Four ways to avoid crowds when day hiking with children

To avoid crowds on a hiking trail, consider hiking off-season or picking
trails without parking lots. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

With summer’s arrival, you’ve probably noticed that trails at national and state parks are a bit crowded. While we can all applaud that people are out hiking and enjoying nature, crowds also can be a distraction from enjoying the outdoors.

If that’s the case with you and your family, there’s no need to give up day hiking. Here are a few ways to avoid crowds on trails:
g Go mid-week – Most people don’t work weekends, so parks and trails are used more frequently on Saturdays, Sundays and Fridays or Mondays of three-day weekends. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will see fewer people outdoors.
g Hike off-season – Summers from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend tend to be the most popular times for families to visit parks and use trails, mainly because school is out. Consider hiking on nice days in April, May, September and October.
g Pick trails without parking lots – While a park may be busy, the trails that are most used are those where people can easily park their vehicles. Using a non-lot trail may mean you have to walk a little farther to the trailhead, though.
g Select trails far away off the main road – Trailheads that are alongside federal or state highways as well as those on main park roads tend to be the most popular (even though they may not be the most spectacular). Look for trailheads off of county or township roads.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Follow planning list when hiking with kids

Before leaving on any hike with children, plan out your trip. Here’s a useful planning checklist:
g Print a road map showing how to reach the parking lot near the trailhead. Outline the route with a transparent yellow highlighter and write out the directions.
g Print a satellite photo of the parking area and the trailhead. Mark the trailhead on the photo.
g Print a topo map of the trail. Outline the trail with the yellow highlighter. Note interesting features you want to see along the trail and the destination.
g If carrying GPS, program this information into your device.
g Make a timeline for your trip, listing: when you will leave home; when you will arrive at the trailhead; your turn-back time; when you will return for home in your vehicle; when you will arrive at home.
g Estimate how much water and food you will need to bring based on the amount of time you plan to spend on the trail and in your vehicle. You’ll need at least 2 pints of water per person for every hour on the trail.
g Fill out two copies of a hiker’s safety form. Leave one in your vehicle.
g Share all of this information with a responsible person remaining in civilization, leaving a hiker’s safety form with them. If they do not hear from you within an hour of when you plan to leave the trail in your vehicle, they should contact authorities to report you as possibly lost.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

How to easily locate the trailhead on a hike

Often the trailhead is a narrow path off of or near the parking lot. The advantage of researching the trail in advance is you’ll know where to park and where the trailhead is in relation to your vehicle. But be careful: Sometimes multiple trailheads lead from a parking lot, and signs don’t always make clear which trail is which, let alone if it even is a legitimate trail.

To make sure you’re on the right trailhead, use your satellite photo of the site. In addition, check it against a key landmark or geological feature on your topo map. Typically the start of any trail is nicely marked by well-placed rocks that outline the path.

Don’t rely on boot prints to point the way. While they are a good sign when walking well-traveled trails, they certainly aren’t proof that you’re in the right place. Deborah S., of Madison, Wis., recalls, “Once while hiking a national forest I found two trailheads at where my map said there should only be one. As there were no signs, I went with the one that had boot prints heading onto it, as the trail I wanted to hike was fairly popular among parents and kids. About a third of a mile on the trail, I realized looking at the landmarks on the horizon that I was heading the wrong direction and fortunately turned around before we got too far.”

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Where to park when day hiking with kids

When parking where you're going to day hike, no part of the vehicle should touch a road or the natural area. Other drivers need to get through, and you wouldn’t want a wide load or a careless driver to hit your vehicle.

You also don’t want to needlessly damage the very area that you plan to hike, so don’t park on the grass or in what appear to be “weeds.” In some places, such parking can net you a ticket.

You may need to pay for parking. Usually it’s included in any entry fee or pass to a park. In many places, day use for hiking is free so long as you aren’t camping. National forests typically require a pass for day activities; you can buy them either annually (the best deal) or for daily use. They are available at most outdoors and sporting goods stores near the national forest.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.