• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
She Buys Travel

She Buys Travel

Traveling tips, deals, info from moms and families

  • Destinations
  • Great Stays
  • Travel Gear
  • Deals
  • Disney
  • Travel Tips
  • Packing
  • Adventure
  • Luxury
  • Kid Friendly
  • Beaches
  • RVing & Camping
  • Road Trips
  • Outdoors
  • About Us +
    • Contact Us
    • About SheBuysTravel
    • Ask Us!
    • Privacy Policy
    • Website Terms and Conditions
    • Notifications
    • Write for Us

What New Parents Need to Know about Hiking with Babies

Home / Traveling with Babies and Toddlers / What New Parents Need to Know about Hiking with Babies

Anuja De Silva, Updated April 17, 2020

Hiking with babies at Joshua Tree National Park.
Joshua Tree National Park with my 9-month- old son. Photo credit: Anuja De Silva
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, SheBuysTravel may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Tips for Hiking with Babies
  • 1. Make it Part of a Bigger Trip
  • 2. Know Your limits
  • 3. Save Money
  • 4. Mix it Up
  • 5. Plan a Picnic
  • 6. Bring Baby Supplies

Having a baby can set you back a little from your adventurous ways, even if you’re an outdoor enthusiast. Hiking with babies requires more than sturdy hiking shoes and a backpack. Read these hiking tips before your first foray into the woods as new parents.

Hiking with a baby at a Everglades National Park.
Airboat ride at Evergaldes National Park. Photo credit: Anuja De Silva

Tips for Hiking with Babies

We are neither avid hikers nor devoted nature enthusiasts, but we like to visit national parks during a road trip. It’s a great way for us to experience geographical diversity during our travels. Even better, we don’t have to spend days camping or hours on long hikes to enjoy what national parks have to offer.

These tips, learned on our first time hiking with a baby, can make a hike with a new baby or young kids fun for everyone — parents, too.

1. Make it Part of a Bigger Trip

If you’re worried about an entire trip based on staying in the wilderness, then decide to spend a just one day dedicated to the highlights of the park. We visited Joshua Tree National Park as part of our two day road trip to Palm Springs, California. During our fall foliage visit to Portland, Maine, we took a day trip to Bar Harbor to for a family hike at Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park
Views from our drive through Acadia National Park. Photo credit: Anuja De Silva

2. Know Your limits

We assess our physical limitations when planning what to do at the park with baby. We enjoy going on a short hike, then driving around to various look out points.

Many of our outdoorsy friends have been hiking with babies since the little ones were a few months old. They carry them in slings or baby carriers. But my first baby absolutely hated being restricted and the child carrier was of no use. We were concerned about how to make the most of visiting a national park, which was highly unlikely to be stroller friendly.

We were creative in our approach to visiting the park. Driving through a well mapped out route helped us cover a lot of ground. We enjoyed a lot of scenery from the car with occasional stops at look out points when we took the baby out for fresh air, did short walks and posed for pictures.

We have had more luck with our baby-carrier-loving second baby and have been able to take longer day hikes.

Download our FREE RV packing list HERE!

3. Save Money

A visit to a national park is a multi-generational activity that is very economical. As entrance fees are charged per vehicle, it will only cost a few dollars for a car full of passengers. It is ideal getaway to include extended family or helpers without adding too much cost per head. There are even several free admission days each year at national parks.

Hiking with a baby at Crater Lake National Park.
Crater Lake National Park. Photo credit: Anuja De Silva

4. Mix it Up

Not every outdoor adventure has to be a hike. On a visit to Everglades National Park we took an airboat ride that included a guided swamp tour with a closer look at alligators. The location of the tour onset point and its duration played a key role in choosing this activity. We were mindful of the maximum time our infant son could be engaged on our laps. As long as he was held close and had a life vest, it was safe for him to take a boat ride.

Plan a picnic on a hike with a baby.
Photo credit: Stock Unlimited

5. Plan a Picnic

This is one of our must-dos on any national park trip. Most parks will have restaurants or picnic areas with amazing views. Our lunch stop at Cater Lake with magnificent views of the lake is one of my favorite meals at a national park. A short walk broken up by a snack or lunch are a good way to spend the day in a national park with young children.

6. Bring Baby Supplies

We all know that babies need stuff. But you won’t want to carry a diaper bag over your shoulder during a mile hike. So pack a backpack with a few diapers (bring more than one in case of a blowout), a first aid kit (just in case), snacks, sunscreen and a sun hat for baby. One parent can carry the baby in a baby backpack or carrier while the other carries the backpack full of baby supplies.

Tips for hiking with babies at a national park.
Photo credit: Anuja De Silva

Filed Under: National Parks, RVing & Camping, Traveling with Babies and Toddlers Tagged With: outdoors

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lydia says

    September 13, 2019 at 7:03 am

    Hello Anuja,
    A child should not be a barrier to enjoying your hike. As you’ve outlined in this article, few adjustments are all what makes the difference.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Trending Posts

berkshires lake view

Want Decades of Fun Things to Do? Check Out the Berkshires in Massachusetts

cyclists on lake path

Best Things to Do with Kids in Chicago

Downtown Hot Springs is one of the best places to visit in Arkansas

18 Super Fun Things to Do in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Must-Have Travel Gear

happy baby in green portable crib

10 Portable Cribs to Make Travel with Baby or Toddler a Breeze

women's pink travel kit

11 Travel Kits for Women That Will Keep You Organized on the Go

Woman in yellow travel raincoat in canoe

13 Travel Raincoats for Women to Keep You Comfy and Dry

Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival 2023

Atlantis Bahamas Resort Food & Beverage Fest 2023

Corner of Royal Street balcony in New Orleans

What to Wear in New Orleans to be Cool, Cute & Comfy

Copyright © 2023 SheBuysTravel · All Rights Reserved

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Partner With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Terms and Conditions
  • Notifications
  • Write For Us