How to Get Kids Excited About Hiking (Even When They'd Rather Have Screen Time)

"My feet hurt." "How much further." "This is boring." "Can we go back." "I'm hungry." "Are we there YET."

Sound familiar? Every parent who has tried to take kids hiking knows this soundtrack. Our three played it on repeat for our entire first year of RVing. Hikes lasted about 15 minutes before the mutiny started.

Heres what changed it.

Let them lead. We stopped picking the trail and started letting the kids choose from 2-3 options. "Do you want the waterfall hike, the lake hike, or the cave hike?" Suddenly they have ownership. They chose it so they cant complain about it. Well, they still complain. But less.

Gamify it. We use the AllTrails app and let the oldest track our progress. "Were at the halfway point!" Having a visual tracker makes the distance feel manageable.

Scavenger hunt on the trail. I print a simple list — mushroom, animal tracks, something blue, a rock shaped like something, running water. Keeps their eyes on the surroundings instead of their feet.

Snack bribery. Im not above it. Trail mix at the turnaround point. Popsicles in the cooler when we get back to the car. Judge me all you want — it works.

Keep it SHORT. Our sweet spot is 1-2 miles for the younger ones. 3-4 for the teenager. Anything longer and we lose them. A successful short hike beats an miserable long one every time.

Let them bring a friend. If theyre camped near another family with kids, invite them along. Kids will hike 3x further if a friend is with them. Its science. Ok its not science but it feels true.

They still prefer screens. Lets be honest. But they no longer dread hiking and sometimes — on the really good trails — they actually enjoy it. Small wins.