Summer is almost here! If you’ve been toying with the idea of taking your family backpacking, let this be the summer. We’ve got eight family friendly backpacking adventure ideas that are perfect for babies, toddlers and little kids.
The great writer and naturalist John Muir observed, “In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” Children embody the truth of this statement. As they plod along a trail—stopping frequently to inspect a puddle, a bug or a blade of grass—they are filled with wonder. Children do not set out on a hike with any goal in mind, and yet they are wowed at every turn of the trail, whether it’s by the size of a tree, the flicker of sunlight through the leaves, or a glistening spider web suspended mid-air.
It’s for them that we pick up the packs and hike out from the trailhead—away from the car, the cell phone reception, and the climate controlled environments. Their wonder at the natural world helps us to pause and appreciate the moment…and the pinecone.”
All the baby-friendly backpacking hikes we highlight below are excellent first options for families with babies and toddlers—no dry camping, five miles or less to camp, minimal elevation gain and easy to moderate trail conditions. If you’re brand new to backpacking, check out these Backpacking Tips for Beginners from REI. The Outbound Collective has great info for taking your kids on their first backpacking trip too.
Three quick tips before we get started:
- Check current trail and weather conditions before you pack the car and hit the trail.
- Pack lots of snacks.
- Enjoy the journey (you’ll get there eventually)!
From the Pacific Northwest, across the deserts of the Southwest, over to the Appalachia of the Southeast, and onward to the woods of the Northeast, we’ve got the United States covered!
Here are eight family friendly hikes for babies, toddlers, little ones and the adults who love them. And remember, these are just some ideas—no matter where you travel, a backpacking adventure is never too far away!
Hoh River Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington
The Hoh River Trail takes hikers into the lush temperate rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula. From the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center, the trail is well maintained and relatively flat—making it a great baby-friendly backpacking opportunity for families. Trek five miles to the appropriately named Five Mile Island. Because the trail follows the Hoh River, you won’t have to carry a lot of water. After spending a night (or two) at Five Mile Island, head back the way you came.
Total distance: 10 miles
Season: Late June through September
Permit required? Wilderness camping permit, $8 per person per night plus a flat $6 permit fee. Vehicle entrance fee, $30.
Contact: Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, 360-374-6925
Vallecito Creek Trail, San Juan National Forest, Colorado
From the trailhead parking lot at Vallecito campground, head north on the Vallecito Creek Trail. The trail starts out level and passes a number of rock formations that the kids will enjoy climbing on. The trail passes the campground and crosses Fall Creek before meeting up with Vallecito Creek. Stop and take a picture in front of the boundary sign for the Weminuche Wilderness. It’s Colorado’s largest wilderness area that covers nearly a half a million acres!
For the next twenty miles, the trail follows Vallecito Creek north to Hunchback Pass. For families hiking and backpacking with babies and toddlers, there are a number of family friendly back-country campsites three to six miles from the trailhead. Spend the night listening to Vallecito Creek—nature’s sound machine. The next morning, return the way you came back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 6–10 miles
Season: June through August
Permit required? Weminuche Wilderness required registration, free.
Contact: San Juan National Forest, 970-247-4874
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Bjorkland Trail, Lake Maria State Park, Minnesota
image courtesy of We Found Adventure
Just an hour drive northwest from Minneapolis, Lake Maria State Park offers visitors a big woods, wilderness-like experience. This state park comes highly recommended by Maura and Bobby Marko—founders and bloggers at We Found Adventure and the Facebook Group Backpacking with Babies and Kids.
“Our family’s favorite backpacking destination is Lake Maria State Park in Monticello, Minnesota. This park offers 17 campsites scattered across a series of small lakes. Campsites are one to two miles from the parking area making it easy for the littlest adventurer to hike on their own. If you’re not ready for backpacking in a tent just yet, there are also three hike-in cabins available (reservations required). We have often found that the best places to adventure with our family are found in our own backyard. Find yourself an easy, nearby park or trail for those first backpacking trips as a family.”
There are lots of campsites and trails to choose from. For a low-key baby-friendly backpacking adventure, hike the mostly flat Bjorkland Trail west to Bjorkland Lake where there are numerous campsites. To guarantee a lakeside site, make a reservation online.
Total distance: 2 miles
Season: Year-round
Permit required? Backpack sites, $15–$23. Camper cabin, $55. Vehicle permit, $7–$35.
Contact: Park office, 763-878-2325 or [email protected]. Office is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.–3p.m.
Appalachian Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
This accessible section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) covers one of the most scenic stretches of the AT in Shenandoah National Park. On this short out-and-back (or one-way with a shuttle car) you’ll trace the ridge of the Blue Ridge mountains and be treated to panoramic views. From the Pinnacles Picnic Area, head north on the AT. Enjoy the vista from Jewell Hollow Overlook. Spend the night at Byrds Nest shelter, 2.2 miles from where you started. Depending on the season, you might get to camp with some hardy thru hikers.
