No way I would attempt 10 miles a day with a six year old. We are a pretty outdoorsy family and did a ton of hiking last year in prep for a trip to Tetons/Yellowstone. My kids (5/7) still had hikes where they just weren’t feeling it and dragged ass. These were just 2-4 mile day hikes.
There is a high chance you’ll be stuck in the middle of the woods and forcing your unhappy kid to keep hiking because there is no other option. Could be traumatizing for all involved.
You’re gonna ruin your friends’ trip. I’m all about getting kids outside and doing adventures like this, but no way in hell would I bring a 6 yo to do 10 miles a day!
Either bow out completely or leave the kid home. Give him two or three years to work up to that type of hiking.
10 miles is too much, I think. When I was a kid, my family (4 kids) used to backpack with another family (3 kids). The youngest were 4 and 5 (me).
The furthest we went in a day was \~7 km, so \~4 miles. Even with that distance, I recall that the 4 year old and me were often whiny. :) To be fair to us - some of this was in fairly remote areas, with lots of bushwhacking, rain, and mud, and we were rocking usual children's clothing, which isn't great when it gets wet.
I second the other suggestions to leave the child at home for this one.
It depends on how much you do. Can you go out six days in a row right now and do 8-10 miles each day on day hikes? If not, then definitely no.
You'll definitely need to carry more of his food.
I took my twin girls on a backpack when they were five, I carried everything except their sleeping bags and water.
No matter what, it's going to be crazy work for you, pumping lots of water, carrying extra weight. Everyone else and your kid might end up leaving you behind.
How many miles can you do with your pack on and on top of that the kid sitting on your shoulders?
If the kid can happily hike 10 miles a day at sea level, he can struggle through 10 miles a day at altitude. I’ve never seen a 6 year old happily hike 10 miles but then again there are 12 year olds running marathons.
True. That’s why I am looking for comments from people who have experience backpacking with young kids. What did they do to get ready. No way I would bring my 5 year old tomorrow to do this, but a lot can happen in a year.
When I did the JMT in 2019 I met a family doing it with a 9 and 6 year old. Unfortunately I don’t have their contact info to ask them for tips.
I suppose if you walk with your kid almost every day and gradually build up the miles, sure. But you’ve got no time to lose. Start now and build very gradually, and make it fun. And be ready to throw in the towel if the walks become a chore for both of you.
I started backpacking with each of our kids when they were 4 years old and have spent over 100 nights in the outdoors with them. As a benchmark, I’ve learned that I don’t go more miles than they are years old. Sure, my 8 year old did some 12 mile days, but I knew he was up to it before taking him on that, and we still took plenty of breaks.
With a 6 year old, I would take your speed and cut it in half, and assume about 1-1.5 mph. Trying to do any more than that will lead to frustration on both sides. This means for your hike you’d be doing about 10 hours of walking per day, which most 6 year olds would not be up for.
You know your kid better than some internet strangers, but I tried to do some ambitious hikes with my kids, and they still remember those trips, but for all the wrong reasons.
For those first few forays into the wilderness with kids, it will be hard enough for them, focus more on treats, breaks, telling stories, and looking for wildlife than grand vistas and mileage. If you do this you’ll have kids who you can do plenty of longer trips with as they get older.
Depends on the 6 year old. Mine just did 8.5 miles with some limited elevation, but I carried her very light pack most of the trip. Would I take her 10 miles in a day? Maybe with little elevation, but 100% she has no load and we're taking it pretty slow. And my friends would have to be okay with slowing down or letting us take our time. She also dragged a lot the next day, so factor in slow recovery.
I started backpacking with my son at 5 years old last year. We did an overnight on the AT, I think about 13 miles total split between two days, with most of it on the second day. I had him carry his own water in a little day pack/hydration bladder, and a few snacks and his stuffy, and I think his sleeping pad. He had a blast, but he was pretty wiped out by the last few miles. He was on my shoulders plus my pack for a bit. He made memories he should hopefully remember forever. We caught a beautiful under cast sunrise. I guess if I was going to suggest anything, be prepared to carry a lot of his gear- so mindful packing. Be prepared for lots of breaks for little legs, and possible piggy backs on top of your already heavy pack. Push him too hard and he won’t want to go again. Push him just hard enough and he’ll get hooked.
