative of a made-up story as we hike. Really keeps the kids engaged.