Family-friendly walks: seven easy routes children enjoy

What makes a walk family-friendly

A good family walk is not simply a short one. Children walk happily for hours when there is something to look at every few minutes: water, animals, a bridge, a lighthouse, a beach at the end. They struggle on long, steep climbs with no reward until the top. The best family routes are flat or gently graded, have regular places to stop, offer a way to shorten the day, and end somewhere with a toilet and a snack.

This guide picks seven walks from the Waymark library that meet those tests, from city seawalls to boardwalks over lakes and geysers. Each links to its route page, with distances, seasons and practical details.

Stanley Park Seawall, Vancouver

The Stanley Park Seawall wraps around Vancouver’s great forest park, with the water on one side and cliffs and cedars on the other. It is roughly nine kilometres of the park’s edge with almost no climbing at all. Walk it counterclockwise from Coal Harbour: it is the direction the cyclists ride, so you never walk into the flow of bikes, and the views of the skyline, the North Shore mountains and the Lions Gate Bridge come in the right order. Most people take three to four hours with stops, and beaches along the way make natural breaks.

Good for: buggies, scooters, children who like boats and bridges.

Toronto Islands Loop

A short ferry ride from downtown Toronto, the Toronto Islands are a chain of low, sandy islands with beaches, lagoons and no private cars. The loop crosses them from Ward’s Island to Hanlan’s Point, along a lakeshore boardwalk, past Centre Island’s beach and the Centreville amusement park, to the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, built in 1808. It is flat and about six kilometres, and you can walk it or cycle it.

Good for: a whole summer day with a picnic and a swim.

Agamon Hula, northern Israel

The Agamon Hula circuit is a flat gravel path around a restored lake in the Hula Valley, a stopover for birds migrating between Europe and Africa. KKL-JNF, which runs the park, says about 35,000 common cranes arrive in the autumn and about 15,000 of them stay for the winter. Families can walk, rent a bicycle or a golf cart, or ride the camouflaged tractor-drawn wagon, which lets you get close to the birds.

Good for: wildlife lovers, winter visits.

The Banias, northern Israel

The Banias packs a lot into a short, shaded walk: the gushing source of the Hermon Stream, an ancient shrine cut into a cliff, the ruins of a Roman city and a waterfall. It is mostly flat and well shaded, which makes it a rare summer-friendly walk, and it can be walked from the spring to the waterfall or as shorter loops from either entrance.

Good for: hot days, children who like water and ruins.

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

At Plitvice Lakes, sixteen lakes descend one into the next down a wooded valley, joined by waterfalls. Almost all of the walking is on wooden boardwalks just above clear water, and a boat crosses the largest lake. The full traverse is long, about 18 kilometres, but the walking is easy and the park offers shorter circuits. Note that many boardwalks have no handrail, so hold small hands near the water.

Good for: school-age children with stamina; shorter loops for little ones.

Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone

The Upper Geyser Basin holds the densest concentration of geysers on Earth, and a flat boardwalk runs through it, about eight kilometres of level planks and paved path. Rangers post predicted eruption times for several large geysers, including Old Faithful, so the day has a natural rhythm of walking and waiting. Staying on the boardwalk is essential: the ground is a thin crust over near-boiling water. Explain this to children before you start, and keep them close.

Good for: curious children who will wait for an eruption.

Yosemite Valley Floor

The Yosemite Valley floor is a flat day past meadows, El Capitan and the valley’s waterfalls, which are at full flow in spring and early summer. Shuttle buses make it easy to walk only part of it.

Good for: big views without big climbs.

Matching the walk to the age

• Babies and toddlers in a carrier or buggy: paved, flat loops such as the Stanley Park Seawall or the Toronto Islands, where you can stop anywhere.
• Ages four to seven: short routes with a clear goal, such as the Banias waterfall or an eruption at the Upper Geyser Basin. Two to five kilometres of walking is a good target.
• Ages eight and up: longer days such as Plitvice or the Agamon Hula circuit, especially with a boat ride or bikes to break up the walking.
• Teenagers: let them help choose the route and set the pace. A real summit or a long day can become a proud memory.

Tips for walking with children

• Plan for half the distance. A walk that takes adults two hours may take children three or four.
• Give them a job. Carrying the map, spotting waymarks, counting bridges or looking for birds keeps legs moving.
• Snack often. Small, frequent snacks work better than one big lunch.
• Turn around early. Decide on a turnaround time and keep to it. Ending happy matters more than finishing.
• Pack for them. A spare set of clothes, a sun hat, and water they can reach themselves.

For a full list of what to carry, see our day hike packing list, and for babies and toddlers, our guide to walking with a toddler.