28 Best Family Hiking Vacations Around the World

We’ve been hiking with our kids around the world for more than a decade, and some of our favourite trips have been built almost entirely around time on the trail. The best family hiking vacations are the ones that give you enough trail options to match your kids’ ages and abilities, while still leaving room for good food, interesting towns, beaches, wildlife or other activities along the way.

Over the years, our family hiking trips have taken us from Banff and the French Alps to the Appalachians, Iceland, South Korea and the Inca Trail. We’ve hiked with toddlers in backpack carriers, planned multi-day treks with older kids and learned the hard way that a trail that looks manageable on paper can feel very different once you add heat, elevation, stairs or tired legs.

This guide brings together our favourite family hiking vacations, based on places we have personally visited with our kids. Some destinations are best for easy kid-friendly hikes and shorter walks, while others are better suited to experienced families looking for longer days or multi-day trekking with kids. For each destination, I’ve focused on what made it work for our family, the kinds of hikes you can expect and the details that matter when you’re hiking with kids.

We loved all of these family hiking destinations so it was quite hard to rank them in the order that we enjoyed them. But we gave it our best shot. We hope that you will find some inspiration for your next family hiking trip!

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Our Favourite Family Hiking Vacations

1. Banff National Park, Canada

Banff National Park is one of our favourite family hiking destinations, and we’re lucky to call the area home. With everything from short lakeside walks to longer mountain hikes, it’s easy to find a trail that works for your kids’ ages, hiking experience and energy level.

Some of our favourite family-friendly options include Johnston Canyon, Tunnel Mountain, Lake Louise Lakeshore and Sunshine Meadows. If your kids are comfortable with more elevation and longer distances, there are also plenty of rewarding hikes with bigger mountain views. One of the reasons Banff works so well for a family hiking vacation is that you can mix hiking days with easier sightseeing days, lake stops and other activities without having to leave the national park.

If you’re planning a longer stay, our complete guide to Banff with kids covers where to stay, what to do and practical family travel tips for the area. For more trail ideas, including distances, difficulty and which hikes work best for different ages, see our guide to the best Banff hikes with kids.

2. Chamonix & the Mont Blanc Region, France

Chamonix is one of the best family hiking destinations we’ve visited in the Alps. We spent five days here during our month-long trip through France, and hiking was a big part of why we wanted to come. The combination of dramatic mountain scenery and easy access to high-elevation trails makes Chamonix especially appealing for families who want a true mountain vacation.

One of the things we loved most was how the gondolas, cable cars and chairlifts made it easy to get high into the mountains with our kids. The Grand Balcon Sud was especially memorable for its views across the valley to Mont Blanc, while the Grand Balcon Nord combined a rocky mountain trail with views of glaciers and a fun finish at the Montenvers train.

Chamonix also works well for families because you can mix hiking days with other mountain experiences. We loved riding the Aiguille du Midi cable car, visiting the Mer de Glace area and taking the Tramway du Mont Blanc.

For more trail ideas, practical tips and details from our stay, read our complete guide to Chamonix with kids. If you’re considering Chamonix as part of a longer trip, our guide to France with kids includes our full one-month itinerary through France, including five days in Chamonix.

3. Iceland

Iceland has been one of our favourite destinations for hiking with kids because so many of the trails lead to something memorable. We’ve hiked past waterfalls, through geothermal areas and across landscapes that kept our kids interested even when the trail itself was challenging.

One of our most memorable kid-friendly hikes in Iceland was the Fimmvörðuháls Trail, which we hiked both times we visited Iceland with kids. We didn’t hike the full route, but we followed the section above Skógafoss, where the trail climbs beside the Skógá River and passes waterfall after waterfall.

We also really enjoyed the hike to the Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. The trail climbs through an active geothermal valley with steaming vents and bubbling mud before reaching the warm river where you can stop for a soak. That combination of hiking and swimming made it especially fun with kids, and it was one of the more unusual family hikes we did in Iceland.

Our guide to the best things to do in Iceland with kids shows how we combined hiking with the best waterfalls in Iceland, hot springs and other stops around the country.

4. Inca Trail & Machu Picchu, Peru

Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was one of the biggest family hiking adventures we had talked about for years. We finally did it when our kids were 11 and 9, as part of a month-long trip through Peru and Bolivia. The classic four-day trek ended up being the highlight of the entire trip for us, not just because of Machu Picchu at the end, but because of everything we experienced along the way.

The Inca Trail with kids is challenging, and families need to be realistic about the altitude, long days and steep stone steps. Day 2 was the hardest, with a long climb to Dead Woman’s Pass followed by another major ascent to Runkuraqay Pass. We were incredibly proud of our kids when we reached the top of Dead Woman’s Pass together. The sense of accomplishment was a big part of what made this trek so memorable for all of us.

