Hiking with kids: 15 tips & a packing list for families

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Hiking with kids is a completely different thing from hiking with adults: the journey really is the destination, breaks last longer than planned, and a stream can be more exciting than any summit. With the right planning, though, a family hike won't turn into a moaning march but a day the kids will talk about for ages. Here are our 15 tips – plus a packing list and three ideas for walks in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany.

How far can children hike?

There's no fixed number of kilometres per age – fitness, terrain and mood vary too much. A useful guide are the figures from the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), which thinks in walking time rather than distance:

• Ages 1 to 3: once children can sit up steadily on their own, they can come along in a child carrier. Plan lots of breaks and make sure your child neither gets cold nor overheats – they're barely moving, after all.
• Ages 3 to 6: the hike shouldn't exceed three to four hours of walking time – including the stretches where you carry them.
• Ages 6 to 10: with enough breaks, up to five hours of walking time is possible.
• Ages 10 to 14: six to seven hours of walking time at most.

These are upper limits for experienced kids, not targets. For your first hikes, stay well below them. And according to the DAV, multiply the times on signposts and in guidebooks by roughly 1.5.

Planning: highlights, not kilometres

1. Build in highlights: a stream for building dams, a lookout tower, a barefoot trail, a playground or a hut for a snack – plan the route so something exciting comes up every 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Loops instead of out-and-back: circular routes with a shortcut take the pressure off. When energy runs out, you head back to the car or bus stop the short way.
3. Use themed trails: nature and forest trails with activity stations, barefoot trails or fairy-tale paths turn the walk into a game. Many tourist regions list such trails especially for families.
4. Let the kids help plan: the DAV also recommends including children's ideas and wishes. Let them choose between two routes or pick the picnic spot on the map.
5. Stay flexible: plan the hike so you can shorten or extend it depending on mood, weather and stamina. Turning back isn't failure.

Child carrier or buggy?

6. Child carrier for paths: on narrow forest paths, roots and steps, a backpack carrier is the better choice. It's an option once your child can sit up steadily on their own. Have the carrier fitted in a shop, observe the manufacturer's maximum weight and think about sun and rain protection for your child.
7. All-terrain buggy for wide tracks: on forest roads, gravel and lakeside paths, a buggy with large air-filled wheels works well. Check in advance whether the route is described as pushchair-friendly – steps, root-covered paths and deep sand are the end of any buggy hike.
8. The mix for new walkers: two- to four-year-olds love to walk a bit, then suddenly want to be carried. Bring the carrier even if your child insists on “walking all the way”.

Motivation: keeping kids going

9. Treasure hunt and nature bingo: a list of things to find – pine cone, feather, heart-shaped stone, snail – takes their minds off walking. With a bug viewer, beetles and moss suddenly become huge.
10. Let the kids lead: whoever spots the next waymark becomes trail boss. School kids can read the map or app too.
11. Snack stages: small snacks at set points (“apple slices at the lookout tower”) work wonders. Take breaks at nice, safe spots – kids love to play there, and that's rest for them too.
12. Bring friends: with other children the walking often takes care of itself – the moaning stops because everyone's busy.

Safety: ticks, weather, paths

13. Watch out for ticks: long trousers, closed shoes and trouser legs tucked into socks help in tall grass and undergrowth. After the hike, check everyone thoroughly – on children especially the head, neck, behind the ears, the backs of the knees and the groin. Remove a tick promptly with tick tweezers or a tick card, gripping close to the skin and pulling straight out, without oil or squeezing. Germany has areas with a risk of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE, “FSME” in German), mainly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg but also individual districts in other states, including NRW. The current map is published by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Whether vaccination makes sense for your family is best discussed with your paediatrician. If the skin reddens after a tick bite or your child feels unwell, have it checked by a doctor.
14. Check the weather: look at the forecast before you set off and always bring a rain jacket. If a thunderstorm is brewing, turn back or seek shelter early – children also cool down faster than adults in wet and wind. On hot days, shady forest paths are the better choice.
15. Stay on the paths: waymarked paths protect both nature and children – in nature reserves it's the rule anyway. Agree on clear rules beforehand: you wait at every junction, and an adult goes first near slopes or water. In an emergency, 112 works across Europe even without your own provider's network, as long as any mobile network is available.

Finding child-friendly trails

Good starting points are the websites of tourist regions, which often have dedicated sections for family hikes and themed trails. In Germany, the German Hiking Association (Deutscher Wanderverband) additionally awards selected short trails the “Familienspaß” (family fun) label. Certified quality trails (“Wanderbares Deutschland”) and premium trails from the German Hiking Institute mainly stand for good waymarking and varied paths – but by no means all of them suit families, so check length and elevation gain. Route apps and portals such as Komoot or Outdooractive show distance, elevation profile and surface; photos and comments from other walkers often reveal whether a path is buggy-friendly.

Three ideas for family hikes in NRW

Family hiking packing list

• Backpack for the grown-ups, small backpack for the kidsKids like carrying their own drink and a snack – but no more.
• Water bottle for everyoneWater or unsweetened tea rather than juice.
• Snacks and picnicFruit, veg sticks, sandwiches, nuts (for toddlers only ground or leave them out), a small motivation treat.
• Rain jacket for everyone
• Spare socks and a change of clothesAfter the stream, wet feet are guaranteed.
• Sun protectionSun cream, cap or sun hat, sunglasses if needed.
• Sturdy shoes with grip, already broken in
• Plasters and a small first-aid kit
• Tick card or tick tweezers
• Torch or head torchIn case it takes longer than planned.
• Bug viewer and a little treasure bagFor beetles, leaves and finds.
• Wipes and rubbish bagWhatever you bring in, you take back out.
• Sit mat or picnic blanket
• Child carrier or all-terrain buggy
• Charged phone, route saved offline

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