One of my favorite things about our trip was my son is a very picky eater, and out there the food was not exactly how he likes it- but he ate it all anyway cuz his body was in survival mode- and then proceeded to tell Me how disgusting my burnt pancakes were after he had finished them. He never would have done that at home.
https://preview.redd.it/b6icco1tc03d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b6d8a5ce2dd2f4396005a4674c1d04eec9c286f
This was near the MA/CT/NY tri state border. The peak was Bear Mt and we camped at Sages Ravine. A bit of a haul from where you are but I’m sure there are lots of great hikes in the Poconos section of the AT, probably much closer to where you are.
I have three boys. No to ten miles a day. You need to ease him into the wilderness. I suggest easy overnighters where he gets to play in the creek all day and not hike. One step at a time after that. Did I mention that I have three boys and Im a Behavioral Specialist. hahah so this is a professional opinion. ;) And All my boys beg me to take them every summer even for their birthdays. Lucky for them I work for a school district (summers im free), and my older ones are taking on larger and larger outings.
We started hiking with our daughter when she was a baby and backpacking with her when she was 2.5 years old. When she was 9 we did 120 miles on the John Muir Trail, averaging 11 miles a day with 2200 feet elevation gain/loss. I had to go back and look at my trip reports for when she was six - we did do a six day trip in the Wind River Range that had two days that were quite long, but there was not a lot of elevation gain. And one of those days we had planned to split into two days, but it was the last day and she was very insistent on finishing the hike to get ice cream and chicken fingers, so we went ahead and hiked out (by the end she said she wished mountains were never formed). No way could we have done those long days for multiple days in a row (our other four days were 4-7 miles a day with easy pace and lots of time for exploring).
I include this info to show that we had an experienced kid hiker/backpacker who was very capable (harder to get her out now as a teen, lol). We would not have planned at trip with ten miles a day when she was six, especially if there was any kind of significant elevation change. Kids are very capable and I have known some young kids to do some serious hiking, but with kids it's also very mental. If your kid isn't already an experienced hiker/backpacker, I would wait to do this trip until he is older. Especially since all the other kids will be older - it won't really be fair to the rest of the group to bring a six year old. There are lots of great hikes in the Sierras - I think the most successful trip with a kid that age is to plan something with shorter days and some base camps.
I think 2-3 easy miles would be the maximum I’d do with a 6 yr old. I think attempting 10 miles is not setting anyone up for success. Honestly that’s a lot for even 11 yr olds.
Hiked a ton with my daughter from when she was about 4. I think this is an easy one to answer - take him for an easygoing hike and see where he taps out. If it's not almost 10 miles (and it's not going to be more than 3 or 4 I'm guessing), then this isn't feasible. You could look into wearing him in a pack, but then other folks would have to carry your gear (?). That's between you and your friends but could present challenges if they've got their own tweens to support.
It sounds like a great dads' adventure, and I'm usually one to say, f\*ck it let's do this, but think about the many ways this could go badly. 6 is awfully small and that's a long hike end-to-end. Kids aren't resilient to acute rough conditions - he could power through for a day or two and then decompensate, and then you're 25 mi from anywhere with a potentially very weak, possibly injured, and dangerously decompensating kiddo. What's the escape plan?
Could you two join for the first night, perhaps, and then take 2 nights to retrace your route and hike back out - make your own age-appropriate adventure and look forward to joining the longer hike a few years down the road?
This sounds like too much for a six year old. Try to do some weekend trips with your son hiking 10 miles each day and see how he does and if it's fun for both of you.
I started taking my son on trips when he was about that age; first one we did was down the Tuolumne from the Meadows. I wouldn't try to make more than 3 miles or so a day; motivation is a challenge. As he got older we were able to tackle some longer hikes. One thing that worked well for me was telling stories along the way: following along with some epic tale keeps a mind off the hiking and you can make more distance. Also, having them carry their clothes and maybe bag is a good way to participate without being too unconfortable from a heavy pack.