What surprised us most was how much there was to experience beyond the hiking itself. We passed Inca ruins throughout the trek, watched glaciers appear between the mountains, hiked through changing ecosystems and even stopped to pet llamas along the way. By the time we reached Wiñay Wayna and then finally walked through the Sun Gate toward Machu Picchu, it felt like the destination had been earned rather than simply visited.

We recommend giving your family enough time to adjust to the elevation before starting a trek like this. We spent three days acclimatizing in Cusco with kids before moving on to higher-altitude adventures.

We started with easy walking around Cusco, then gradually increased the effort with a hike to Cristo Blanco, hiking with llamas and alpacas, and finally Rainbow Mountain. Taking those days to acclimatize made sense for our family and gave us some fun experiences before the Inca Trail even began.

The Inca Trail is best for active families with older kids who already have experience with longer hikes and are comfortable with some discomfort along the way. It takes more preparation than many of the other family hiking vacations on this list, but for us, the combination of mountain scenery, history, camping and finally arriving at Machu Picchu made it well worth the effort.

5. Utah’s National Parks

Southern Utah is one of the best places we’ve been for a family hiking road trip. We spent three weeks exploring all five of Utah’s “Mighty 5” national parks with our kids, who were 3 and 5 at the time, and hiking was a big part of nearly every day.

Before the trip, we wondered if the parks might start to feel a little too similar after three weeks in the desert. We didn’t need to worry. Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef were all so different that we genuinely enjoyed every one of them.

The variety of family hiking in Utah’s national parks is what makes this such a great vacation with kids. At Bryce Canyon we hiked among the hoodoos on the Queen’s Garden and Fairyland Loop trails. In Arches, we took the kids to Delicate Arch and explored shorter trails to places like Double Arch and Sand Dune Arch.

Our kids had an especially good time on the Slickrock Foot Trail in Canyonlands, while one of our biggest accomplishments was the 13.2 km / 8.2 miles Frying Pan to Cassidy Arch and Grand Wash hike in Capitol Reef, which was the longest hike our kids had completed at that point.

If we had to choose a favourite of the five parks, it would be Zion. We spent five days visiting Zion National Park with kids, which gave us time to do several family-friendly hikes rather than rushing through the park in a day.

Riverside Walk and Lower Emerald Pool were good easier options with young kids, while the Watchman Trail was more challenging but well worth the effort for the views. We also escaped the busier Zion Canyon area one day to hike the quieter Northgate Peaks Trail.

Southern Utah works especially well for active families because you can adjust each day to match your kids’ energy levels. There are plenty of short hikes and viewpoints when everyone needs an easier day, along with longer trails for families who want more of a challenge.

We also loved having the Junior Ranger programs at each national park, which gave our kids something else to look forward to as we worked our way through all five parks.

6. Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Isle of Skye was one of the places we were most excited to visit on our three-week family trip to Scotland, and it ended up being a real highlight. We spent six nights on the island, which gave us enough time to hike some of its best-known trails without feeling like we had to rush from one sight to the next.

For families who love hiking, Skye has an excellent mix of shorter walks and more substantial trails. We hiked the Old Man of Storr, Brother’s Point, the Fairy Pools, Fairy Glen and the Quiraing with our kids, who were 6 and 3 at the time. The Quiraing was one of our favourite hikes on the island, while Brother’s Point was a great option when we wanted something shorter and quieter. Our kids especially loved exploring the tide pools there.

The biggest thing to be prepared for is the weather. We had everything from good hiking conditions to heavy rain and strong winds during our stay. We even visited Fairy Glen in pouring rain, and the kids still had a great time running around and exploring. Some trails also have steep drop-offs or exposed sections, so you’ll want to keep younger kids close and choose hikes that match their experience level.

Our guide to the Isle of Skye with kids has more details on the family-friendly hikes we did, along with other activities worth adding between hiking days. If you’re building Skye into a longer trip, our Scotland itinerary with kids shows how we combined the island with Loch Lomond, Fort William, Pitlochry and Edinburgh.

7. Ciudad Perdida, Colombia

Ciudad Perdida was one of the most adventurous family hiking trips we’ve done. We trekked through the Sierra Nevada mountains in Colombia with our kids when they were just 4 and 6 years old.

Our daughter walked every step of the six-day trek, while our son only needed to be carried for short sections, such as stream crossings or steep descents. It was hot, humid and physically demanding, so this is definitely best for families whose kids already have plenty of hiking experience.

Most Lost City tours are completed in four days, but that pace would have been too fast for our young kids. We arranged a private six-day trek instead, which reduced our average daily distance to about 7.8 km / 5 miles and let the kids walk at their own steady pace.

That flexibility made a huge difference for us. We never had to worry about keeping up with a larger group, and our guides were incredibly patient and encouraging with the kids.

