Hiking with toddlers - Summer 2019

When toddlers are stuck indoors, they are terrors. Out in nature, they are a delight. Winter is ideal for babies who just want to snuggle with mama and emerge for the occasional walk. Toddlers thrive in summer where they can run wild and free.

I'm not from Utah, but I'm ecstatic that I get to raise my kids here. How lucky are they to be within spitting distance of seven ski resorts and endless hiking and biking trails? It's kid paradise. Even though my family camped quite a bit in the summer, my everyday childhood experience was in Los Angeles, where green space is sparse, and it's legit dangerous to let your kids roam free.

I started this summer with the goal to hike with my toddlers, ages 1 and 3, every weekend.  For Christmas, I got an Osprey baby backpack -- never used, tags and user manual still attached -- secondhand on KSL for $75. With the help of my trusty guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes in Salt Lake City and All Trails app (both of which I highly recommend), we explored toddler-friendly hikes from May-August in and around the Salt Lake area.

My primary audience for this post are my friends who want to instill a love of nature in their kids but aren't sure where to start. It can be intimidating to hike with littles. What if they throw a tantrum out in the middle of nowhere? What if one gets hurt and you have to carry both back? What if you get lost? Should you be concerned about rattlesnakes, Lyme disease, and sunburns? Sure. But, in my experience, the pros outweigh the cons by a hundredfold.

Not every hike this summer was successful. One day we tried to go to Donut Falls, and all they wanted to do was play at the trailhead for an hour. Whatever. When hiking with toddlers the goal is fun. Here are a few hikes that were the most successful for us this summer:

Temple Quarry

To me, this is the consummate toddler "hike." It's really just a 0.4 mile nature trail at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, but every turn is toddler heaven. I don't even bring a pack for Ashton because, worst case scenario, I could carry him the whole loop, which has zero elevation gain and is paved the entire way.

In general, I get super nervous to have both of my toddlers by a rushing river, especially in a high water season like this one, but Temple Quarry has these fantastic pockets of still water, almost like a beach, that creates a buffer between your kids and any real danger. One of my kids' favorite activities is throwing rocks in the river, and, as an old mining spot, rocks are in abundance at Temple Quarry. The drive is quick, only 17 minutes from our home in Sugar House and even less if you live in Sandy or Cottonwood Heights. We ended up going back 4-5 times this summer anytime I was in the mood for a lazy toddler hike.

Ensign Peak

This was the hike that started it all for us. At 0.8 miles and less than 400 feet of elevation gain, it's the perfect hike for a 3 year old still finding her legs. Early in the hike, Harper spotted the rock monument at the top of the hike and was determined to make it to her "rock monument friend." As she summited Ensign Peak, she raced to the rock monument, gave it a giant hug, and said, "I worked so hard to see you!" I died. The first time we did this hike was on a Sunday morning and as we were standing at the top, looking at the glorious, panoramic view of the city, the Cathedral of the Madeline bells filled the city, and it was truly magical.

Rock monument friend

Church Fork

One Saturday morning, we met up with Harper's good buddy for a joint toddler hike at Church Fork in Milcreek Canyon. This hike had several positive traits: it was close to home (just a ten minute drive), shaded throughout, and had a super cool waterfall that the kids zigzagged across throughout the first half mile or so of the hike. There were even a couple places where Harper had to walk across a narrow bridge, which elicited just the right amount of challenge and adventure. As part of the longer Pipeline Trail, there was no real stopping point but I think we did a couple miles on this hike without any toddler complaints.

Cecret Lake

Everyone talks about Cecret Lake as if it's the easiest hike in the world, and I'm sure it is easy... without toddlers. With toddlers, this hike was definitely a challenge and probably the only time all summer I pushed Harper to get to the top. Cecret Lake trail is only about 1.7 miles but the last .3 miles or so has several switchbacks and a relatively steep elevation gain. The morning we did Cecret Lake, it rained all morning so everything was a bit slippery, and I had to carry both kids, all 60 pounds of them, up some of the trickier bits. But if you want to try something truly majestic with your toddlers, you can't beat Cecret Lake. We went slowly, made tons of stops, took about 6-7 watermelon breaks, and finally made it to the pristine lake at the top of Albion Basin.