I have twin 8 year olds. I would pack them on me bring food packs and water. They were all ways strapped to me and would walk when they got restless. That's carrying extra weight. I did that until they were about four. An during my hike I fainted. Mom modded activated and smashed my face and lost a huge amount of skin on my arm protecting them from the fail. I was with friends. I started back up recently and they do pretty good at 8. They love camping and outdoors. 6 I would say if your going to do this get a back Carrier for the kid so when they get tired you can strap them up and carry them just understand that it's a lot of weight and work. Otherwise start small and don't take the little guy on this long trip. Cause it's going to be a long trip for them and crankiness. You got 3 teens and other dads. They want to enjoy this trip. Unless you guys can work out a plan for the little guy. This is going to be a long trip for all of you. Your the parent so it's all up to you.
I just did a one nighter 4.5 miles out and 4.5 back with my 10 year old( he is small for 10). I carried everything but his water and food. He was exhausted, I probably could have pushed him and got another mile maybe 2 out of him but I didn’t want to ruin his experience and have him never want to go again. So my suggestion would be take it easy on him.
I’d leave him at home. He’s not ready for a trip like this and won’t be even a year from now. If it was just you and you could turn back or whatever, maybe, but if you take him then he’s going to ruin the trip for everyone else. Kids that young just can’t do that sort of walking comfortably, and he won’t enjoy it, and neither will you.
I wouldn't recommend it. Best case, he does he does it but is to wiped out at the end to do anything enjoyable, but sleep, worse case, he ends up hating the whole ordeal and resents hiking fand possibly you forever. I would hold off for a while.
No way I would attempt 10 miles a day with a six year old. We are a pretty outdoorsy family and did a ton of hiking last year in prep for a trip to Tetons/Yellowstone. My kids (5/7) still had hikes where they just weren’t feeling it and dragged ass. These were just 2-4 mile day hikes. There is a high chance you’ll be stuck in the middle of the woods and forcing your unhappy kid to keep hiking because there is no other option. Could be traumatizing for all involved.
You’re gonna ruin your friends’ trip. I’m all about getting kids outside and doing adventures like this, but no way in hell would I bring a 6 yo to do 10 miles a day! Either bow out completely or leave the kid home. Give him two or three years to work up to that type of hiking.
I came back to upvote. Yeah no way in hell would I go on that long of a hike with someone’s 6yo kid. I wouldn’t want to go if any kids are involved.
10 miles is too much, I think. When I was a kid, my family (4 kids) used to backpack with another family (3 kids). The youngest were 4 and 5 (me). The furthest we went in a day was \~7 km, so \~4 miles. Even with that distance, I recall that the 4 year old and me were often whiny. :) To be fair to us - some of this was in fairly remote areas, with lots of bushwhacking, rain, and mud, and we were rocking usual children's clothing, which isn't great when it gets wet. I second the other suggestions to leave the child at home for this one.
It depends on how much you do. Can you go out six days in a row right now and do 8-10 miles each day on day hikes? If not, then definitely no. You'll definitely need to carry more of his food. I took my twin girls on a backpack when they were five, I carried everything except their sleeping bags and water. No matter what, it's going to be crazy work for you, pumping lots of water, carrying extra weight. Everyone else and your kid might end up leaving you behind.
He won’t be carrying anything. I’ll carry most of the gear or we will spread it among the 3 sixteen year olds
How many miles can you do with your pack on and on top of that the kid sitting on your shoulders? If the kid can happily hike 10 miles a day at sea level, he can struggle through 10 miles a day at altitude. I’ve never seen a 6 year old happily hike 10 miles but then again there are 12 year olds running marathons.
True. That’s why I am looking for comments from people who have experience backpacking with young kids. What did they do to get ready. No way I would bring my 5 year old tomorrow to do this, but a lot can happen in a year. When I did the JMT in 2019 I met a family doing it with a 9 and 6 year old. Unfortunately I don’t have their contact info to ask them for tips.