The Ciudad Perdida trek with kids was about much more than reaching the archaeological site. Along the trail, our kids watched leaf-cutter ants, spotted colourful butterflies, swam in the river, met Indigenous children and played soccer with local kids at camp. They also loved the watermelon stops along the trail. After several days of hiking, climbing the final 1,200 stone steps and reaching Ciudad Perdida together felt like a real accomplishment.

We included Ciudad Perdida as one of the biggest adventures in our three-week Colombia family itinerary. If you’re considering trekking with kids here, be prepared for basic camps, early starts, heat, humidity and several hours of hiking each day.

8. Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre was one of our first real family hiking vacations, and our kids were only 1 and 3 at the time. We knew before we arrived that they wouldn’t be able to walk most of the trails themselves, so we brought a hiking backpack carrier for each child. That turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. It allowed us to spend five days hiking between the colourful villages while still giving the kids opportunities to get out and walk on the easier sections.

The hiking is what made Cinque Terre so memorable for us. Rather than simply taking the train between the villages, we followed the trails through vineyards, olive groves, forests and steep terraced hillsides, with plenty of views over the Ligurian Sea along the way.

We hiked routes between Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, generally treating each hike as a half-day outing so we still had time to explore the villages with the kids.

Families should know that many of the Cinque Terre hikes with kids are not easy. Some trails have long staircases, uneven rocks, steep climbs and exposed sections, and several of our hikes involved a surprising amount of elevation gain.

For us, the backpack carriers made those trails manageable with toddlers. One of our favourite little memories came while hiking through lemon groves between Riomaggiore and Manarola, when a local farmer stopped us and cut a lemon from his trees for each of our kids.

Cinque Terre works especially well for active families because hiking doesn’t have to take over the entire day. The frequent trains make it easy to choose a trail that suits your family and then spend the rest of the day at the beach, exploring a village or simply slowing down.

We included Cinque Terre as part of our month-long Italy itinerary with kids, and it remains one of the family hiking destinations that convinced us we didn’t have to give up the kind of travel we loved just because our kids were little.

9. La Palma, Canary Islands

La Palma was one of the best surprises of our family trip to the Canary Islands. We chose it because we wanted somewhere quieter and more focused on nature than the larger resort islands, and it ended up being an excellent family hiking destination. La Palma is incredibly varied, with volcanoes, laurel forests, deep ravines, coastal trails and the huge Caldera de Taburiente National Park all packed into a relatively small area.

We did several of the best hikes in La Palma with kids, and Pico Bejenado was our favourite. It was also one of the most rewarding hikes we did anywhere on our family trip to the Canary Islands. The trail climbs through Canarian pine forest before reaching a ridge with views into the caldera and out toward the ocean.

We were lucky enough to hike above the clouds near the summit, which made an already memorable hike even better. It is a challenging trail though, with more than 600 m / 2,000 feet of elevation gain, so it’s best for families with kids who are already comfortable with longer mountain hikes.

What we liked most about La Palma was that the hiking never felt repetitive. At Los Tilos we walked through lush laurel forest, while the San Antonio Volcano trail took us across black volcanic terrain and along the rim of a crater.

We also hiked into Caldera de Taburiente along the Cascada de Colores route, where the kids had fun crossing the stream as we made our way through the deep ravine. These were very different hiking experiences, which made it easy to keep everyone interested throughout our stay.

Our guide to La Palma with kids has all the details on how we combined these hikes with black-sand beaches, natural swimming pools and other family activities.

10. Crete, Greece

Crete is one of the best beach destinations for families around the world. It’s also a great option for families who want to combine hiking with some of the best beach time in Greece.

We spent five days on the island and deliberately split our time between exploring the coast and finding interesting trails. That balance worked really well for us. We could spend one day hiking through a gorge and the next swimming in calm turquoise water, which made Crete feel like much more than a traditional beach vacation.

We found several excellent family-friendly hiking trails on Crete, and each one felt completely different. The Imbros Gorge was a fun 7 km / 4.3 mile one-way hike through a narrow, well-treed canyon, where our kids loved listening for the bells on the goats climbing high above us.

The hike to Katholiko Fjord was more challenging, with a steep return climb, but it was one of the most interesting family hikes we did in Greece. We passed a cave, monastery ruins and a deep rocky gorge before reaching the turquoise water at the end. Mili Gorge was our easier option, with old stone bridges, abandoned watermills, stream crossings and plenty for the kids to explore along the way.

The beaches are a big part of why Crete works so well as a family hiking vacation. We loved being able to alternate active days with easier days at some of the best family-friendly beaches on Crete, including Elafonisi, where our kids could play in the shallow, calm water. Crete also earns a very high spot in our guide to the best beach destinations for families, so it’s especially worth considering if not everyone in your family wants to hike every day.

11. Appalachian Mountains, USA

The Appalachian Mountains are a great choice for a family hiking trip because you can combine several very different hiking destinations into one road trip. We spent just over two weeks travelling from Shenandoah National Park through the Blue Ridge Mountains to Asheville and Great Smoky Mountains National Park with our kids. Hiking was a big part of the trip, but the trails changed constantly, from waterfalls and forest walks to mountain viewpoints and creek crossings.

