There is no better way to encourage the development of a life-long relationship with the great outdoors than by teaching children to be good hiking stewards. It may be common sense, but we are nature’s guests. We have a unique opportunity to teach kids the joys of hiking, as well as the etiquette.

Educator, Grand Valley Audubon Society president and avid hiker Cary Atwood shares, “As with any activity you learn and use for a lifetime, such as rules of the road for driving a car, hiking etiquette is about consideration of others who use the trail after you. Leave the trail, plants and animals as wild and beautiful as you found them. Take only memories and pictures; leave only footprints.”

It’s natural for children to be impulsive and excited while hiking, which may not lead to the best decisions. Every sport, including hiking, has rules to teach children appropriate behavior just as you would in any other situation.

Local hiking expert Steven Spydell has crisscrossed the country hiking the Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, to name just a few. Like Atwood, the simplicity of the mantra “Take only photographs, leave only footprints” that he learned in his youth has stuck with him his entire life.

“To see the beauty nature has created, we must see it without the damaging touch of mankind’s actions,” Spydell believes. “Wilderness areas need to be respected by leaving them as is, letting nature wave her own paintbrush.”

On the Appalachian Trail through-hike experience, Spydell shared with his son the importance of clean water for survival and practices to protect wilderness water sources as paramount lessons.

First and foremost, be a good role model. However explicit instructions may be, modeling good trail etiquette is a great way to teach. Children often do what they see others do.

Hiking is a sport of passion and love of nature. Make it fun and not just about rules; identify plants, animal tracks and scat. Encourage them to stop and take in the sights, sounds and smells of a scene. They will naturally become more mindful and respectful of their surroundings today, and leaders in passing on trail etiquette to future generations. Although trail etiquette is synonymous with common courtesy, it isn’t always common sense among the masses. Here are some important hiking etiquette rules to teach children.

1. Stay on the trail. Staying on the trail teaches respect to fragile ecosystems. Leaving the trail can also create confusing alternate trails for other hikers. Single track equates to single file.

2. Enjoy nature as you find it. Avoid the temptation to whack plants with a stick, but instead touch plants gently. Watch the busy activity of an ant hill verses kicking it. Be respectful of animals, keep your distance, talk in a “hiking voice” and do not feed animals, as this could make them sick.

3. Leave no trace. It can be common practice, but a bad idea, to toss apple cores, banana peels and other biodegradable goods into the woods. Decomposition can take months, and you could be introducing non-native seeds to the environment or feeding animals foods that aren’t good for them. Best practice is garbage in, garbage out, even if this means packing out trash you find on the trail — leave the trail better than you found it!

4. Don’t knock over cairns or climb on ruins. Cairns are human made piles of rocks to help guide you on the trail. The general rule is to not topple or add to them. Respect ruins and their history. If everyone climbed on ruins, we would not have any left to visit.

5. Potty away from the trail. The one time it’s okay to leave the trail is to go to the bathroom! Go at least 200 feet away from the trail or water source to do your business. Dig a hole for poop and pack out used toilet paper.

6. Take a picture, not a souvenir. This is a tough one. Trails provide a wide range of interesting plants, critters and rocks that capture the attention of all hikers. Within a U.S. National Park, collecting anything is a no-no. Outside national parks, teach children to be respectful about what finds its way into their pockets.

7. Follow pet rules for the trail. Keeping your dog under command or leash control is respectful to other hikers. Even if your dog is a “friendly dog,” not everyone is comfortable around dogs. Pack out their poop and do not let them bother the wildlife.

8. Respect trail right-of-way etiquette. Downhill hikers yield to uphill hikers. Technically, mountain bikers are to yield to hikers, but common sense should come into play if it’s easier for the hiker to step off the trail. Hikers should move safely out of the way of horses and their riders.

9. Smile and greet other hikers. Connecting with like-minded hikers on the trail provides a sense of community.

10. If other etiquette questions pop up and you’re wondering, “Should I let my kids do this?” a simple suggestion would be to ask yourself, “If everyone did this, what would happen?”

Originally published in the Spring 2022 of Spoke+Blossom.

Hiking Etiquette For Kids Today Makes For Better Experiences In The Future