How to Prepare for Your First Family Hiking Adventure

A family hiking adventure might not be everyone’s cup of tea and you might have to do some gentle persuasion to get the kids to agree to it (especially sulky teenagers!), but once you do, it’s sure to be one of the best family holidays of your lives.

If you’re looking for some top tips and advice, here’s how to prepare for your first family hiking adventure.

Plan your Route before You Go

One of the most important things you can do before your first family hiking adventure is ensure that you’ve thoroughly planned out a route before you go.

Regardless of where you’ll be hiking or how long for, you need to carefully plan a suitable route that will accommodate every member of your family. Remember to look out for treks and paths that might be a bit uneven or too close to a cliff’s edge, for example.

You also need to consider the distance of your hiking adventure and whether everyone will be able to manage to walk for such a long time.

Ensure Everyone is as Prepared as Possible

Another top tip to bear in mind is that you need to ensure everyone is as prepared as possible before embarking on your family hiking adventure. This involves checking everyone’s fitness levels and potentially even arranging some light family-friendly workouts before your hike, to see how well everyone copes.

You’ll also need to think about various responsibilities that will need to be divided up between everyone; think about who will be in charge of carrying the water, who will hold the littlest family member’s hand and who will walk in front and navigate unknown paths.

Make Sure You’re Equipped with the Right Gear

One thing you definitely need to ensure you sort out as soon as possible, before your family hiking adventure, is all the necessary gear and equipment you’ll need to make it a success. Things like backpacks, water bottles and suitable clothing all need to be considered and packed properly so that you can rest assured everyone is well prepared for every eventuality when it comes to a hiking holiday.

Furthermore, you’ll also need to ensure everyone owns a pair of comfortable hiking boots that can withstand a plethora of different terrains. When preparing your family by looking up the route and doing some gentle exercise, you should also make some time to wear in your hiking boots to ensure that they fit properly and that they’ll be excellent hiking companions.

You should also pack sunscreen for your hiking adventure as even if it’s cloudy, you can still burn your skin. You may also want to bring waterproof clothing, especially if you’re hiking somewhere like England or Scotland that’s susceptible to lots of rain!

Bring Plenty of Food and Water

Another incredibly important thing to remember when preparing for your first family hiking adventure is that you need to pack plenty of food and water. How much you should bring will depend on how long you’ll be hiking for, so make sure to research your specific route well in advance to determine whether you’ll only need a couple of hours’ worth of food supplies or whether you’ll need to pack for a few days.

Water is arguably the most important companion on your hiking holiday as it’s imperative that everyone stays as hydrated as possible at all times to avoid any medical issues while you’re hiking.

Have your Camera Ready

The final thing you need to remember when preparing for your hiking excursion is to pack your camera. If this is your first hiking holiday as a family then you’re definitely going to want to capture many memorable moments on camera so that you can look back one day and remember how good it was.

It’s also a great way to document any funny moments that you can embarrass the kids with when they’re older. If possible, you should try and look into getting a waterproof camera that’s relatively lightweight and easy to carry, just in case you fall into any rivers or streams accidentally while you’re hiking.

Conclusion – how to Prepare for your First Family Hiking Adventure

When it comes to preparing for your first family hiking adventure, there are lots of things to remember and consider to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable time. One of the most important things to remember is to pack a suitable pair of hiking boots for every member of the family so that everyone can feel well equipped and comfortable when walking.

It’s also imperative to pack lots of food and water so that you all stay hydrated and keep your energy levels up, especially if you’ll be hiking for hours at a time.

Author Bio

Kevin Jefferson has gone through an extensive home renovation with his son, which he has both thoroughly enjoyed, and dreaded every morning. He is now the proud owner of half his dream house (the other half has been waiting for spring). You can read more of Kevin’s work on PlainHelp.