Editor’s note: For our culture issue, we’re taking a break from recommending individual hikes so that we can recommend several dozen of them — through a book review! We’ll get back to the trail next issue.
If you’ve ever hiked with a kid, you’ll know there are two questions you need answered before deciding if the hike is kid-friendly: How long is it? And how much of it is up hill?
The guidebook, 50 Hikes with Kids Utah and Nevada, answers both questions. Every hike the guide features is five miles or fewer and has a max elevation gain of 900 feet — ideal for short legs and short attention spans, and perfect for parents wanting to avoid piggy-backing a toddler up a mountain that didn’t look that steep on the map at the visitor’s center.
The guide was co-authored by National Outdoor Book Award-winning author Wendy Gorton and Hailey Terry, a Utah resident, mother, and avid hiker who grew up in Las Vegas. It divides hikes by state, adventure type, and also by season — so you won’t accidentally trek in the summer heat to a waterfall that only exists in the spring.
While the book includes mostly hikes, it also features other kid-friendly outdoor adventures, such as a stroll through Rhyolite Ghost Town or Ward Charcoal Ovens. Kids will enjoy the colorful maps and the “scavenger hunts,” which include pictures and descriptions of plants and animals found along each trail.
If you’ve clocked some miles in the mountains in Utah or Nevada, you’ll find few surprises here. But the guide is a great starting point for those new to hiking with kids or for anyone looking for inspiration for their next family-friendly adventure.