We started with some of our favourite kid-friendly hikes in Shenandoah National Park. Stony Man gave us sweeping views over the Blue Ridge Mountains, while Whiteoak Canyon followed a river past waterfalls and swimming holes. Our kids were just as interested in the little things along the trail, stopping for caterpillars, butterflies, mushrooms and tiny lizards. We even saw a mother black bear and her cub near the Stony Man Trail, followed by four more bears from the car later in our stay.

The family-friendly hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway added even more variety. Gully Creek was one of our favourite hikes on the entire road trip, with creek crossings, stepping stones and waterfalls tucked into a lush forest. Rough Ridge was much shorter but rewarded us with some of the best mountain views we had along the parkway.

Near Asheville, we also spent several days hiking around Chimney Rock State Park, DuPont State Forest and Pisgah National Forest. Our kids especially enjoyed the waterfalls and picking wild blueberries near Graveyard Fields.

Our complete Appalachian Mountains road trip with kids shows how we connected these areas into one 16-day family hiking road trip. You can also find more family hikes near Asheville if you want to use the city as a base for exploring western North Carolina.

12. Portuguese Coastal Camino

The Portuguese Coastal Camino was one of our favourite family hiking vacations because the hike itself was the trip. We walked for six days from Oia, Spain toward Santiago de Compostela, covering roughly 120 km / 75 miles along the coastal route.

Our kids were 8 and 10 at the time, and while we knew they were strong hikers, we still wondered how they would handle walking close to 20 km / 12 miles or more day after day. They surprised us yet again. By the end, our daughter was wishing the trip was two days longer.

What made the Portuguese Coastal Camino with kids work so well was the self-guided format. We could walk at our own pace, stop for snacks or playgrounds, pet every horse our daughter spotted and take breaks whenever the kids needed one.

Our luggage was transferred between hotels each day, so we only carried small daypacks. After a long day of hiking, arriving at a comfortable hotel, sometimes right on the beach, felt like a pretty good reward.

The scenery changed constantly along the route. Some days we walked beside the Atlantic Ocean and long sandy beaches, while other sections took us through forests, vineyards, small villages and quiet country roads.

One of our favourite parts of the experience was how encouraging people were toward the kids. They heard “Buen Camino!” throughout the trip, collected stamps in their Camino passports and were occasionally handed little gifts or treats by people we met along the way. Those small interactions became a big part of the experience for them.

The Portuguese Coastal Camino is best for families with kids who are already comfortable with long walking days. The terrain is generally manageable, but the cumulative distance is the real challenge, and not every section is scenic. There were stretches beside roads and through cities that we were happy to shorten with a bus when it made sense.

For us, that flexibility was part of what made the Camino such a successful family hiking trip. It gave us a real multi-day adventure without needing to carry all our gear or sleep in mountain huts.

13. Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Plitvice Lakes National Park had been on our family travel bucket list for a long time, and we were very excited to finally visit with our kids.

Our hiking trip to Plitvice Lakes with kids was memorable because so much of the walking is on wooden boardwalks beside turquoise lakes, streams and waterfalls. On our first afternoon we hiked about 10 km / 6 miles , then covered nearly 18 km / 11 miles the following day.

Our kids were only 2 and 4 at the time, so we used carriers when they needed a break, especially around the crowded waterfall sections where the boardwalks are narrow and often have few handrails.

Some of our favourite parts of Plitvice were actually away from the busiest waterfalls. We loved the peaceful walk along Kozjak Lake first thing in the morning and the upper trails with views down over the lakes and boardwalks. We also hiked around the west side of Kozjak Lake, where the trail felt much more like a traditional hike and we had far more space to ourselves.

Plitvice fit easily into our Croatia family vacation, between Zagreb and Split (on the Dalmatian Coast). For families considering it as one of the best places to hike with kids in Croatia, we recommend staying nearby, arriving early and allowing more time than you think you’ll need.

14. Norway

Our family trip to Norway gave us some of our most memorable family hiking days, although the weather made us work for them. We spent 23 days travelling through the country with our kids, who were 2 and 4 at the time, and we looked for hiking opportunities at almost every stop. From city hikes above Bergen and Ålesund to steep trails overlooking Geirangerfjord, Norway gave us a good mix of accessible family walks and more challenging mountain days.

In Bergen with kids, we hiked up Mount Fløyen and Sandviksfjellet, often with one of the kids in a carrier. Our kids especially liked the Troll Forest at the top of Mount Fløyen, where they could look for carved wooden trolls before heading to the playground. It’s excellent hiking like this that helped Bergen earn a spot on our favourite family-friendly cities in Europe.