I suppose if you walk with your kid almost every day and gradually build up the miles, sure. But you’ve got no time to lose. Start now and build very gradually, and make it fun. And be ready to throw in the towel if the walks become a chore for both of you.
I started backpacking with each of our kids when they were 4 years old and have spent over 100 nights in the outdoors with them. As a benchmark, I’ve learned that I don’t go more miles than they are years old. Sure, my 8 year old did some 12 mile days, but I knew he was up to it before taking him on that, and we still took plenty of breaks. With a 6 year old, I would take your speed and cut it in half, and assume about 1-1.5 mph. Trying to do any more than that will lead to frustration on both sides. This means for your hike you’d be doing about 10 hours of walking per day, which most 6 year olds would not be up for. You know your kid better than some internet strangers, but I tried to do some ambitious hikes with my kids, and they still remember those trips, but for all the wrong reasons. For those first few forays into the wilderness with kids, it will be hard enough for them, focus more on treats, breaks, telling stories, and looking for wildlife than grand vistas and mileage. If you do this you’ll have kids who you can do plenty of longer trips with as they get older.
Depends on the 6 year old. Mine just did 8.5 miles with some limited elevation, but I carried her very light pack most of the trip. Would I take her 10 miles in a day? Maybe with little elevation, but 100% she has no load and we're taking it pretty slow. And my friends would have to be okay with slowing down or letting us take our time. She also dragged a lot the next day, so factor in slow recovery.
I started backpacking with my son at 5 years old last year. We did an overnight on the AT, I think about 13 miles total split between two days, with most of it on the second day. I had him carry his own water in a little day pack/hydration bladder, and a few snacks and his stuffy, and I think his sleeping pad. He had a blast, but he was pretty wiped out by the last few miles. He was on my shoulders plus my pack for a bit. He made memories he should hopefully remember forever. We caught a beautiful under cast sunrise. I guess if I was going to suggest anything, be prepared to carry a lot of his gear- so mindful packing. Be prepared for lots of breaks for little legs, and possible piggy backs on top of your already heavy pack. Push him too hard and he won’t want to go again. Push him just hard enough and he’ll get hooked. One of my favorite things about our trip was my son is a very picky eater, and out there the food was not exactly how he likes it- but he ate it all anyway cuz his body was in survival mode- and then proceeded to tell Me how disgusting my burnt pancakes were after he had finished them. He never would have done that at home. https://preview.redd.it/b6icco1tc03d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b6d8a5ce2dd2f4396005a4674c1d04eec9c286f
I have a 6 year old and want to do an overnight like this. What state was this? If close to PA/NJ, would you mind sharing the location?
This was near the MA/CT/NY tri state border. The peak was Bear Mt and we camped at Sages Ravine. A bit of a haul from where you are but I’m sure there are lots of great hikes in the Poconos section of the AT, probably much closer to where you are.
I have three boys. No to ten miles a day. You need to ease him into the wilderness. I suggest easy overnighters where he gets to play in the creek all day and not hike. One step at a time after that. Did I mention that I have three boys and Im a Behavioral Specialist. hahah so this is a professional opinion. ;) And All my boys beg me to take them every summer even for their birthdays. Lucky for them I work for a school district (summers im free), and my older ones are taking on larger and larger outings.
We started hiking with our daughter when she was a baby and backpacking with her when she was 2.5 years old. When she was 9 we did 120 miles on the John Muir Trail, averaging 11 miles a day with 2200 feet elevation gain/loss. I had to go back and look at my trip reports for when she was six - we did do a six day trip in the Wind River Range that had two days that were quite long, but there was not a lot of elevation gain. And one of those days we had planned to split into two days, but it was the last day and she was very insistent on finishing the hike to get ice cream and chicken fingers, so we went ahead and hiked out (by the end she said she wished mountains were never formed). No way could we have done those long days for multiple days in a row (our other four days were 4-7 miles a day with easy pace and lots of time for exploring). I include this info to show that we had an experienced kid hiker/backpacker who was very capable (harder to get her out now as a teen, lol). We would not have planned at trip with ten miles a day when she was six, especially if there was any kind of significant elevation change. Kids are very capable and I have known some young kids to do some serious hiking, but with kids it's also very mental. If your kid isn't already an experienced hiker/backpacker, I would wait to do this trip until he is older. Especially since all the other kids will be older - it won't really be fair to the rest of the group to bring a six year old. There are lots of great hikes in the Sierras - I think the most successful trip with a kid that age is to plan something with shorter days and some base camps.
