The cooling temperatures, changing colors and landscapes, and crisp air make fall a wonderful time of year to hit the trails!
Family hikes can be a wonderful way to find a renewed connection to each other, as well as the land we are privileged to have access to and enjoy.
Be sure the whole family is dressed for the weather — layers help to keep comfortable in changing weather, and good socks and footwear protect feet and keep the enthusiasm going on the hike. Water and snacks are also necessary for pretty much any hike with the kids along!
Once you are set with the basics, add some fun and extra enjoyment to your fall family hikes. Here are some ideas!
COLLECT
Gathering and collecting treasures as you hike helps children engage in the hike and with the natural world in a whole different way than a more adult-focused, aerobic hike. Gathering is in our DNA; allowing children to express and act out their desires to collect brings fun, relaxation and a renewed sense of purpose. Nature-play and education expert David Sobel says, “If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it.” Let children find and collect the pieces of the earth they love.
Of course, nature treasures found on the ground during a hike can be carried in pockets, backpacks, tight fists and baskets, but one of our favorite ways to collect items as we hike is journey sticks! Before or at the start of a hike, we find a stick that is a good length for hiking; then wrap string, yarn and rubberbands around it for decoration and to hold your found treasures. As you hike, tuck special leaves, fallen petals and smaller sticks into the wrapped rubber bands. Weave your treasures over and under the string. Secure bark and feathers with strands of yard. At the end of your hike, admire the beautiful, unique creations each person made. On your next hike, add more treasures and look back at items collected on past hikes.
LOOK
Offering children new ways to look at the world around them can inspire an interest in longer hikes, hikes to new places and discovering new things to love about familiar places. Try bringing along a magnifying glass, binoculars, a pocket microscope or a camera and allow children to put them to use. Don’t forget a set for you, too!
One of my kids’ favorite ways to look at the world differently is through a camera lens. Point-and-shoot digital cameras, kids cameras, old cell phones — all are great options to let them take as many photos as they would like while out exploring. We will sometimes create a photo scavenger hunt before heading out: “Take a photo of a red leaf,” “Can you fit seven trees into one picture?” “Photograph a footprint on the ground.” We also like to take a photo each time we walk a certain number of steps. Both projects end up producing a glimpse at what the hike was like from another person’s perspective and open everyone’s eyes.
REFLECT
Sometimes while hiking, sometimes at the end and often when we are back home, my family likes to journal about our hikes and other outdoor adventures. Journal entries can be a simple sentence or sketch about something memorable we saw or experienced on the hike. They can include items we collected and pasted or taped onto the page. Journal pages may include more extensive art like leaf rubbings, petal collages and pinecone people. We always try to note the date or season of the hike, and the location. Labeling sketches can help give context when you go look back at past pages. In the classes and camps I have led, children are always very excited when we share printed photos of them to add into their journals.
GO
Some of my family’s favorite places to hike around Wisconsin are:
Rib Mountain State Park, Wausau: This park offers amazing views from one of the highest points in Wisconsin! It is particularly stunning as the leaves change and fall, opening up even more sights.
Seven Bridges Trail, Grant Park, Milwaukee: With bridges, creeks, stairs and lakeshore to explore, this is such a fun park with lots of kid-friendly lengths of trails.
Horicon Marsh, Dodge County: Exploring the floating boardwalks through the marsh offers so many opportunities to see the creatures who live there. Don’t miss the Sense of Wonders trail full of nature play stations found as you hike the trail!
Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo: This is the most popular park in the state, and for good reason! In the fall, the bluff trails offer so much color and amazing views. We love the Tumbled Rocks trail in any season, too!
– Lee Alliet
Photos by Lee Alliet.
Lee Alliet is a co-founder of Naturing in Madison, a wildschooling mama and an outdoor enthusiast. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two kids, resident dogs and an array of foster dogs. You can follow her outdoor adventures at @naturinginmadison and @adventureschoolingalliets