Our time in Ålesund with kids was another excellent base for hiking with kids in Norway. The Sukkertoppen hike gave us wide views over the city, islands and nearby fjords.

We then took the Hurtigruten ferry to Geirangerfjord with kids, where we tackled one of the hardest hikes of our trip. The trail toward Homlongsætra was steep, rocky and extremely slippery after overnight rain, especially while carrying the kids, but the views over Geirangerfjord were among the best we had anywhere in Norway.

Norway is a strong option for family hiking vacations if you are prepared for changing weather and wet trails. Our stays in Bergen, Ålesund and Geiranger each gave us very different hiking experiences, from urban-access trails to steep fjord hikes, and that made Norway one of the more rewarding active family trips we’ve taken.

15. Tofino & Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Canada

Tofino is a great family hiking destination if you want easy trails with plenty for kids to see along the way. We spent five days here with our kids in the fall, hiking through rainforest, along the Pacific coast and down to beaches that can only be reached on foot. Many of the trails around Tofino, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and nearby Ucluelet are short with very little elevation gain, which makes Tofino especially good for families with younger kids.

Some of the best hiking trails for families in Tofino take you through the rainforest. The Rainforest Trail was one of our favourites, with elevated boardwalks winding between huge western red cedars and hemlocks. Our kids had fun looking for banana slugs, caterpillars and other small creatures, and the dense forest gave us some welcome protection when we had a full day of heavy rain.

We also spent a lot of time hiking around Ucluelet. The Wild Pacific Trail follows the rugged coastline past viewpoints, old trees and beaches, and our kids were especially interested in the tide pools at He-Tin-Kis Beach.

On another hike, we followed the Willowbrae Trail to Florencia Bay and Half Moon Bay. Our kids were 6 and 8 when we did both beach trails back-to-back, including all the stairs, and managed them without difficulty.

Our guide to Tofino with kids includes the beaches, wildlife tours and other activities we added between our family hikes.

16. Big Island of Hawai‘i

When we started looking for a tropical family vacation with good hiking, the Big Island of Hawai‘i kept coming up. We love beach time, but we’re not a family that wants to spend every day sitting on the beach, so the variety of hiking here really appealed to us. We spent two weeks on the Big Island and found everything from rainforest trails and coastal hikes to waterfalls and walks across old lava flows.

Our favourite of the kid-friendly hikes on the Big Island was the Puna Trail near Hilo. Much of the hike winds through a beautiful, shaded tropical forest before reaching Ha‘ena Beach, where we were rewarded with sea turtles, tide pools and ocean views. We also loved hiking to the green sand at Mahana Beach and exploring some of the easier coastal and waterfall trails around the island.

The biggest hiking highlight for us was spending two days at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park with kids, one of the best US national parks for families. We combined the Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Iki and Crater Rim trails into one memorable hike through tropical forest and across old crater floors, then explored the Thurston Lava Tube along the way.

Walking across volcanic terrain with our kids was amazing, and seeing the volcanic landscape from both inside the crater and along the rim made the national park well worth several days of our trip.

The Big Island works especially well for families who want hiking to be a big part of their Hawaii vacation without giving up the beaches. We could spend a morning on the trail, then cool off by the ocean later in the day.

17. Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, Scotland

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs was one of our favourite hiking stops on our family trip through Scotland. We spent six days in the area and used Balloch as our base, which gave us easy access to both the Loch Lomond side of the park and the Trossachs. We did a tremendous amount of family hiking here, from short forest walks to steeper hill climbs with big views over the lochs.

Conic Hill and Ben A’an were two of our favourite family hikes in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs. Conic Hill follows part of the West Highland Way before climbing to wide views over Loch Lomond, while Ben A’an is a short but steep hike with views over two lochs from the top. Our kids also had a great time on the Whangie, where the rock formations gave them plenty to climb and explore along the way.

There are also plenty of easy walks in Loch Lomond with kids for days when you want something shorter. We walked an easy section of the West Highland Way north of Balmaha, stopping at small beaches along the shore so the kids could play by the water.

The Waterfall Trail in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park was another hit because our kids ran from one interactive display to the next. We enjoyed it so much, we included it in our Top 10 Things to do in Scotland with kids.

We included Loch Lomond early in our Scotland itinerary with kids, before continuing north to Fort William and the Isle of Skye.

18. Julian Alps & Triglav National Park, Slovenia

The Julian Alps were one of the highlights of our two-week family trip to Slovenia. We planned much of our time around Lake Bled and Triglav National Park, and hiking ended up being a big part of the trip. What made this area especially memorable for us was the variety. We could do shorter family hikes around Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge, then head much deeper into the mountains for a four-day hut-to-hut hiking adventure.

Our hut-to-hut hiking trip in Slovenia with kids was one of our favourite family hiking experiences in Europe. We loved being able to hike at our own pace on a self-guided route through Triglav National Park, staying in mountain huts along the way.

