Terrific Trail Games for Hiking With Kids

Sunshine Girl:  Going for a walk in a woodsy area, bring old fruit or veggies for the deer to munch on and leave it on an old tree stump or brush; old seeds or bread crumbs for the birds. Going for a walk near a river or pond, bring stale bread to feed the fish or ducks. Research food items that are healthy for the wildlife in your area and bring some to scatter along your walk. Check if any of it was eaten on your back. Bring home and properly dispose of any plastic bags or containers.

Kelly R:  Think of a category, and work your way through the alphabet naming something in that category for each letter from A to Z. This is a favorite for my family, whether we're walking around the neighborhood or hiking and playing trail games, because it feels fresh every time we change the topic. We've done movie characters, 4-syllable words, things at Disneyland, and so many more. Good luck with the letter X!

Kelly R:  Whether you all have your own fitness trackers or just check your steps on your phone, you can play fun hiking games with your pedometer! If everyone is using their own, see which family member can log the most steps. And if you're sharing one, see who can come the closest to guessing the total number of steps, or try to beat your family steps record each time.

Kelly R:  Find something along your hike that matches each color of the rainbow in order, starting with red. Make it a little more challenging by having each family member spot something different for every color.

Kelly R:  Make a big list of things you might see on your family hike (or find one on the internet). Print out your list and let the kids take turns checking off items as they're spotted. Change up the list each time, and you'll keep your hike games new and fresh for a while! It's fun to create the list together, with each family member coming up with a handful of items.

Kelly R:  See how many different types of animals you can spot on your hike. Let the kids snap photos with your phone of each new bird, mammal and bug you see. Look them up when you get home if you need help identifying them. You'll learn more about the animals that are native to your area, and it's a great motivation for kids to pay attention to their surroundings.

Kelly R:  Have an improv storytime where one person begins telling a made-up story, then each person in the group takes turns adding on another part. Keep rotating through storytellers until your story is complete. This game can last as long as you like!

Kelly R:  Geocaching is a large-scale treasure hunt where you use a free app to navigate to hidden containers called Geocaches. There are millions hidden around the world, so this is a fun hike activity that you can get into at home and still enjoy when you travel!