California Hiking with Baby & Toddler
One of my favourite things about where we live is our ability to take our toddlers on beautiful nature walks and hikes with minimal equipment. This Ring Mountain Hike is right at the end of our street!
(TBH we totally cheat hahaha!) We usually drive up the mountain and then do the flat hikes at the top of the mountain - remembering two of our party only have little legs!
Tudor's now able to walk on his own while Aura goes in the carrier, although he will always insist on being in the carrier too!
For me, simply getting the kids out of the house for some fresh air, even if only to hike for an hour can make a huge difference in all of our days both emotionally and physically! Topping up your vitamin D, escaping the four walls, getting away from the TV and toys and having nature be their sole entertainment is so refreshing. Rocks and sticks and flowers and grass, climbing trees, just like we used to when we were young!
Tudor loves pretending the rock formations are forts and climbing to the top to conquer them, whilst little Aura is sad she can't keep up with him!
Shop the Look
This spot is a secret haven for novice rock-climbers as it’s a great entry-level mountain to hike. If you’re a hiker or rock-climber it has a lot of great faces you can practice on… as you can see here Tudor is on his way up! We often bring their crash pads here and they just love climbing up and jumping off on to the squishy mats.
The views from the top span from Mt. Tamalpias to the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s truly a panoramic 360 degree view which is breathtaking every time.
Tudor is now at an age where he can keep up with us on smaller hikes and we love the GEOX sneakers for hiking. You can click on the link above to shop the styles Tudor and Aura are wearing! The two styles we chose for the babes are great because they are perforated, meaning excellent air flow and no stinky sneakers lying around the house, and Tudor is so obsessed with his because they even light up!
The carrier Aura is in is from Osprey and we got it for Tudor originally when he was little. Now he’s walking, Aura loves it all for herself. She loves being up high and being able to see everything! It has a sun canopy which you can pop up out the back which is so handy on hot days to protect baby’s head and is super comfortable for Mom and Dad to wear all day. In the bottom we pack a diaper, some water and a couple of snacks for the kids too so no need to carry around multiple big bags.
Here are a few pf our fav hikes:
Ring Mountain: https://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/divisions/open-space/ring-mountain
Tiburon Uplands: https://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/divisions/parks/tiburon-uplands
McNears Park: https://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/divisions/parks/mcnears-beach
Bolinas Lagoon: https://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/divisions/open-space/bolinas
I’ll wrap up with my favourite shot from this day, I hope you enjoyed the post and let me know where your favourite hiking spots are! Feel free to get in touch if you have any Qs about hiking with young kids :)