On the way home from Cecret Lake, before they both passed out in the car, Harper said to me, "Mama, I can do really hard things." My kids are learning so much from hiking, but I think one of the best things they are learning is that their bodies are strong and capable and can take them to amazing places.

Living Room

Which is not to say we finished every hike this summer. One hike we didn't make it to the top was Living Room. Living Room is 2.3 miles with almost 1,000 feet of elevation gain, but it's also very exposed and hot in the summer. We made it about 2/3 of the way to the top to what we now refer to as Cookie Break Overlook. We still got a great view of Salt Lake, and Harper has something on her bucket list for next summer.

The toddlers and I didn't finish Living Room, but Aidan and I went back later in the summer and did a beautiful hike up to Living Room at sunset. Hiking with teenagers has it's own reward. After carrying Ashton all summer, I felt like I flew to the top of Living Room on this hike.

Stewart Falls

What we were working towards all summer was a family and friend hike up Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon. Stewart Falls is 3.4 miles with about 646 feet of elevation gain with a gigantic payoff at the end in the form of an amazing, breathtaking waterfall. Harper killed it on this hike, rarely complaining and only saying at the very end that she was ready to go home. I was so proud of her and rewarded her with a giant glass of blackberry lemonade back at the cabin.

My hair is down because Ashton pulled the rubber band out. #hikingwithtoddlers

Dirty after taking a dive into the mud chasing Aidan

Silver Lake

In Salt Lake, the higher you go, the prettier it gets. One of my all-time favorite places is Silver Lake in Brighton, and it is on the must, must, must do of toddler hikes. No rushing water, no elevation gain (though it's high to start at about 9,000 feet above sea level), an easy boardwalk to traverse, and so much to explore. There is a beautiful pier where kids can look at ducks, a forest, lots of fallen trees to act as balance beams, even the occasional deer and moose. We've gone to Silver Lake several times, especially when I'm not so much in the mood to hike as to wander somewhere truly beautiful. Walk around the whole lake or just linger in one place for an hour. Show up early to beat the crowds and enjoy feeling far, far away from the city (but really only took 40 minutes to get there).

Snow in July

I have a few rules I abide by on hiking with toddlers that I feel are worth sharing, if for no other reason so I remember them later.

1.) Be present - As a working mom, I don't get all the time with my kids I would like. Hiking is our time. Besides taking a few pictures and my making sure we're on course with All Trails, I don't look at my phone on hikes.

2.) It's not about finishing - Except for the last .3 miles of the Cecret Lake hike, I don't push my kids on hikes. Someday I'm sure I will, but right now, it's all about the fun. I start every "hard" hike by telling Harper, "If we don't finish, it's okay. We have fun and do the best we can do." The only time I broke this rule, as mentioned above, was the end of Cecret Lake when I knew the payoff would be worth it. Indeed, when we reached the top, the first thing Harper said was, "It's even more beautiful than I thought it would be." So I guess some rules are meant to be broken.

3.) Cultivate wonder - We spend more time looking at bugs and smelling grass on hikes than I'm sure people would consider normal. Nature is amazing. With every step, I try to instill a sense of awe in my kids at the expanse and beauty of what's around us.

4.) Teach respect - We follow rules on hikes. We read signs, leave no trace, and -- this was a tough one -- don't pick flowers.

Sometimes it feels like what's good for our kids comes bound up in resistance. Enforcing no screens and real food is an uphill battle in this day and age where everything seems to be conspiring against parents. I give broccoli, they want cookies. I buy puzzles and legos, they want Daniel Tiger and Paw Patrol. The one place where our interests are 100% aligned is out in nature. They're happy, I'm happy.

Go forth, good friends, and enjoy your own adventure!