Can a 2-Year-Old Go Hiking? What You Need to Know

If you have a toddler and are considering taking your child on their first hike, you aren’t alone. Parents often wonder if they can take their 2-year-old hiking, and how far they can hike.

Most 2-year-olds can learn to hike around 2 miles with practice, but starting with shorter hikes will give them the best chance for success. Toddlers enjoy hiking if it is tailored to their needs and they are given plenty of rest, snacks, and playtime along the way.

Hiking with a toddler can be a success, but you need to be prepared and change your expectations. Here are our best tips for hiking with a 2-year-old.

How to Take Your 2-Year-Old Hiking

Toddlers can love hiking as long as it’s introduced in the right way. When you are hiking with a 2-year-old, you will have to learn to let go of expectations and plans and allow your day to adjust as needed in order to make it a more child-friendly excursion. This doesn’t mean letting your toddler dictate everything that you do, but it does mean that you have to change the way you approach the trip.

When you go hiking with a toddler, be prepared to deal with changing emotions and moods.

Important Things to Bring when Hiking with Your Toddler

When you go hiking with a 2-year-old, you need to be prepared. Even short hikes at this age can require you to keep a few supplies handy. First, you will need to bring your ordinary supplies like diapering supplies and water bottles. Also bring refills for their water cups because they will drink more when they’re walking, and you want to encourage them to drink a lot. You will also want to bring a sweater or jacket for your toddler, even if you expect it to be a nice day.

If your 2-year-old shows interest in carrying their own pack, remember to keep weight guidelines in mind. Since children of this age shouldn’t carry more than 10% of their weight, an empty pack is probably the perfect thing to get them started. If they insist on packing something, add a lightweight snack or two so they have something to look forward to and feel helpful.

I wrote more about this topic because it’s so important. Click here to read about the things you should never forget to bring hiking with kids.

Hiking Snacks For Your 2-Year-Old

One of the best ways to keep toddlers happy and cheerful is by feeding them frequently. Especially when they are exercising, toddlers run through their food quickly and the last thing you want is to be stuck on the trail with a hangry toddler. Bring plenty of healthy snacks, and plan on giving out something to eat every 30 minutes or so. Not only does frequent snacking curb hunger, but it also helps keep your child from getting bored on your hike. Here are some of our favorite snack ideas for hiking.

Cheese sticks
Jerky
Trail mix (with peanuts)
Salty crackers
Granola bars
Fresh fruit
Peanut butter (and spoons)
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Fresh veggies

Using a Baby Carrier, Stroller or Wagon When Hiking

While your toddler will almost certainly want to walk for part of the hike, they might also get tired easily. If you plan to hike to a specific location or want to go a bit farther than your child is able to handle, bring a way to carry them. A baby carrier of some kind is the usual method, but on some trails strollers or wagons are also appropriate and are easier on your back.

Which type of carrier to use is a personal preference and you will have to weigh the pros and cons of each. I personally prefer a close-to-the-body ergonomic style like an Ergo carrier. These carriers keep the child next to the parent’s body, which creates a lower center of balance and helps take the stress off the shoulders. Other people prefer to use metal frame backpacking carriers but I always found these heavier and more painful to wear.

You can also bring a stroller or wagon on many trails. Look for accessible trails that are paved and have been designed for wheelchair access. For parents with large toddlers, this may be the best option until they have gotten older or are ready to hike long distances because some parents just aren’t ready to carry a 40-pound kid for 2 miles. If your kids are just getting started with this hobby, you might be new to it as well, and it’s okay to ease your way into hiking without carrying the extra weight of your child.

The Best Types of Hikes for 2-Year-Olds

Over the years I have gone on many hikes with my kids and I have found that some types of hikes are bigger hits than others, over and over. Here are some of the best types of hikes to consider when taking your toddler with you:

Boardwalk Trails: I don’t know why it is, but kids of all ages seem to gravitate to walking on boardwalks. Even my tweens love trails with boardwalks or bridges involved, and some of our favorite hikes have involved walking on boardwalks through swamps. Toddlers are no exception to this boardwalk enthusiasm.

Not-a-Hike Trails: Some of the best hikes for toddlers are not hikes at all, but still develop their hiking skills while keeping them entertained. What are not-a-hike trails? Anywhere you go that requires a lot of walking, especially if it’s outside. The zoo is my favorite not-a-hike way to get kids walking and exercising outside in preparation for a hike. Other options include a walk through a park to get to the playground and indoor options during bad weather, like walking through the mall to see the Christmas decorations.

Challenging Trails: Kids like to be challenged, and toddlers are no different. Watching a 2-year-old on the playground can give you an idea of how toddlers like to play. Finding trails that have rough terrain such as rocks to climb over, logs to walk on, and streams to cross on stepping stones is key to this kind of challenging hike. Just remember to keep these trails shorter than normal since you and your kid will be working harder than you would on a flat trail.

Wildlife Trails: A wildlife trail is simply a place where you have a good chance of spotting animals. Wildlife trails are a great way to keep kids interested and keep their minds off their tired legs. When choosing a wildlife trail, make sure you can see the animals without putting yourself or your child in danger. These trails are often found in national and state parks. I have a list of good wildlife trails here.

How to Make Hiking Fun for Your 2-Year-Old

One of the most important parts of hiking with a toddler is making it fun. 2-year-olds have nearly boundless energy, so when they say they’re “tired”, they’re often just bored. What usually happens if you sit down for a rest? They sit for a few seconds, then they are up running around asking for snacks and exploring.

Kids don’t like hiking the same way adults often approach it: As an end goal to be met as quickly as possible. Kids like hiking when they can play, walk on logs, jump off boulders, explore, and find interesting rocks. Your toddler can walk two miles, but he might take two hours to do it if he was going at his own pace. In order to keep your 2-year-old interested when hiking, allow them to walk at their own pace, stop and look at things, and show you their interesting finds. It’s okay to encourage them to keep walking, but do so with frequent breaks and time to play and you will have a much happier kid.