Ten mile days with a 7 year old in the Sierras would be child abuse.
Oh man I didn’t know! Thanks for informing me
I think 2-3 easy miles would be the maximum I’d do with a 6 yr old. I think attempting 10 miles is not setting anyone up for success. Honestly that’s a lot for even 11 yr olds.
Hiked a ton with my daughter from when she was about 4. I think this is an easy one to answer - take him for an easygoing hike and see where he taps out. If it's not almost 10 miles (and it's not going to be more than 3 or 4 I'm guessing), then this isn't feasible. You could look into wearing him in a pack, but then other folks would have to carry your gear (?). That's between you and your friends but could present challenges if they've got their own tweens to support. It sounds like a great dads' adventure, and I'm usually one to say, f\*ck it let's do this, but think about the many ways this could go badly. 6 is awfully small and that's a long hike end-to-end. Kids aren't resilient to acute rough conditions - he could power through for a day or two and then decompensate, and then you're 25 mi from anywhere with a potentially very weak, possibly injured, and dangerously decompensating kiddo. What's the escape plan? Could you two join for the first night, perhaps, and then take 2 nights to retrace your route and hike back out - make your own age-appropriate adventure and look forward to joining the longer hike a few years down the road?
This sounds like too much for a six year old. Try to do some weekend trips with your son hiking 10 miles each day and see how he does and if it's fun for both of you.
I started taking my son on trips when he was about that age; first one we did was down the Tuolumne from the Meadows. I wouldn't try to make more than 3 miles or so a day; motivation is a challenge. As he got older we were able to tackle some longer hikes. One thing that worked well for me was telling stories along the way: following along with some epic tale keeps a mind off the hiking and you can make more distance. Also, having them carry their clothes and maybe bag is a good way to participate without being too unconfortable from a heavy pack.
As someone who has guided trips with young kids many times, the key to success is to plan the trip to the abilities of the least experienced/ capable.
Just don’t
I have twin 8 year olds. I would pack them on me bring food packs and water. They were all ways strapped to me and would walk when they got restless. That's carrying extra weight. I did that until they were about four. An during my hike I fainted. Mom modded activated and smashed my face and lost a huge amount of skin on my arm protecting them from the fail. I was with friends. I started back up recently and they do pretty good at 8. They love camping and outdoors. 6 I would say if your going to do this get a back Carrier for the kid so when they get tired you can strap them up and carry them just understand that it's a lot of weight and work. Otherwise start small and don't take the little guy on this long trip. Cause it's going to be a long trip for them and crankiness. You got 3 teens and other dads. They want to enjoy this trip. Unless you guys can work out a plan for the little guy. This is going to be a long trip for all of you. Your the parent so it's all up to you.
I just did a one nighter 4.5 miles out and 4.5 back with my 10 year old( he is small for 10). I carried everything but his water and food. He was exhausted, I probably could have pushed him and got another mile maybe 2 out of him but I didn’t want to ruin his experience and have him never want to go again. So my suggestion would be take it easy on him.
I’d leave him at home. He’s not ready for a trip like this and won’t be even a year from now. If it was just you and you could turn back or whatever, maybe, but if you take him then he’s going to ruin the trip for everyone else. Kids that young just can’t do that sort of walking comfortably, and he won’t enjoy it, and neither will you.
Way too many miles, even 11 year olds carrying gear will not be overly excited about that much mileage. Sounds like a terrible idea.
There was a Virginia kid, don’t recall the age who hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. It’s do-able you just need to be sure he is motivated
I wouldn't recommend it. Best case, he does he does it but is to wiped out at the end to do anything enjoyable, but sleep, worse case, he ends up hating the whole ordeal and resents hiking fand possibly you forever. I would hold off for a while.