Hiking with Kids: Hyde Park Circle Trail and Big Tesuque

June 29, 2021

Happy summer! Our family has been spending a lot of time outdoors this month, socializing in outdoor settings now that the world is starting to open up, and entertaining visitors as travel continues to be safer. The kiddos have enjoyed the garden at the Santa Fe Children's Museum, the ABQ Biopark Zoo and Aquarium, dining out on patios, enjoying live music on the plaza, and digging in the sand at the Railyard Park. To beat the heat, we've done some hiking on the trails around Santa Fe.

I have always valued incorporating kids into the activities we already enjoy, giving kids exposure to a variety of enrichment activities from a young age, and making physical fitness a part of our normal routine, but getting out for a hike with young kids often seems like more work than it's worth. We spend more time packing diapers and changes of clothes and snacks, lathering up with sunscreen, and driving in the car than we do actually hiking, and there's always a lot of encouragement and redirection needed when they want to be done within a few minutes. I sometimes feel like the stress of making plans for the day and getting ready to go somewhere turns me into a crabby parent, and that maybe we'd be better off just lounging around at home where I can be relaxed and present with my kids. But at the end of the day there's so much value in exploring the outdoors with kids, giving them avenues for discovery, and putting them in situations where they can challenge themselves and accomplish new skills. I think it's worth it.

A couple weeks ago I took the girls hiking up the Hyde Park Circle Trail while the hubby was out of town. Ady loves hearing the story of Jaycob and I getting engaged on that trail, and seems to think that we actually got married on the trail (I'm just going to let her keep thinking that). The first part of the hike was frustrating as I had one kid complaining about her legs hurting, the other one screaming in my ear and pulling my hair, and the dog pulling on the leash to sniff every bush in site, but we persevered and made it into a fun adventure by looking for sparkly rocks, making up new verses to The Ants Go Marching, and picking out a good spot for our picnic dinner.

My 8-year-old niece came to visit with my mother-in-law last week and I took the girls hiking at Big Tesuque. They had so much fun creating an "Adventure Girls" club, talking about how they want to be the most adventurous one in their family, and making up rules for the club (like "Adventure Girls get scared but they never give up and they never say 'can't'!") It was so rewarding to see girls who are obsessed with pretty dresses and hair accessories one minute transform into outdoorsy, brave hikers once they get out on the trail, discovering talents they didn't know they had. This is exactly what kids should be doing and made all the stress of the day worth it.

We haven't attempted camping with the whole family yet, but maybe that's in our near future. In the meantime we'll just enjoy the trails and the wildlife that Santa Fe has to offer!