It’s hard to imagine a more wholesome family activity than hiking. Exploring the outdoors boosts physical and mental health, promotes creativity and calms stress, says Heidi Magi, lead teacher at Pioneer Springs Community School, a nature-based public charter school in Charlotte.
“As a middle school teacher at a nature school, I see the ways in which a deep connection to nature helps kids feel more grounded in the world,” Magi says. “Studies show that because the natural world is less structured than the electronic and indoor worlds that children spend time in, time in nature tends to increasing creativity, self-confidence and imagination.”
Ready to get moving? From choosing baby’s first trail to motivating hesitant hikers and keeping kids safe, here’s what you need to know at every stage.
EARLY YEARS
Tiny Trekkers
The first step (pun intended) toward happy hiking with tots is making sure they’re safe and comfortable.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
The Covid-19 Legacy
How will this generation-definind event affect our children?
Three Charlotte Murals
An art critic and his 5-year-old daughter offer their thoughts on public artworks found around the city
Growing with Grace
Everyday etiquette for children and teenagers
The Pint-Sized Foodie
A visit to NC Red
GET TO KNOW: Rhonda Patterson, the “Queen of Custody”
She’s an attorney, arbitrator, and owner of The Patterson Law Office, where she specializes in family law.
Best Friends in the end
You can be friends with your child…just not yet
Four fun things to experience with your kids this month
Four fun things to experience with your kids this month
Autism Diet Do's and Don'ts
Autistic individuals often have difficulties with sensory processing issues, sometimes called Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD.
A Cool Girl's Bedroom
WHEN DESIGNER JACY PAINTER KELLY, owner of Jacy Painter Kelly Interiors, took her family to New York City last summer, her 10-year-old daughter Lucy went crazy for the cool urban vibe of their downtown hotel room. It gave Lucy the itch to makeover her own bedroom in their Fort Mill home. She wanted more mature accents like silver wall sconces and velvet pillows, paired with punk rock elements like a graffiti-inspired bed frame and pink neon sign. Luckily her designer mom knew exactly how to tie it all together.
Therapeutic Riding
Teaching confidence, focus, and friendship, one ride at a time
Falling Over a Cliff
Courtney Henderson, 19, and Gavin Caruso, 23, fell 50 feet during a storm in June of 2020. Only one survived.
Long Trail – Go Big
How I got my footing back as a 300-pound adventurer on the Long Trail.
Emily Ford – Thru-Hiker
Late last December, Emily Ford, 28, of Duluth, Minnesota, took her first steps on Wisconsin’s 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail with a borrowed sled dog named Diggins. “I was laid off from my job as head gardener at the Glensheen Mansion, and I took full advantage,” she says. Ten weeks later, she became the first woman and second person ever to thru-hike the IAT in winter.
Eye of the Storm
Foul-weather backcountry days have an allure all their own.
Breathe, Repeat Hike
A pilgrim seeking peace and purpose on Spain’s famed Camino de Santiago finds much more.
America's Friendlist Summits
Some high points require expert skill, a bit of luck, and probably some suffering. Not these. Here are 15 peaks—high on views, low on effort—that don’t play hard to get.
Ditch Your Dusty Workout Excuses
The first step to fitness? Conquering your can’ts.
Camping With Your Dog
Bringing your dog on your next outdoor overnight excursion? Oh, yes! With a little planning, your canine companion will enjoy camping just as much as you. These Northern Michigan spots are perfectly pet-friendly.
Get Moving!
You don’t have to spend hours in the gym to reap the health benefits of exercise.
Liz “snorkel” Thomas – Hiking Icon
Thomas has thru-hiked more than 20 long trails, including the Pacific Crest, Continental Divide and Appalachian Trails (the Triple Crown). On top of that, she set a fastest known time on the AT for an unsupported woman and has completed dozens of urban thru-hikes as well. This issue, she joins Backpacker as a contributing editor. Here’s some of Thomas’s best advice and insight fed by more than 20,000 trail miles.