Getting Started
Hiking may be the focus of your trip, or just a great way to break up long drives. To make your next outing with the kids energizing rather than exhausting, we’ve assembled some dos and don’ts for the hiking family.
• Do mix it up with fishing rods or bug nets to make it more than just a hike.
• Don’t be too ambitious—choose a shorter trail and slow down so kids can explore and ask questions.
• Do bring crayons, tracing paper, moulding clay and plants or animal field guides to make your hike a fun learning experience.
• Don’t diet on the trail—pack a tasty picnic.
• Do encourage shutterbugs—give children a camera to record their trip.
Delicate Arch Trail
Arches National Park, Utah
Cartoons come alive in this hole-in-the-rock wonderland. You won’t find obsessed coyotes chasing unflappable roadrunners, but the fantastic sandstone formations are enough to keep kids and adults fixated for hours. The finest arch in the park is 20-metre-high Delicate Arch, its red pillars framing the jagged skyline of the La Sal Mountains. If that doesn’t satiate your appetite, a 16-km (10-mile) scenic drive offers views of some of the park’s 2,000 other rock spans.
Setting out
The park entrance is 7 km (4 miles) north of the town of Moab on Route 191. Begin your hike at the Wolfe Ranch parking area and climb gradually over exposed sandstone to the arch. This 4.8-km roundtrip trail is rated moderate. More information is available at (435) 719-2299 or nps.gov/arch/.
Harbour Rocks Trail
Kejimkujik National Park Seaside Adjunct, Nova Scotia
Seal-spotting, bird-watching, and ocean swimming are the highlights in this small park on the Atlantic Ocean. Gleaming crescents of white sand and sparkling aquamarine waters make Keji feel more Caribbean than Canadian. The Harbour Rocks Trail leads through berry patches and wildflowers to the coast where the whole family can frolic in the surf and view hundreds of sun-bathing seals.
Setting out
Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct is located off Highway 103, 170 km southwest of Halifax. From the parking area, the Harbour Rocks Trail is an easy 5.2-km roundtrip on mostly level, gravelled surface. Learn more at (902) 682-2772 or pc.gc.ca/voyage-travel/pv-vp/itm2-/page15_e.asp.
Pinguisibi Trail
Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario
Magnificent waterfalls and primordial groves of towering cedar and white pine are the highlights of the Pinguisibi Trail as it follows the Sand River on a lively descent over smooth Canadian bedrock. The many small pools along the way provide endless opportunities for budding young anglers to land a lunker. If energy levels are still high after the hike, cross under the highway bridge to dip your toes in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior.
Setting out
The trailhead is on the east side of Highway 17, 150 km north of Sault Ste. Marie at the Sand River day-use area. This easy to moderate hike is a 6-km return hike and travels over mostly level terrain with some short, steep sections. For more information call (705) 882-2026 or visit lakesuperiorpark.ca.
Parker Ridge
Banff National Park, Alberta
If the Rocky Mountains needed an introduction, this trail would be it. Ascending above the treeline to the tundra environment of Parker Ridge, the thin air and panoramic vista will take your breath away. Kids can test their agility against that of resident mountain goats, while mom and dad enjoy the alpine wildflowers and eagle’s-eye view of the Saskatchewan Glacier. After your hike, visit the nearby Columbia Icefield, the hemisphere’s second-largest mass of ice and snow south of the Arctic.
Setting out
The trail starts on the west side of Highway 93, 8.8 km south of the Icefield Centre. One of the quickest ways to climb above the treeline in the park, Parker Ridge trail follows switchbacks 275 metres up a moderate grade and is a three-hour, 5.2-km return hike. Phone (403) 762-1550 or visit pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/index_e.asp.
This article first appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.
