National Park Hikes with Kids – You can Do it! Our top 5…So Far

Congrats – You did it!! You’ve convinced your family to vacation at one of America’s beautiful National Parks! After days of planning, packing and traveling with your little ones, you are finally there in the midst of God’s creation eagerly awaiting that special moment to capture the family picture you’ve been dreaming of. You know – one of those internet-breaking, jaw-dropping photos. Well, I hope you did your research, because most of those shots are taken from places that take a lot of work to get to. Are you sure you want to endure what it would take to get your whole family to these special places?

Just like you, we always desire to get the most out of the park we are staying at. However, the reality is sometimes the “big” things are off limits with kids. The good news is there are plenty of opportunities to soak it all in with your kids in tow. And should you choose to take our advice and attempt one of these hikes, you’ll leave that National Park feeling like you got the most out of it – all things considered.

We have been fortunate to have visited quite a few National Parks in our two years of living on the road. We’ve also been stymied by park closures due to Covid lockdowns (don’t think we won’t try again, Glacier NP!)…And we’ve got a ton more planned in the future. So, in no way is this an exhaustive list – it is simply our 5 favorite hikes as a family in National Parks we have visited to date.

This list offers the name of the National Park, the trail name, distance (OAB = out-and-back) as well as the date we visited. And for a frame of reference our children, Faith and Fisher, were 6.5yo and 3.5yo respectively.

1) Guadalupe Mountains NP – 2.5mile loop – Smith Spring Trail – Nov. 21 2019

This is a 2.5 mile loop through the desert foothills to an oasis created by a constant spring at the base of the mountains. I could tell we were about 10 days too late as most of the leaves had fallen, however this place must have been gorgeous with brilliant deciduous fall leaves contrasting the surrounding desert plants. The springs are almost exactly 1/2 way through the hike, making it a great lunch stop. A place to imagine how coveted a constant water source like this, in a such an arid environment, would be throughout history. With our modern “cush” life-style, it is hard to imagine actual battles being waged over this trickling water.

This trail does lead you up the foothills with a modest 350 feet of incline which challenged the kids – however it was fun with many rocks to climb and play on. Admittedly, Fisher had it easy, riding on my back in the carrier the majority of the time, however, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Faith work through some fatigue (and digestive issues 😂) to complete her first legit hike. I was so proud of her for keeping up, and going along with my tricks and chants along the way. Although she said she’d never hike again, we made sure that wasn’t the case!

Here is a link to an additional write up of this trail.

2) Saguaro NP West – 1mile OAB – Signal Hill Petroglyphs Trail – December 14th, 2019

The Saquaro NP is divided into East and West based on the mountain districts in which they lie. We visited the west in the Tucson Mountain District which boasts several doable hikes under 3.5 miles. Given the state the kids were in and their lack of desire to hike in the blazing sun the day we visited, we decided to go easy with more of an educational walk. This trail offered great history and exposure to the giant Saguaros. It was a relatively easy hike meandering through the desert flora and fauna with great views of the undulating hillside ranges. We encountered some rocky terrain and steps leading up to a solo hilltop – Signal Hill – where we could get up close and personal with ancient petroglyphs. A very cool, short hike, and one we did not need any kid carriers for – just water. We did have a picnic at the nearby picnic shelter in which we heard a pack of coyotes singing about something – possibly a kill – and mid day which is very unusual behavior, but cool for us to experience. Here is the parks map for hiking trails.

We then proceeded to take the scenic drive around the park – which I would highly recommend if your kiddos aren’t up to any significant hiking. Mine weren’t up to dealing with hiking in the desert sun and it was December!

3) Grand Canyon NP – 2.2 mile South Rim Bike Ride VC to Pipe Creek Vista- February 29, 2019

If you’re able, be sure to bring your bikes when visiting the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Should you not have yours in tow, you can rent them at the Visitor Center. The South Rim Visitor Center is fantastic in itself. It’s huge, clean and fantastically laid out with brilliant educational displays and videos about the Grand Canyon. There are a few bike routes you can choose from including utilizing shuttle service – here is the park bike route map. Starting from the Visitor Center, with Fisher on his ride-along seat on my bike, and Faith on her little pink bike, we headed east along the rim. The path stays pretty close to the rim allowing great vantage points the majority of the time. At one point we ditched the bikes and walked out to bask in the vastness with literally no one else around. We decided to turn around at Pipe Creek Vista as we were a little chilly and Faiths little legs where wearing down making those tiny wheels go. **Additional note: If you stay at the South Rim be sure to catch a sunset at Hopi Point!