The next morning, continue backpacking north to Thornton Gap, if you have a shuttle car, or return the way you came back to Pinnacles Picnic Area. This is a great entry-level overnight on the AT for families with babies and little kids. The trail is never far from Skyline Drive but still feels remote. The low mileage, stunning views, and shelter experience will make for a memorable and baby-friendly backpacking adventure.
Total distance: Out-and-back, 4.2 miles. one-way, 5.1 miles.
Season: Year-round. The park encourages hikers to visit in mid-July through mid-May in order to avoid June, the busiest thru-hiker season.
Permit required? Backcountry permit, free. Vehicle entrance fee, $25.
Contact: Backcountry office, 540-999-3500×3720
Gilson Pond and Birchtoft Trail, Monadnock State Park, New Hampshire
The thousand-plus acre Monadnock State Park surrounds 3,165-foot Mount Monadnock in southern New Hampshire. We like the Gilson Pond hike for families because it offers remote walk-in camping options that aren’t too far from the parking lot.
There are five site options that allow you to choose your own adventure. Walk-time to site #1 is just two minutes, or twenty minutes to site #5 (add time for little legs). At these distances, it’s easy to make a second trip and haul in luxury items like a cooler or camp chair. If you can swing it, we recommend site five for the views it offers of a forested ravine.
From Gilson Pond, you can hop on the Birchtoft Trail and climb west up towards Mount Monadnock. A summit is possible for experienced hikers willing to carry the little ones.
Total distance: 0.2–2 miles
Season: May through October
Permit required? Camping fee, $25 per night (reservations required). Park entrance fee, $5 per adult, $2 per youth ages 6–11.
Contact: Park Headquarters, 603-532-8862
Sandy Neck Beach Park, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
There is nothing quite like falling asleep to the sound of the waves breaking on the shore, and camping at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable is a fun and relatively easy way to get that experience for the whole family. Head over to the gatehouse early to score a permit for one of the five primitive campsites.
It’s a 3.3 mile hike through the dunes and over sand, so be prepared with your own shade and lots of drinking water and avoid hiking in the middle of a hot summer day.
The attendants will deliver 50 gallons of water out to your site, as well as firewood for toasting marshmallows on the beach. Kids will love playing in the waves and sand all day and then collapsing into the tent at night. Don’t forget the baby powder, which does wonders for getting sand out of those baby rolls. Plan to stay for the maximum allowed two nights if you can; it may be hard to leave this beautiful bayside spot. Baby-friendly backpacking has never felt so salty!
Total distance: 3.3 miles out; several more one to five-mile loops available from the campsite (use this map for planning)
Season: May through October
Permit required? Camping fee, $20 per night (reservations required). Daily parking fee of $15-20 in season
Contact: Sandy Neck Gatehouse, (508) 362-8300
Rosary Lakes Trail, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon
The Pacific Coast Trail offers an endless selection of amazing backpacking opportunities. Starting in the small town of Campo, California (just east of San Diego), the trail runs 2,600 miles north to the Canadian border in Washington, north of Mount Rainier National Park. The entire trail is, for the most part, well maintained and has no serious grade. Many pro hikers have conquered the entire length of the trail, but with baby on board we’re expecting you’ll want to start a little smaller!
Rosary Lakes is one of many great family hikes along the PCT. Enjoy the tall forest, abundant wildflowers, and a dip in one of the crystal clear lakes along the way. The path is smooth and easy to follow, and since most of Oregon is public land you can technically pop your tent just about anywhere along the trail.
Total distance: 3-4 miles depending on where you set up camp
Season: May through October (After mid-August to avoid mosquitos)
Permit required? No
Contact: Deschutes National Forest Supervisor’s Office, (541) 383-5300 or [email protected]
Capitol Gorge Trail, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
This national park is the lesser known of the five parks in Utah, but it has a ton to offer in terms of baby-friendly backpacking. Stop by the visitor center to get a lay of the land and snag those Junior Ranger badges for any older kids in the group.
About 10 miles south of the visitor center you’ll find parking for the Capitol Gorge Trail. This isn’t a backpacking trail, but a must see, baby-friendly hike through a narrow gorge of and past incredible red rock formations, petroglyphs, and even a “pioneer register,” an area where numerous early passerbys carved their names into the sandstone walls. Kids will love the towering walls around them and the sandy bottom. Parents will love that their kids are often trapped by these walls and can’t run off…you’re welcome!
Plan to spend about half the day here, then head to one of the more camping-friendly trails that you can read about here for your actual backpacking expedition. The whole family will be ready to set up camp and crash after a full day at Capitol Gorge!
Total distance: 4.5 miles
Season: March through June and September through October (July and August can be uncomfortably hot!)
Permit required? Backpacking camping permit required from visitor center, free. Vehicle entrance fee, $20.
Contact: Capitol Reef National Park Visitor Center, 435-425-3791
Any family travel can be pricey, and backpacking gear is no exception. Did you know you can rent camping gear like tents, sleeping bags and backpacks from REI?
Many BabyQuip Quality Providers also rent hiking backpacks, a type of baby carrier perfect for backpacking trips. Before you buy, research rental options for your backpacking destination at www.babyquip.com!
Happy trails and tell us about your hiking adventures with kids in tow in the comments below!
