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Summer is here, which means it’s time to load up your Newmar and explore the great outdoors.
While there are a lot of activities you can do on an RV road trip, one of the best activities to do with your family is hiking. Hiking is affordable, family-friendly, and it’s a great way to get up close and personal with nature.
Check out this guide to discover the top tips for hiking with kids.
Shopping for your Newmar? Let us help.
We’re here to help you find the perfect coach for you.
A fun, safe hike starts with bringing the right gear. Here are some things you should bring with you when hiking with kids:
Accidents happen, so it’s always wise to pack a first aid kit. Your first aid kit should include:
Your first aid kit should also include any emergency medicine that your children may need, such as an Epi-pen or inhaler.
Weather can change quickly on a hike, and the last thing you want is to get stuck freezing in the rain. Even if it’s a beautiful, sunny day, we recommend bringing extra pairs of socks, rain jackets, mittens, and a backup outfit in case the one you’re wearing gets wet.
Hiking can be strenuous, and you’re likely going to work up an appetite and a good sweat on your adventure. For this reason, make sure you pack enough snacks and water for the whole family.
We recommend packing a water bottle for each family member. Good hiking snacks include energy bars, sandwiches, trail mix, apples, and beef jerky.
Even if you’re hiking in a shaded area or it’s a cloudy day outside, you still want to pack sunscreen for your hike. Have everyone reapply their sunscreen every couple of hours or so.
On particularly sunny days, take extra steps to protect your kids from the sun by having them
wear hats and long-sleeved shirts.
If you’re hiking with an infant or toddler, you’re most definitely going to want to bring a baby carrier. Baby carriers aren’t just for preventing soreness in your arms. They also help to keep your baby safe in the event that you fall.
Take your time to select a baby carrier that is the right size and comfort level for your child.
Of course, you’re going to need somewhere to put all of the stuff you’re taking with you on your hike. In addition to bringing adult-sized backpacks, we also recommend outfitting your kids with small backpacks to carry some of their gear if they’re old enough. This can help them feel like true hikers.
Before you embark on your journey, it’s a good idea to do some research on local trails beforehand. If this is your child’s first time hiking, stick with a trail that’s flat and just a couple of miles long.
We recommend researching trails on an app like AllTrails. This app includes essential information about popular hikes all across America. All you need to do is type in your chosen location, and you’ll be given a list of trails in the area. You can then click on different hikes to learn about their distance, elevation gain, popularity, and accessibility.
Each trail also comes with reviews and photos from previous hikers. If you’re at a national or state park, you can also ask park rangers for recommendations on family-friendly hikes.
It’s very important that you keep your kids in sight at all times. To make your kids easily noticeable, have them dress in bright colors.
Of course, accidents do happen, so your children should know what to do in the event that they get lost. We recommend equipping each of your children with a whistle and teaching them how to blow it should they get lost. Remind them that this whistle is only to be used in emergency situations.
Also, make sure your kids know that if they do get lost, they should stop and wait by a tree until
help arrives.
While wandering through the woods and listening to sounds of nature may be enough to keep
you entertained for hours, nature might not keep your kids’ attention.
To prevent your kids from getting bored on the hike and wanting to turn back, we recommend playing some games along the way. Some games you can play include 20 questions, I spy, trail bingo, and categories. It can also be a lot of fun to tell stories and sing songs along the route.
If you want to raise your kids to be good hikers, you need to teach them proper trail etiquette. Here are some rules you should remind them of before embarking on your hike:
Also, if you’re hiking with pets, make sure your kids know that you need to stop to clean up after
them before moving on.
Now that you have these top tips for hiking with kids, it's time to hit the trails. Before you know
it, your kids will be seasoned hikers and begging you to go hiking.
There’s no better way to discover new hiking trails than hitting the road in your Newmar. See
our latest lineup and find the one that’s perfect for you.
