Even a short hike with kids requires some planning and essential equipment. A little bit of preparation will help you enjoy your outing more and will ensure you have basic safety items ... just in case.
Create a hiking backpack so you don't have to pack and repack for every trip, just restock what you use. Young children can carry light backpacks with water, snacks, a rain jacket, and a hat.
Here are the 10 things you won't want to leave without:
- Water. Every person should carry water, at least two bottles each. Dehydration is a greater risk in the hottest part of the day, so bring a little extra if you'll be hiking in the afternoon.
- Energy snacks. Everyone will have to replace the energy burned. Nuts, seeds, trail mix, and granola bars are lightweight high-energy options.
- Map/Trail Guide and Compass. Shorter trails often connect to longer trails, so it is important to know where you are and where you are going. A simple compass will help orient you and your map to magnetic north. Don't rely on apps on your phone, since batteries die and service can be spotty.
- Extra Clothes. Rain can happen unexpectedly, especially on a summer afternoon. Cold can happen too. Dress in layers and pack a lightweight rain jacket, just in case. A hat with a visor can help keep sun and rain off your face and out of your eyes.
- Sunglasses and Sunscreen. Sunglasses will help protect your eyes from dust, bugs, and sunlight. Sunscreen will help prevent sunburn. Hiking is no fun if you are uncomfortable!
- Insect Repellent. Mosquito bites are easier to prevent than to treat, especially on kids. Keep them away from you as much as possible.
- First Aid Kit. You can buy a pre-packaged compact kit or make your own. The basic components are antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, bandages, tweezers, antihistamine, and moleskin (for blisters). Longer hikes and challenging trails require additional items.
- Cell Phone and Whistle. In case of emergency, a fully-charged cell phone may allow you to call for help, but since cell service can be spotty on hiking trails, a whistle is important too. It requires less of your energy to blow a whistle than it does to yell for help.
- Knife or Multi-Tool. Ask any Boy Scout or Girl Scout ... this little tool can solve a variety of problems you could encounter on the trail.
- Respect for the Great Outdoors. Remember: Take only pictures, leave only footprints. Stay on the trail to preserve the wilderness as well as minimize dangers (like poison oak, snakes, and accidents).
There are also a few items that are not essential but are fun to take, especially when hiking with kids ... a notepad and pencil, a sketchpad and colored pencils, a camera, and binoculars. Taking notes, drawing pictures, and snapping photos will help you create a memory book or keepsake of your adventure when you return home.
The summer is a great time to get out and see nature at its greatest, and usually get a nice mountain breeze. Westchester County trails are open year round.
| Anthony's Nose Peekskill, NY - Offers a relatively short hike (2.5 miles) to a Hudson River overlook. |
| Cranberry Lake Preserve North White Plains, NY- Cranberry Lake Preserve is a 190-acre park with a Nature Center that offers family-oriented nature programs most weekends and houses a variety of interactive, educational displays. Nature programs are offered to the public nearly every weekend. |
| Greenburgh Nature Center Scarsdale, NY- For hikers, the Blue Trail is a loop (about a third of a mile in length) that starts at the back of our main building and circles by Woodfrog Pond before returning to the GNC. Abundant life can be found on all four levels of the forest: the high canopy of oaks, the understory of dogwoods, the shrub level of viburnums, and the forest floor level of wildflowers and mushrooms. Stop at the pond and watch for migratory birds and other wildlife. No dogs are allowed. |
| Hilltop Hanover Hiking Trails Yorktown Heights, NY- Covered by 3.5 miles of unpaved trails for hiking and nature study. |
| Mianus River Gorge Preserve Bedford, NY- An easy five-mile walk that’s great for children. The trail is one of the oldest Nature Conservancy preserves in the country and also affords opportunities to see cascades, an old mica and quartz quarry, and flowers like red trillium and marigolds. |
| Old Croton Aqueduct from Tarrytown to Yonkers- This level hike follows the route of the historic Old Croton Aqueduct from Tarrytown to Yonkers, with return via Metro-North train. |
| Rockefeller State Park Pleasantville, NY- 13 Bridges Loop Trail-1.9 miles of even to moderate grade, leading to 13 bridges on the wandering Gory Brook. |
| Rye Nature Center Rye, NY- Bring the family to the Center and walk our newly blazed Turtle, Rabbit, Deer, Rock, Dragonfly, and Tree Trails. |
| Saxon Woods Park White Plains, NY - A trail system connects the southern section to the upland wooded northern part of the park, characterized by mature hardwood forests and waterfalls. The trails are very popular with hikers, cross country skiers and horseback riders. |
| Other nice walking trails in Yonkers include: Bronx River Pathway Saxon Woods Park Tibbett's Brook Park |
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