4) Zion NP – Upper Emerald Pools Trail – 3 mile Loop – March 2nd, 2019

Boy, we lucked out on timing to Zion with this trip. Given the fact it was “off-season” we had access to the entire park without waiting on the park shuttle…and had awesome weather to boot. There were still plenty of people visiting the park, so we began our hiking day early by taking a one mile walk through the “Court of Patriarchs” and another one mile stroll on the “Riverside Walk” to the entrance of the famed “Narrows”. With two little ones and no dry suits, we were left with only a peak into “The Narrows”. Honestly, a pretty big let down for me. I am sure Faith sensed this as she spoke up first, and said; “Daddy, when we are older and we come back, I am definitely going to put on one of those cool suits and hike down there with you.” We pinky-promised on that one. Both of these hikes/strolls are awesome, worth it, and totally doable with kiddos.

Still early in the day, with our lunch packed in the backpack, we decided to really feel the earth beneath us by hiking to the Upper Emerald Pools. This trail is normally a 3 mile loop, however the loop down was under construction. So, for us, this hike was a 3.5 mile out-and-back with a fair ascent at 620 feet. The kids, again, did extremely well hiking up to the pool (having already done 2 miles of walking earlier that day). Despite the challenge, the trail offered enough variety of fun rocks to navigate around to keep the kids interested. Also, having had some good experience under their belts, the kids rarely relied on us carrying them.

In contrast to the stunning views of the canyon on the way up and back, the pools were a little less remarkable, yet fun for us to take a break and enjoy our lunch. I stick to my comment made to Leah on our trek back down, that this was most likely the most beautiful hike I have ever been on. Zion, you are truly remarkable, and I plan on seeing you again, getting to know you even more personally.

Although I think it sells a child’s resiliency a little short by not suggesting trails with a little more challenge, this article is a fair resource if you are planning to visit Zion with your family. Trust us, don’t stick to just the articles suggestions – try this hike with them!

5) Bryce Canyon NP – Queen’s Garden/Navajo Trail – 3 mile Loop – March 4th, 2019

We started our visit to Bryce by checking out the major lookouts via our truck, and then parked at Sunset point to hike the Queen’s Garden/Navajo loop trail. We were warned the trail would be very muddy, slick, and most likely icy in several spots along the trail. Leah and I decided to wear our crampons for traction, which turned out to be a good call for at least the start of the trail. We began the hike in our down jackets and knit hats, with the kids on our backs, so traction was a must with the slick trails. The hike took us through some supremely unique territory with hoodoos looming all around. The sun began to blaze a welcome warmth for us, however that meant we needed the backpacks to hold the extra layers and not the kids – it was on them to hike out! So…out came a steady flow of “hiking vitamins” just to get the kids to take the next step forward.

A moderately challenging hike to begin with given 650 feet of elevation change – mostly in the form of switchbacks at the end, this hike proved even more difficult given the extra 10 pounds of mud caked to our boots. **Important note** Crampons will come in handy if hiking while there is still ice/snow on the trail…however, this also means mud. Bring an extra bag you can carry your filthy crampons in and clip onto your backpack should you decide to take them off! **Another note** You can purchase crampons at the Bryce NP store… or check out these – they worked great for us (no affiliation here – just a good deal and money saver tip, you’re welcome)

In the end we all made it out, and were grateful for the experience, and again, massively proud of our kids for hanging in there to accomplish what we asked of them. This was by far the most challenging hike we’ve been on with our kids to date.

So there you have it – packing lots of water, some tasty “hiking vitamins”, quality hiking kid carriers, and a ton of can-do spirit, your family is bound to surprise you with their capacity and resolve. And if you really want those special photo -ops, you might have to plan an early solo hike!

When planning our hiking trips we rely heavily on the AllTrails app (we have no affiliation with them at this time). They offer great reviews along with detailed topo maps all available for free. In the future I’ll be posting an article with our go-to tips for successfully hiking with kids including gear we love and specific techniques that help encourage your little ones, so stay tuned!

We have plans to visit several more national parks early 2022 – be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on suggestions for adventure with your family! The National Parks are meant to be enjoyed by everyone young and old – and parents of littles – that means you too!

Enjoy Your Journey!