5 Good Reason to Take Kids Hiking

• Reason No. 1: Bonding
• Reason No. 2: Commune with nature
• Reason No. 3: Exercise
• Reason No. 4: Develop character, skills
• Reason No. 5: Adventure
• BONUS: What to do if your child fears the outdoors

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 52 to hike: Learn to cooperate

Hiking in groups can help children learn to cooperate.

That's because outdoor play activities often don't involve competition but instead efforts in which children work together to obtain a goal, according to research. Creating obstacle courses over and around trees and rocks, as well as nature-oriented activities such as scavenger hunts, require working together and sometimes even compromise to achieve the objective.

Being in nature alone serves to de-stress children and adults like, making learning how to cooperate easier for children.

In addition, the diverse and interesting play spaces that a hiking trail offers contrasts with the monotone and featureless asphalt playgrounds of many urban areas. The latter leads to boredom, a condition that often results in aggressive behavior such as bullying, researchers say.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 51 to hike: Healing from PTSD

Hundreds of thousands of people every year suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition brought on by a traumatic event, such as combat, rape or assault. Research shows that hiking can help in the recovery from PTSD.

Whether gardening, camping, fishing or hiking, being in nature calms people and relieves their stress. When anxiety is dampened, other cognitive therapies to deal with the trauma can work more effectively.

"The earth does neutralize a lot of human anxiety," says Jinny Blom, who designs therapeutic landscapes and has worked with veterans returning from tours in Afghanistan.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 50 to Hike: Addiction recovery

If recovering from alcohol or drug addiction, regular hiking can speed up the process.

Research from the past two decades suggest that outdoor behavioral healthcare offers several benefits to those dealing with addiction. Most importantly, recovering addicts who stay indoors tend to feel lonely and bored, common triggers for substance abuse and relapses.

In contrast, getting outdoors helps free addicts from harmful thoughts and desires. There's also the added benefit of improved mental and physical health that comes from walking, making recovery easier.

When hiking is done with others - as is the case in wilderness therapy programs - addicts can connect with other people and develop friendships that are a necessary part of recovery. In that sense, hiking itself doesn't cause recovery, but it is an activity whose components (being outside, being in nature, being with others) lend themselves perfectly to helping the addict battle his disease.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason to Hike No. 49: Reduce odds of suffering Type 2 diabetes

As obesity continues to rise in America's children, so also does the rate of Type 2 diabetes. Hiking can strike a blow to that health threat, though.

Children engaged in active outside play enjoy lower rates of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who remained sedentary and inside, according to research published in a 2010 edition of Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care.

Hiking offers physical activity that many children enjoy as they discover the wonders of nature around them. Trails can range from fairly flat and paved paths through green city parks to steep ascents on narrow, uneven dirt routes, so a route easily can be found that matches a child's physical abilities.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 48 to hike: Avoid a stroke

Hiking can help combat the leading cause of death in the United States - stroke.

An active and healthy lifestyle greatly reduces the chances of suffering a stroke, according to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Regular hiking can be part of that active lifestyle.

And if recovering from a stroke, day hikes can be a valuable part of the therapy. A 2013 study found that walking helps stroke victims regain their ability to function and improves their quality of life. Walking outdoors in a natural setting offers the added benefit of improved attention spans and reduced stress, both of which often are important goals in post-stroke rehabilitation.

The trail need not run deep into the backwoods. Walking paths through tree-filled city parks can deliver the same benefits.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 47 to hike: Lessen autism issues

Autism Spectrum Disorders mark the fastest growing developmental affliction among children over the past three-plus decades. Taking autistic children on day hikes can help alleviate some of the disorders' negative symptoms, however.

Autistic children who play in natural environments enjoy improved attention spans and behavioral temperament as well as decreased response times, according to studies. These environments - and the best trail for these children to hike - create opportunities for physical play while providing small, safe spaces where they can "re-center."

Of course, no autistic child is exactly like another. The challenge of any adult planning such a hike is to find an area that takes into account their autistic child's unique sensory issues and perceptions.

When that occurs, a hike can provide the benefits outlined in research while also delivering many of the other advantages that children who go outdoors enjoy, such as a stronger immune system.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 46 to hike: Slow Alzheimer's

One in three seniors passes away while suffer from Alzheimer's or dementia, statistics shows. One good way to slow those neurological disorders is to connect with nature, through a hike.

Time in gardens and other horticultural therapy decrease symptoms in patients suffering from those disorders, according to a 2010 study. This follows three other studies that found positive outcomes from spending time in wander gardens, outdoor environments, and horticultural therapy.

A hike in a natural environment offers similar benefits by also exposing seniors to greenery, the pleasant scents of flowers and tree sap, and birds whistling.

