Do you have a family hiking trip coming up? Are you unsure if you are fully prepared for anything during the trip?

Well, don’t worry because I will provide top 5 valuable ways to make your family hiking trip a hit!

We reserved a rustic cabin up in the Georgia mountains a month before our vacation. I made sure that we were prepared for a lot of outdoor activities with a 3-year-old ahead of time. If you have a young kid, you know how unpredictable they can be.

Maybe they will throw a tantrum and you will have to football carry him/her all the way to the finish line. Maybe you find them on a perfect day and he/she would walk the entire way with plenty of energy left over. I made sure that we were prepared for both scenarios…

We went to the cabin, did a lot of hiking, enjoyed the gorgeous scenic view of the mountains, and came back home from the vacation.

Now, I have some valuable ways to make your family hiking trip a hit!

• Good strong walking shoes:

If your kid is anything like mine, he/she will complain about anything teensy tiny wrong with the shoes. So, make sure that the shoes your kid is wearing are his/her favorite and they are perfect for the hiking trips. You don’t want your kid to trip and fall down because of the shoes. Also, you don’t want your kid to complain at the beginning and having you to carry him/her for the rest of the hiking trial.

• Snacks, snacks, and snacks:

I will say it again… Snacks, snacks, and snacks! They work amazingly to keep your kid happy, content and comfortable. They work as a bribe, too. 😉 If you walk the rest of the way to that big tree, we will stop and eat your yummy goldfish. Coral chowed down her snacks at the multiple stops to refuel.

We absolutely loved this Splash Box & Pod Set we received from ECO LunchBox. It was so easy for her to hold with her little hands. We packed a variety of snacks in the big Splash Boxes and small Splash Pods. The big Splash Boxes had Coral’s favorite goldfish and the apples from Mercier Orchards. The small Splash Pods had mixed nuts and yogurt covered raisins.

When all the snacks are gone, you can nest the small splash pods in the big splash box. The blue silicone lids are so easy to open and close.

ECOLunchbox has many different options to choose from such as lunch bags, totes, stainless steel trays, snack containers, lunch kits, or even a gift card to give someone! Their mission is to make lunchtime plastic-free.

We’ve sold more than 225,000 ECOlunchboxes so far and each year through the use of our products the ECOlunchbox community is averting tens of millions of pieces of trash (mostly plastic) from use and disposal. – ECOLunchBox

• Choose your hiking trails wisely:

Can you imagine showing up to a hiking trail with your young kid and find out that it is a strenuous hike with a lot of climbings? The hiking trail we chose was the Appalachian trail so we can hike up to the Amicalola Falls, the tallest waterfall in Georgia. It had a lot of steps up the stairs (425 steps, to be exact) to get to the top of the waterfall, but the hiking trail itself was pretty easy. There were also a couple of stops that we were able to turn around if needed. We came prepared which bring me to the next valuable way.

• Bring a carrier as a backup:

If your kid enjoys being carried in a carrier, then bring it as a backup when your kid couldn’t walk anymore. The carrier helps to take some of the weight off you, so you would be able to hike more with ease. We wore Coral for a super short time. That surprised us because she normally loved to be in a carrier. She walked the most of the hiking trail with her little cute feet!

• Let your kid take charge of the hiking trip:

I believe this is the best valuable way to make your hiking trip a hit. Let your kid take the lead and walk in the front. Follow his/her pace. Make frequent stops to look at interesting things. Let him/her pick up a big walking stick. Stand on every single big rock. Play chase. Explore. Watch the bugs crawl on the ground. Pick up dead leaves. Walk up and down the stairs independently while you freak out internally and having your hands close to him/her just in case he/she falls. Don’t set a time limit and enjoy the journey!

Hiking up the Appalachian trail to get to the Amicalola Falls was AMAZING! If you want a hiking trail that would take you to the beautiful waterfall, I encourage you to check it out. I expected something to go bad during the hike because they normally do with a 3-year-old. However, Coral did a great job. Mr. Tropical wore her for a couple of minutes in the beginning then she wanted to walk.

She. walked. the. entire. way.

Even the 425 steps up AND down the stairs. It was so worth it because she PASSED OUT hard when we got in the car at the end of the hiking trip.

Do you have any other valuable ways you would like to add to this list? Please share!