The kids helped navigate with a paper map as we hiked through forests and wildflower-filled alpine meadows. Even the day we arrived soaking wet after hiking through heavy rain became one of those family travel memories we still talk about.

You certainly don’t need to commit to a multi-day trek to enjoy hiking here. Lake Bled has several manageable family walks and hikes, including Vintgar Gorge and the short but steep climb to Ojstrica Viewpoint.

Bovec is another great base for an active family vacation, with mountain scenery, waterfalls and plenty of outdoor adventures to mix in between hiking days. Our complete guide to Slovenia with kids covers how we combined Lake Bled, Triglav National Park and Bovec into one family trip.

For families who already enjoy hiking and want to take the next step into a multi-day adventure, the Julian Alps are well worth considering. The hut-to-hut route involved sustained mountain hiking and changing weather, so it’s best for kids who are already comfortable spending several hours on the trail.

19. Austrian Alps

The Austrian Alps are a great choice for a family hiking vacation because there are so many ways to combine mountain hikes with lakes, cable cars and other activities for kids. We spent three weeks travelling through Austria with our kids, and hiking was one of the main reasons we planned the trip. Some of our favourite areas were Zell am See, Hohe Tauern National Park and the mountains around Hallstatt.

Zell am See worked especially well for our family because we could spend one day hiking in the mountains and the next swimming in Lake Zell. We loved the hike to Krimml Waterfall, where the trail climbs past a series of viewpoints along the falls, and the Pinzgauer Spaziergang was another memorable family hike with huge views over the Austrian Alps.

One of our most interesting days was hiking near the Pasterze Glacier. The kids spotted marmots and wildflowers along the way, and hearing the glacier crack while we were standing nearby is something none of us will forget.

Families who prefer easier hiking also have plenty of options. During our stay in Hallstatt with kids, we enjoyed the Gosau Lakes Trail, which follows a broad, mostly easy path through a beautiful alpine valley.

Around Innsbruck, cable cars made it easy to reach shorter mountain hikes such as the Geotrail and Path of Perspectives. This variety is one of the reasons the Austrian Alps work so well for families with different hiking abilities.

For more details on one of our favourite stops in Austria, see our guide to Zell am See with kids in summer, including the family hikes we did around Hohe Tauern National Park. Our complete guide to Austria with kids shows how we combined hiking in the Austrian Alps with Hallstatt, Innsbruck, Salzburg and other family activities during our three-week trip. We even did a family-friendly self-guided cycling trip in Austria!

20. South Korea

South Korea gave us more family hiking than we expected, especially around Seoul and Jeju Island. We spent two weeks travelling through the country with our kids, who were 7 and 9, and deliberately added hiking days between the cities, temples, markets and other attractions. Our South Korea family vacation included hikes in Seoul, Busan and Jeju Island.

One of our favourite hikes was the Dobongsan Trail in Bukhansan National Park, which is easily reached from Seoul by public transit. The trail starts through deciduous forest before becoming steeper and rockier as you climb. We stopped at Cheonchuksa Temple, where a monk greeted our kids, and later reached Madang Rock for views back toward Seoul. You can find all the details in our guide to Seoul with kids.

Jeju Island gave us a completely different hiking with children experience and quickly became one of our favorite family-friendly destinations in Asia. The Yeongsil Trail in Hallasan National Park climbs through pine forest before reaching stairs, viewpoints and an alpine boardwalk beneath Mount Hallasan. Our guide to Jeju Island with kids includes all of our family hikes along with the other outdoor activities we did there.

South Korea is worth considering for families who want a family hiking vacation that also includes major cities and cultural experiences. In Seoul, we could hike in Bukhansan National Park and be back in the city by the end of the day, while Jeju gave us volcanic trails, coastal walks and forest hikes.

21. Joshua Tree National Park, California

Joshua Tree National Park is a great family hiking destination if your kids enjoy exploring as much as they enjoy hiking. We spent four days here with our kids when they were 4 and 6, and the giant boulder formations turned many of the trails into adventures of their own. Our kids were constantly climbing on rocks, squeezing through narrow spaces and finding something new to investigate along the way.

There’s a good range of kid-friendly hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, which makes it easy to adjust your day to your kids’ energy levels. Skull Rock and Split Rock are both manageable family hikes with plenty of opportunities to scramble on the rocks, while Arch Rock is another short option. For a bigger challenge, we loved hiking Ryan Mountain with our kids. The climb was steady, but the 360-degree views from the summit made it well worth the effort.

We also finished our trip with the longer Panorama Loop Trail in the Black Rock Canyon area. It felt noticeably different from the busier parts of the park, with healthy Joshua trees, a rocky valley and wide views over the surrounding desert. Having both short, playful hikes and longer trails like Ryan Mountain and Panorama Loop was one of the reasons Joshua Tree worked so well for our family.