And there's a bonus: Facility nurses and caretakers also enjoy decreased stress and anxiety - not just from being exposed to nature themselves but by working with less stressed and anxious patients.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 45 to hike: Children learn when to take appropriate risks with their bodies

Among the most important skills kids develop in early childhood is learning when risk-taking is appropriate. As children test their physical abilities and learn about their bodies' limits, they discover if their judgment is sound or hazardous.

Children used to primarily learn this by playing outside in a natural environment, according to a 2008 study by researchers at Macquarie University in Australia. Lack of space, parental fears, time demands, and traffic in recent decades have decreased the amount of time children spend outdoors, however. The researchers argued that incorporating outdoor time in early childhood play was essential to ensure proper development.

Hiking marks a great way to place kids in a natural environment where their ability to make risk-taking decisions can grow. Learning how to walk and run on uneven paths, swing from tree branches, climb boulders, and being exposed to water bodies - all under the careful eye of an accompanying adult - allow children to explore what they can and cannot safely do.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 44 to hike: Better motor abilities

If your kindergartner is a little awkward, you may want to take her hiking. A 2004 study in Norway shows that play in natural areas improves the motor abilities of kindergartners.

The study compared children who played for 1-2 hours a day in a 19-acre forest to those who played on a traditional urban playground. After nine months of playing in these different environments, the children who spent their time in the forest improved in eight of nine motor skills. The urban playground group only improved in three of the nine motor skills.

While the forest group didn't improve in flexibility, they were significantly better than the playground group in coordination and balance.

Regular hiking exposes children to the same kinds of physical obstacles and challenges that the forest group faced.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 43 to Hike: Prevent asthma

If your preschool children live in a city, they are at a higher risk of suffering childhood asthma. One way to help prevent this from occurring is taking the kids on hikes.

Street trees help lower the incidence of childhood asthma, according to a 2008 study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. In fact, having 343 trees per 0.38 square mile led to a 29 percent lower prevalence of early childhood asthma.

While the study didn't find a cause for the correlation between trees and asthma, researchers speculated that trees changed the local air quality and encouraged outside play, where air typically is less polluted that indoors.

Of course, the quickest way to enjoy 343 trees per 0.38 square miles is walking through a park or a woods. A hike may very well be great preventative medicine!

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 42 to Hike: Faster healing

Among the best ways to improve recovery time following surgery is to plan your next hiking trip - and plan it outdoors at that!

Getting outside exposes people to more sunlight, which offers a myriad of benefits. Among them, a study shows, is taking less pain medicine. Post-op patients who received 46 percent more sunlight than their counterparts used about 22 percent less medication per hour.

Besides feeling less pain, patients exposed to sunlight also slept better, which further aided the healing process. Ultimately, those patients suffered less of a decline in their ability to perform their daily pre-op activities.

The results support an older study showing that patients who had rooms with views of trees tended to recover faster than those with views of brick walls.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 41 to hike: Improved workout

If you want a really good workout, skip going to the gym. Instead, hit the hiking trail.

A 2005-2008 study showed that older adults garnered more physical gains and benefits when exercising outside as opposed to in a building.

Why? First, being in nature boosts one's mood. This leads to longer workout sessions as well as a greater likelihood of sticking to an exercise routine. Secondly, terrain changes and wind resistance actualy require outside exercisers to expend more energy than those on a treadmill or gym bike.

A bonus to exercising outside, the study added, was lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 40 to hike: Boosted immunity

If you want to avoid getting a cold or the flu, always be sure to wash your hands and go hiking.

Several studies now indicate that spending time in nature, especially an area with trees, boosts the immune system, helping to fight off infections, colds and flus. According to Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School researchers, just 2-4 hours in the woods spread over two consecutive days increases by 50 percent production of white blood cells, which battle viruses that cause illnesses.

Even better, that boost lasted more than a week after leaving the woods.

The Japanese have long known about this form of natural aromatherapy, nicknaming it "forest bathing." The research, however, empirically confirms the benefits of a brief, leisurely visit to a forest.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 39 to hike: Reduce inflammation

Should you need to reduce inflammation, then you might want to risk stubbing your toes on trees. Two studies - one for young adults and the other for the elderly - show that spending time in a forest helps decrease swelling.

The first study compared inflammation levels of university students who went on a two-night trip to the woods with those who spent the same amount of time in the city. The youth who got back to nature had lower levels.

In a similar study, elderly patients who went on a week-long trip to a forest showed fewer signs of inflammation. Their hypertension also improved.

Inflammation, a natural process, occurs when the body deals with threats such as damage (like a pinched finger) and pathogens (like those that cause the flu). Lower inflammation levels suggest that being in nature helped the body better handle those dangers.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason to hike No. 38: Live 7 years longer

How would you like to live seven years longer? Then go take a hike.