The main thing families need to plan for is the desert environment. There is very little shade on many trails and water isn’t available at most trailheads, so be sure to carry plenty of water and bring good sun protection.

We visited in February, which gave us comfortable hiking temperatures. Our complete guide to Joshua Tree National Park with kids has more ideas for combining hiking with viewpoints, the Cholla Cactus Garden and other family-friendly stops around the park.

22. Bohemian Switzerland & Bohemian Paradise, Czechia

Bohemian Switzerland and Bohemian Paradise were two of our favourite stops on our family road trip through Czechia. We spent three days hiking in each region with our kids, who were 2 and 4 at the time, and both areas worked surprisingly well for young children. The sandstone cliffs, narrow rock passages, forest trails and castles made the hiking feel more like exploring.

In Bohemian Switzerland with kids, we found a good mix of shorter hikes and bigger adventures. Our kids loved exploring the Tisá Walls, where they could climb around the sandstone formations and squeeze through narrow passages. We also hiked to Mariina vyhlídka for views over the surrounding forest and rock towers.

Our biggest day was the Pravčická Brána and Wild Gorge route, which included cliffside hiking and boat rides through the gorge. At that age, our kids could only walk part of this lengthy hike, so we used hiking carriers when needed.

Bohemian Paradise felt different but just as family-friendly. We explored the Prachov Rocks, hiked through fields and forest to Trosky Castle, and walked from Hrubá Skála toward Valdštejn Castle.

We especially liked how often the trails passed between towering sandstone formations or led to castle ruins and viewpoints. After our long day in Bohemian Switzerland, the shorter Prachov Rocks hike was exactly what we needed, and the kids had plenty of time to explore at their own pace.

If your family enjoys hiking but also likes having something for the kids to explore along the way, both regions are well worth considering. Our guide to Bohemian Paradise with kids covers the hikes and castles we enjoyed there, while our Czechia family road trip shows how we combined Bohemian Switzerland and Bohemian Paradise with the other family-friendly destinations in the Czech Republic.

23. Killarney National Park, Ireland

Killarney National Park was an easy choice for our Ireland road trip because we knew we wanted several days of hiking and outdoor activities with the kids. We spent five days in the area, using Kenmare as our base, and found a good mix of mountain hikes, forest walks, lakeside trails and other active adventures.

One of our favourite family hikes was Torc Mountain. The 8 km / 5 mile hike to the summit was a good challenge for our reasonably active kids, and the views made the climb well worth it.

On an easier day, we walked from Muckross House to Torc Waterfall and continued along Muckross Lake. We even timed our waterfall visit for a rainy day, which turned out to be a good decision because the falls were especially impressive after the heavy rain.

What we liked most about Killarney National Park with kids was the variety. We could hike one day, cycle through the Gap of Dunloe the next, then slow things down with an easier forest walk. We also spent time hiking in nearby Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve and Rossacroo Forest, where the lush oak forests gave our kids plenty to explore along the way.

Killarney also fits easily into a longer family trip through Ireland. In our Ireland itinerary with kids, we combined five days around Killarney with hiking on the Dingle Peninsula, a family cycling tour through Connemara and other outdoor stops around the country.

24. Meteora, Greece

Meteora was one of the most unusual places we hiked during our family trip through Greece. We spent two days exploring the trails between the towering rock formations and monasteries, and hiking gave us a much better feel for the landscape than simply driving between viewpoints. Our kids were 9 and 11 at the time and were strong enough hikers to handle the climbs and uneven terrain.

One of the things we enjoyed most about Meteora with kids was that the hikes had a clear destination. We could walk through forest and between the huge sandstone pillars, then arrive at a centuries-old monastery perched high on the rocks. That gave the kids something to work toward and added a cultural element to our family hiking days.

Meteora works well for families looking for hiking trails for kids that offer more than just mountain scenery. For us, combining the hikes with monastery visits made the experience memorable and gave the kids a reason to stay interested from one trail to the next.

25. Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto surprised us with how much family hiking we could do right from the city. We originally planned to split our time more evenly between Tokyo and Kyoto, but once we realized how many hiking trails there were around Kyoto, we gave ourselves a full seven days. Our son was 14 months old and our daughter was 3, so we brought two backpack carriers and used them whenever the kids needed a break.

One of our favourite kid-friendly hikes in Kyoto was Fushimi Inari. The trail climbs through thousands of orange and black torii gates, and our daughter was able to walk a good portion of it herself. We reached the Yotsutsuji intersection in about 35 minutes, where we stopped for views over Kyoto and a matcha ice cream before continuing higher.

We also enjoyed the Kurama to Kibune hike, which took us through dense forest past temples and shrines before finishing in the small mountain village of Kibune. The climb from Kurama was steep enough that we were very glad to have the carriers.

Our 7-day Kyoto itinerary with kids shows how we combined these hikes with temples, gardens, the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and other cultural stops. Kyoto worked especially well for us because hiking was easy to build into a city trip, whether that meant a full forest hike to Kibune or a shorter walk tied to a temple visit.

26. Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada

Revelstoke is a strong choice for a family hiking vacation if you want easy access to mountain trails, waterfalls and national park scenery. We spent a week here with our kids when they were 5 and 8, and hiking was one of the main activities we planned around.

Mount Revelstoke National Park gave us the biggest concentration of trails, while Revelstoke Mountain Resort and the areas around the Columbia River and Arrow Lakes added even more options.

Our guide to the best easy hikes in Revelstoke includes several trails that worked particularly well for us as a family. At the summit of Mount Revelstoke National Park, we enjoyed a 4.6 km / 3 mile circuit with only about 130 m of elevation gain. The kids enjoyed the interpretive features along First Footsteps, while the Fire Lookout gave us a rewarding finish at the highest point in the summit area.

We also liked having very short family hikes in Revelstoke for days when we were doing other activities. The Giant Cedars Boardwalk is only 300 m / 1,000 feet long and winds through huge old-growth cedars, while Sutherland Falls is reached with just a short walk through the forest. On another day, we hiked the longer trail to Begbie Falls and let the kids stop to balance on fallen trees and look for the large slugs crossing the trail.

Our complete guide to Revelstoke with kids covers how we combined hiking with mountain biking, the Pipe Mountain Coaster and time at Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

27. Valle de Bravo, Mexico

Valle de Bravo is one of our favourite family-friendly destinations in Mexico. It gave us two very different family hikes during our five-day stay, plus one of the most memorable wildlife experiences we’ve ever had with our kids. We visited when they were 3 and 5, and both were able to handle the shorter hikes themselves for most of the way.

One of our favourite hikes on our family trip to Valle de Bravo was the climb to La Torre, a paragliding launch site above Lake Avándaro. We were lucky to meet a local hiker who helped us find the correct route after we became unsure about the trail, and we finished the hike watching paragliders launch from the top.

Mirador La Peña was shorter but more playful for the kids. They spent much of the hike climbing over rocks beside the trail and exploring a small cave-like passage near the top. The summit has excellent views over Valle de Bravo and Lake Avándaro, but there are no safety rails and some steep drop-offs, so we kept the kids well back from the edges.

The hike to the Piedra Herrada monarch butterfly sanctuary was the highlight of our stay. The uphill trail to the butterfly viewing area is about 2 km / 1.2 miles, and both kids walked it without help. Piedra Herrada sits at about 3,000 m / 10,000 feet, so altitude is worth considering if your family has arrived directly from sea level.

Seeing huge numbers of monarch butterflies flying through the forest after their migration from Canada was something we had wanted to experience for years, and it made Valle de Bravo much more than just another hiking stop on our Mexico trip.

Valle de Bravo is an easy side trip if you are already visiting Mexico City with kids.

28. Palm Springs & Coachella Valley, California

Palm Springs is one of our favourite places to visit in the US with kids. We visited in February with our kids, who were 4 and 6, which gave us comfortable desert hiking weather and let us spend most mornings on the trail.

Our guide to the best places to hike with kids in Palm Springs includes the Cross Trail Loop, the Wilderness Loop at The Living Desert, Palm Canyon and Ladder Canyon. Palm Canyon was the easiest, following a creek through a huge palm oasis with plenty of shade. We then climbed onto the Victor Trail for views back over the palms and surrounding mountains.

Ladder Canyon was the hike our kids talked about most. The trail winds through a narrow slot canyon where you climb several metal ladders before eventually reaching a ridge above Painted Canyon. Our kids loved the ladders and tight canyon passages, but this is one to assess carefully if your children are very young or uncomfortable with scrambling.

We also liked how easily hiking fit into our Palm Springs family vacation. At The Living Desert, we combined the Wilderness Loop with a zoo visit, while the Cross Trail Loop gave us a short morning hike with views over Palm Desert. Bring plenty of water, sun protection and shoes with good grip, as many trails are exposed and the loose gravel can be slippery on descents.

Tips for Family Hiking Vacations

If you’re planning a family hiking vacation, a little preparation can make a big difference in how much everyone enjoys the trail. We’ve learned plenty from hiking with our kids over the years, from choosing the right distance and difficulty to keeping kids motivated when the hike starts to feel long.

For all of our practical advice, including what to pack, how to choose kid-friendly hikes and our best tips for making family hikes more enjoyable, read our complete guide to hiking with kids.

Family Hiking Essentials

Having the right gear can make family hiking a lot more comfortable, especially when you’re dealing with changing weather, tired kids or longer days on the trail. Over the years, we’ve figured out which items are genuinely useful and which ones we can leave at home.

Our complete guide to hiking gear for kids covers the essentials we recommend for family hikes, including clothing, footwear, backpacks, hydration and the gear that helps make hiking with kids easier and more enjoyable.