For about 25 minutes. Every day. And keep the pace brisk.

That’s the finding of a new German study of men and women between ages 30 and 60. Those who walked briskly for 25 minutes every day within six months showed body changes that would help them better repair their DNR. Such repairs could add up to seven years to their lives by slowing the aging process.

An added bonus: It halved their risk of a heart attack during their 50s and 60s.

And the best part? If you don’t currently hike there’s still time to benefit from it. None of the people in the study were regular exercisers.

So start hiking now. And we’ll see you on the trail – for an additional seven years!

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 37 to Hike with Your Children: Prevent Nearsightedness, Blindness

Hiking may save her eyesight.

Want to keep your child from going blind? Then take them on a hike.

Up to a billion people are at risk of going blind by 2050, thanks to myopia (nearsightedness), according to the Brien Holden Vision Institute. Indeed, myopia has risen from 25 to 42 percent in U.S. adults during the past 30 years.

Among the reasons for the rise is that in an urban society with lots of electronic devices, people’s eyes simply are not adjusting to different levels of brightness, as they would if outside, the institute reports. While this cause isn’t definitely proven, there is a clear correlation between higher rates of myopia and spending one’s time primarily indoors. Where light levels are lower and more even.

“Parents should encourage their children to spend time outdoors for at least two hours each day,” the institute stated in a press release.

Other eye research has recommended three hours outdoors. Regardless, two to three hours is about the right length of time for older elementary school students and teenagers to take a day hike.

Myopia is not reversible or curable. The only treatment for it are eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason to Hike No. 36: Reduce Local Crime

Want to ensure your kid stays out of trouble with the law? Then tell him to go take a hike.

Literally.

And tell him bring a few friends, too.

That’s because researchers from four British universities found that exposure to nature leads to reduced crime. It’s not that hiking itself directly keeps a kid from committing a crime, but that the benefits a hike offers in turn means safer, less violent communities.

Here’s the researchers’ line of logic: Cities and small towns with a lot of nature in them – trees, parks, hiking trails – means that people living there are more likely to feel closer to their community. People who feel close ties with their community are less likely to commit crimes there.

In fact, communities with a heavy dose of accessible nature on average have a 4 percent lower crime rate than those that are concrete jungles. The research appears in the journal BioScience.

Bottom line: If your town has hiking trails, take your child out on them. The odds favor he’ll feel closer to that community and will be unwilling to vandalize, rob local businesses, or commit violent acts against other townsfolk.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Doctors getting behind ‘time outdoors’ Rx

Get healthier by getting outside.

Here’s another good reason to take your kids hiking: Just a 10-minute hike a couple of times a week can lead to better physical and emotional health.

MaryCarol Hunter, a landscape architect and ecologist at the University of Michigan, found in preliminary research that 10 minutes in nature at least 2.5 a week “is effective” in reducing stress, increasing one’s ability to focus, and improving mood and energy levels.

Thanks to this and similar research, some doctors are now prescribing “time outdoors” for ailments. Among those illnesses are obesity, anyone who feels sad, and those avoiding exercise because of asthma.

Robert Zarr, a pediatrician at Unity Health Care’s Upper Cardozo Health Center, is among those doctors. He and other health care providers, in fact, have developed DC Parks Rx, a database of Washington DC parks that help parents there find green spaces where they can take their children.

To find such green space near your community, type in your state’s name in the search box at the upper left corner of this page. A series of trail descriptions at national parks and several state and other parks will pop up (Please note that the descriptions are top heavy on trails in northwest Wisconsin, northeast Minnesota, and at national parks.).

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reason No. 35 to Hike with Your Kids: Waterfalls boost energy levels

For a long time, an unsubstantiated theory claimed that being around waterfalls and ocean beaches can improve one's mood thanks to “negative ions.” Such ions actually do exist; when water molecules collide with one another, the water in fact becomes positively charged, and the surrounding air becomes negatively charged.

Pierce J. Howard, a Ph.D. and author of “The Owner's Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research,” now says that negative ions actually can make you feel good. That's because the negative ions entering our bloodstream can lead to biochemical reactions that reduce sadness and stress while raising energy levels.

“High concentrations of negative ions are essential for high energy and positive mood,” he recently told HealthNewsDigest.com. “Negative ions suppress serotonin levels in much the same way that natural sunlight suppresses melatonin. Hence the invigorating effect of fresh air and sunshine and the correspondingly depressed feelings associated with being closed in and dark.”

The best ratio of negative to positive ions for boosting moods typically occurs at waterfalls. The worst ratio occurs in windowless rooms and closed vehicles.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.